Show 0 as n R I 1 A LO STORY LO AM of the he t LADY ARABI LA by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL tc copyright dobbs bobbs M 1 co SYNOPSIS at 14 years of age admiral sir peter hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew richard glyn fell deeply in lovo love at first sight with lady arabella stormont who spurned his attentions tent ions the lad an orphan was given IL berth as midshipman on the ajax by hla his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas vernon became the boys pal they attended a theater where hawk ahrn s nephew saw lady arabella vernon met philip overton next in line for sir thomas vernons Ver estate they started a duel which was interrupted vernon overton and hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew found themselves attracted by pretty lady arabella the ajax in battle defeated french warships in the mediterranean richard garn alyn got 2000 prize money he was called caled homo home by lady hawkshaw as lie he was about to blow in his earnings with vernon at a hawkshaw party glyn discovered that lady arabella was a poor but persistent gambler ho he talked much with her cousin daphne lady Arabe arabella iia again showed love for gaming later latar she held glyn and overton prisoners thus delaying the duel in ver non duel neither was hurt lady arabella humiliated richard by her pranks richard and giles gilds shipped on a frigate giles was captured by the french sl poter arranged for his exchange daphno daphne showed a lilting liking for glyn who wat wa then 21 years of age giles was released CHAPTER VII continued arid and how I 1 am to live until I 1 get another ship I 1 am at a loss my boy giles cried quite cheerfully two courses are open to me play and running away with an heiress do you know of a charming girl dicky with something under who could be reconciled to a penniless lieutenant in his maje navy and remember she must be as beautiful as the dawn besides and of good family and keen of wit no of a woman for me to this fate impelled me to reply that lady arabella stormont was still single faith cried giles s slapping lapping his knee she Is the girl for me I 1 always intended to marry her if only to spite her I 1 was sorry I 1 had raked up the embers of his passion of five years before and attempted to cover my step by saying she is still infatuated with overton whom however she sees rarely and that only at the houses of others but he has ever lookeb coldly upon her shell not be coldly looked on by mo me and let me see there is her cousin you used to tell me about the carmichael Carml chael girl suppose you dicky run away with her then no two lieutenants lieue in the service wl will have mor corp morp e of the rhino than we I 1 declare this was the first time I 1 had remembered daphnes daphne she had the same fortune as lady arabella the reflection damped my spirits dreadfully giles saw it directly and in a mo maent he had my secret from me he H shouted with delight and immediately began a grotesque planning for us to run away with the two heiresses he recalled that the abduction of an heiress was a capital crime and drew a fantastic picture of us two standing lu in the prisoners dock on trial for our lives with lady arabella and bhue swearing our lives away and S 1 I T 4 afe then n relenting and fafty ii n g 7 us at trio tho gallows foot and this tale told with the greatest glee amid laughter and bumpers of hot brandy and water had a singular effect upon me it sobered me at once and nd suddenly I 1 seemed to see a vision as macbeth saw aw banquot ghost passing before my very eyes just such a scene as ag giles described only I 1 got no farther than the spectacle of giles a prisoner in the dock on trial for his life my own part seemed misty and confused but I 1 saw instead of the lodging house parlor a great hall of justice dimly lighted with lamps the judges in their robes on the bench one with a black cap on his head and giles standing up to receive sentence I 1 passed into a kind of nightmare from which I 1 was aroused by giles whacking me on the back and saying in a surprised voice what ails you dicky boy you io look ok as lf if you had seen a ghost rouse up here and open your lantern jaws for a glass of brandy and rid yourself of that long face I 1 came out of this singular state as quickly as I 1 had gone into it and ashamed to show my weakness to giles grew merry carried on the joke about the abduction and shortly felt like myself a lighthearted light hearted lieutenant of 21 1 I proposed that we should go to the play the next night or rather that night for it was now abolt about four in the morning and shortly after we tumbled into bed fo together gether and slept until late the next day giles and I 1 went to berkeley square in t the he afternoon professing just to have arrived from portsmouth giles expressed his thanks in the handsomest manner to sir peter for his kindness and made himself as usual highly agreeable to lady hawkshaw neither lady arabella nor daphne were at home but came in shortly after giles had left lady arabella made some slighting remark about giles as she ahe always did whenever opportunity port unity offered daphne was very kind to me and I 1 gave her to und understand er privately that 1 I was vas ready to habif haul down my flag at the be first summons mons to surrender the family from berkeley square was going to the play that night and I 1 mentioned that giles and I 1 would be there together and so just as the P playhouse la was lighting up we walked C 4 she suddenly fell into my arms in after the curtain was up and when mrs trenchard was making her great speech in percy I 1 motioned giles to look toward lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws box her ladyship entered on sir peters arm ills his bacr faca was very red and he was growling under his breath to which lady hawkshaw contributed an obligate accompaniment in a sepulchral voice and behind them in all the splendor of her beauty walked lady arabella and last cime came sweet sweet daphne the first glimpse giles caught of lady arabella seemed to renew in an instant the spell she had cast on him five years before he seemed almost like a madman ho he could do nothing but gaze at her with eyes that seemed JV starting ta arting out of his head he grew pale and then ilion red and was waa like a man mail in a frenzy it was rill all I 1 could do to moderate mc his voice and ills his looks in that public place luckily mrs trenchard being on the stage all oyes eyes were for the time bent on oil her I 1 hardly knew how wo we sat bat the play out I 1 had to promise giles a dozen times that the next day I 1 would take him to berkeley square when tho the curtain went down ho he fairly leaped ills his way out of the playhouse to see lady arabella get into the coach that was a fair sample of the way he raved for days aate afterward arward he ha haunted tinted berkeley square where lie ho was welcomed always by sir peter and lady hawkshaw asked to dine frequently and every mark of favor shown him lady arabella remained cold and indifferent to him about that time aime overton appeared a little in ills his old haunts although much changed and sobered neither wounds nor illness had impaired ills his looks and charms but rather he had become an object of interest and sympathy from his gallant behavior in the field sir peter who had always liked him began to PO pester ster him to come to berkeley square which he did a few times because he could not well decline sir poter peter and lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws pressing and friendly invitations I 1 believed bell eved however that in spite of his hia forced compos composure ure he felt cruelly abashed before beford lady arabella she however showed an amazing coolness and even began to be a little kind to giles from some obscure motive of her own I 1 believe every act of her life with regard to men had some reference to her passion for overton all this time though from the night of the play daphne and I 1 had been secretly happy for on the very next day catching her alone I 1 told her in plain and seamanlike language that I 1 loved her and when she showed a disposition to cut and run I 1 said to her very boldly since nee you scorn yn my love I 1 have the resource that every one of my calling has in these days I 1 shall soon go to sea and upon the deck of my ship I 1 can find death since life is nothing to me without my daphnes love at which without the least warning she suddenly fell into my arms arms crying break my heart it if you talk in that way and I 1 perceived that she was only maneuvering for position I 1 do not know exactly what happened next except I 1 was in that heaven daphnes arms when I 1 looked up and caught the butler and two footmen grinning at roe nie but it mattered D C t next morning daphne and I 1 met in the drawing room as usual after breakfast but what a meeting it was we had barely time to scuttle back to our chairs when sir peter entered with the newspaper and informed me that the bellona frigate was being fitted for the west indies and he thought lie he could get me a berth in her at which I 1 felt myself grow weak in the knees so great is the power of love presently lie he went out then daphne and I 1 began to speculate upon sir peters personal equation in our affairs he will never let me marry you she said he will say I 1 am too young this depressed me so that I 1 could say nothing in reply daphne continued tini led quite in an offhand manner if we should elope he would mako make a great hullabaloo this admirable suggestion at once commended itself to me his hullabaloo could not separate us if we were married I 1 replied true said daphne and after all lie he and lady hawkshaw as good as eloped and she was but 18 a year younger than I 1 thus was I 1 supplied with another argument I 1 again swear that I 1 had not a thought of daphnes fortune in all this I 1 would have h ave taken the dear 4 mi 4 girl with nothing but tho the clothes upon her back 4 truo true to his word sir poter worked J like a trojan to got get me a berth on tho J bellona and moaning meaning to do giles tho the jj greatest service in the world tried likewise tor for him and mightily afraid wo we were that he would soon succeed tills this brought matters to a crisis with daphne I 1 mentioned the word elope to her again and she made a great outcry after the manner of youns young N women and then began straightway to show me precisely how it might be ba done protesting 0 meanwhile that she would never no never consent we both agreed though that it was waa proper we should lay the matter of our marriage before sir peter and lady hawkshaw but I 1 saw that ne n e who was of a romantic turn had her imagination fired by the notion of an elopement A pair of good horses and a light traveling chaise she exclaimed it if A only it were not wrong no no four horses cried 1 I and there la Is nothing wrong in either g a two or a four horse chaise 3 c j A daphne clapped her hands A trip to scotland 1 have always I 1 longed for scotland I 1 know a doz dozen on people who have married iti in scotland d t and happy marriages every one ftfe of them but I 1 forbid you richard Hl chard to 0 Z think of an elopement A we shall set bet out at midnight wo we shall not bo be missed until morning and ancl we shall have at least 12 hours start then at every stage we shall leavo leave something behind which will insero a broken axle or a linchpin gone for A j our pursuers we were both so charmed with tho the j picture we had conjured up that when I 1 said suppose after all thought though that sir peter consents noB lieS face fell but presently she smiled ami led when I 1 said self if he does consent why then j there is no harm in our marrying tiny any way we like and lie he will excuse us NIP running away and if he does doea not gp consent there la Is no help for it we Z must elope I 1 considered myself a casuist of oft the 0 first order I 1 felt obliged to take the first opportunity of letting sir petr peter j know the state of aff affairs airs and as aa usual I 1 determined to begin through aw lady hawkshaw and as daphne shrewdly remarked they will certainly differ so r we shall at least have one of them on our side I 1 sought lady hawkshaw and found her in her usual place in the chinese room I 1 began halting stammering and blushing as it if I 1 were a charity schoolboy instead of a lieutenant in his maje service who had been thanked by lord nelson M m my lady I 1 stuttered 1 I have experienced so much k k kindness from you that I 1 have come to you in the greatest emergency of my life you want to get married prompt ly replied lady hawkshaw r TO BE CONTINUED |