The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-01-18
,,,,,. 80 he devils at eighty said

S'' aRnt mamma is so foolish, )" said Pris-
ella. "The mans age does not matter
in the least" WI~,-A
~ beg your pardon, my DEAR" said
Mrs. Stanbury, very humbly.
At that time the quarrel was raging,
but afterwards came the reconciliation.
Had it not been for the Stanbury cor
respondence, the fact of Colonel o.
borne's threatened visit would have
been admitted as thing necessary,-as
a disagreeable necessity; but how was
the visit to be admitted and passed over
in the teeth of that correspondence !
Priscilla felt very keenly the peculiar
cruelty of her position. Of course,
Aunt Stanbury would hear of the visit.
Indeed, any secrecy in the matter was
not compatible with Priscilla's ideas OF
honesty. Her aunt had apoligized hum
bly, for having said that Colonel Os-
borne had been at Nuncombe. That
apology, doubtless, had been due. Col
onel Osborne had not beena Nuncombe
when the accusation had been made,
and the accusation had been unjust and
false. But his coming had been spoken
of by Priscilla in her own letters as an
occurrence which was quite out OF the
question. Her anger against her aunt
had been for saying that the man had
come, not for Directing to such visit;
And now the man was coming, and
Aunt Stabury would know all about 1t.
How great, how terrible, how crushing,
would be Aunt Staubury's triumph!
81 must write and tell her" said Prls
ella. .,
81 am sure | shall not object" said
Mrs. Trevelyan.
"And Hugh must be told" said Mrs.
Stanbury.
"You may tell all the world, If you
like" said Mrs. Trevelyan.
In this way it was sett led among
them that Colonel Osborne was to be re-
ceived. On the next morning, Friday
morning, Colonel Osborne, doubtless
having heard something of Mrs. Crockett
from his friend at Cockchaifngton, was
ND early, and had himself driven over
to Nuncombe Putney before breakfast.
The ever-watchful Bozzle was, of course,
at his heels; or, rather, not at his heels
on the first two miles of the journey,
For Bozzle, with painful zeal, had made
himself aware of all the facts, and had
started ON the Nuncombe Puthey road
half an hour before the ColonePs hy
was in motion. And when the fly passed
him, he was lying discreetly hidden be-
hind an old oak. The driver, however,
had caught glimpse of him as he was
topping a hill, and having seen him
about on the previous day, and pereelV-
ing that he was dressed in decent coat
and trousers, and that nevertheless, he
was not a gentlemaR, began to suspect
! that he was-someb0dy. There was a
great deal said afterwards about BoZZle
ia Mrs. Clegg's yard at Lessboro'; but
the Lessboro' mind was never able to
satisfy itself altogether respecting Boz
zle and his mission. AS to Colonel Os-
borne and his mission, the LessberO'
mind did satisfy itself with much GER
tainty. The horse was hardly taken
from out of Colonel Osborne's fly in
Mrs. Crocket's yard, when Bozzle
stepped into the village by path
which he had already discovered, and
soon busted himself among the tombs in
the churchyard. Now, one corr or of the
churchyard was Immediately opposite
to the one gate leading into the Clock
House.
"Dratun," said the wooden-legged
postman, still sitting on his donkey, to
Mrs. Crocket's hostler, "if there be'ant
the chap as was here yesterday when l
was starting, and iced 'un in Lezbro'
Street thick very morning" HE
be'ant arter no good, that 'un," said the
hostler After that close watch was
kept upon the watcher.
In the mean time, Colonel Osborne
had ordered his breakfast at the Stag
and Antlers, and had asked questions as
to the position of the Clock House. He
was altogether ignorant of Mr.. Bozzle,
although Mr.. BoZzle had been on his
track now for two days and two nights.
He had determined, as he came on to
Nuncombe Putney, that he would not
not be shamfaced about his visit to Mrs.
Trevelyan. 1t is possible that he was
not SO keen in the matter as he had been
when he planned his journey in Lon
don: and it may be that he really
tried to make himself believe that he
had come all the way to the confines OF
Dartmoor to see the porch of Cockchaf-
fingtOn Church. The session In London
was over, and it was necessary for such
n man as Colonel Osborne that he should
do something with himself before he
went down to the Scotch house. He had
long desired to see sOmting of the most
picturesque county in England; and
now, as he sat eating his breakfast In
Mrs. Crocket's parlor, he almost looked
upon his dear Emily as subsidiary at
traction. so, that's the Clock House,
he said to Mrs. Crockett. mo, l have
not the pleasure of knowing Mrs. Stan
bury; very respectable lady, so
| heard; widow of q Clergyman;
ah. yes; son up in London; l
know him;-always writing books, is
he9 Very clever, | dare say. But
there's lady-indeed, two ladies'
whom | do not know. Mrs. Treyelyan
is there, / think,-and Miss Rowley."
"You be'ant Meister Trevelyan,-be
youf" said Mrs. Crockett, looking at him
very hard.
No, Pm not Mr.. Trevelyan.'
"Nor yet the Colonel they doc be
talking aboutF
"Well, yes, l am Colonel. don't
know why anybody should talk about
me. III just step out now, however,
and see my friends"
'It'S madam's lover" said Mrs. Crock
ct to herself, las sure as eggs is eggs"
As she said so, Colonel Osborne boldly
walked across the village, and pulled
the bell at the iron gate, while BoZzle,
crouching among the tombs, saw the
handle in his hand. "There he is, said
Priscilla. Everybody i'll the Clock
House had known that the fly, which
they had seen, had brought "the Colo
mel" into NuncOmbe PGtney. Every
body had known that he had breakfast
ed a the Stag and Antlers. And every
body now knew that he was at the gate,
ringing the bell. Unto the drawing
room," said Mrs. Stanbury, with fear
full tremulous whisper, to the girl who
went across the little garden in front to
open the iron gate. The girl felt as
though ApollyOn were there, and as
though she were called upon to admit
Apolyon. Mrs. Stanbury, having ut
tered her whisper hurried away up
stairs. Priscilla held her ground in the
parlor, determined to be near the scene
of action if there might be need. And
il must be acknowledged that she
naenpd from hehind the cnrtain any