Show ay n r s RIAL STORY R lova cf the UX LADY A by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL copyright 1006 dobbs cobbs merrill co SYNOPSIS at 14 years of age admiral sir peter hawkshawe Hawk Hawks shaws baws nep nephew liew richard glyn fell deeply in love at first sight with lady arabella stormont who spurned his attentions tent ions the lad ad an orphan was given a berth as midshipman on the ajax by his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas vernon became the boys pal they attended a theater where hawk shaws nephew sa wLady saw lady arabella veron met philip overton I 1 next in line for 9 lr ir thomas vernonc vernons Ver es estate tate they started a a duel which was interrupted vernon overton and hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew found themselves attracted by pretty lady lada arabella the ajax in battle defeated french warships in the mediterranean richard glyn got ot 2000 prize money he was called home by lady hawkshaw as he was about to blow in his earnings with vernon at aa a hawkshaw party glyn discovered that lady arabella arabelia was a poor but persistent gambler he talked much with I 1 her I 1 cousin daphne lady arabella again showed snowed love for gaming later she held glyn and overton prisoners thus delaying the duel jn the overton ver non duel neither was hurt la lady dy arabella humiliated richard by her pranks richard and giles shipped ona on a frigate giles was captured by the french sir peter arranged for his exchange daphno daphne showed a liking for glyn who was then 21 years of age giles was released giles and richard planned elopements elope ments sir peter objected to the plan to wed daphne by clever ru auses ruses ses giles and richard eloped with lady arabella and daphne respectively the latter pair were married daphne was pleased arabella raved in anger CHAPTER vill VIII continued arabella ans answered his appeal by a laugh of scorn which seemed to cut larn h im like a knife and then shaking me off he shouted to her 1 I know why you will not be mine it Is that pious hypocritical hound x overton Ov ermen buti but I 1 tell you now my lady it if you marry him ill have his life take note of what I 1 say ill have his life to which arabella after a pause in which her face grew deeply red and then pale again said your own life is in jeopardy the abduction of an heiress is a capital offense and you shall bei be tried for your life if it tikes takes every shilling of my fortune to do it you shall see what you have donel done I 1 shuddered at these words for I 1 s baw a w it was no idle threat it if giles gile 9 contemplated violence toward overton I 1 had not the slightest doubt that 1 Ara arabella belfi was fully capable of keeping her ber word in the dreadful business i daphne thought so too for she ran forward and putting her hands over marabellas Ara bellas mouth cried no no dear arabella take that back but I 1 will not take it back replied arabella and I 1 shall ahall lodge information against this wretch as aa soon as I 1 can return to scarborough which I 1 shall ball do in the post pos chaise luckily I 1 have money witt with me under the terrible threat of prosecution giles recovered himself surprisingly singly he lost his frantic air and drawing up remarked quite calmly just jus t as your ladyship pleases i his change chance of ma manner seemed to infuriate arabella who sh shrieked at him til Y 1 iw you shall be hanged for this anything to oblige your ladys ladyship hip responded giles as cool as you please J felt that this painful scene could no longer con continue thue and said so SOA lady arabella 1 1 said I 1 W m ri fe how eyes glowe owe I 1 1 I s spoke p oke and I 1 are returning I 1 11 e edi d abely to scarborough you had best go with us and when you have seen and consulted with witla sir peter and lazy lady hawkshaw Hawks baw it will be time enough to determine upon your course my course Is already determined upon she replied and no one who saw her could doubt it and so Is zine mine said giles now in possession of all his usual manliness 1 I return to london where I 1 shall duly report myself to the admiralty and later to sir peter hawkshaw and it if the lady thirsts for my blood she can have it giles vernon said 1 I you have been un unlucky luchy I 1 can not say more I 1 because I 1 am in the same boat with you but you have done nothing unworthy of a gentleman and nothing to make either daphne or me love you the less no matter what befalls so here is my hand upon it we grasped hands and turning to daphne he removed his hat and pr proceeded 0 to kiss her saying to me by your leave and daphne said to him goodby good by dear giles the proceedings seemed to fill lady arabella with disgust she haughtily refused my hand to assist her into the aa N 1 dc D 0 01 playing with her lap dog dofa the while chaise and announced that she would go to the village of springfield near by for rest and breakfast and willy nilly daphne and I 1 had to follow in the post chaise never shall I 1 forget that dismal wedding journey back to scarborough I 1 began for the first time to fear the reproaches of the world in general and sir peter and lady hawkshaw in particular in regard to running away with an heiress I 1 had one comfort however daphne fully believed in my disinterestedness and I 1 can sincerely say I 1 wished daphnes fortune at the bottom of the sea if I 1 could but have wooed and won her in the ordinary course of events lady arabella traveled just ahead of us but took occasion to shaw her i anger and resents resentment ent against us in every way about half the distance to scarborough we met full in the road a traveling chariot and in it were sir peter and lady hawkshaw we found that the hostlers hustlers host lers had earned their money and that the hawkshawe Hawk shaws chaise h had ad broken down at least once in every stage when we met me tand and stopped arabella alighted and so did we and so did the hawkshawe Hawk shaws and the first word that was spoken was by daphne uncle peter she said doot doit fly at richard if you must know it I 1 ran away with him for I 1 am sure although he is as b bravo as a uon lon it tr never would have dawned upon upon him to run away with me if I 1 had not put the idea in his hoad head and kept It there ii sir I 1 said and mada i m 1 rn ng to lady hawkshaw 1 I beg you will not listen to this young ladys plea I 1 am wholly responsible for the circumstances of our marriage I 1 can however and do call heaven to witness that her fortune had nothing to do with it andi and I should have been happy and proud to take her with the clothes on her back and nothing more sir peter began to sputter but lady hawkshaw cut him short ua exactly what you said sir peter within an hour of our m marriage ff thus were sir peters guns dismounted and richard and daphne you are a c couple of fools to run away when it if you had only had a little patience I 1 would have had you handsomely married at st georges Hai canoyer lover square but least said soonest es t mended sir peter kiss daphne and shake hands with richard and as I 1 am a sinner sue she actually forced sir peter to do both although I 1 saw he mortally hated it marabellas Ara bellas turn canfie came next she advanced and said with a bitterness that struck a chill to my heart sir peter as you know I 1 was carried oft off by that wretch who disgraces his uniform giles vernon but he did not succeed in forcing me to consent to a marriage and I 1 call upon you as my next friend to aid me in the prosecution which I 1 shall immediately set on foot against him for the capital offense of the abduction of an heiress and I 1 hope to bring him to the gibbet for it CHAPTER IX lady arabella stormont was as good as her word for that day two months giles vernon was put upon trial tor for his life at york assizes for the abduction of an heiress sir peter hawkshaw refused absolu absolutely tely to countenance I 1 I 1 arabella 0 and ny IJ lady idy hawkshaw who never had bowed he her bead or abased her spir spirit aitto to mortal man or mortal woman before we went nt upon her knees imploring arabella to give over her heir revenge for revenge it was pure and simple but lady arabella laughed at her lady hawkshaw rose from her knees crying out you have some deep and unknown reason for this but it will come to naught it will come to naught but arabella found a person ready to her hand who was most active in the matter this was sir thomas vernon of vernon court it was lie he who lodged the information with the public prosecutor against giles and assumed the part of lady marabellas Ara bellas champion of course there was some ground for the version of the story which was started in marabellas Ara bellas interest that a frightful outrage had been committed by dragging her off against her will and that only the most determined courage had saved her from a marriage repulsive to her that sir peter and lady Hawks hawkshaw baw her next friends had bad basely deserted her and that sir thomas had chivalrously taken up her cause it is true that the relative characters of the hawkshawe Hawk shaws and S sir ir thomas vernon discounted much of this but the actual facts in the case looked so bo ugly for giles that there was no trouble in securing his prompt arrest and delivery in york jail the breach between lady arabella and the hawkshawe Hawk shaws as well as daphne and myself was too great to be and having thrown herself S 41 aps speak ea 1 in sir thomas ver arms i she accepted the protection of a relative of his one mrs whitall a decayed gentlewoman and went to live at a small town near york until the assizes when she would be called upon as the chief witness for the prosecution great stories were immediately put forth that sir thomas vernon was deeply smitten with ArA ardellas Ara bellas ellas charms and that after a visit with mrs whitall to ao vernon court she looked very kindly on sir thomas all this might be true and sir thomas might flatter himself that he had won her favor but knowing arabella well I 1 did not credit her var C sik i ys with any sincere desire to be kind to sir thomas vernon although she night make him think so for her own purposes I 1 suspected however a motive far deeper in any matter con 7 necked with sir thomas vernon over ova r z ton was the next heir after giles sir S ir thomas was extremely rickety and not likely to bo be long lived and it f by merely telling what had happened i lady bady arabella could sate her resent which was deep and furious against giles and at the same time greatly benefit overton Ov orton I 1 think sho she would not have wel weighed glied giles life at a penny my daphne whose faith in human nature was angelic in her bellef in ultimate good pr prayed a and be sought arabella to leave the country 7 before the trial came on off but ara bella only said contemptuously you are a child and a chit giles vernon contemplated doing me the greatest wrong a man can do a woman g do you ou think I 1 shall lot him go g 0 un 1 l punished if so how little do you know arabella stormont then I 1 from loyalty to giles and not from any hope I 1 had from lady j arabella went to her and made my appeal she heard all my prayers without the slightest signoff sign of relenting playing with her lap dog the while at j last I 1 said to her tell me ht at least who is to bo be bene cited by the conviction of giles ver y non not you certainly for you will be loathed and shunned by all the person dearest to me in th tho j world she replied the person I 1 love y better than my life or my soul and oren as if she had admitted too much she stopped turned pale and seemed altogether disconcerted she had bad in truth admitted too much the person JI she had ever loved better than herb her A soul was philip overton I 1 had the self possession 10 to leaven 11 ll her then and went off by myself tw to i think over the strange motive which 5 t had been revealed to td me Ar marabellas arabella Ara bellas dbella I 1 infatuation for overton had alway fit j been abnormal touch touched ad with unreason r 2 and could fate have woven web around giles vernon than in ma f king him fall so madly in love with f arabella stormont IL giles had promptly surrendered him j self rightly judging a trial better chah I 1 I 1 being a fugitive from justice and a de sorter from the naval service he re paired to york after having duly re ported to the admiralty and was jailed immediately and indicted s jt the hawkshawe Hawk shaws my daphne and I 1 remained in scarborough during the two dreadful months that passed before the trial came off sir peter easily got leave from the admiralty for me hoping not only that my cesti mony but the example of the felicity i in which daphne and I 1 lived might not be without its effect upon the jury that tried giles 1 offers of money to assist in his do tense came from many quarters and from several ladies two in especial her grace of auchester and mrs trenchard Trene bard lady hawkshaw however claimed the privilege of bearing the 91 expenses of the trial out of her private J fortune which was large sir peter i and she had it hot and heavy he de siring to contribute and for one of the few times in his life he be carried his point id against her two great bar j were to be brought from lon H don to assist giles in his defense be sides another one in york itself i TO BE CONTINUED 1 l 1 to |