The Penn's Grove record., 1884-12-06

~ - 1AANA ~ NAfS' ~
"Indeed, Master Harry And who
gave you the right TO lock after me,
should like to know ?" she answered
la%ughingly.
''Some person to whom you once gave
the right yourself, Esme."
What do you mean 2" she asked,
coloring.
"Before he went away he told me to
take care of you, and that you were to
be my charge"
"And pray who may he be D.? There
are a great many he's in the world, |
believe.n
"You know quite well whom | mean,
Esme, | mean Bob and l wish to
goodness one or the other of you would
have the sense to speak out, and not
make a fellows life a burthen to him. !"
MY poor Harry, am really making
your life a burthen to youP 1 am so
sorry but | do not understand what
you mean by speaking out"
1t struck me that the time was come
when by speaking out l might do some
good, and L determined to hold my
peace no longer.
"Will you be angry with me if l ask
you what | am afraid you will think a
very impertinent question p'
mo, Harry /; you know | sha'n't. -
"Then whom were you talking to in
the summer-house three days before
Bob went 2"
81 cannot tell YOU"
"Well, Esme, Bob knows, or he
thinks he does, and he is jealous and
that is why he went away. And / would
give anything in the world to be able to
prove to him that it was a mistake, and
to have HIM back again.
"And he dared-Bob dared to play
the spy on me, and to watch my ~actions2
Then | am glad he saw what he did
and | hope he is as miserable as he de-
serves to be and | am glad he is gone
away, and hope he may never come
back again ~
The big brown eyes were blazing with
anger and the sunny hair lay tossed all
about her flushed face. l could not
help stopping to think ''What a little
beauty you are ~ even before ] began
BOb's defence.
"He didn't play the spy on you, and
he didn't watch you and | do not be
lieye n bit that you are glad he is I'M
happy, eyen though you are in love
with Rue, as / suppose, if those are
your sentiments, you must be-"
I'm love with Rue ! What do you
mean, child ?"
II am not a child any more than you
are. Why do you meet Rue and talk
to him and let. Bob torment himself
about him, if you are not in love with
] him y W. A1u.1I not halg anasHrr .ya..
on that day in the summer-house, for
the boat RAJ right up against it but
you were both much too busy to take
any notice of us. Indeed, now that |
think of it, he made me promise never
to say a word of our having seen you
together on that day"
The anger had all gone out of her
face now, and she was looking sadly
into the fire.
Poor Bob So he thought | was IN
love with Rue, and went away to leave
the field clear for him 1t is a pity so
much generosity should have been mis-
placed"
had said my say, and | did not in
tend adding any more so | held my
peace. After a while, Esme held out
her hand to me.
Harry, you and | have always been
friends, and | do not want you to think
me worse than l am. Do you know
that, before Rue got into dI.grace with
your father, he was engaged to Cicely
Trench ? Mop Well, neither did |,
until poor Cicely came 10 me i'll an
agony of grief one day al a Jete. OF
course it was very wrong of them to
have kept the engagement secret, even
though Ruthven will not have anything
to marry on for the next year or so; but
l promised to do my utmost towards
making peace between him and my I'M
Gle. First however | had TO find out
what Rue's offence was and he was
the correspondent whose letters | used
to walk over to Gressbrook to receive
last summer and the substance of
them was that he had got into debt i'll
some very foolish manner. 1t had come
to your fathers ear even before Ruth
ven applied to him for ASST lance and
he was of course justly annoyed"
"But surely he did not turn Rue out
for getting into debt ?"
mo; he wrote and told him to come
down here /; and when Rue arrived on
that day he heard all be had to say, and
told him that he had arranged tor the
payment of his debts Rue was de-
lighted, as you may imagine, when your
father stopped him just as he was be-
ginning to pour out his thanks, and told
him that 1t was not for Rue's sake, but
for his own honor that he had cleared
him and then he accused him of hay
ing forged "a bill in his name.
"And what did Rue say ?"
"He was 50 mad with pride and pas
sion that he actually said nothing at
all, but got up and walked out of the
room ; his father stopped him to ask if
he had anything to say in his defence.
and Rue would not speak a word ; so he
took his silence for "A confession of guilt,
and told him on the spot that he was
disinherited."
II declare l hardly know whether
Rue or Bob has the least sense-l never
saw snch a pair in my life ~ | said.
"Well, Harry, don't you want to
hear the end Your father has found
out somehow or other that he la a
mistake in the matter of the forgery,
and is longing to forgive Rue. Rue
has found out his mistake also, and Is
dying for your fathers forgiveness.
And now, as it has got so cold and late,
| think if you will undertake my com
mission for me, | shall be glad to stay
in the house this afternoon
"Of course / will, Esme but first
let me write and tell Bob that it wa all
a mistake, and that he can come home
again as soon as he likes"
Indeed | shall not he chose to go
to London without seeing me OF asking
any explanation, and no word of mine
shall ever bring him back. Remember,
Harry, if you write him "A syllable of
what | have told you to-day, | shall
never forgive you"
Wen, the end of it was that Esme
went to my fathers study, and went
down to the lodge, where Rue was
waiting ; and presently Ruthyen came
up to the house, and Esme took him,
without a word, into the study. 1 heard
my father say, my son p and then the
door was shut and went away