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Show and well-bred sinners as I saw around mo, who never alluded to it, except officially, of-ficially, as it were, on Sunday, when they all declared themselves miserable sinners for that occasion only. Overton Over-ton then sauntered over toward Lady Arabella, who seemed to recognize his approach by instinct. She turned to him, her cards in her hands, and flushed deeply; he gazed at her sternly stern-ly as If in reproof, and, after a slight remark or two, moved off, to her evident evi-dent chagrin. Daphne being near me then, I said to her with a forced laugh: "What is the meaning, I beg you to tell me, of the pantomime between Lady Arabella and Capt. Overton?" Daphne hesitated, and then said: "Capt. Overton was one of the gayest gay-est men about London until a year or two ago. Since then, it is said, he has turned Methody. It is believed he goes to Mr. Wesley's meetings, although he has never been actually caught there. He lives plainly, and, some say, he gives his means to the poor; he will not go to the races any more, nor play, and he does not like to see Arabella play." "What has he to do with Arabella?" "Nothing that I know of, except that she likes him. He does not like to see any one play now, although he gamed very high himself at one time." I had seen no particular marks of interest in-terest on Overton's part toward Lady Arabella; but, watching her, I saw, in a very little while, the deepest sort of interest on her part toward him. She even left the card-table for him, and kept fast hold of him. I recalled the way she had striven to attract his attention at the play that night, more than two years before, and my jealous jeal-ous soul was illuminated with the knowledge that she was infatuated with Overton and I was right. Some time afterward, whom, should I see walking in but Giles Vernon! Lady Hawkshaw received him most graciously. I went up to him and asked: "How came you here?" "Did you think, Dicky, that I meant to . let you keep up a close blockade of the lovely Arabella? No, indeed; I got a card at seven o'clock this evening, even-ing, by working all day for it, and I mean to reconnoiter the ground as well as you." I thought when he saw Lady Arabella Ara-bella with Overton that even, Giles Vernon's assurance would scarcely be equal to accosting her. He marched THE LOVES of the LADY ARABELLA By MOLLY ELLIOT SEA WELL t (Copyright, 1906, Bobbs-MorriUCa) SYNOPSIS. At 14 years of age Admiral Sir Peter Hawkshaw's nephew, Richard Glyn, fell deeply in love at first sight with Lady Arabella Stormont, who spurned his attentions. The lad, an orphan, was given a berth as midshipman mid-shipman on the Ajax by his uncle. Giles Vernon, nephew of Sir Thomas Vernon, became .the boy's pal. They attended a theater where Hawkshaw's nefhew saw Lady Arabella. "Vernon met Philip Overton, Over-ton, next in line for Sir Thomas Vernon's estate. They started a duel which was interrupted. in-terrupted. Vernon, Overton and Hawkshaw's Hawk-shaw's nephew found themselves attracted attract-ed by pretty Lady Arabella. The Ajax in battle defeated French warships in the Mediterranean. Richard Glyn got 2,000 prize money. He was called home by Lady Hawkshaw as he was about to "blow in" his earnings with Vernon. CHAPTER IV. Continued. And that night I made a strange and terrible discovery. Lady Arabella was a gamester of the most desperate character, in ready money, as far as her allowance as a minor permitted, and in promises to pay, when she came into her fortune, as far as such promises would be accepted. But they were not much favored by the gentlemen gentle-men and ladies who played with her; for the chances of her marrying before her majority were so great, that her I O XJ's were not considered of much but every word was distinctly audible to me, until, at this point, 1 fell asleej and dreamed that Lady Hawkshav. was appointed to command the Ajax and I was to report on board next day CHAPTER V. I spent several weeks in Sir Peter's house and strange weeks they were in many respects. 1 never had the least i complaint to make of the kindness of Sir Peter or Lady Hawkshaw, except that Lady Hawkshaw insisted or in-Vesting in-Vesting my money, all except ten pounds she gave me, charging me to-be to-be careful with it; but Sir Peter secretly lent me a considerable sum, to be repaid at my majority. Sir Peter was actively at war with all the women-folk in the household, from his lady down, except little Daphne. Daph-ne. He assumed to conduct everything every-thing in a large town house In Berkely Square exactly as if he were on the Ajax, 74. He desired to have the lazy London servants called promptly at two bells, five o'clock in the morning, morn-ing, and to put them to holystoning, squilgeeing, and swabbing off the decks, as he called it. Of course the servants rebelled, and Sir Peter denounced de-nounced them as mutineers, and would have dearly liked to put them all in double irons. He divided the scullions and chambermaids into watcjnes, and when they laughed in his face, threatened threat-ened them with the articles of war. He wished everything in the house stowed away in the last compass possible, pos-sible, and when Lady Hawkshaw had her routs, Sir Peter, watch in hand, superintended the removal of the furniture fur-niture from the reception rooms, which he called clearing for action, and discharged dis-charged any servant who was not smart at his duty. He had tk room, which he called his study, fitted up with all the odds and ends he had collected during 40 years in the navy, and here he held what might be called drum-head court-martials, and disrated dis-rated the domestic staff, fined them, swore.at them, and bitterly regretted that the land law did not admit of any proper discipline whatever. It may be imagined what a scene oi discord this created, although Sir Peter was of so kind and generous a nature that the servants took more from him than from most masters, and, indeed, rather diverted themselves them-selves with his fines and punishments, and, when dismissed, declined to leave his service, much to his wrath and chagrin. The acme was reached when he attempted to put the cook in the brig, as he called a dank cellar which e determined to utilize for mutineers, as on board ship. The cook, a huge creature three times as hig as Sir Peter, boarded him in his own particular particu-lar den, and, brandishing a rolling-pin that was quite as dangerous as a cutlass, cut-lass, announced that she would no longer submit to be governed by the articles of war, as administered by Sir Peter. She "was sustained by a vociferous vo-ciferous chorus of housemaids and kitchen girls who flocked behind her, the men rather choosing to remain in the background and grinning. Sad to say, Admiral Sir Peter Hawkshaw, C. B., was conquered by the virago with the rolling-pin, and was forced to surrender to the mutineers, which he did with a very had grace. At that juncture Lady Hawkshaw hove in sight, and, bearing down upon the company from below stairs, dispersed them all with one wave of her hand. Sir Peter' complained bitterly, and Lady Hawkshaw promised to bring them to summary punishment. But she warned Sir Peter that his methods were becoming as intolerable to her as to the rest of the family, and Sir Peter, after a round or two for the honor of his flag, hauled down his colors. col-ors. This became especially necessary, neces-sary, as his retirement was at hand, consequent more upon an obstinate rheumatism that fixed itself upon him than his age. There was doubt whether he would get the K. C. B., which he certainly well deserved, on his retirement; there was some sort of hitch about it, although, after the capture of the two French ships, he had been promoted to the office of admiral. ad-miral. Lady Hawkshaw, however, went down to the admiralty in a coach with six horses and three footmen and four outriders, and, marching in upon the first lord, opened fire on him, with the result that Sir Peter was gazetted K. C. B. the very next week. Little Daphne, who had always submitted sub-mitted to Sir Peter's whims, did so more than ever after he had been vanquished by the cook; and Sir Peter swore, twenty times a week, that Daphne had the stuff in her to make a sea officer of the first order. (TO BE CONTINUED.) value, and found few takers, even when accompanied by Lady Arabella's most brilliant smiles; for your true gamester is impervious to smiles or frowns, insensible to beauty in short,, all his faculties are concentrated on the odd trick. A great mob of fine people came and there was a supper, and many wax lights, and all the accessories of a fashionable rout. I wandered about, knowing no one, but observant of all. I noticed that a very clever device was hit upon by Lady Arabella and others who like high play, which Lady Hawkshaw disliked very much. The stakes were nominally very small, but ill realtts, they were very large, shillings shil-lings actually signifying pounds. All of the people who practiced this were in one of the lower rooms, while Sir Peter, who was . allowed to play sixpenny six-penny whist, and those who in good faith observed Lady Hawkshaw's wishes, were in a room to themselves. I must not forget to mention, among the notable things at this rout, Lady Hawkshaw's turban. It was a construction con-struction of feathers, flowers, beads, and every other species of ornament, the whole capped with the celebrated tiara which had been bought from the Portuguese, and the diamond necklace beamed upon her black velvet bosom. Sir Peter seemed quite enchanted with her appearance, as she loomed a head taller than any woman in the rooms, and evidently considered her a combination combi-nation of Venus and Minerva not that the pair ceased squabbling on that account. ac-count. I think they disagreed violently vio-lently on every detail of the party, and Sir Peter was routed at every point. Among those who did not play was Daphne, then quite as tall as I and well into her sixteenth year. I could not but acknowledge her to be a pretty pret-ty slip of a girl, and we sat in a corner cor-ner and I told her about our bloody doings on the Ajax, until she stopped her ears and begged me to desist. I regarded Daphne with condescension, then; but I perceived that she was sharp of wit and nimble of tongue, much more more so than her cousin, Lady Arabella. After a while I left Daphne and went back to watch Lady Arabella. I soon saw that she was a very poor player, and lost continually; but that I Could Not But Acknowledge Her to Be a Pretty Slip of a Girl. himself up- with all the coolness in the world, claiming kinship boldly with Overton, who couldn't forbear smiling, and immediately began to try for favor in Arabella's eyes. But here I saw wiat I never did before be-fore or since with Giles Vernon a woman who was utterly indifferent to him, and actually seemed to dislike him. She scarcely noticed him at first, and, when he would not be rebuffed, was so saucy to him that I wondered he stood for it for a minute. But stand it he did, with the evident determination de-termination to conquer her indifference indiffer-ence or dislike, whichever it might be. Overton seized the excuse of Giles' approach to escape, and left the house, which did not cause Lady Arabella to like Giles any better. She returned to the card-table, Giles, with hor, and, by the exercise1 of the most exquisite ingenuity, he managed to lose some money to her, which somewhat restored re-stored her good humor. At last the rout was over, and soon after midnight all had gone. I was shown to a bedroom, with only a partition parti-tion wall between me and Sir Peter only whetted her appetite for the game. Presently a gentleman entered, and. walking about listlessly, although he seemed to be known to everybody present, approached me. It was Capt. Overton, as handsome, as distrait, as on the first and only time I had seen him. Much to my surprise, he recognized me and came up and spoke to me. making me a very handsome compliment compli-ment upon the performances of the Ajax. "And is my cousin. Mr. Vernon, here to-night?" he asked, smiling. I replied I supposed not; he had received re-ceived no card when we had parted that morning, and I knew of none since. "I shall be very glad to meet him." said Overton. "I think him a fine fellow, fel-low, in spite of our disagreement. 1 see you ars not playing." a , "I have no taste for play, strange to say." "Do not try to acquire it." he said: "it is wrong, you may depend upon it : but indulgence in it makes many be lieve it to be right. Every time you look at a sin, it gets better looking.'' I was surprised to hear sin men tloued in the society of such elegant and Lady Hawkshaw; so I had the benefit of the nightly lecture Lady Hawkshaw gave Sir Peter, with the most unfailing regularity. On this particular night, they came nearer agreeing than usual, both of them discussing dis-cussing anxiously Lady Arabella's marked fondness for play. And Lady Hawkshaw told of a late escapade of Lady Arabella's in which a certain ace of clubs was played by her; the said ace of clubs being fashioned out of black court-plaster and white cardboard. card-board. When detected. Lady Arabella professed to think the whole thing a joke, but as her adversary at the time was a very old lady whose eyesight was notoriously defective, de-fective, it took all of Lady Arabella's Ara-bella's wit and youth to carry it off successfully, which, however, she did. As for her trinkets. Lady Arabella Ara-bella was always buying them, and always al-ways taking a distaste to them, so she alleged, and Lady Hawkshaw suspected sus-pected they took the place of shillings at the card-table. Sir Peter groaned at this and remarked that the earl, her father, was the worst gamester he knew, except her grandfather. I dc not remember any more. I tried to avoid hearing what they were saying. |