fool as to think of giving it up for a foolish love dream she looked more than handsome � she looked as she advanced with a soft luminous gaze to meet and asked his pardon for the trouble she had given him but something has occurred since last night my dear friend she said that makes it necessary for me to take a short sea voyage my doctor is rather alarmed about my health and on my obedience so as i have always had a supreme longing to visit your delightful country i have decided to go to america for the autumn and want you to tell me the best means of getting there you must know so much she concluded as she slipped her arm through his ah mrs der exclaimed the colonel patting her little hand why can t you make up your mind to let me take you there you should travel like a queen loo and there s a house waiting for you in new york city that might satisfy an say the word by the fate of mrs der say the word and you ll make me the happiest man in the united states but there is an obstacle to our marriage she whispered perhaps an one had it not been so i should have said yes last night dollars can overcome all obstacles replied the colonel what is it i guess it ll make no difference between us i have a little nephew the orphan child of an only sister now deceased and i will marry no man who asks me to leave him behind that man won t be myself mrs der bring him along by all means there s room in the states for another boy or two and i ll do by him as if he were my own oh you are too good too good exclaimed fervently as she pressed his hand the was not young and in no mind to wait besides which he was anxious to get back to his own country so as the lady s wishes appeared to with his own they arranged matters to their mutual satisfaction that evening and in a fortnight were married at a s office in london without anyone but themselves being the wiser for the transaction had pleaded for secrecy lest her friends should interfere to prevent her leaving england and the colonel had arrived at that age when a man all and fuss so de was transformed into mrs colonel as if by by marry at magic and went home to the hotel with her husband as if they had been married for twenty years four days after a well known steamer was to start from liverpool for new york and their were already secured on board of her and now said with a winning smile the day before they started you must let me run down into colonel and fetch my little nephew that s a long way said colonel hadn t i better go for you oh no no i couldn t hear of it the little fellow would be frightened out of his senses at the sight of a stranger he is terribly sensitive i can never him away but by pretending we are going to meet his poor dear mother very well mrs have it your own way replied the colonel who was beaming with pride in the possession of so handsome a wife so armed with lord francis s card down on the following day to where s sister mrs was staying with her own son and little this was the s revenge she had heard while at of s destination and knew that in so small a place she would experience little difficulty in finding out which house was occupied by mrs by the fa te of she disliked children as most women of her stamp do but she felt she could no vengeance on lord francis and his wife than by them of their son and heir so dearly loved by both of them her marriage had been conducted so secretly that she was most unlikely to be recognized as mrs and once she had got the boy to america she believed that he would be lost what was to follow after that or whether the game would be worth the candle to her she never stayed to consider mrs while engaged over her midday meal with the children was much surprised to hear that a lady wished to speak to her still more so when on entering the drawing room she saw the attired mrs you are doubtless surprised to receive a call from a perfect stranger madam commenced with her charming accent but time did not permit me to prepare you for my appearance i come as a messenger from lord francis i am an intimate friend of his and of his poor dear wife indeed said mrs gravely her first opinion of s conduct had been to horror when the news of the murder and the trial were made public and she had only taken charge of under protest � he urgent of her er � and by marry at because she had felt it to be a christian duty to keep the poor child as far as possible from hearing the terrible things that were said of his mother but her dislike of the subject was so great that when said she was an intimate friend of the she shrunk from her with ill concealed aversion indeed she slowly yes and have been so for years this has been a terribly sad affair for them both but let us hope the worst is over lord francis feels naturally that it is best they should spend the next few years at least out of england therefore they start for the to morrow and wish naturally to take with them lord francis is then reconciled to his wife oh yes 