New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-23
CHAPTER XVIII.
HOODWINKlNG.

T will snare Won an account of the thoughts WIN
which beguilcd my ride home and the various re-
Elections which kept me as restless us Il ouoy III
seawav SO far everything had been pam sallhg;
Daniel Thompson had proved to be my ola SNIP
mate and the man, of all others, whom Wouiu
have chosen to go to with on such an eTTahu as
mine: n berth had been secured by Aunt DamaIlS
and Florence aud half the passage-mohey pa'u' anu
the only ly in this pleasant pot of ointment with
which was greasinG the rays of my conrtsmp was
the fear that at the last moment Hawke might
change his mind and keep FlOrence at home.
However. nv business was to go on steering
STRAIGHT coursc and take my chance OF the wind
holding steady; aud, accordingly, on my return
home from the docks forwarded the necessary ne
posit money to Duncan, Golightly N Co, Tor the
cabin No t. and signed myself John Egerton' EEL
ing trihe uncomfortable perhaps as dld So
though surely my conscience was heedIeSSy sehSI-
tive for was as guiltless OF all wrOngdolhS III as
suming a name as j. any actor who puts on II wig
and rms upon the stage and calls himself the Duke
of GloSter.
A few days after had visited the Strathmore !
wont down 70 Clifton Hearty as my respect
for NV uncles character never conld think OF MN
os q man CAPABLE of holding his peace and was IN
constant fear that he would betrny my projects 10
his wife and that the news would reach Florence
and pcrhaps old Hawke. But was mistaken lie
was rs secret as the grave. lie had not only not
given his wife daughters the least hnt oi the
truth but he assured that he had done his best
70 dismiss the thing from his own mind that he
might humbug his conscience INTO Oeie'Ihs 'A"I III
was as ignorant rs the others.
81 WANT SAYS he, to be- able not only 10 look
but TO feel innocent when the truth comes out. ~
that. should Mr. Hawke call upon ne, or send me an
uuulcasant letter. shall be ablr 10 talk To hun Win
| the sense of being an injured man.
This policy in him suited me perfectly; and
hoo, ed him 10 ask no more questions about my
schemes. For the more talk said l. the more
Won are Obliged To know whereas, II nothing be
said you cannot be sure even while we no" con
verse. that am still bent on going to Australia
you're right" he replied land 50 we'll conhne
onr,elye, to Punch-and-Judy or tho weather.
though for all that, his curiosity was 80 sharpset
that believe ho would have been glad to take hi'
chance of Li, conscience had offered HIM the least
announcement to make inquiries.
However, as have said. IT answered nay PuIPoSc
very well to keep him silent and ignorant. Was
bachelor. but knew what married people are anu
how If "A wife comes 10 suspect that her husband }.
hiding ANYTHING from her, she Will never rest till
Sine las II out oil him. But bad very difficult
part 10 play with sophie 80 d.iucut thdl u uioS'
Inc back to London next dag and Determined ihI l."
visit them no more TINS side my voyage, Though hut
for that =, Uuld have bccu glad 10 exc out the ihr
| that remained by spending week at chiffon Whelo
| | could have kept myself posted IN all the latest
| hotb Snnbr and Amelia expected 10 find me mi,cr-
| ABLY discousolltc. and | rcckoncd that Florence
would either suspect my sincerity asa lover OF guess
| that | had some scheme on hand II was not it-
| ported 20 her by my cousins Is beng broken down.
! Consequently / had to put on the LOOK "i a man
! whose heart is bleeding and no harder Job Was
| ever upon, especially whenever my uhcic. VINO saw
! into my motive, as looking Tor Z cIc would lie
| grin IN the cock of his eye That made sentiment"
| couutcnancc an enormous achievement.
Yet somehow managed 50 well that my cousins
honestly believed wa, III wrrtchcd state OF mind
and sophie did all she could to cheer me she told me
! 1.-THE moment she had an opportunity OF speaking 10
me aOncJ that size had met lochCe soon dlttl h'I
return from the north, IN company WIN heI Hai'i'
who wa, in "A bati-cllair, ana had walked WIN h'I
for nearly half an hour, scarcely noticing Emlly,
who was very cool, aud talking to Florence IN ORDER
! To get all the new. she could tor me.
! ~ hope you told her." said IN my most melau-
choly manner, that her going TO Australia was an
! awful blow 10 me.
! heart was not broken outright IT was because you
| believed that separation would not alter her ana
that she would bring back the same loving. loyal
heart she took With her, ana rene" your 'h'H'' 81
proving your devotion. Before come back said
She 4 darcsay ho Will have found out that he ms
took his feelings. lie II very young, sophie, ana,
indeed said she signing ~ prctty, Jack, he ougpI
not to wait nor give me thought WHEN IN gone
| for who knows whether | shall ever return ="
groancd 50 heavily at this that for the moment |
was AFRAID, from the look Sophie gave me, that she
considered 1t almost too full oil anguish to Toe hone'
! But uneasy conscience - always putting wrong
constructions upon things
Il answered, y continued Sophie, that thoughyou
were Young were old enough 10 DE Siautu, ana /
| begged her not TO leave England without giving me
some token for you 10 remember Ter by-somct hug
for you to 90 Oh wearing until she came back
| d" " hat dId sh" say 10 that asked.
! "Why that she would send me something for you.
II hasn't come yet, but tho moment II arrives you
! shall have it,"
Tnis moved me to a degree that made the tremor
IN my voice real enough. Indeed was as much
touched by this proof of Sophes hdeiiiy TO me as
au indication that had made greater progress INTO
the darings heart than | had dared to hope l
squeezed my COUSINS hand aud thanked her ten
DERBY for her suggestion to Florence aud then asked
if there was any chance OF Mr.. Hawke changing his
mind and keeping his daughter at home No; she
was afraid that there chance nj all Florence
mad told her that every preparation was being made
for the voyage, their cabin was secured, ana thcy
/ world ioin tIe shin al GraVc-cnd She said that
Florence could not make head nor tan OF her
fathers resolution she never remembered speaking
about me or behaving IN any way TO account lor
such extreme step as sending her All the way 10
Australia; the suggestion came from Aunt DanlarlS,
and was immediately seized by Mr.. Hawke; and She
could not account for his conduct, for hls willing
to lose her society at home and subject her To
the risks Of a long voyage, unless sOmtthing more
than Mr. Jack Seymour was at the bottom oil her
fathers reasons for sending her away.
" Did she give you any idea of what that some
thing more might be !" asked very anxiously.,
"No. She has no suspicion. For my part, be-
leye her fathers sole motive is to separate her from
Won. She declares that she has never SAID anything
about you to him 10 account Tor ms alarm Out now
does she know feelings will break out insensibly
Her father might than she herself suspects
she shows or even possesses. The wonder TO me Is
that Florence should make no stahd-thhI sue
shouldn't biuntly refuse to be driven to the other
end of the world. But suppose she 10 sincere when
she says she likes The idea Of revsitng sydney and
| no doubt she IL not very happy at home just now;
and then again she shows proper dignity in coldly
and uncompiainingy obeying her papa and accom-
panying her aunt. And who knows, Jack, that she
would not be willing to go 10 the North Pole, II by
making such journey she could get nd of that
worrying fortune-hunting creature, Mr.. More
combe ~ -
At this point we were interrupted and had TO
break of nor WAS | sorry, for it was desperately
hard to maintain an air of misery when alone with
Sophie whose sympathy was bound to Tend r her
uncommonly shrcwd; and besides, conjectures rs
10 Hawkes. intentions were exceedingly unproht-
| able seeing that all required 10 be satisfied upon
IL. Ia