The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-07-18

AS Horace drove, aud as Herbert invariably
occupied the box seat, Frank and Beatrice
had the body Of the large wagonette to them
| selves, an arrangement WMch one OF the TWO
| fonnd far from unpleasant.
There were the delicious rides together.
Ssonx Purton left the plaGs in disgust, and
Joined an eleven OF old Cragtonans VINO were
wandering about England playing matches-
far better and more healthy occupation for
a boy than hopeless lovemaking. The bay
horse turned out such beauty that Frank
broke his word to Mr. Barker and did not re-
sell it.
Then there was company. Pleasantpeople
who visited Hazlewood House aud pleasant
people whom haAewood House visited,
| Frank was such success with these that
Horace and Herbert were quite prond OF
| their cousin.
And there wcro walks with Miss Clauson;
and above oil those delightful dreamy hours
when they s2t under the sycamore and in the
cool sLa.!e talked Of everything in the world,
the heavens above or the waters under it.
Or it may be- Miss Clauson was silent, and
| Frank watching every line Of her beautiful
| face, knew that the disease which he himself
had taken was becoming chronic and IN
durable.
Altogether, it will be understood that if Mr..
| Carruthers failed in curing Miss ClauSons
complaint it would be from no want of oppor-
tunitY, or from being debarred making an
| exhaustive study Of the patient.
! In plain English, Frank had fallen in love
with BcatIice, in that good oId-fashiored way,
almost at first siglt. He had gone down be-
| fore her gray eyes as surely as had tie sus-
ceptiblc Sylyauus. Would h. fare any better!
! About this date be often asked himself tho
above question; for he had by now made TIE
curates acquaintance, and learned that he
was a rejected man.
He did not learn it from Beatrice, who,
! like every true woman, wished to hide, and,
| if possible, forget the story Of mans as
comfiture. He did not learn it from Horace
or Herbert Although they were as fond OF
! gossip as men always are, wild horses would
/ not have rent such a confidence from their
kindly hearts Sylyanus himself was Franks
| informant.
The energetic busting curate had returned
to OakbWy. During his absence tho Ialberts
had requested Beatrice to decide MS to the
terms Of intimacy which should for the future
! exist between Lakewood House and Mr..
| Morlle. Beatrice quietly told her unclcS
| that il was her particular wish that the Rev.
| Svlvams should be received on exactly the
same footing as heretofore. This decision
gave the Ta,berts great satisfaction. They
were unable t. see how parochial affairs
could 90 on unless hey worked hand i'll hand
with the curate. SO when SylvanuS returned
he was informed that he might tricycle. HIM
self up to Lakewood House as often as he
chose Which, a he was resolved to case
harden his heart by accustoming himself to
seeing Miss Clauson in the light of nothing
more than friend, was very often.
So Mr.. Carruthers and the curate met fire.
uuently. They recognized each others good
points, and We're soon on terms of friendship
such as fiction, at least, seldom allows to ex-
ist between rivals. Rivals is perhaps the
wrong word for, if any stray fragment of
hope clung to Mr.. Mordle's portmanteau and
so returned with him to England, it was
! swept away for ever and ever as soon as the
owner saw Frank and Beatrice together. He
recognized destiny, and bowed to it as a well
bred man should.
| 1t was no doubt the desire to prove incon-
testably to himself that he was cured, that
made him, in a moment Of brisk confidence,
| tell Frank how lie had Jared. The manner i'll
which the communication was made showed
| Frank that his own secret was no secret from
Mordle. If he did not meet confidence by
! confidence he made no attempt at deception.
He locked at Mordle with a curious smile.
"You scarcely expect me to say l am
sorry" he asked.
mo. Want no sympathy. Only want
you to be sure that when the time comes to
congratulate you | can do SO with all my
heart
"Ah.' said Frank smiling. "Noble-
very noble. When the time comes, he added.
softly. Thereupon he fell into a train of
thought-a train which ran upon a single
line and always took him to one particular
station.
This, then, is how matters stood at the
beginning of October. Mr.. Carruthers hav-
ing completed his diagnosis, not perhaps to
his entire satisfaction, felt that the moment
was drawing near when he must make the
supreme effort to expel forever that morbid
ness which he believed to have intrenched it
self in Miss ClGuson's system. Still he was
bound t. confess what many other practi-
TONERS ought to confess, that he was work
ing in the dark. He was about to try kill
or cure remedy, the desperate nature OF
which would, strangely enough, act not
upon the patient but upon him who admins
tered it. No wonder, with so little to guide
him, h. hcsi;ated and postponed.
At this juncture the Talberts gave a din
ner-party-a mans dinner party. The fol,
lowing were the blessed recipients Of invita-.
tions: Lord Eelston, who was staying for a
few days at his place; Sir John Williams, of
Almondsthorpe; Colonel White, the officer
commanding the regiment at the neighbor'
ing barracks; Mr.. Fallon, the polished Royal
Academician who was Sojourning at the vii
lage inn, and making outdoor sketches OF
autumnal foliage, and Mr. Fletcher, Of the
Hollows, the largest landowner, ave Lord
Kelston, in the county. These, with Frank
and the hosts, made party Of eight-the
number which, according to an axiom of the
Talberts, should never DO exceeded.
From the above names and descriptions it
will be rightly guessed that the party was
distinguished, well-selected and well-bal
anced Selection and balance were matters
upon which the brothers prided themselves
as much if not more than they did upon the
refinement OF the dinner itself. In this par
ticuar party, small as it was, culture
learning, art, arms, landed interest and
hereditary sway were properly personified
1t was, indeed, a representative gathering