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Show BBBBbY m bbbbI BBH . . .-., . ..... ,- ... . i.. i. ....... i. i ,, BflBB T"""" "" ll , ! I 1 I P THE LION'S WHELP I H A Story of Crormvoll's Time I BY AMELIA E. BARR. H ' Author of "Tho Bow of Oraiiflo Ribbon," "I. Thou nd tho Olhor On." , "Tho Maid of Muldon Lano." Etc. J (Coprrltlit. 1901, by DoJJ, Head ft Company. All rliliu resened.) Bb- CHAPTER XIII. (Continued.) J Thon ho turned to Matilda and led ' her to a sofa, and comforted her; and B jj tho mon-servnntH enmo and took nwny M the dead body nnd laid It, as Anthony 1 ' wished, on his old master's bod. B-" And In tho great anion, now cloarod BB of its offending visitors, Cymllu sat B comforting Matilda nnd Anally ques-B' ques-B' tlonod hor In a wny that compelled Bfl hor to rely, In somo mcasuro, uion BB rblm. M , "Stophon was hero yesterday?" ho BB 1 Biked. B "Part of tho day. Ho loft hero at BB k four In tho nfternoon." B r "Yet tho mall-rider, under onth, Bfl .Bworo this morning that It was Ste- B phen who robbed the mall." H. She laughed queorly. "But If it was not Stephen, who was Bfl It?" ho Insisted, nnd ho looked with flH such a steady, confident gazo Into Mo- flflj tllda's face that she crimsoned to hor H . flngor-tlps. Sho could not meet his H oyos, and sho could not speak. H . "I wonder who played at being Sto- H phen do Wick," ho said gently. And flflj the sllenco between them was so son K eltlvo that neither accusation nor con- flflj fosslon was nocessary. H "I wish thnt you had trusted mo. H You might have dono go and you know It." H : After Anthony was burled, his will HBl was road. Ho loft ovorythlng ho pos- tossed to tho Lady Matilda do Wick, HB nnd no ono offered a word of dlBsent. HBl Sir Thomns sceraod unusually do- H '""., pjessod nnjl hU lady asked him "If ho Bl wasTn any way dissatiBilc1.?" H "No," he answorcd. "It Is tho death L.i of tho young Lord Nevlllo that glvos HHbT mo constant regret." H , "Is ho dead? Alas! Alas! Snch a BB happy, handsome youth. It Is incrcd- BB iblo," said Lady Jovory. IBb "I thought he had run away to tho B Americas with your gold and my fl ) aunt's Jowols," said Matilda. B '1 wronged him, I wronged him B ' grlovously," answered Sir Thomas. autmn found tho family still at do' Wick. Stephen had oscapod, as had also his companion conspirators, Ma son nnd Blythc; and Matilda could not but compliment herself a llttlo on hor shnro in securing their safety. Towards tho middle of Scptombor Sir Thomas roused himself from his lifo among flowers and shrubs, and said he must go back to London. Ho had a Btiddon deslro for his whnrf and his office, and tho benrdod, outlandish men that ho would meet there. And as tho ladles also wished to return to London, tho beautiful home quickly put on an air of doscrtlon. Boxes littered lit-tered tho hall; they woro only waiting until the Soptcmbcr rain-storm should pass nway, and the roads become fit for travel. At this unsettled timo, and in a driving shower, Oymlln and Doctor Verity woro socu galloping up tho avonuo ono ovonlng. Every one was glad at tho prospect of nows and company, com-pany, Sir Thomas so much so, that ho wont to the door to meet tho Doctor. "Nobody could bo moro welcomo," ho said; "and pray, what good fortune brings you hero?" "I come to put my two nophows in Huntingdon Grammar school. I -want thorn td sit whoro Cromwoll sat," ho answered. "Ah! this great Cromwell!" said Lady Jovery; "but if ho has tho wily Mazarln nt his disposal, why can ho hot find out somothlng nbout that poor Lord Novlllo? Has Col. Ayrton returned, re-turned, or Is ho also missing?" "Ho returned somo tlmo ago. Ho discovered nothing of lmportanco." "Thon I supposo wo shall seo no moro of Lord Neville. I am very sorry. sor-ry. Ho was a good youth, and ho loved Jano Swnffham very honostly." A wook nftor this evening tho Jev-erys Jev-erys wcro In their own house, and Matilda Ma-tilda had sent word to Jano Swnffham that sho wanted to seo hor. Sho opened her heart on various Bubjccts to Jane, moro especially on Anthony fl "I kissed the rosy little brat" B "That wretch of a woman at Tho H Haguo novor paid him a farthing, B novor oven saw him. Sho intended to HHflj rob mo and slay him for a thousand - H pounds, but under question of tho law HHflj shp confe.iROd her crlmo." B - - "What do you think has happened m to 1 'I think robbery and murder. Some- B ono has known, or suspected, that ho B had troasuro with him. Ho has been HHVf . followed and assassinated, or ho has H fought and boon killod, and llttlo Jano H Swaffhnm Is slowly dying of griof and E cruol suspenso. Sho loves him, and H thoy wore betrothed." H Thoro was a short sllenco, and then H Matilda said: "Many bravo young H lords hnvo gono out from homo nnd flP-- friends thoso past years, and novor H come back. Is Neville's lifo worth B . moro than my brother's life, than B thousands of other lives? I trow not!" H Cut in tho privacy of her room sho H could not preservo this tompor. "1 H wonder if Rupert slew him," sho mut- H tercd. And anon H "Ho would think It no wrong only H a ploco of good luck. Bflfl "Ho might aleo bo Jealous of Cluny. H I spoko often of tho youth's boauty H I did that out of simplo mischtof H but Ruport Is touchy, sometimes cruel H always eager for gold. Poor Jano!" H CHAPTER XIV. BBBBBBBBBb H A Llttlo Further On. H The settlement of tho affairs of An- Lm thony Lynn occupied 3ir Thomas B Bsuch longor than he expoctod, and tho H-BHBBBBBBBb Lynn's dramatic lifo and death, and tho money and land ho had left hor. "Of courso," sho said, "It is only temporary. tem-porary. When tho King comes home, Stephon will bo Earl do Wick, and I shall willingly resign all to him. In tho mcantlmo I Intend to carry out Anthony's plnnB for tho improvement of tho ostato." When this Bubject had been taued well ovor, Jano named cautiously tho lover in Trance. Much to hor sur-priso, sur-priso, Matilda seemed pleased to en-largo en-largo on tho topic. She Bpoko herself of Princo Ruport, and of tho povorty nnd Buffering Charles' Court were enduring, en-during, and sho regretted with mnny strong expressions Ruport's presence thoro. "All ho makes is swallowed up in tho bottomless Stuart pit," huo said; "ovon my youth and boauty havo gono tho snmo hopeless road." "Thoro was a quoer story about Stophon robbing tho mall and tearing up tho thrco warrants for the arrest of Blytho and Mason and hlmsolf," said Jane. "Did you bollevo that, Jane?" "Tho mall was robbod. Tho warrants war-rants woro novor found. Stephen has u darodovil temper at t-imos. When did you hear from him?" "I hear from him vory often now, Jano, for it is tho old, old Btory- money, monoy, money. But I am not going to Btrlp do Wick a hqcoiuI tjmo for them," thon drawing Jano oloso to hor, and taking her hand sho said with, an impulslvo tenderness: "Jano, dear Jano, I do not wish to open a wound afresh, but I nra sorry aflBBBL p"BiBiBiBiBiBr"Bw' " w K ' for you, I am Indtod! How can you boar It?" ,I have cast avor it tho balm of prayer; I bavo shut it up in my heart, and given my heart to Cod. I havo said to God, 'Do as thou wilt with vac' I am content, and I have found light In sorrow, brighter thnn all tho flaring lights of Joy." "Then you bellcvo him to bo dead?" "Yes. Th-ero Is no holp against such a conclusion, and yet, Matilda, thoro comes to mo sometimes, such an Instantaneous, In-stantaneous, penetrating senso of his presence, that I must bellcvo ho 1b not far away," nnd hor confident heart's still fervor, her tremulous smllo, hor eyes liko clear water full of tho Bky, affected Matilda with tho same apprehending. appre-hending. And thoro was such a haunting haunt-ing sweetness about tho chastened girl that Matilda looked round wan-(lerlnglyj wan-(lerlnglyj it was ns if thero wero freshly gathered violets in tho room. .Sho remained silent, and Jano, after r. few minutes' pnuso, sold, "I must go homo, now, and rest a llttlo. Tomorrow To-morrow I am bid to Hampton Court" "And you will como nnd toll me all nbout your visit. Tho world turned upsldo down is an entertaining spectacle. spec-tacle. Ann Clarges tho markot woman wom-an In ono place, nnd Ellzaboth Cromwell Crom-well In another" "The Cromwolls are my friends, Ma-tl'da. Ma-tl'da. And I will assure you that Hampton Court novor saw a moro worthy queen than Ellzaboth Cromwell." Crom-well." "I havo a saucy tongue, Jano do not mind when It backbites; thoro Is no ono llko you. I lovo you well!" These words with clasped hands and kisses between tho two girls. Thon Matilda's face becamo troubled and sho sat down alone, with her brows drawn together and her hands tightly clasped. "Did Rupert kill Novlllo?" sho asked ask-ed herself. "Oh, me, I do fear it Ho lied' to me, then; of courso ho lied; but that was no now thing for him to do. What anall I do?" Sno went ovor and over this train of thought, and ended always with tho samo irresolute, irreso-lute, anxious question, "What shall I do?" The next day Jano went to Hampton Court. Sho was conducted to an apartment In ono of the suites formerly for-merly occupied by Queen Henrietta Maria. As sho droasod hersolf she thought of tho great men and women who had llvod and lovod, and Joyed and son owed under tho ancient roof ofApal'soy's splendid palace. kKs,VWintly lighted room Mr. and V Elfe'0 n(1 M. "Til-Mrs. Rich-- Rich-- B Af f.r'lTJ jjfffl.oi jlohn 0 won, afiPi. Mlltou, and Dr. verity were grwevid around her highness tho Protectors Pro-tectors handBomo wife. Sho sat at tho Protector's right hand, and Jano Swnffham sat at his left. Ho was in an unusually happy mood and Doctor Owen, romarking it, Admiral Ad-miral ' Blako said, "Thoy had been mobbed mobbed by women and tho Protector had the best of iond that was a thing to pleasure tiny man." Then Mrs. Cromwoll laughed and said: "Your highness must tell us all now, or we shall bo vory discontented Whoro wcro you, to moet a mob of women ?" "Wo wero in London streetB, some-whoro some-whoro near tho watersldo. Blako was with me and Blnko is going to Portsmouth, Ports-mouth, to tako command of an expedition." expe-dition." "Where to?" asked Mrs. Claypolo, "Well, Ellzaboth, that Is preclsoly tho question this mob of women wanted want-ed mo to nnswor. You aro as bad as Uioy woro. But thoy had somo excuse," ex-cuse," "Pray what excuse, sir, that I haYi-not?" haYi-not?" "Thoy wero tho wives of tho sailor men going with our admiral on hla expedition. And they got all around mo, thoy did lndood, and one handsome womun with a llttlo lad in hor arms sho told mo to look woll at him bo-cause bo-cause b wftS called Oliver after me took hold of my brldlo and said, 'You won't traraplo mo down, Gonoral, for tho lad'H sake, and 'Us but natural for us to want to know whoro you nro sending our husbands. Como, General, toll us wives and mothers whoro tho ships aro going to?' And thoro w'ns" Robert Blake laughing and thinking it fine sport, but I stood up In my stirrups and called out as loud as l could, 'Women, can you bo qulot for ono mlnuto?' Thoy said, Ayo, to bo suro wo can, if you'll speak out. Central.' Then I Bald to thorn, 'You want to know whoro tho ships and your mon aro going. Llston to mo! Tho Ambassadors of Franco and Spain vould, oach of them, glvo a million pounds to know that. Do you understand, under-stand, women? And for a moment thoro was a dead sllenco, thon & shout cf comprehension and laughter, and tho woman at my brldlo llftod tho boy Oliver to mo and I took him in my arms and kissed tho rosy llttlo brat, and then another shout nnd th mothor said. General, you bo right welcomo wel-como to my share of tho secrot,' 'and mluo!' 'and mlno!' 'and mlnol' thoy nil ahomd'd, and tho voices, of thoB , wihnon went to my henrt and brain like wliia,thgy did that Thoy mudo mo glad. I "tjoj-ov0 l shouted with them." , (gpjto contlnuod w |