Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-12-27

till seemed to feel Mrs. PlerpolntS chances
rest on me, and turned to intercept curious
look-a queer, wistful, yearning heart-sick
look-that was gone in flash, and left her
smiling content ON us.
1 kept away from the cottage for three days,
and on the fourth, as I was leaving the
orderly-room, I came face to face with Colonel
Wriothesley.
He is in the Engineers, and had come down
to inspect the fort. 1t took up the rest of the
morning and some time after luncheon. l
listened with nervous interest to the CoonePs
gentle little stream of small-talk hoping
against hope that some allusion to his friends
here might escape HMM vain. We dis
cussed Rocksedge, it's visitors, its merits as a
seaside resort and as military station, and
still no mention of his cousins came. At last
heart-sick and desperate, bluntly and abrupt
ly asked:
''You were coming down here one day last
month, we've you not, Colonel? 2"
''Who? L? Never rightly knew where the
place was till last week, am ashamed to say"
was the answer that crushed my last hopes
Yet to make certainty more sure persisted.
do you know any lady down here of the
name of Pierpoint? Darsie Pierpoint?"
'PieIrpoint? No; I've heard the name
point-a young felow-drowned on his way to
India. remember. Nice fellow, engaged to a
Miss LAWYER; one of the Devonshire LAWYERS
Is there anyone here of that name?"
And all L could do now was to keep him
away from the subject, and the chance of
meeting them. Unfortunately there remained
two hours to dispose of before his train left
We strollea down to the sea, took turn on
the Espanade, and up the cliff by the old
town. About half mile from Rocksedge lies
fine old ruined church, and the Colonel, to
my unexpected relief, professed himself bit
OF an arch9oogist, and expressed a wish to
explore it, AS it lay on the road to the sta.
ton, ordered my trap to meet us there, and
off we started.
The Colonel had great deal to say about
ruins, and we amused ourselves harmlessly for
some time, tracing out foundations, peering
into holes and corners, and examining vestiees
of ancient decorative work. He was in the
middle OF explaining authoritatively how the
whole place came to he built, when 1 felt a
cold thrill shoot through me, as q voice knew
sounded through the roofess aisle from the
other side of the Wondering wall.
II don't want to hurry you, but isn't it al
most time to start?" l cried. The Colonel had
turned away. and was digging excitedly in
corner with his umbrella.
''Roman, distinctly Roman 7" declared he,
Strengthening himself. ITS not easy to mis-
take the handlwork. Just see here, for your
self, Travers. There has been an inner coat
ing of cement; grant you that" CAS- if
had ever disputed it And the voices drawing
nearer and nearer) "Have that carefully
cleared, and you'll find a very fine example of
herring bone work. The Saxons initiated it,
you know, but they hadn't the stuff to work
with
'Of course they did; there's some up there"
declared Ca yellow japanese parasol ap-
peared at the opening and paused.)
dragged him up grassy mound where was
once chancel. Another minute and we should
have descended safely on the far side, but as
luck would have it, in that Minute Scrap, Mays
dog, espied us, and with social bark came
tearing up to us, and May after Scrap. She
stopped on seeing us and bowed dcmurely.
"Whos that?" demanded the Colonel-as
great connoisseur, knew, in female beauty
as in Roman thing. He caught my arm, and
Mrs. Pierpoint stepped into the sunlighted
space in front of us.
"Eh What !" and Colonel Wriothesley adj
justed his pince-nez in a violent hurry. saw
the startled look on her face-the detected
look. saw, with sense of sickening humili-
alton, her glance of dismay at the sight of me.
But all my worst imaginations paled and faded
before the shock that followed.
"Eh ~ cried the Colonel. SIT is-no really
little Mary Agar and-Lady Dorothy Champ
neys," and he trotted down the bank with ont
| stretched hands to greet-my godmother.
don't know what the proper bearing of the
hero of such dramatic situation should have
been; only know what 1 did. made off as
quickly as possible, and without word do
not know what the Colonel thought, or how he
got into the dog-cart and away to the train. 1
| heard his wheels roll Off as I sat on frag-
ment of an overturned pillar in a secluded
angle of the ruined transept, holding my head
| in my hands and struggling with the bewilder-
ment of this most astounding revelation. Lady
Dorothy Champneys, Mrs. Pierpoint NV
godmo,her here, all the time comparing my
letters and knowing that considered her an
imposter. To whom had l been writing, and