Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-02-05
CHAPTER VI

| CHAPTER VI
| For quarter of an hour the drawing room
remained empty. At the end of that time
the council in the boudoir broke up. Lady
Lydiard led the way back to the drawing
room, followed by Hardyman, Isabel heing
left to look after the dog. Before the door
closed behind him Hardyman turned round
to reiterate his last medical directions, or, in
palmer words, to take last look at Isabel
PLENTY of water, Miss Isabel, for the dog
to lap, aud little bread or biscuit if he
wants something to eat. Nothing more if
+ yon please, till see him tomorrow"
'Thank you, sir. will take the greatest
| care"
At that point Lady Lydiard cut short the
\ interchange Of Instructions and civilities
a "Sbut the door. if you please Mr.. Hardy
\ assan, feel the draught. Many thanks
| am really at loss to tell you how CRATE
7 fully feel your kindness. But for you my
| uoer little dog might have been dead by this
| time"
4 Haasaynan answered. in the quiet, melan-
D choly monotone which was habitual
with him. Your ladyship need feel no
| further anxiety about the dog. Only he
/, careful .ios te -ererfeed HIM He will do
| very well under Miss 1sabel's care. By the
| 10y, her family name is Miller, is it not Is
! she related to the Warwickshire Milers, Of
| Peterborough Housea"
Lady Lydiard looked at him with an ex-
] preston of satircal surprise "Mr. Hardy
! man." she said, "ths makes the fourth time
| you have questioned me about Isabel You
Seem to take a great interest in my little
companion Don't make any apologies
pray You pay Isabel compliment; and as
| am very fond of her. l am naturally graft
| fed when find her admired At the same
| time" she added, with one of her abrupt tran
sitons of language, Il had my eye on you and
| had my eye On her when you were talking
| in the next roons and don't mean to let you
make a fool of the girl. She is not in your
| line of life, and the sooner You know it the
letter You make ME laugh when you ask
| il she is related to gentlefoks. She is the
| orphan daughter of a chemist in the country
| Her relations haven't penny to bless them
selves with. except an old aunt. who lives in
village Oh two or three hundred year
| Gaeard of the girl by accident When she
| aast her father and mother, her aunt
offered to take her. Isabel said NO, thank
| Yen. 7 will not he burden on a relation who
has esaly enough for herself A girl can earn
an honest living if she tries and mean to
try-that's what she said admired her in
| dependence" her Iadyship proceeded, ascend
and expression MY niece's marriage, just
at that time, had left me alone in this great
| house. / proposed to Isabel to come to me as
| companion and reader for few weeks
| and to decide for herself whether she liked
1 the life or not. We have never been separat-
ed since that time. ] could hardly be fonder
of her if she were my OVID daughter, and she
returns my affection with all her heart She
has excellent qualities-prudent, cheerful,
| sweet-tempered; with good sense enough to
understand what her place is in the world, as
| distinguished from her place in my regard,
| / have taken care, for her own sake, never to
| leave that part of the question in any doubt.
1t would be cruel kindness to deceive her as
to her future position when she marries. [
| shall take good care that the man who paws
| his addresses to her is a man in her rank Of
life know but too we'll, in the case of one
of my own relatives, what miseries unequal
marriages bring with them Excuse me for
troubling you at this length on domestic
matters. am very fond of Isabel, and a
girls head is so easily turned. Now you
know what her position really is, you will
also know what limits there must be to the ex-
preston of your interest in her. am sure
we understand each other; and l say no
more"
Hardyman listened to this long harangue
with the immovable gravity which was part
of his character-except when Isabel had
taken him by surprise. When her ladyship
gave him the opportunity of speaking on bis
side he had very little to say, and that little
did not suggest that he had greatly profited
by what he had heard His mind had been
full of Isabel when Lady Lydiard began, and
it remained just as full of her, in just the
same way, when LadyLydiard had done
''Yes," he remarked, quietly, Miss Isabel
Is an uncommonly nice girl, as you say.
Very pretty, and such frank. unaffected
manners. don't deny that l feel an in
terest in her. The young ladies one meets in
society are not much to my taste Miss Isabel
is my taste"
Lady Lydiart's face assumed look OF
blank dismay. 81 am afraid have failed to
convey my exact meaning to you, she said.
Hardyman gravely declared that he under
stood her perfectly Perfectly" he repeated,
with his impenetrabe obstinacy. Your
ladyship exactly expresses my opinion of Miss
Isabel. Prudent and cheerful and sweet
tempered, as you say-al the qualities in a
woman that admire With good looks, too
of course with good looks She will be n
perfect treasure las you remarked just now
to the man who marries her. ] may claim
to know something about it, l have twice
narrowly escaped being married myself; and
though caut exactly explain it, I'm all the
harder to please i'll consequence. Miss Isabel
pleases me. I think have said that before.
Pardon me for saying it again. I'll call to-
morrow morning and look at the dog, as
early as eleven o'clock, if you will allow me.
Later in the day must be off to France to
attend sale of horses. Glad to have been
OF any use to your ladysLip, am sure. Good
morning"
Lady Lydiard let him 90. wisely resigning
any further attempt to establish all un er-
standing between her visitor and herself.
he is either person Of very limited in
tellfgence when he is away from his stables"
she thought, cor he deliberately declines to
take plain hint when it is given to him.
can't drop his acquaintance, on Tomme's ac-
count The only other alternative is to keep
Isabel out of his way. My good little girl
shall not drift into false position while
am living to look after her. When Mr.
Hardyman calls tomorrow she shall be out
on an errand. When he calls on his return
she shall be up stairs with headache And
it he tries it again she shall be away at my
house i'll the country. If he makes any re-
marks on her absence-well, he will find that
| can he just as dull of understanding as he
is when the occasion calls for it,"
Having arrived at this satisfactory solution
of the difficulty, Lady Lydiard became CON
scious of an irresistible impulse to summon
Isabel to her presence and cares her. In the
nature of a warp-hearted woman this was
only the inevitable reaction which followed
the subsistence of anxiety about the girl, after
her own resolution had set that anxiety at
rest. She threw open the door and made one
of her sudden appearances in the boudoir.
Even in the fervent outpouring Of her affec-
ton there was still the Inherent abruptness
of manner which strongly marked Lady
Lydiards character i'll all the relations OF
life
ibid give you a kiss this morningF' she
asked, when Isabel rose to receive her,
Eyes, my lady," said the girl, with her
charming smile
Come then, and give me kiss In return
Do you love me? Very well, then, treat NE
like your mother. Never mind my lady
this time. Give Inc good hug"
Something in those honely words or some
thing perhaps in the look that accompanied
them, touched synpathies in Isabel which
seldom showed themselves Oh the surface