The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-07-31

| Close AZ hand, gazing IN the direction his
master had taken, and there was some-
thing 80 strange in the expression of his
face, as he sorrowfully shook his gray
head, that / could not resist the impulse
that prompted mo to turn to him for an
explanation of my uncle's abrupt move
ment.
"What is the matter-do you know,
| Robert Z"
"Ahl yes, miss, FRA afraid do" an
swered the faithful old man. 81 don't
| he's never been near 1t for years; not since
He paused abruptly, as though conscious
that he had touched upon forbidden sub
ject.
s'Now," thought /, as we rode slowly
forward on the shady road that had 80 ut
lracted me, ''now to question this old man
or not, that Is the question: To fathsm
the mystery have 80 longed to have clear
ed up; or, because can only do 30 by tho
aid Of an old servant, to liv., on with my
curiosity unaatisfied9 Some people would
say 1t was derogatory. to my dignity to
question servant. So it would be, be-
lieve, with an ordinary servant; but Robert
Is almost like one Of the family; he lived In
1t befo:e Uncle Walter was born. So
will ask him to tell me this story about my
Cousin Blanche's death, and her fathers
reformation, for / am certain the two are
connected"
And IN moment after, my, sshap-hazard
tongue" was employed in eliciting the fol-
| lowing information from the by no means
unwilling old servitor:
"lt wasn't very long after you were
born, Miss Shafton," he said, ''that all l
am going to tell you happened. You were
! too little TO know anything about it, and
it's sad tale, that folks would rather for
get than tell over again. Lady Blanche
was my lords only child, and he thought
all the world of her, and 80 did every one
| else; she was like bright fairy in the
house, always full of laugh, aud always 30
happy. She looked very much like you,
Hiss Shafton, and my lord see that as we'll
| as do; know 1t from the way I've seen
him looking at you, when you did not
know it. Well, the Earl of Grandon lived
then In the LIZ house you can see from the
balcony of the Grange, and his nephew,
Dir; Arthur Woodville, used often to come
down there and hunt, and he'd stay for
weeks together. 1t was not very long be-
fore began to see that something more
than the love of hunting brought him so
other people begah to think as did.
'Any one who saw Lady Blanche and
MIR. Woodvillc together, would have said
that they were just made for one another;
AMI they thought 30, too, themselves.
"Now, the young gentleman, though he
was the nephew of al earl, was poor him.
self; and, as his uncle had plenty of sons
OF his own, 1t was very plain that he could
NJ pft III h hs,,,
''Ahl if he had only been rich, things
might havo been 80 different nowl"
"You know, Miss Shatton, that my lord
was not always-just-j what he is
now. He was little wild In those days;
like most young noblemen, and he did not
want bis only child 10 marry poor man;
80 he and Lady Blanche had some trouble
about Mrs. Woodville.
sNfy lord said that she should dismiss
him; and she declared she never would,
and that her father was unjust. Well,
well, continued old Robert, douhtfully,
his affection for his master struggling with
his own honest convictions; "maybe he
was, just little. But, then, my lord
might have had reasons that no one knew
about. But it did seem rather hard to part
young couple, whe loved each other,
just because the gentleman was not rich.
Lady Blanche thought 1t was, anyhow,
and 30 she kept on being just as kind as
ever to Mr.. Woodville. They often rode
horseback together, and I always won't,
too.
'My lord, you see, did not want to Of
fend the earl, who was his friend, by for
| hidden his nephow to come to the Grange
and 80 he had to let things 60 as they
were.
Zone morning Lady Blanche told me
to have her horse and mine ready, as MIR.
Woodyille was coming to ride with her.
II brought the animals round to the
door, and, as Mr. Woodvllle had not come
| yet, tied them and went into tho house.
AS passed the drawing-ro room door.
heard my lord and Lady Blanche Talk
ing.
My lord was very angry-I could tell
that from his loud voice-and Lady Blanche
was trying to calm him.
81 went out to the front again, and
waited with the horses; but even there l
could hear my lords passionate tones.
"Mr. Woodville soon rode up, and Lady
Blanche came out, looking very pale and
distressed, in spite Of her efforts to soem
''My lord came out in the hall with her,
and I heard him say, too low for Mr. Wood
| vile to hear:
''Now, mark my words, Blanche; If,
when you come lack from this ride, you
cannot tell me you have given Arthur
Woodville his dismissal, this home will be
no longer your home. Remember
81 droppeda a good way behind them, as
l always did, Just keeping within call.
II could SEQ that they were talking very
earnestly, and once hIr. Arthur pointed to
the little chapel we were .passing--ahl
there 1t now, just ahead of us, Miss Shat.
ton--but Lady Blanche shook her head. l
misdoubt that he was asking her to marry
him, then and there, and 80 end my lords
opposition.
"Ahl no one will ever know what they
talked about"
"They had just passed the chapel, when
deer burst from the woods, and sprang
across tho road, just before them, and my
la1y's horse--a wild thing that she ought
never to have mounted--became perfectly
frantic with the sudden fright. r'
''She could not hold In, and before Mr..