The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-10-15

helped himself freely, and was only ar
rested when Calvert was out of town.
was far more humble and contcnted
myself with my small means-ample
enough, as Calvert would not hear of my
paying for bed or board.
"Who liz jock Campbell?" | asked
Alan.
"As good II fellow as ever lived. A
captain i'll the -, and n kind of cousin
of yours and mine. Did You ever hear
the song of Lydia Mlninwaring?"
Eyes, / have--often." Somehow or
other did not like to tell the manner in
which last heard it.
"Well, since the loves of Lydia, and
of Jock her lover, the names of Main
warng ami Campbell, have been inter
twined III almost every generation. You,
mt least your mother, is IL Mainwaring.
Lord Westerham has married Camp
bell. but Lady Wcsterham has nearer
Mainwaring relations than her husband.
jock Campbell is her nephew, and she
has girl living with her, half-cousin,
half-dependent, whose name liz Lydia
Mainwaring, and whose relationship to
Lord Westerham is scarcely apprecin-
bic."
81 wish knew my relations. " | said,
with sigh. have 40 few respecta-
bile acqmaintanccs.
"Am | not sufficient asked Alan.
"Wcll, perhaps I'm not respectable, he
replied in his turn. "Nou know" he
went on Ia say, "thc difficulty. Lady
Westcrham has II crochet, but your step
father is II brute. But you certainly
should know more people. II won't do
for your acquaintance to he confined Ia
Calvert aud myself I'll think it over.
just lend me n couple If pounds.
".
Lord and Lady Westerham came to
town, and Jock Campbell insisted on
their asking me Ia dinner. Lord Wes-
terham was n heavy, highbrcd man, i'll
tcrested i'll agriculture, and deep in re-
views AMI newspapers. Lady Wester-
ham was the real figure round which was
grouped the family history. Aged, with
gray hair under II cap, dressed in great
deal of rich silk and old lnces, she was in
every respect the grGHde damc. Her
manners mt first Were somewhat assuring;
but there was II hardness in her wcll-cut
features, and look almost fcrocious in
her eyes, overhmg by bIishy eyebrows,
which impressed You very soon with the
feeling almost Of cruelty. She seldom
smiled, and never laughed, and her eye,
with an expression Of command and tri-
umph, was constantly searching the
looks and Watching the movements of
Lydia Mainwaring.
1t was impossible to see this girl with
ont plying her. She was very beauti-
full, but never appeared happy. Her
eyes wore Il startled look, like that of II
deer on the alert-sometimes almost Il
look of terror. 1t was easy to learn the
secret. Lady Westerham never left her
alone, never omitted some phrase that
must cut her to the heart. II absent,
she was recalled and questioned ~ to her
doings. For Jock Campbell alone had
Lady Westerham any affection. He was
her nearest relation and her heir. 1t was
principally on her income that Lord
Westerham managed to keep up Castle
Greasy, his house over the Scotch border.
Even Lady Westerham's hard nature
yielded to Jocks sunny presence. He
seemed to have some dominating inhu-
ence over her, which ut times reduced
her to silence IN the middle of cutting
remark to Lydia. To him Lydia owed
her few pleasures. When she went rare
ly to the theater, it was with Jock and
myself, under the chaperonage of Calvert
M'ravish.
Tomyself Lady Westerham was very
gracious.
81 am glad to know you, Mr.. Mas
tiers, she she said with slight Scotch
accent, "for We are doubly cousins: and
ill Scotland more than elsewhere we
hold the doctrine that blood is thicker
than water. am Campbell and Main
waring, and nothing else. This girl is
Mainwaring, and her mother was Il
Campbell, and that's why she lives here,
Mr.. Masters"
suppose she is a cousin also?" /
SAID, shaking hands with the poor girl,
and rather glad to claim relationship
with her.
eyes, in kind of way. Lydia, You
had better go through the accounts"
Without word Lydia left the room.
A year or two after my acquaintance
with the Wcsterlams, my mother died,
and i became the heir to the title and
such estate us went with it. At the bid
ing Of Lord Westerham, | assumed the
lame of Mainwaring, and i'll the winter
of the same year went with Jock Camp
bell to Castle Greasy.
"Theo," he said to me in the train,
after smoking in silence, 81 want to
take You into confidence The tone in
which he spoke impressed me. 1t
seemed ~ though some turning point Of
my life was presenting itself.
Gwen talk business, he said. II
have been thinking over matters, and
find that, barring my little sister in the
country and Lady Westerham, l haveno
nearer relation than you. Now, i am
not going to live long. Ny heart is
shaky, and / know it; and | have no one
to whom, as much as To yourself, ] can
bequeath my condolences. My little sis
ter is well provided for. She had ex-
actly the same fortune as myself, and
the accommodations will he considerable
when she becomes Of age. | therefore
intend dividing my entire fortune into
two parts--one shall leave to her and
one to you"
made some gesture Of depreciation.
"Dont interrupt me, and don't think
shall leave You your share absolutely.
] hope not to die just yet; but when /
do, you will receive letter making II
charge on the money leave you. This
is what lawyers call secret trust. 1t
is not legally binding; but you, know,
will respect il. | do not even ask You to
give me your word. You will know the
letter to be genuine both by my hand
writing and from two seals-this one I
wear on my finger, and another with the
initials l.. M. ;"
The communication was 80 saddening
that / could not find a word of reply.
Probably my silence pleased him more
than phrases. Hope 30.
V.
Castle Greasy is very lonely place.
The house is built in granite, with n
moat round it, now dry and grown in
grass. The ghost of Lydia Mainwaring
haunts one portion of it-a long corridor,
with bachelors rooms and ending in a
n billiard-room. The house was more
gloomy than necessary, owing to its half
tenantless state. II was rare that any
visitors were admitted to the house,
partly from the want of income, partly