The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-05-07

all nonsense of course Only the servants
UeIlcVe II. Come, FraulcnI, we may as we'll
make move. We SIT III tile library general
ly OF an evening, he aJ.s, turning to Here's
ward with the Fraulen, WHO towers above
HIM by half head, leaninI, on his arm.
uereward follows them through heavily
cnrtuhed doorway into the adjoining room.
1t is smaller than the one they have Just left,
and Il better fire lights up the longs rows Of
books which line the walls. On the rug stands
small slight young manor boy for no
inl ,ht be either-in evening dress, who
shakes hands with Fnulein and bows rather
awKwardly to Hereward. This is Lord Her.
lot.
My mother told me you had come, no
says, fesalning his position on the rug. 1T
Is an awful bore, tins reading l wish all
the books i'll the world We're aG the bottom Of
the se;l.
AS nobody echoes this enlightened remark,
there Is an awkward pause.
You are an awful swell at that kind Of
thing, l here" Lord Heriot addresses Here
ward more particularly now ''Do you think
you will be able to pull me through"
If yon don't pull 100 hard the oCher way"
Hereward answers, with o smile.
'All right; I'll do my bes1. Dick Blount
told Inc You We're ut College with Standish
tlewooI.
Cartwright the fellow-commoner ?'
''lcs an awfuliy rich fellow. You know
him, of course"
I'VE We're at college together; but that
does not necessarily imply acquaintance"
llereward answers, with certain stiffness Of
nialner
Doesn't it? How odd never was at
College, I'm happy to say, so l don't know.
But Cartwright father was a pawnbroker, or
something of that kind. Awful snob, You
know but no end of money. Got up an
enormous block of a house on the property,
and planted acres of young trees 1t will be
n fine place i'll i've or six hundred years, I
dare say but at present it is awfully new.
want him to keep pack of hounds but I
believe he can't keep his seat ON horseback"
And the Viscount who has often been taken
for one of his own jockeys, laughs till his 40
rid face becomes of brick-colour. He has
IN extremely boyish face, with haxen hair,
insignificant features, and silly, though not
bad, expression of countenance.
eff it thaws, we shall have some hunting
before Christmas. You ride, of course?"
Hereward acknowledges that he does ride.
But the thought that he depends on others
for mount makes him desperately frigid in
the acknowledgement.
''Dick Blot MT came down for few daysaA
the cartridges, but there is hardly bird ON
the place Everything gone to wrack and
ruin. But must go back to my mother
Good night, Fraulein. Doctor, 1 shall see
you again. And, with another awkward bow
to Hereward, the Viscount departs
The Fraulein retires early to her own prS-
vate apartments, the Doctor also leaves tho
room, and Hereward finds himself alone :,
The silence weighs upon him oppresively.
He takes down book and puts it back in It's
place he stares at the Listening Slave" In
marble on the mantlepeice; then he draws
his chair close to the dying embers on the
hearth, and, with his elbows on his knees and
his hands. muses. over things which he thinks
have broken his heart.
The embers sink lower and lower, the room
begins to grow very chill. His dress-coat IS
thinner than it might have been, and there ia
not much warmth in q white tie. He begins
to think he might as well be in bedas SILVER.
ing over this dying fire, and stretching his
arms and yawning he takes up his bedroom
candle and sets out on his journey to his own
room On his way through the dining-room
he stops moment before the Gainsborough..
Cruel face!" he Thinks meeting the gaze
of the cold proud eyes. Il hate all womens
but woman with blue eyes most of all"
Then he leaves the painted face to stare
INTO the darkness and crosses the great hall
rs the clock in the corridor above strikesl
twelve.
Hereward is not utterly free from superA
stltlon. What man in any age could honestly
make that boast? But at this moment moth,
ing is farther from his mind than any thoughH
Of the supernatural, Yet, as he turns into
the corridor which runs round the hail. hes
sees figure approaching with lamp in itw
hand. The light does not penetrate the OBJ
security for any distance round the figure, buA
1t falls full on the head and face. With am
involuntary start, Hereward recognises the
FACET is the exac: counterpart of the Gains4
borough in the dining-room! He has hardfA
made this discovery when the vision, or ap-k
partition, or whatever it may be- turns down.
o passage to the left and disappears h
There is no doubt that Hereward feels a
thrill OF s'lperstitious dread. ButA
reason soon persuades him that this was nota j.
the Countess, who Lad died hundred years.
ago. returned-from what bourne?-but most&
probably some descendant who has inherited =
her features, but it IN to be hoped, no othex
of her characteristics. And his friend BlountS
if he could have known his thoughts thaek !,
night as he smoked his pipe in his turretS
room, would have been satisfied with th0
success of his scheme. For Hereward, though {,
he may not have been thinking of any girl int
particular, is at least beginning to be aware
that there are other girls in the world besides
Nettie Cavendish, nee Blount.