The Ottawa free trader., 1885-01-17
LOVE CONQUERS.
1Y IHE AUTHOR OF "poRA THoRNB,
"a ROSE IN THoRNs,' ETC.
CHAPTER XIII.


fine horse that she had brought with her,
and Lady Lilius rode Lord Charm woods
famous Bonnie Bell. TAe hcress exoelled
IS u horsewoman; and uer beautiful figure
was never seen to better advantage than
or horseback. The young Duke, Captain
Loruie, and Vane formed her escort, while
Lord Cnarnwood rode with Lady Fayne
The sweet air was full Of fragrance. They
rode along roads where tall trees met over.
head and formed an arch OF green leaves.
and through lovely green lanes, where
flowers grew in lovely hedgerows, and the
aoft sweet grass under their feet was like
Acarpet.
Vane found himself by the side Of Lady
Iihas. She could not have been kinder
60 him; the sunlight was not brighter thar
she. She never once avoided him, never
turned from him, In vain the young Duke
Of Raysfort tried his best to enSroSs her
and attract her attentions 1t was useless.
In vain did the Captain display his supe-
rior horsemanship, and try to engage her
In conversation. All her smiles and her
favors were for Vane. He saw II ana IL
bewildered him. Gould 1t he possible ni-
ter all that she had relented, and that she
cared for him' The very thought OF IL
made his heart beat wildly, and sent
glow to his face.
All at once he awoke from his dream
Where was he' There stood tho row OF
beautiful lime-trces, there was the deep
clear river, there the mil.stream With its
rush Of water, and there-ah. Heaven,
there stood the pretty gray farmhouse
with It's veil of flowers and foilagei A
mist seemed to come before his eyes aud
for q short time TO hide 1t all. He was at
home again at the Meadow Farm, the home
he had left so long before to become gen.
tleman. Lady Lilias turned her face TO
him.
"Look at that pretty picturesque spotP
sbe said. "That is my ideal of farm.
house, Look at the honcy.sucklc round
the windows, and the white pigeons whrl-
ing round. How pretty the cows look
drinking from that clear pool! am so
warm and so thirsty! I wonder II they
would give me glass OF milkS'
The Duke Of Raysfort laughed
eyes" he answered, 81 am sure they
would, and remember your visit all their
llyes.n
"I can picture the inside" said Lady
Lllias. "It Is just like one Of the intert"
ors OF the old Dutch plintcrs--a clean
kitchen, with everything shining and
bright, a kindly clean house-mother, Ia
bic with white cloth, homely brown
Jug. 1t was worth riding all tho way for.
What do you say, Mr.. Vibart? Shall we
Try to get some milkp Look at that pleas
ant oid-fashioned garden with its sweet
peas oil In flowerl / should like to walk
there. Do you think the good people would
mind?"
yane was white to The lips--white he
knew, with cowardly shame and fear. lie
hated himself for 1t. Yet, with the young
Duke and the gay worldly Captain along
side, with Lady Lilas's proud beautiful
face smiling on him, he could no more have
spoken than he could have flown. lie
longed to say, "This is my home. / was
born here. l am son of the house.
Laugh, snecr as you will, am not ssham-
ed OF it," These thoughts were in his
mind, and the words came to his lips; but
he had not the moral courage to utter
them.
"what do you think, Mr.. Vibsrt'"
asked Lady Lilias. "Would those GOOD
people receive us?"
lie turned away his face lest she should
see its pallor. There on the other side was
the Old sweet, familiar rush of the mill
thousand voices that this was home. He
WAS compelled TO answer her.
@I am sure they would be pleased TO see
ypu," he said, in strange husky voice.
"Will you not accompany mef" she
asked, half surprised, half panied NJ his
manner.
al would rather not" he replied
slowly; and the young Duke, seeing his
chance, said
"Lady LiIiss, 1 am even more anxious
than yourself to see the interior OF what
lam sure is a picturesque old house"
They dismounted, and Vane watched
them enter the house where the first few
years Of his life had been spent. Some Of
che men in the tarm-yard came forward
snd attended to the horses. Lord Charm.
wood and Lady Fayuc joined the party,
Mughingly dec ring that glass OF milk
would be the most welcome thing they
could have,
Vanc lett his horse with the others and
w.lled to some little distance. His heart
was torn with love and regret. Never had
ahe star of nope shone so brightly before
him, never had the light of love fallen on
him so fully. 1t seemed TO him, although
ne hardly dared to believe it, that the
beautiful proud lady he mad loved SO long
snd 50 nOpelessly was begtnninS to care
for him at last, and that she WAS unbend-
ing to him in her proud gracious fashion,
Ii Just nOw-wnlic she was learning to
love him perhapS-he made known his
birth and parentage, that would steel her
against him. Yet he loved his early home.
All the manhood and courage in him rose
In hUv rebellion against his silence. But
to speak WAS to lose his love, or to lose the
hope that was growing from it-s hope
far dearer than his lie.
He stood once more by the mill-stream.
How It all came back to him. The sunlit
morning when Sir Raye Wharf had first
spoken to him about the bOatl How much
had happened to him since thenl One
by one the honOrs which he had received
passed through his mind. He had left
home poor unknown boy. Now he held
every fair gift of the world in his hand
The week before he came to Kings Clytfe
Sir Rave Vibart, having no children, no
kindred, had formally made his will, in his
favor, and had adopted him as his heir
He had left him the fine estate of Lul-
l., hn hal