The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-04-01
CHAPTER II.

Sir Roy Fairfax, On leaving his Wife
d-rawing-room, had by no means entered
the carriage TO drive across the country tt
the old Mountjov mansion, Instead o.
that he had taken his way across the ter.
raced lawn to a secluded path which lee
into a balsam-smelling cOpse Of evergreen'
where a rustic summer-house afforded 8
sort OF improptu shelter from the dew ano
chill.
sIt's too early yet, said Sir Roy to him
self. as he sat down and deliberately light
ed a cigar.
The stable clock struck nine, ten and
eleven, as he sat there, sometimes smoking
and sometimes whistling softly to himself
When, finally he rose, and moved steadi-
" through the quiet trees, 1t was nearly
midnight
Across the dewy grass-past the old ivy
mantled tree, where an owl hooted dlsmally
as he passed-dcwn a narrow path, ST.
Rov Fairfax walked, until he found him
self ola sudden, close to the back entrance
oil a small matched cottage, on the very
verge of the pleasure grounds. All was
quite dark and silent, or seemed so from
without: but when Sir Roy tapped softly al
the door, 1t opened, revolving suddenly
and noiselessly on its hinges, and revealed
a DTl00LlN-lGAtGA 1OOA4s WALL ~ HSA'
sitting or standing carelessly around ono
of them the very Colonel Mountjoy with
whom Sir Roy had avOwed his purpose OF
dining Tat evening.
SAT last ~ cried old Colonel Mountjoy,
as the door closed once more, behind the
new conner. ''Wby, man, We thought you
were never coming"
SIT is the hour We agreed upon" Sir Roy
answered deliberately.
eFWelI, perhaps you may be right about
that, - said the old gentleman, impatiently,
''but when a man is waiting, every minute
seems like an hour"
Sir Roy glanced round the room, nodded
to his other cOmrade. a tall. rather slender
man, and spoke a word or two to the game
keeper, a grizly-headed Scotchman of fifty
or t~hereaboutS.
you think the game viii lie well to-
night, Morrison? p
97'Couldn't be better, Sir Roy" the man
answered with a repressed chuckle.
s.Then, SIR" said old Morrison, as nei-
Their Colonel Mountjoy nor Sir Roy an
swered him, ''p'raps we'd better be q
movin'l Here's your gun-now then, to
the left r"
He led the a plunging into an appar,
emily trackless bit of oVer-grown woods
through which he threaded his way sure
footed and swift as one of the Park deer.
The three gentlemen followed, and for a
few minutes the silence was unbroken.
Suddenly Morrison stopped breathing,
rather than whispering into Sir Roy's ear,
as he pointed in the dim, uncertain star
light, at a small open space, quite sur
rounded with dwarfed trees and under
brush.
0There, Sir Roy, there's the trap O the
edge O. them hazels, and it amt empty
neither. He can't be long comm arter his
game, you MAY take your oath
The old mans hand t-embled with Gag
erness-his face turned upward in the star
light. was flushed with the excitement Of
the moment.
s.Hush On your life, don't speak &
word. man" murmured Sir Roy, motionins
to the other two to advance 70 farther
1--WE have only to wait now"
The seconds grew into minutes minutes
seemed to lengthen themselves out, as the
fourm men stood there so motionless that yoI
could not have discovered their Swallowed
foTres from the trunks of the beeches anC
chestnut trees. Their very breathing wa
husbed-one might have heard the muf1eC
beatings of their hearts!
s.Now," gasped Morrison, the ~gamekeeper
snow he's comm, Sir Roy"
A second or two-it could scarcely hav
been more-and a dark figure, slouchinI
heavily along in the ~obscurity, emerged
from the underground beyond, and CROSSING
the open space, kne!t down to examine tn
snare which had been skiilfully concealet
with fallen branches. He dropped the pre-
into a coarse bag y pouch which hun.
over his shoulder, and was just rising t
his feet once more, when he found himseI
face to face with the cold, sneering gaze {
Sir Roy Fairfax!
I~nvoluntarily the man raised his rife, th
barrel glittered strangely In the mystl
Tcbt. Sir Roy snatehed it from him, an
AGpg IL into the copplce beyond; and in tn
struggle the gun went off with the SHARP
piercing sound that had so startled Lad
Fairfax in her white and gold boudoir
The poacber sprang at Sir Roy's throat
it'll q sharp, low strangled cry, Like tina