Show BANNER ANNER SERIAL FICTION ftp OD am REM ARM A aft r asa a jam sa 4 of we fo oi uw 0 k DORMIN I 1 YATES 0 yat yalo CHAPTER vill VIII continued 17 who was george eliot asked the darchess da chess his lordships lord ships pet spaniel your grace replied bertram iso so he was mouthed the count to think id forgotten so what was said the duchess her victim clawed at the cloth the dog madam the george eliot was a female said aid the duchess and then what became of her brief what became of rudolfs pet spaniel that never would let her master out of her sight I 1 shall always remember that moment that held so much and shall always see the three faces of those concerned old harrys keen and relentless seemed cut out of painted stone the counts was a mask of wet gray with lines that gave the Ini impression of having been drawn with b blue u chalk and bertrams was tense and bloodless the face of a roan man who is waiting to hear some monstrous suspicion smothered at birth twice the count tried to answer and twice he failed at the third attempt madam he croaked 1 I have told you that my memory what became of george eliot steward his lordship shot her your grace because she was going blind 11 himself his favorite dog he would let no one else do it your grace and no one except his lordship knows where she lies the duchess returned to the count ayou remember it now somehow the man made answer 1 I remember that I 1 shot her myself old harry lunged in that case you can tell me her color the silence which succeeded this challenge dragged at the nerves and I 1 was really quite thankful when virgil in desperation put in his oar madam you are dealing with matters which my uncle has fought to forget old harry raised her eyebrows that explanation is one which I 1 am not prepared to accept ill tell you why its too easy theres something very wrong here and im very glad that I 1 came she turned to survey the oarsman why freyou here madam said virgil this was my fathers home 1 I know that better than you I 1 ask you why you were here 1 I have no other home madam an indeed deed said old harry where is 13 your father now my father said virgil is dead when did he die at least ten years ago madam that case hes been resurrected before this time I 1 must get into touch with him I 1 know he was living in london a year ago the count of brief leaned forward madam he gasped this is very painful to me then it be said old harry mistakes have been made before now and im not at all certain your brother an innocent man virgil whipped into the breach before the count could reply in that case madam theres only one thing to be done may I 1 have my fathers address 1 im afraid 1 said old harry your filial affection must wait ill deal with this matter myself and when I 1 have talked with your father ill let you know I 1 expect he be too has fought to forget the past out he may have been less successful however well very soon know ill write to my agent tonight she returned to the count whose head was shaking a little as that of a very old man he will ask asit your brother two questions and send his answers to me the first W 1 i b be e this what was george ellot eliot s color the count halt half rose from his chair Ma madam madain darn 1 I pr protest otest pro protest es t all 11 you like said old arry arr welp ea is not whelp for not tat I 1 ng and n I 1 was as a friend of your lather er s before you were born t thoo e what at can that at prove cried eliof kliots 01 t if he tells you ya georg geor g e tb c color lor what at can that prove his voice rose into a scream and he smacked the cloth that can prove nothing madam nothing at all except that he can remember what I 1 have contrived to forget and with that he sank back breathing hard with the air of a man who knows he has made a mistake and yet must needs go on because he cannot retire quite so said the duchess quite so but the second question will be much harder than that where is george eliot buried she set her arm on the table and dropped her chin to her palm if he answers that I 1 think that that will prove something and prove it up to the hilt I 1 glanced at the count the man was sitting up straight and was staring directly before him but not at me it was plain that his eyes saw nothing that eyes can see that apprehension possessed him t A w ill ma what was george allots color body and soul and this I 1 think was natural for the duchess had hit very hard she had publicly forced the cupboard in which his skeleton stood and had hung the sword of vengeance over his head and this after 22 years the count seemed to take hold of himself a shiver ran through his limbs and a hand went out to his wine and then he was war glancing about him as though to take up his bis place but the look on his face was haunted and he might have been 20 years older than when he sat down in a silence which nobody cared to break some dessert was served then old harry spoke in german john herrick relieve the tension you know how to tell a good tale madam adam me he put a hand to his head A few minutes ago the conversation turned upon remembrance a precious faculty by that my story shall hang here I 1 should say that herricks story was heard by every soul in that room for the duchess had taken her spoon yet did not begin to eat and while we at table sat waiting for her to begin the ser servants v had nothing to do because the course had been served there was once an english vicar a very forgetful man now all of sometimes forget I 1 forgot my us pistol on friday afternoon bu but t he than that he was much worse would se set t forth to keep an engagement and while he was on his way forget why he had gone out he would frequently enter a shop and served forget what he ere he was came in to buy and sometimes in winter when the heaven w was as dark rising early as parsons and lie he was but he was getting up do he forgot took he was going to bed supposed which he had that th at clothes off the retired as moment put on and then not day and night though it were but with it all he was so gentle and had a nature so charming and flock forgave I 1 his is failing that his sweet at his smiled with ready hearts heart s I 1 errors and said it wa was a parsons way summer well 0 one ne beautiful call cali resist the he could not morning his and after of I 1 the countryside to early breakfast he e set 0 out ut afoot early loved so he prove the lively beau beauty ty well and draw from it a sermon such as no books could give for the following day was sunday As though upon airine air he roamed for mile upon mile of course he forgot all else and of such was his communion that he forgot all time in fact it was past two and he had covered the best part of 15 miles when he climbed a stile in a hedgerow to find a man in the road with a watch ill his hand and the man was watching a chauffeur changing a tire or rather trying to change it for the car had detachable ta rims and because of the heat of the day the metal had expanded and the rim had seized on to the wheel at once the vicar perceived the state of the case the man who was wearing full dress was clearly due at some function for which he feared to be late the chauffeur was needing assistance to pull off the rim nm but the other dared not give it because of his clothes without so much as a word the vicar went down on his knees in the dusty road not to pray but to add his strength to that of a fellow man and after a moment or two before their united endeavors the rim gave way the rest of course was easy but the vicar continued to help till the work was done then at last he straightened his back to find the other beside him silk hat in hand sir said the man 1 I never can thank you enough and since you have done me a service which I 1 can never repay I 1 beg you will do me the honor to be my guest I 1 am to be married this day at half past two and I 1 should not now be happy if you were not there 46 my admy very good friend said the vicar inspecting his state you know very well that I 1 am not fit to appear that was true he was not even wearing g clerical dress 11 whose fault is that said the other and ushered him into his car now though for the moment he did not know where he was so soon as they moved the vicar got his bearings only to find that they were approaching the village of which he was priest at the sight of the distant spire his memory suddenly stirred dear dear he cried id forgotten n I 1 shant b be E able to come you must set me down at that village ive 9 got ot a wedding myself at that village cried the other but that is where im to be married in ten minutes tite time the vicar smiled his rare smile lile make M ake it twenty my friend he said gently you must give me time to change aso so they brought one another to church the priest and the groom for had they not met as they did neither the one nor the other could have arrived there was a moments silence then the duchess of whelp shook her head bead too good to be true she said as ill la lay y the count will agree madam said the count 1 I am with you and who ever heard hear d of a god in heaven cried herrick and started up to his feet his eyes were upon the count and the count was staring back with the eyes of a beast at bay so for a long moment what then said old harry sharply herrick put a hand to his head but hes denied it he cried and looked dazedly round and I 1 was there at the wedding I 1 saw saw them arrive what of that said the duchess he his eyes again fast on the count by heaven said herrick 1 I dont believe that he was and yet the bridegrooms bride grooms name was rudolf of brief two hours had gone by and winter was telling his tale this in in herricks room the middle room of the tower this had not been a bedroom the week before but now it was changed the first thing I 1 knew sir a servant came running in to say his lordship had fainted and his valet was wanted at once well that told me you were off and very soon after bertram the steward comes in as white as a sheet he asks the older servants to come to his room an when he was gone a footman begins to talk I 1 get all he said but I 1 made out her grace an mr herrick ad put it across the count theres a chauffeur there speaks some english E and so I 1 got on to him the trouble I 1 says anyone done an then he starts off got this much clear sir that there was another brother an he was a twin that er grace and mr herrick keeps on referring to him that his lordship keeps getting caught out because he dont seem to see that mixing him up with his brother in all they say but they cant understand why his lordship is so much upset why cant he see they keep asking why dont he tell them mix in him up with his twin of course the stewards got it you ought to have seen his face an mr parish has rammed a point or two home but they all know theres cometh something ing wrong an they all think her grace has come here to put it right it seems she said something like that and got mr herricks story about the forgetful priest but they think that when he said rudolf he must have meant ferdinand oh give me strength said herrick and threw up his hands if I 1 may say so sir you aven avent it no call to complain got the truth in their hands but except for the steward holding it upside down and what will happen said herrick if ever they turn it round shocked to death sir said winter it if you ask me I 1 think walk out on him sir fr from om bottom to top a very I 1 ouse proud lot an another thing in their eyes her grace cant do no n 0 wrong there was a little silence it was clear clear that we had won the first round and won it well it was also clear that old harry was going for a knockout because the pace she had set could not possibly last for one thing only her threat to produce poor gering was one which she could not fulfill and again it was clear that old harrys judgment was good because a win on points would be useless to us the count of brief had to be floored or be made to throw in the towel if he contrived to stand up for the first few rounds the man was safe I 1 could not lose sight of one thing and that was that he had a second who knew no law indeed this was how I 1 saw it that the duchess of whelp was fighting the count of brief because t the he fall of the count would set elizabeth up but virgil was fighting his cousin because if he brought her down the fall of the count would not matter b because because he percy virgil would then be bound to succeed TO BE CONTINUED |