, 1873-03-16

"Iwonder who she is +" eaid Walter Drum.
mopd, looking back as he left the churchynrd,
fWho?" asked Kate Hyslop, With dis
pleaeed mir
THAT lady in the blue and gold shawl, wht
eat opposite to US in church" j" be answered.
"*Oh ! that rcd-hcaded woman ?" Indifferent
y. "Why she was q stranger, Of course Bha
false should she be 2''
H Bat wonder who she is, and where ehe
comes from,'' repeated Walter with insistence.
"Rea}lE, Walter, you ere very odd! Wha'
concern can it be Of yours, and why should you
wonder about her ut NIL - returned Kate, with
her iciest manner and her betrothed, taking
zhe hint, let the matter drop. But, though be-
ing free, he pondered MI the moro, aud wcaried
himself with conjccturing, 'sWEo can she be "
and '' Is she going to stay hero?"
Hinton, where they all lived is not pret-
ty place; nor very secluded place; nor
>: place that led to anywhere else; nor
vas just q dull English village, without d
history; where life vent on from year to year
in the eame groove. So that the prospect OF d
beautiful young woman. stranger to everybody,
locating herself at Hinton, YVES something to be
noted as phenomenon; and Walters curiosity
WAS only natural under the circumstances.
Soon the whole place was astir with the news
that Madame Dufour, the pretty woman who
had Eat on SUNDAY in the chancel, just opposite
nd Ma Donne Ind lived md that sha Vas Was
husy fnrnisn;nr It ia q manner 40 cogt]v "A IN ho
next door to wicked.
Here, then, was food for endless speculation,
and guesses al tha riddles act by charity or iii
nature: lady, young, beautiful evidently
rich far beyond the measure of the village with
foreign name and an English accent a 1nadame
Widows weeds :; not m inch OF clue to her for
mer history CT her last abodo-what botter
111asemcnt could Hinton have for the drcary
winter months than in Disgusting such q phe-
nomenon, and quarrcling over the proba-
ti|tiea Of her wor1h]essnoss or her re-
Hncctahi,ity ? So far ag that vent. how
ever. tho majority Of voices decided il favor
OF tho former: and but a few Of the more
rrodnIous. Of whom Walter Drum1uond the
Wears only son was tho chicf. stood out for the
theory of her rcanectability. until she should
be proved The other thing" Which was Just
tho difficulty: proof on either side boing e1-
1ctly the one thitnr needed,
Tia stranger cnIne roruiar1y to church. which
counted for something in her favor; and she
wea reported kind to the poor, and charitable
beyond tha common run Of even generous folks.
Not that Hinton mite indorsed this last trait
+ had It's own idea about excess of any Kind:
and excese of virtue Jared no better at it's hands
than if It had been a vice. Little by lit
tie, however. her pleasant smile and genial
manner broke down some Of the sitter preju-
sufficient time had elapsed to forbid the appear
ence Of injudicious haste the Vicar and his "ife
called on her-rathei solemn!y, 1t must be con-
leased, but With good meaning at bottom.
The next step was to ask her to tea, Kate
dyalop was By no means well pleased when she
heard of this arrangement; and, in general
hate Hyslop's wishes ruled the Ticarage- But
mt. Dn1mmond had certain notions on
prieetly duties which not even his
heireEs-ward could touch and this was one Of
them. He had taken it into bis counsel that it
was his duty, as the father Of his flock to usher
in among them this outlying sheep Of his fold <;
md he did it; though his future daughter-in-
law tossed up her small, smooth head in disdain,
and eren the placid wife Of his bosom looked
dubious So, now, Madame Dufour vas marked
d Td the brand md bnd hs b Wa0s Pa5 ea 9Th
their pastures. From having been sort Of e1-
lie among them, she became the most popular |
plaything Of tho day, Kate Hyelop alone refusing
to beat With the rest, or to burn incense at her
shrine.
From the first there was distinct anta8oniam |
between these two women and from the first
Fate hated M1ne. Dufour, and Nine. Dufour
feared Kate. Those cold: stael-pray ewes OF |
hers, which no one had ever seen dark with love |
or moist with tenderness, were Like weapons
That seemed to kill all sympathy, all affection. |
Her calm voice that never faltered, her COM
posed manner that never hurried, her set words
That disdained to trip over colloquialism, her
while, BEING. coptrofled conventional, OF the
~ To,,,ad - - ~ b-;1+ --s.-..:i~ ,-.-.-~ 1--
iov;n9 InG aona ms 70 sne n1sn5 velsae pleasure
1;L :e = 1, "nooo Aai5 lace WAS
~, ahauu;' aoa' nue.eu Joo Gono reaa her
snen,,ar ~ u, nooo7, th n,au mnose 1oace and
he1ons ~ sa,s;ties eaIt,r. a1tauos na Mn.ea
.rti ent Fs+a s.W r,o hasnt ~ eoneu'Ai1ate
& sho %. 80 aa.e esm M ~ ge1u.y h @ IN neI.
An, ne Tth har ~ tbe.ir;ca 1 san4; sae ICE
af1actatinn ~ cr,.ce ia To tranana-ant anu net
thnr Int contennt she .sd srar,9n,ie tot ,. any
155 Ss - 49, oas1GF., ZIG ealu scoin1uu1s Wnen
While she on her side p said i'd H;th y grottv
,o,, aI,a ha5 ~ ~ sn sAo n!.n PIett{ ao-
on7 Sho ;a ~ ;ret.aa;Ja' ne. n.ss hAte Hys,
~ ,,siaa ~ -. w. aI.Sg oooa IN cna1na
~ deIae+1 @ i1a9u1l 81 % T sae Wa gnost
eben soma cood.n,t,,red friaud WIZ epnaals
what The neS1cornar ha5 ea;a tepof'eo 70 nef
The A1' word atr9,oI IAo 11to 1;..n
e1uel: bnt II tbsn tittsr was +,;naa Gl.sef ana ana
rrnel a1zays do str;he D4s.u 40 n1;sa nnsa sna
sharn snrn;se mads the ro,n5 nu9 =; es ti ayslops
derhend folks ~bisna4inn 1 nu VI ING pariah un-
ashe is not 30 far ont is5t n,r Sea1 snSnsetses, ,
Lady; and may be the detective viii lieht ON opE
,ad 1h;s u.ne - h. some oaF, at last But no one
lived in The sunshne and ndnr;sia5 sis 5Atnnse5 st,l