The Portland daily press., 1870-03-26
for Q chance-job from the Red Lion when til,

arCnery-pal was just in full swing.
inns was better fortune than 1 expected.
Kate had not told me where the archery-ball
was TO be held, and / had never thought of its
oelng given in any other place than Norwich,
or Dereham, or Fakenham, or Lynn. My
work was closer to my hand than had bar
gained tor, / told myself, as walked up to the
Red Lion, with porter carrying my carpet
bag, and boldly asked for a bed and sitting
room for week.
There was a great air of hustle in the house.
Walters and chamber-maids were running
wild under the influence of the un wonted fes-
tiylty. At the expiration of ten minutes
contrived to gain speech with matronly
woman in authority, who searched diligently
for some discrepancy between my statement
and my appearance, while was making the
former.
81 have come down to take some sketches
in this peighborhood, and l have been recon-
mended to your hotel,' repeated, impatient
"; "can you take me in ~
aOurs is a family hotel" she said, slowly,
"and just tonight, as it happens, we are very
full; many of the families from a distance
sleep here after the ball."
SIS this archery ball an invitation one ?n
asked; and she answered me, "No-at least
there were three or four dozen tickets to dis
pose OF, and just at the last the stewards were
less particular"
"Give me ticket" said, boldly, rendering
her sovereign as 1 spoke; and when She
TOOK the money into her hand, felt that
could do as l liked with the woman.
Il wish that you could let me have bed
room here, that might dress without delay"
1 added.
And the woman, after a moments hesita.
ton, turned, and, asking me to follow her. led
the way to comfortable, roomy bedroom. on
the first landing, halfway up the first fight
"Shall send chambar-maid to help you
dress, nisS?" she said, with touch of some
thing that might develop into impert.
inence in her manner, but had foreseen
and provided against this doubt. Even
Whlle she was speaking, had taken off my
left-haEd glove, and there on my third finger,
cleaned wedding ring.
IF any letters come for Mrs. Kingly, take
them in" l said ,calmly.-"No, 1 don't require
any assistance" And then was lett alone to
decide upon my next move.
Unless the Randolph's arrangements were
altered, was now under the same roof with
my sister Kate, and, if she had any intrigue
ON hand, was determined to discover it. In
order to do this, it was needful that 1 should
alter my appearance-and this with ,ros
not a dificult task.
had kept my hat and veil pressed down
over my brow while ] was speaking to the
andlady, and had worn large shawl which
muti1ed and disguised my figure. l therefore
set to work to alter my self, without any fear
of detection from that quarter. But whether
l could, with the aid of pigments and false
hair, deceive Kate, was different matter. At
all events, would try.
Nature had given me lieht-brown hair, and
brows and eyelashes OF the same color. These
latter l Made black, AMI then I daringlv nut
on a quantity OF red-gold tresses. NV COM
plexion was lair and clear. made It dark
and clear by aid of faint walnut-iuice LIQUID,
Then falsifed my figure, and then the con-
sheraton that had no dress stopped nv pre-
ceedinSs.
But only for minute. Necessity is the
mother OF Invention, is truism, but the
trulsm came to my mind reassuringly as 1
stood telling myself that I had gone too far
to 60 back with honor, and that Kate must
be saved from herself at any cost. 1 opened
the carpet-bag, and found that had hastily
thrown IN, among other things, a black silk
traln-sklrt and large black-Iace bernCuse.
With these materials and a needle and thread
L worked marvels in few minutes. The
pernouse arranged as a bodice and tunic, /
sent INTO the town for pair of gloves, and
then, armed with large, black Spanish fan, I
went Gown Into the ballroom to see what I
could of my sister.
1t was not very imposing apartment. that
assembly-room at the Red Lion. Remember
ing the scenes of gayety in which L had last
seen Kate, could not help feeling that she
must have some very powerful attraction in
deed here If she was not infinitely bored aud
very much out of place. 1t was a long, low
room; at the upper end there was a raised
gallery tor the musicians, and on the opposite
side TO tine entrance door was the divan for
the dowagers. On this divan rigid row oil
lmperturbabie ladies were sitting, and, at no
great distance from this divan, saw Mrs.
Randolph standing, the centre of brilliant
grohp OF pretty women and fine-looking gen
tlemen.
One of the men were earnestly entreating
her to grant him some favor, which the pretty
young matron was laughingly refusing. "You
would gain nothing by the move if did grant
your request" were the first words [ heard
her say, and my heart told me that they bore
reference to my sister Kate. ~
By way of testing the efficacy of my dis
gulse, sauntered slowly past Mrs. Randolph,
and felt that she and those around her were
all looking at me. But there was no recogni-
ton in her glance-of that 1 felt assured
when turned carelessly and faced her. At
the same moment, looking beyond her, saw
Kate coming up, with her hand on the arm OF
a tall, slight, oval-faced man, with dark COM
plexion and languishing dark-gray eyes. He
was leaning over the lovely blonde he led with
marked air of interest and admiration. He
was a stranger to me, and Kate seemed so in
innate with him.
Our eyes met in moment or two, and then
saw hun call Rates attention to me, to my
singularly-black brows and lashes and odd
looking golden hair. 1t was patent to me then
that my disguise was good-for she, my idol,
my little sister, did not know me.
l have omitted to mention that, as Kate
was more richly endowed by nature than
either OF her sisters, SO was she more richly
endowed by fortune. An old maiden aunt of
my mothers had left Kate her sole heiress,
possessor OF about thirty thousand pounds.
This, with the fortune already secured to her
by orr father, rendered the brilliant young
beauty mark for the needy adventurer-and
such, from the bottom OF my soul, began to
fear the man by her side, who was wooing her
sweetly, was.
My sister did not know me, thus much was
evident. was safe to pursue my investiga-
ton. No, would not call it that, even to
myself yet, uninterruptedly. Her great tur-
quoise-blue eyes wandered over me without
the faintest light of recognition in their
depths. 1 could see my sister without being
seen by her.
followed her like spy round the room, as
sue sauntered carelessly alOng-justified by
my great love for her, and my great fear for
her. One OF the stewards came to me and
offered to get me partners-ofered in free
and easy debonair style that was infinitely Of
fenslve to me. But still circumstances to
which was bound to him for the hour COM
PEELED me to "avail myself of his services
that was his phrase; that was how the young,
respectable wine-and-spirit merchant of the
town OF Rexham wOrded his offer to make
men known to me-to me!
AT last the glory of the ball waned. It had
been drearv scene to me all through; but
about three o'clock it became palpably more
dreary still, by reason of the departure of sew
eral OF the most magnificent OF its attendants
The lord-leutenant of the county and his
wife and daughters withdrew, and several mi
nor stars followed their example. Then
tremblingly in the now nearly empty room
drew near to my sister and her escort once
more, and as approached them heard her
say:
What lucky thing for both of us that we
are unobserved OF all these observers tonight!
have behaved most dsgracefully in dancing
with you so much. Ella is the most good. ma
tured unless you are good-natured too?" he
said, tenderly; "hope, like the the bird in the
story, has been fitting from tree to tree to-
night, but, if you put the torch out by retus-
ing my last request, shall regret that you
ever lighted it."
"What is your last request?" she said, CO.
quettishly. and she put her right hand up al d
clasped her lett in an innocent and child
like manner over his arm.