Show 0 O se vav y ait a it mom MOM im R I 1 A L STOR 1 y Z arf TK L w va of the E Z J Y UP tp by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL PON 1 11 COPY copyright TIgh bobbs bbs morrill co SYNOPSIS kt at 14 years of age admiral sir peter I 1 hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew richard gioffi fell deeply in love at first sight with lady arabella stormont who spurned his attentions tent ions the lad an orphan orpha ii was given a berth as midshipman on an the ajax by his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas vernon Vcr rion became the boys pal they attended a theater where hawk ahaas nephew saw sau lady fLady arabella vernon met phllip philip overton next in line for sir thomas ve estate they started a aduel duel which was interrupted vernon overton and hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew found themselves attracted attractor od by pretty lady ara bella in battle defeated french wars warships hipsIn in the me mediterranean richard s glyn got 2000 prize m money ney he was called home by lady hawkshaw as jie he i was about tob to blow tow in his earnings alth yemen at a hawkshaw party glyn dis bovere covered d that lady arabella was a poor but persistent gambler he talked much with her cousin daphne lad lady arabella again showed love for gaming gaining later she held glyn and overton prisoners thus the due rn in the avdi overton arton ver non duet duel neither was hurt lady ara aia bella humiliated richard by lier her pranks richard arid giles shipped on oh a fri frigate wite giles was captured by the Frei french ibb sir 4 peter arranged for his exchange ne showed a liking for glyn who was then theft 21 years of age giles was ewas released giles and ruchard richard planned elopements elope ments sir poter objected to the plan to wed daphne by clever ruses auses giles and richard eloped with lady arabella and daphne respectively tho thi latter pair were svere married daphne was pleased ara arabella raved in anger wh W h en the party returned arabella asked sir peter to ald aid lu prosecuting giles in court on the charge of committing a capital crime CHAPTER IX continued As soon boon as giles was lodged in jail 4 sir peter and lady hawkshaw daphne and I 1 went immediately to seo see him a ip 1 with outriders outsiders out riders sir reter peter in 4 his bis uniform t with his sword and I 1 also in ft uniform for our object was to testify jl 1 publicly our regard r ai d for giles and de of the prosecution borhi for his s life which was on foot we reached the great gloomy build ing and afie the turnkey immediately chov showed adus us to tb giles room it waso was one ne of the best rooms in the place and would have been comfortable enough had it not been in a prison he was delighted delight bd to sea see us kissed lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws hand and gave daphne a heart hearty y smack on the cheek he looked well and I 1 expected to find him hopeful but he seemed to regard t his fate as fixed although it in no wise disturbed his cheerfulness sir y rt peter ieter at once told him aliat that everything 7 possible should be done for his def 4 1 I 1 bense and that eminent counsel were then on thear the ir way from london for ly him and he and lady hawkshaw would mould bear all the costs of the trial y and we cried daphne claim the sv S v right to help and when you are ac fe quitted you will find all your debts 1 paid and need not trouble yourself where th the e money comes from f tears sprang to giles eyes at this and he looked gratefully upon us all dear friends he said 1 I tha thank you but I 1 shall not bo be acquitted sir thomas vernon and lady arabella 1 stormont thirst for my blood and by m my own folly I 1 have put the noose around around my neck but I 1 say eay to you bax rom tile tho bott bottom om of my my heart that I 1 ay mtv i m 1 yr s v 1 rather would ollo dlo upon the gibbet than be married to lady arabella god was good to jo me in giving herto her to i 5 a abny as my enemy in instead s t ead ot my my y wife there was wag something iv ID this for what man could think without shuddering of taking arabella stormont to wife I 1 saw that giles had completely recovered from his madness heb he lamed blamed no one frankly acknowledging acknowledge n g his own folly and bore himself as became an officer and a gentleman sir peter would by no means admit there was the smallest chance of an adverse verdict but although I 1 could not bring myself to believe that the extreme penalty of the law would be carried out yet I 1 thought it very likely that the case was too plain for giles to escape conviction the conduct of daphne baehne and lady hawkshaw Hawks baw to him was such that I 1 came ame out of the jail with a deeper reverence reverence u a higher esteem for women than I 1 had known before although I 1 had always believed them to be gods angels on earth with a few exceptions jao so gentle and caressing was daphne so boldly and determinedly friendly was lady hawkshaw that it did ones heart good daphne announced her intention of going to see sir thomas vernon and p pleading leading with him while lady hawk Q haw aw threatened to give him her pinion of him publicly which was ined deed a dreadful threat the trial came oft off at the february assizes sizes and on the night before was 77 U good evening sir thornas F the great greal assize ball the word was passed around that all of giles ver friends cereto were to attend this ball by way of showing our confidence alas in his acquittal therefore on that night we that is the hawk shaws daphne and 1 I were to go to the ball in all the state we could muster we nye had taken lodgings at york for the trial the evening of the ball found the streets L cro crowded 00 as I 1 had n never ever seen them before the great case which would be reached within a day or two brought crowds to attend the assizes many persons coming even from london these were chiefly gentlemen of vie t hobi nobility lity apol and gentry ali who 0 were friends of giles vernons Ver for never man had so many friends it was a cold bright r february night and the street in front of the assize hall where the ball was held was packed with chariots chalees chaises ch aises alses and people on foot flaring torches and bawling footmen as if it were a london rout As our carriage passed the entrance the way was blocked by the judges chariots from which the they y descended in state our coachman whipping up to got get the next place in line locked wheels with the coach of sir vernon he sat back his face visible by the lamps in the court yard and as unconcerned as if the case which had brought us all to york was one of his servants beating the watch instead of the trial of his relative and heir on a capital charge if 1 ft 1 a 3 7 11 4 tho the crowd showed its disapproval of sir thomas by hurling abusive epithets at him which only caused him to smile but lie he had another anoche r enemy to encounter which was wa lady hawkshaw shaw and in full sight and hearing of the judges as they stepped with stately tread up tip the stairs occurred a battle a mort between her and sir thomas vernn vernan to the intense enjoyment of uie crowd which was uproariously on lady vs side neither nei ther sir peter nor I 1 took any part in the fray seeing lady hawkshaw had the best of it from the start and that woman against man the populace was heartily with her it began by lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws putting her head bead out of the coach and saying at the top of her voice and what a voice good evening sir thomas we are called here upon a sad occasion but I 1 hope that engl english Is h justice will prevail to save the life of that gallant young man your heir giles vernon to which sir thomas with a wicked grin replied we may safely leave that to the jury and to their honors the lords justices madam but if a young villain steals an heiress against her will he incurs the extreme penalty of the law yes replied lady hawkshaw 1 I dare say you think the law will deal b by giles vernon as it did by poor jack bassett whom you got transported for life for killing a hare which was already half dead or as it served tobias dark clark the blacksmith whom you yon got hanged for stealing one of your sheep these things were true and the crowd gave three loud groans for sir thomas vernon before he could get his breath to reply lady hawkshaw continued no wonder you are afraid to t 0 sleep without candles burning in your room aa all 1 night sir thomas SI sir r thomas ground ills his teeth and called 1 back ba ak your horses coachman coachm biffi an and d di drive ive out but the crowd J would by no means maans permit it h holding 0 alding on to th the e wheels and shouts sounded resounded re of good for your ladyship hawkshaw forever sir ir peter lay back laug laughing I 1 ng w while I 1 e k daphne by way of enciu encouraging aging the people clapped her hands bands and kissed lady hawkshaw on the cheek and let me tell you sir thomas continued that excellent and indomitable woman that because i no woman could over ever be induced to elope with you there is no reason why runaway marriages should not be the happiest in the world I 1 defied my I 1 family AR mily and as good as ran away with sir peter hawkshaw and he was as poor as giles vernon but like him he was a true and gallant gentleman and god bless the day bayl I 1 married him was tremendous cheering for sir peer and lie he took off his hat and bowed kissing lady hawk shaws hand sir thomas responded by calling out airily may I 1 ask your ladyship if sir peter was a free agent in the affair of your marriage for I 1 believe he is not generally held accountable for his actions since that day sir peters eyes hashed flashed at that but lady hawkshaw cried back right you are sir thomas for afave him I 1 would and if he had not agreed to marry me I 1 should have died of disappointment nor has he been a free agent since that day not for one moment free from my love rny my ad mi ration and my solicitude I 1 knew you well sir gir thomas 40 years ago this was a cruel thrust for sir thomas was notoriously touchy about his age and I 1 would no more have run away with you than I 1 would this night and god know no woman in all the three kingdoms would go with you now the delight of the crowd was extraordinary tra I 1 believe they would have mobbed sir thomas except that they felt that lady hawkshaw could inflict the more exquisite misery on him the judges still going up the steps slowly probably heard every word of this controversy T the e crowd v f 1 i Y then parted and taking sir sin thomas horses by the bits forced them to give place to lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws coach and she descended amid the loudest cheers of the populace within the splendid ballroom lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws triumph was even moro more marked numbers or of great people flocked around her many of them had been witnesses of her battle royal with sir thomas and the story had quickly spread to tile the rest lady hawkshaw in spite of her oddities had always maintained the respect of all who knew her and never saw I 1 a woman who bore under all circumstances more unmistakably the air of a great lady whether squabbling with sir peter laying down the law to tho the world at large or speaking aking bad Fren french cli she was invariably the woman of quality the scene of the ball was so gorgeous that even my sad heart took note lot of it the hall was ab ablaze laze with wax lights and a huge band of musicians brayed and trumpeted the lords justices the lords lieutenants of the three ridings and many other persons were were in full court co costumes and the abo ladles ladies trains of brocade and velvet were a sight to see and I 1 may be pardoned for saying that mistress richard glyn was by no means the least handsome of the women prea present ent by laly hawkshawe Hawk shaws command we were all to look cheerful and when I 1 saw gaw the outpouring of popular a approval 13 pr oval upon us its as giles vern vernona ona next fi fiends lends my heart grew less heavy lady hawkshaw seated herself in a jarge arge chair at the end of the hall ball where she held a kind of court siet he wore a gown of some sort of crampon stuffy stuff with a great tall tail to it and on her head was was a turban with a bird of paradise in it and on oil top of that her huge diamond tiara dara everybody flocked to pay her court and the lord lieutenant of the eart riding asked the honor of her hand to open the ball sho promptly agreed with the added romark remark 4 mark 1 that she had not danced F for or 30 36 years sir lepeter lr peter attempted to interpose you can not do it my lady h ho w said you will trip up and reak break b your leg not unless you trip me me up tip S sir I 1 r peter responded her ladyship who L was totally unable to keep up the tur tle tie dove style toward sir peter for any appreciable length of time my aly lep legs are as good as the lord lieutenants thank god and I 1 shall haye have pleasure in III dancing with his lordship t obeying Oble ying a look from her daphne accepted a c a partner and I 1 secured one la in 4 t the lie lord may mayors ors daughter sir thomas thomaa vernon who was then in fit the liall hall had the ineffable im impudence to wish to dance country dance with us but lie he was met everywhere with cold cold bold looks and refusals the ladies of df the lords lieutenants werd were all engaged so were their daughters it was t a picture to see him going along the ir fine ine of ladies sitting against the wall being repulsed by all and his composure under these embarrassing circumstances cum stances was the most extraordinary thing I 1 ever saw he wore a upon his sickly but handsome face all the time and at last lie he found a partner in the person of a monstrous ugly woman whose husband was in the tha hides and leather trade we took our places lady hawkshaw and the lord lieutenant a fine handsome man many years younger than she at the head of the room and then the musicians struck up and lady hawkshaw began to dance TO BE CONTINUED A MX 5 |