Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-06-19

ble."
Miss Dunning looked deeply Of
Tended and Linly turning again to
the ladies, saw anything but delight
ed countenances. Never suspecting
that she was the cause, she hesitated
to commence playing again.
''That will do, my DEAR" said
Mrs. Golding rather coldly, and Lin
ly, taking the hand of Thaddy, who
had followed her into the parIor,
again retired. Percy, too, had left
the room, and Mrs. Golding, little
weakly, fearful of offending the Dun
ming heiress again, repeated her be-
lief that Maud was mistaken.
s'Nonsense !'' exclaimed elegant
Maud, quite forgetting herself. THAT
is what has kept him at home-noth-
ing else. And for my part | do not
wish to be connected with any such
people as old Jasper Varian !"
Maud had come to Lakelawns to
spend fortnight in the family of her
fonce. Quickly was her resolve taken
that, before it expired, she would
canse Linly to be cast forth from the
Golding mansion.
[ am sorry to have such hateful
story to tell but week later Maud,
returning from a horseback ride with
Glenn, burst into the drawing-room a
few minutes after her return with the
cry that she had lost diamond ring
''It was hoop of brilliants, small,
but of pure water. You have all
seen it. 1t fitted loosely, and | drew
it off with my glove, and laid it on
the hall table while | went into the
bathroom a moment to battle my
hands. Miss Varian was in the hall
studying map upon the wall. | re-
marked to her that my ring had come
off with my glove. When | came
back into the hall the glove contain
ing the ring was gone. Miss Varian
was also gone. You can believe
what you like, but l know she has
taken it -
Lion-like old General Golding was
not present; he had gone to the city.
If he had been present Maud never
would have carried out her disgrace
full strategem. He would have GER
tainly vetoed her little pan by refus-
ing to believe any harm of Linly Va
rian, or allowing any such accusation
to ever reach her ears. But peace
full Mrs. Golding was weakly over
come by the storm Maud aroused she
had a morbid horror of excitement.
Glenn inclined to demonstrate, was
yet over-ruled by his strong lady
love, and Percy-Percy's violence
was terrific. He cast such personal
reflections upon Maud that his moth
er commanded him to leave the room
an order which he more than full filled
by leaving the house. Mrs. Golding,
! her fat cheeks pale, at length went to
Linly.
II am very sorry, my dear, and |
cannot believe-but You had best go
quickly away, and
II know nothing about Miss Dun
ning's glove or ring, Mrs. .Golding,' .
said Linly pale but self-possessed.
"I was in the hall when she came in
/ did hear her eXclaim that she had
pulled off the ring with the glove
but did not eXamine-would not
have touched either.''
''But go away-pray go away, my
dear, until this has blown over !" ex-
claimed Mrs. Golding, who, hearing
for the first time in her life angry
words between Glenn and Maud
was overwhelmed with terror, lest the
engagement be ruptured.
"You are hasty Maud; this is 9
very serious matter" Glenn said
when she cried:
"You, too, fascinated by the gov.
erness / should think that it was
enough that Percy
At which Glenn lost his temper
and mutual recriminations followed.
But the end was that Linly, frs
requesting that her person and al
her belongings be examined, which
was shame-facedly done by Mrs
Golding, at Maud's threat that sh,
would otherwise call the police-Lin
ly departed from Lakelawns, he
heart nigh broken, her character gon
and her memory insulted.
Percy coming back at night, anC
learning from a servant what ha'
happened, expressed his deep resent
ment against Linly's treatment b.
again turning his back on his hom
and going to New York, where h
took up his abode with favorite un
cle But he was only a boy of nine
teen. long the black sheep of th
family, owing to his passionate TEN
per, and his going made no differ
ence in the case, but to the heart o
his mother.
Linly-sweet, innocent Linly-
crept back to the old farm-hous
! where her grandparents lived, he
only shelter. 1t had never been
congenial spot. To her culture'
| taste it was a hard, dreary place, ant
the querulousness of the old coupl
difficult to bear, but the girl had don
her duty. By her own exertions sh
had educated herself and then EN-
ployed a greater part of her salar,
during her three years of teaching il