The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-06-14

somo& blue books, or papers, or reports
or something Of that kind, which be
says that some of his fellows have sent
you. 1t seems that there are some new
rules, or orders, or fashions, which he
wants you to have at your fingers's
ends. Nothing could be more civil than
he was,-but he just wished me to men.
tion this, knowing that you and I are
likely to see each other.
Il wish had never come over" said
Sir Marmaduke.
"Why sop
"They didn't bother me with new
rules and fashions oyer there. When
the papers came somebody read the IN,
and that was enough. could do What
they wanted me to do there"
sand so you will here,-after oit.
"Pm not so sure of that. Those young
fellows seem to forget that an old dog
can't learn new tricks. They've got
youpp brisk fellow there who seems 10
think that a man should be an ency-
clopedia of knowledge because he mas
lived in a colony for over twenty
. years" o.orrn
"Never mind who it is. Osborne, just
comeup to the library, will youi /
want TO speak to you" Then Sir Mar
madnke. with considerably solemnity,
led the way up to the most deserted
room in the club, and Colonel Osborne
followed him, wen knowing that some
thing was to be said about Emily Ire
velyan.
Sir Marmaduke seated himself on
sofa, and bis friend sat close beside him.
The room was quite deserted. IL was
four o'clock ia the afternoon, and the
club was full of men. There were men
ia the morning. room, aud men IN the
drawing and menin the card-room,
and men in the billiard-roOm; but no
better choice of chamber for confer
ence intended to be silent and secret
could have been made in all LOHdon
than that which had induced Sir Mar
maduke to take his friend into the Ii
brary for "The Acrobats." Sir Marina
duke sat for a while silent, and had he
sat silent for an hour, Colonel Osborne
would not have interrupted him. Then,
at last, he began, with a voice that was
intended to be serious, but which struck
upon the ear Of his companion as being
affected and unlike the owner of it.
'This is very say thing about nay poor
girl, >" said Sir Marmaduke.
Indeed, it is. There is only one thing
to be said about it, ROwley."
"And what's that ~
"The man must be mad"
"He is not so mad as to give us any
relief by his madness,-poor as such
comfort would be. He has got Emily's
child away from her, and think it will
about kill her. And what is to become
of herr As to taking her back to the
islands without her child, it is out of the
question. l never knew anything so
cruel in my life"
"And so absurd, you know"
"Ah,-that's just the question. III
anybody had asked me, / should have
said that you were the man of all men
whom could have best trusted"
"Do you doubt it now p
81 don't know what to think"
"Do you mean to say that you Inspect
me,-and your dasghter tool"
mo, by heavens Poor dear! If l
suspected her, there would be an end of
all things with me. / could never get
over that. No. don't suspect her -
Sir Marmaduke had now dropped his
affected tone, and was speaking with
natural energy.
"But you do mep
"No, if / did, don't suppose should
be sitting with you here; but they tell
me"
"They tell you what 7"
"They tell me that-that you did not
behave wisely about it. Why could you
not let her alone when you found out
how matters were going y
"Who has been telling you this, Row
ley ?"
Sir Marmaduke considered for while,
and then, remembering that Colonel
Osborne could hardly quarrel with
clergyman, told him the truth. "Out-
house says that you have done her an
irretrievable injury by going down to
Devonshire to her, and by writing to
her"
Courthouse is an ass"
"That is easily said; but why did you
! gop
"And why should not got What
| the deuce. Because a man like that
chooses to take vagaries into his head,
am not 20 see my own godChild" Sir
Marmaduke tried to remember whether
the Colonel was in fact the godfather of
his eldest daughter; but he found that
his mind was quite blank about his
children's godfathers and godmothers.
"And as for the letters;-l wish you
could see them. The only letters which
had in them word of Importance were
those about your coming home. l was
anxious to get that arranged, not only.
for your sake, but because she was SO
eager about it,"
Good bless her, poor child ?" said Sir
Marmaduke, rubbing the tears away
from his eyes with his red SILK pocket
| handkerchief.
II will acknowledge that those letters
there may have been one or two-weIe
the beginning of the trouble. 1t was
these that made this man to show him
self to be lunatic. | do admit that
was bound not to talk about your COM
ing, and told her to keep the secret
He went spying about, and found her
letters, suppose, and then he took
fire, because there was to he secret
from him. Dirty, mean dog! And now
Pm to be told by such a fellow as Out
house that it's my fault, that have
caused all the trouble, because, when
happened to be in Devonshire, ! went
to See your daughter We must do
the Colonel the justice OF supposing
that he had by this time quite taught
himself to believe that the church porch
at Cockchaffington had been the motive
cause of his journey into Devonshire.
upon my word, it is too hard" con-
tinued he, Indignantly. "As for Out
house,-only for the gown upon his back,
I'd pull his nose. And wish that you
would tell him that say So"
"There is trouble enough without
that" said Sir Marmaduke.
But it is hard. By G., it is hard.
There is this comfort,--if it hadn't been
me, it would have been some one else.
Such man as that couldn't have gone
two or three years, without being jeal-
Gus of some one. And as for poor Emily,
she is better off, perhaps, with an &C
cusation so absurd as this, than she
might have been, had her name been
joined with younger man, or with one
whom you can have less reason for
trusting"