Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-09-03

military servant These were her only
sources of comfort. and such comfort IA
they could give was mixed with gall
As the day wore ON She could hardly be
induced to leave the corridor Lunch, din
ncr, all conventional meals, were scorncd
/ by those three women; but it was only
Lady Darnel who had not broken her fast
by so much as a biscuit since the previous
evening. Bat ut last Grace beguled her
| step mother into her den, and made her sit
| by the fire and take some tea and bread
| and butter
do you want to be i'll, too, and make MS
still more unhappy>' said Grace, reproach-
| fully.
She had insisted ON giving Lady Darnel
her own bedroom, the door of which was
opposite the sick-room, while She herself
was to occupy "A little bed hastily put up in
the dressing room. This arrangement was
deeply resented by Dora.
al think if anybody has a right to be near
Allan at such time, it is |, his sister, she
said, when she and Grace were alone
But surely, Aunt Dora, wifc's right is
above all others?'
"That depends upon the wife"
"Then. if there can be any such dstinc-
! ton, nobody can dispute my step-mother's
claim for She is the most devoted of
wives"
"She has knack of seeming very de-
voted" remarked Dora.
Seeming, and a knack,' repeated Grace,
Indignantly How can you say such
things, Aunt Dora? How fare you insinu-
ate that my fathers wife is not true?'
II insinuate nothing, Grace, and am not
going to be taken to task by a schoolgirl
| can only say that Lady Darnel is Il nys-
terry to me, Just as she is a mystery to the
county. Indeed, | may say that You are
the only person who appears to understand
her and believe in her
Ny father believes in her. retorted
Grace, more and moro indignant. THAT
is enough for me"
"Your father is under the spell of po-
tent fascination, my dear. Have you never
heard of a middle-agcd widower subiugated
by the maneuvsrs of a handsome widow
a widow whose antecedents are wrapped in
profound darkness"
"You are talking most uniustly, Aunt
Dora; and, what is more, you know that
you are unjust. | wonder YOU don't ex-
pect something to crawl out Of your Bible
and sting you. ! wouldn't sit with my
Bible on my lap and spit venom at inno-
cent people"
IF you can not control your tongue,
Grace | shall go to my own ROOM" said
Dora, closing her Bible and rising rs if to
depart
II shall be very much beholdcn to my
tongue if it drives you there retorted
Grace upon which Miss Darne had no OPP
ton, and was obliged to carry out her
threat; more especially as the room was
Graces own particular den, and she was
only visitor there.
She departed, carrying her Bible and a
large assortment of angry feelings with
her.
But she did not retire to the solitude of
her own apartments in the north wing.
Solitude is apt to be intolerabe in these
periods of suspense and anxiety. Miss
Darnel went down to the drawing-room
and on her way met a servant who was go
ing upstairs to announce Mr.. Colchester.
He was in the drawing-room, the man
said and wanted to see Lady Darnel, Miss
Grace, anybody.
Dora felt that she came under the head
of anybody, SO she hurried to the drawing
room, eager to be en- rapport with the
county; though, indeed, in spite of his
splendid position, she always looked upfr
Edward Colchester as in somewise an out
slider. He was so good-natured, so hail
fellowwell with all the world, so lit
tie governed by the DracOnian laws of
county society.
She found him in the drawing room, in
hunting clothes tidgeting about with a
whip in his hand just as if lie had that
moment diSmOunted to rest his hunter
back during IA pause in the morning
work
"My dear Miss Darnel," he cried Selling
her hand, what dreadful thing this is
Been out with Col. Thorpe's barriers; only
just heard it on my way home, or should
have been here before How did it hap
pen? Is he very bad? How is Grace
at is Il long story Mr.. Colchester, and
it is profound mystery. We none of us
know what it all means yet. My poor
brother is in most precarious state.
fear we will lose him"
Here the tears rushed to her eyes, and
they were not crocodile tears. If she hated
her brothers wife, she loved her brother
and though she could not bear to see him
happy in his second marriage re
scented that second marriage as if it were
n deadly wrong done to herself--she could
not calmly contemplate the possibility OF
losing him
"Don't cry" said Colchester, very much
inclined to be fearful himself Things
are never so bad as they look. But fol-
goodness sake tell me how it happened
Sir Allan shot himself, they say late last
night, after you had all gone to bed"
"Not all, said Dora. Lady Darnel sat
up late to write letters. She was still NJ
at the time il happened"
"Then she must know all about it."
"She appears to know nothing. She had
been to Gracc'S room. She was in the cor
rider when she heard the pistol 90 Off"
"And Sir Allan was alone in his roomg'
$50 it appears. He had gone to bed an
hour before He must have got up and
gone back to Lady Darnels morning-room
where he had left the case of revolvers on
the table Why h. should have got NJ
and halfdressed himself, and gone back tC
get those pistols, is an unfathomable mys
terry"
"He may have heard burglars-or fancied
he heard them suggested Colchester
Some men are always on Hhe qui vive foI
burglars sleep with life-preseryers under
their pillows. They might burgle all round