Show c 4 E I 1 A L LC 2 STORY LOVES 0 f the L A IV Y ARABELLA by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL coper bobi merrill co oo 1 SYNOPSIS at U 14 5 sears ears of age admiral sir peter haw shaw s nepi ew richard glyn fell deeply in love at first Is e t hotl lady arabella stormont who spurned his at tensions tent lons ions ahe lad an orphan was given EL ber h as m ds hipman on the aj ajax a by his ibis uncle G les vernon nephew 0 of f S r RY R thomas homas vernon became the boy s pal aly Y atten led a theater wl wi ere hawk shaw s nephew saw lady arabella ver hon met phi p overton next in 1 ne tor for 8 r thomas N ernon s estate they start fd a duel wl ich vas interrupted vernon overton and hawkshaw s nep ew found themselves attracted by pretty lady ara bella bells the ajax in battle attle defeated french earsl barsi ps in the med R chard elyn lyn ot xa 2000 goo prize money he was ailed home by I 1 ady aw as he was about to blow in his earnings with vernon at a hawkshaw party glyn d s ove that lady arabella was a poor out but pers stent gambler he talked much with I 1 er cousin daphne lady arabella again showed love tor for gam gain ng later she belaying Ne held eld gan and overton prisoners thus belaying laying the duel in tie tl e overton ver non duel neither was hurt lady ara bella bela hum hated R chard by her pranks gichard and gies G les shipped on a fr fir gate I 1 les was captured by the french sr S r peter arranged tor for his exchange daal ne showed shored a liking for glyn who was then 21 years of age G les was released giles and nd richard planned elopements S r peter objected to the plan to wed daphne by clever ruses G les and rich ard eloped with lady arabella arabelia and daphne the latter pair were married daphne was vms pleased ara bella ra ed in anger wl en the par 0 t ret returned arned arabe la asked S r peter to aid in prosecuting G les in court on the charge of comm tt sg ng a capital crime all attended the trial CHAPTER IX cont continued aued the evidence being all in and the arguments made a recess was taken we were not the only ones who paid our respects immediately to giles vernon many persons went forward and shook his band while I 1 think sir thomas did not receive a cordial greet ing from a s agle man or woman in the hall although he was known to every one pre ent we got a hurried dinner at the 4 ern and returned at once to the hall it was about half past four in the win ter afternoon and the day being dark and lowering candles were required tae lord justice justices s instructions to the july were then read and my heart sank as in a dreadful monotone he expounded the law to them alas alast As long as the statute against the tion of an heiress remained giles ver non was guilty of a capital crime and not one word uttered by any one of us who testified in his behalf d d aught but proe the more strongly that he had carried lady arabella off against her will the jury retired and the day having been fatiguing the lords justices de ter mined to wait in their retiring room for an hour where them the could be called if the jury ury promptly reached a veroli verdict ct this troubled me this ex pec tation of a quick decision the judges having retired and sus the sitting of the court we at once went over and sat with giles who maintained perfectly his manly composure he ile laughed with sir peter over some of the events of the fight between the ajax and her two ene amies complimented lady hawkshaw upon tipon her triumph oer mer the laws of the land relating to evidence and said many kind hina things to daphne while we were in the midst of a cheerful conversation and not observe ant of what was going on in the other part of the hall we suddenly heard the crier proclaiming the entrance of their lordships and at the same moment sir thomas vernon entered by another door hanging on his arm was lady arabella arabelia stormont and then the jury filed in with solemn faces and what followed all seemed to me like some horrid dream although several persons were moving about there seemed to me a dreadful silence and although the candles burned and a great hobgoblin of lot a moon peered in at the windows there seemed an f awful darkness and after a time in which I 1 was oppressed by this ghostly silence and darkness I 1 saw the senior lord justice put on a black cap and cen sentence tence giles vernon to be banged hanged by the neck until he was dead that day fortnight my e es roved aimlessly around and fell at that moment on lady arabella stormont A faint smile flickered on etier lovely mouth CHAPTER X in that hour of horror I 1 became weaker and more helpless than the weakest and most helpless woman sir peter and lady hawkshaw were too stunned to think I 1 remember BOW ilow the 1001 of despair on sir peter s countenance where I 1 had never be fore sean seon anything but sturdy courage and it was an addid terror and the ony one ato retained her senses who su sug bested a forlorn hope was daphne the youngest the least experienced of ns all to london she said to the tins klaz for pardon I 1 myself will go goj upon my knees to him he shall he shall pardon giles ne e were all huddled together then in our parlor at the inn having just le ie turned from the assize hall richard and I 1 will go said sir peter and daphne and I 1 will stay and comfort giles spoke lady hawkshaw Hawk sham shaN A week to london and a week to return was easy tra traveling eling but how long would it take us to rach the I 1 inga and what ministers would be in town and what would be the earliest coment we could leave londona all these things were in our minds to tor ment us Nevert nevertheless beles within halt ball an ail hours we were on our way while we were demanding the best horses and having them put to an in solent groom came in the stable yard and ed tor for horses for sir thomas and lady arabella stormont and lady arabella Ara bellas s companion mrs whitall and two servants for london the head hostler replied roughly that they had no time to attend him then as they were ere starting sir peter hawl shaw and mr glyn off for london too to beg mr giles vernon s life the man at this grew saucy and offered a handsome bonus for the horses which were then being put to for us I 1 caught him by the collar and threw him out of the stable yard where the hostlers drubbed him soundly thank god one hurried kiss to daphne a brief farewell between sir peter and lady hawkshaw and we were off tor for lon don our race into scotland N was as noth ing to it the roads were much cut up and although we traveled day and n we were more than four days on the way we reached london early in the day and without stopping for food or to change our linen line nwe we went to the admiralty there we got the inform a tion that the first lord was visiting in the country in kent within the hour I 1 was on my way to kent when I 1 reached the place the first loid lold had left not more than two hours before 71 0 I 1 4 0 1 1 J my senses seemed preternaturally acute tor for london I 1 had passed him on the load without knowing him I 1 re turned to london sir peter had seen several members of the government meanwhile and had been privately in formed that the I 1 ing was suffering mentally and although hopes were en pertained that the spell would pass iwa without the necessity of inform ing the country or parl ament still access to him was refu ed to all by his physicians except the members of his faill and immediate household to and they were charged not to mention bust busl ness to him it would be impossible to approach him when sir peter told me this I 1 be came so weak I 1 was forced to sit down after a few minutes of agony a desper ate resolve came to me I 1 rose and said I 1 have a scheme desperate but not impossible go with me to the prince of wales he Is at carlton house but goes back and forth to windsor sir peter jumped at this poor chance and we agreed to go immediately we had left york on a friday and had reached london on the bonday two das had abeen lost in the jour ney to kent and it was now late in the evening of wednesday we had luckily brought our uniforms along and dressing ourselves in them sir peter with all his orders sewn on his coat we called a hackney coach and drove to carlton house when we got there it was about ten 0 clock in the en evening ening the windows were brilliantly lighted up and it was about the hour that the prince of wales was known to be in his best humor but the hour when he most hated to be disturbed we descended and the sentries passed us through on account of our uniforms and sir peters decorations on his breast we reached the door and hi knocked locked the porter opened the door gingerly when sir peter giving it a kick walked in followed by me the man attempted to arrest our ress but sir peter said to him fiercely do you think you damned lackey that you can be insolent to an admiral in his majesty s service serviced 7 the man apologized humbly and ushered us into a large reception room on the first floor saying he would call the gentle man of the chambers we seated ourselves even in that time of agony I 1 noted the beauty of he room indeed my senses seemed preternaturally oreter naturally acute and every in ident of that dreadful time is deeply i ed in my mind the ceiling was of lit while around the walls were paint I 1 ings inge of flon flom A alt g it chandelier diffused light through the apartment and at one side was a pair of large folding doors after a long wait a gentleman mr D aby appeared he received us po bitely bit b it said it was impossible to dis bulb the prince then as he was just sit ting down to piquet sir peter re bained silent he was used to giving orders and the words it is impossible to see his royal bigness were pe culi cull arly d agreeable to him I 1 then made my plea I 1 told mr digby that the life of a gallant officer and gentleman was in jeopardy and chat we begged 0 to see his royal high ness in the hope that the king might amigh be approached that too is impossible coldly tf fl plied mr digby the king is tar far from well just then some one on the other side of the fold ng doors opened one of them the least bit in the world and then closed it but not before we had een been streams of light pouring from it a long table brilliant with plate and ornaments and a company of about 20 gentlemen sitting around it and at one end sat a hernage per nage whom we at once zed as the prince of wales without a word sir peter arose and darting toward the doo tor for he was fever an agile man threw it open and walked into the pre ace nee of his royal highness sir said he marching up to the prince I 1 am admiral sir pete hawk shaw and I 1 have boarded you ou bo to speak sir in order to save the life of one of the gallan test officers in the service of his majesty I 1 had always s heard that his royal highness was a gentleman and I 1 saw then such an exhibition of read ness and good taste as I 1 never saw before and never expect to see aga n every one at the table except the prince seemed astounded at the budden en trance and stat ling address of a short active little man in an admiral admirals s uni form but the prince offered sir petel peter his hand in the coolest manner in the world saying most happy to meet you sir peter I 1 recollect well that you carried the indomitable by boarding very success fully but how did you get past the watchdogs at the door my dear sira by carrying sail hard your royal highness responded S r peter and seeing this door open faith sa d I 1 to myself having haning risked my si slin in these 40 ears for the king and his s iches sors sure I 1 can risk it once more by albing in on my prince and here I 1 am sir ready to state my case that bloody popinjay digby D aby was right behind him wanted me to let ou alone because ou were about to go to p but I 1 no prince of england would sacrifice a man s life to a game of piquet certainly not sir peter answered his royal h gliness rising and now non I 1 have an all hour entirely at your ser vice sir said sir peter I 1 ask the honor of shaking hands with nith you not as a royal prince but as an honest man and good bellow ellow I 1 think the pr nee was ever tible to honest praise for he was no 1001 and he was undoubtedly pleased when sir peter wrung his hand he lie then led the way into another room and the door was closed the rest of the party behaved very civilly to me and I 1 accepted thankful ly an imitation im citation to have ing to eat and drink they were merciful I 1 to me seeing my distress of mind and did not plague me with questions but resumed their conversation with one on another TO BE CONTINUED |