The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-06-21


Lord Hampton aud his guest drew
their chairs closer to the pleasant FIRE,
preparatory to a confidential CONVEX
sation.
& entered rather inopportunely.
Adlowe," said the Earl, smiling
saw, by your face and Beatrice's man
ner, that you had been renewing your
proposal Of marriage to her, and 1
fancied that she had not given you
decided rejection.
You are right in your fancy" re-
sponded Lord Adlowe. THE Lady
Beatrice has promised to consider my
offer, and TO give me an answer when
[ shall ask for it.
The Earl was delighted.
Why, that is positive encourage
ment of your suitl' he exclaimed.
Certainly it is, said Lord Ad-
lowe. " The Lady Beatrice meant it
as such.
Il scarcely know what to say. am
so astonished, declared Lord Hamp-
/ ton Before you came In this even
ing, I spoke to Beatrice about you, and
she declared, as she had done a thou
sand times before, that she would
never marry. Only last week she re-
fused the Duke Of Langford, one Of
the best matches in England. And
now she encourages you to believe
that she viii become your WIFE,.
If L could only get clue to Bea-
trice's secret" thought the guest.
Fate seemed inclined to throw the
desired clue into his hands.
The two gentlemen were In the
midst of an apparently absorbing dis
cussiOn concerning & person for whom
neither cared, when a liveried porter
whose duty it was to stand near the
entrance door, burst into the drawing.
ROOM his face the picture of widest
alarm.
If you please, my lord" he gasped
scarcely conscious of what he was say
lug, there is smoke coming from the
thing must be on fire within"
Tie Earl leaped to his feet.
THE room on fire he calculated
Yes, my lord. I'll give the alarm.
mo! commanded his master
, sternly. "Say nothing to your fellow
servants. Stay in the lower hall.
His lOriship pushed aside the as
founded ser tor, dashed up the stair:
a
wards his daughters rooms.
Lord AdloWe followed at his Eeels
There was smoke in the hall, issu
ing from one of the rooms of the Lady
Beatrice. Clearly something wal
burning within.
A group Of servants, anxious anC
. frightened, stoUd near the door. The
Earl ordered them away peremptorily
and they dared not disobey him. The!
filed away through the various pass
ages towards their own domains.
7" Go down stairs, Adlowe," said TIL
2 Earl. " | am going to break the doc
inn
; 4 will help you" was the brie
response.
The eyes Of the two men met. TIL,
Earl did not dare to say that he knew
! not what should meet his gaze wheI
the door opened He had neithe
! time !. y or inclination to explain. Sub
hitting 20 TIC uudFOIuaDTO F5ES5SEo'
! of Adlowe, he said
Come. then; put your shoulder to
the doorl"
Adlowe obeyed. The Earl lent hi
assistance. The door yielded anC
burst open. The two men rushed
into the room.
1t was full of smoke, so dense tina
! not an object within the apartment
! was pereeptible. Coughing anC
! fchoking. the Earl crossed the foo
and threw up the windows, establish
ing a draft Of air.
Lord Adlowe quietly closed The
door, aud stood against it.
The apartment cleared rapidly, anC
the intTuders soon observed the cause
Of the disturbance. A FIRE was burn
ing IN the CRATE, and one of the live
Goals had snapped out, finding ledg
Inent in the thick pile of velye
rug. Here it had smouldered anC
burned with sickening odor and heavy
smoke.
The Earl caught up the rug, rolled
it tightly, stamping out the fire, and
then flung it from him.
Lord Adlowe looked curiously
around the apartment.
1t was a dressing-room fit for ar
empress.
But the owner all this splendor was
, not there.
Lord Adlowe darted quick, scru
J tinizing glances to the various couchei
E and chairs, but the form of the Lady
] Beatrice did not greet his vision.
She is in one of the other rooms,
, he thought: mean to see her be-
, fore [ leave them I"
He had scarcely made this resolve
when the Earl said:
" The fire is extinguished, Above
J Many thanks for your assistance. lie
, US return to the drawing-room."
, " But the Lady Beatrice ?
, is in one of the other rooms, o
course. In her bOudoir, or bed
: chamber" and the Earl looked from
: the right to the left. the dressing
room occupying a middle position be
: tween the two rooms mentioned.
. She must be suffocated with thi
; smoke" persisted Lord AdlOwe. ad
herring to his resolve. Perhaps shl
! is lying on the floor, Ia a swoon."
The Earl grew even paler. HI
t looked at his guest hesitatingly. II,
+. was anxious, now that he stood upoI
e the threshold Of discovery, to prob
the secret Of the Lady Beatrice. Blu
e be could not bare his heart to Li
/ daughters sutton. He thought {
D moment, then said:
I, " Remain here, Adlowe, while
look In the boudOir."
e He moved towards the front room
5 opened the door, and passed in.
Lord Adlowe-frm In his bold pur
pOse-also approached the entrance
= and looked into the room in question
e 1t was unOccupied.
? The sutton of the Lady Beatrice re
? treated as soon as he made the dis
covery, while Lord Hampton stood
q bewildered under the cleaning gas
: lamps. When the Earl came out
: Adlowe met him with an inquiry q!