| Show mistress rosemary asian by MILLICENT E MANN copyright 1904 by LUCAS LINCOLN CO XV cont aued true I 1 replied dryly but you frere out of town well better late han never I 1 finished with a shrug the shoulder was there no post or messenger to end it by she questioned I 1 preferred to wait until I 1 could see ou myself I 1 wished to give it into our own hands I 1 said do you suppose I 1 would allow any ne to hold me to the few words crawled upon that slip of papera you aust have strange ideas of women it you think they value their hap iness so lightly she asked I 1 did not answer her instead I 1 laid I 1 ilive it up that you may transfer to one more worthy of you indeed sir more impertinence cried in a disdainful manner tas someone also conferred upon ou the office to pick and choose my liters for mea she asked pert antly lady felton be not so scornful returned since you are so loath take the paper tear it up and make an end of the miserable busi ess I 1 laade a motion to do so naya do not she stopped me with gesture I 1 would keep it as a me lento of your magnanimity co you ve me to cousin raoula with a light laugh the lady lowered ie screen from her face and at the une time dropped into her natural 1 it was rosemary allyn W ith a bound I 1 was at her bide and grasped her arm what do you mean by this mas jera linga I 1 demanded she gave out a saucy laugh since you have given me to cousin you have no right to question e she said my arod rosemary do not trifle ath me I 1 cried what do you herec I 1 only left you a few moments 0 o she nodded her blonde head yes she affirmed I 1 believe you ere to be with me in twenty min es and so you are thanks to me t you she made a moue at me she was but I 1 was not to be deterred om my determination by her beau you will tell me what you are do g here at once I 1 said harshly ance you deceived me by birg as a brother and I 1 shudder yet en I 1 think of what might have been consequences now you would as me the character of lady felton hlll have no more play acting are you speaking to lady felton rosemary allyna she demurely sed gods blood I 1 cried you shall t trifle with me but she went on it to lady felton she must needs ler you from her presence it to isamary allyn that Is a different ng t was like tow playing with fire had tempted me too much she s not to be resisted I 1 took her my arms and bent her saucy head ck while I 1 kissed her on hair brow ES cheeks and lastly mouth where lips would tain have lingered fie sir she gurgled struggling my arms you have crumpled my w gown Us but just home from anton s muttered something which con ened manton to the internal re ans I 1 felt a ripple of merriment through her form you shall stay where you are until hi tell me what I 1 wish to know I 1 d the longer you delay the more lighted I 1 shall be release me and I 1 will tell you she faded pay toll first I 1 replied know then sir what all the town aws that I 1 am called by baptism allyn lady of felton she d then in sheer astonishment I 1 let slip from my anas alas the bit paper which should pave the way a reconciliation between my ther and myself was as nothing both loved the same woman I 1 it rosemary allyn lady iton cut the goodlan knot ahe saw my chagrin upon my face 1 said had you any curiosity concerning dy indeed it certainly is king in you sir since you did not nt to see so famous a beauty it uld have been no difficult thing to ve found out what I 1 have just told i 1 I had none I 1 admitted be my a that I 1 was too absorbed in mis as allyn 1 bowed low before her listen she whispered and held hand up I 1 thought so it Is my her I 1 did not dream it was so e he Is coming here lb t 1 l 11 t al them out and was back at my side without a sound mary he called at the door and turned the handle seeing it was dark within although I 1 pit his cold gray eyes must penetrate the darl ness of the corner where we stood 1 ke cul scarce breathing then dooming all women to alon he stumbled into another room I 1 felt the slight figure with resentment you must go she whispered I 1 will let you out the side door she took a candle from one of the sconces and I 1 lit it I 1 looked at her inquiringly as we stepped through an opening into a back hall you must know sir she ex my father likes you not in the position of suitor to his dough ter s hand he thinks to decide that question to his own satisfaction in giving me to my cousin raoul dwight but she added proudly he has not beken in the reckoning recko ninE the most am person buselt sweet rosemary I 1 said and would have taken her to my arms again nay sir do not make me blush she said forgive me I 1 murmured and I 1 followed her down the steps to the door when may I 1 see you I 1 asked I 1 must see you soon I 1 have much to tell you I 1 am calling at lady dwight s tomorrow to morrow morning can you not arrange it so as to be there afterwards I 1 insisted eagerly she thought she could be there and after kissing her hand respect fully I 1 hurried the second time that night from her presence CHAPTER XVI to N although I 1 bad come out of lady felton s house by the side entrance I 1 went round to the front to summon my servant I 1 asked him it any one had entered the house while he waited there he answered les and that the gentleman had ques tinned him rather sharply as to his business he had told him that he was only looking for a stray wayfarer who might wish to hire him where at my lord peremptorily ordered him off he had retired from the house but come back shortly you see he was a fellow of discernment and be cause ol 01 that quality I 1 gave him an extra coin As I 1 walked with my linkman to ward the blue boar I 1 felt that I 1 was being followed we had hardly turned into holborn before I 1 was pos etive of it A fellow brushed inso bently past me and sought to catch a glimpse of my face quentin waters you are my pris oner he said he put a whistle to his lips and blew it shrilly three times out of the I 1 cried and drew my sword meantime pat rushed to assist me with his light put it up put it up the fellow bellowed I 1 have a warrant for your arrest signed by the king at these words pat took to his long legs and made strides down holborn the shadow of the law was too much for him perhaps with cause in his case and also in mine discretion was the better part of valor I 1 concluded to follow his example I 1 had not time before I 1 could fend the fellow off for a few seconds to make the op his men those bull dogs of law were abolt me I 1 fought for a time but against odds I 1 yield panted seeing I 1 must be overcome in the end provided I 1 may proceed to the blue boar and ac quaint my man with my destination the fellows knowing they had me would consent to nothing I 1 was hustled into a coach carried to lud low and there locked in a putrid cell a cell such as was used for crim finals of the worst type an ignominious ending to a most delightful day an ending altogether unaccountable to me A warrant signed by the king the constable said and that was all he would say put not your faith in princes for when they promise most they do least I 1 wondered how long it would take gil to find out where I 1 was hidden I 1 wondered tor tour days the first day I 1 paced my cell in varying moods I 1 damned that linkman up and down the length and breadth ot england that he had not waited long enough to learn where they were taking me so as to acquaint gil with the tact I 1 tried in every way possible to bribe my jailor to send word to him or at least to find out who had been instrumental in my arrest and what I 1 had been arrested for it was of no avail he would only say that he had his orders I 1 nouh wen know f inc but what fretted me mont was that I 1 could not keep my word in three instances to my lady who would look for me and conjecture as to hat kept me from her to the men aho vho a ild await coming back of montague house how they would jeer at my seeming cowardice and to myself whom I 1 had promised an in with lady dwight I 1 was burning to be rid of my news my plans had been after seeing lady to send gil on to long haut with the into matlon to lord aters of another son when the day in which I 1 was to see rosemary and the others passed I 1 calmed down the following days I 1 passed quite tranquilly aw a ing d losing myself in dreams of rosemary quite the most printable pron table thing I 1 ild do although it t reined sacrilege acri lege to bring lady even n tho ight into so vile a place as this eel wherein I 1 as confined it was dank and humid chile loathsome in acts with legs as many as crawled about in a can er a window grated and barred hung and h this the 1 of day filtered I 1 looked toward its faint beams on this the fourth day a b am however mall and apan was preferable to the darl corners of this hole and saw gild ing in like a fairy elfin a butterfly poor wanton thing life must indred have 1 een n ono that it should forsake licht and tor darkness dark nesa pali As I 1 watched it too high for me to reach a stone was hurled through the grates in the win low and hit the luckless flying insect thai twisted like a leaf in autumn down down while the stone rebounded from the wall of the cell to my feet it had a caper tied about it and 1 hastened to p ck it up fearing my jailor might have heard the noise and come to see what it meant I 1 hid the piper and listened all was still I 1 held it up to the light and read to night at last gil w as en evi dence now my brain kept tacking to pleasanter things how would gil accomplish com his taska how krecl these prison barsa I 1 pushed the three legged stool be neath the window and stood upon it I 1 could just reach the window sill with my finger tips I 1 drew myself up and looked out as I 1 had done many times before I 1 saw tops of trees and tar off a winding stream now all was hazy like a picture seen through a smoked glass I 1 could see a light bobbing here and there and imagine I 1 heard the measured cadence of the boatsman boats men s oars as they fer ried their fares across I 1 was not high up in that old prison else that trail butterfly had not fluttered to its death or the stone been thrown to be continued |
