The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-05-14
CHAPTER V.

On the day following, being the day be-
fore Christmas Eve, Hereward is invited to
dine with the Countess. The Doctor and
the German lady are also invited, us he dis
covers by the non-appearance of the din
ner paraphernalia i'll the little dining-room
when he passes through it on his return from
walk through the snow, at about four
o'clock.
He is not very much excited by the pros
pect of this state dinner. He sits with his
book over the library fire till the twilight
puts q stop to his reading, and then he re-
mains with the closed volume or his knee,
and stares into the red hot Goals There is
q pleasant odor of burning wood in the room,
the freight dances on the long rows of books,
on the heavy folds of the curtains sweeping
from gilt cornice to floor, ON the tiger skin
with its glass eyes which does duty for Il rug.
Hereward does not feel lonely at kingscourt,
yet he is a good deal alone. He works as
hard as ever at at his own studies, for he has
kept his resolution, of not allowing any vain
regret to spoil the purpose of his life. He is
not going to throw up the sponge to fate
just yet
He has not seen the famous Miss Middle
ton up to this date. She breakfasted in
Lady Gladyss morning room, she and Lady
Gladys together. Her journey had made her
head ache-not much, but enough to form
III excuse for q cctc-d-tete breakfast with her
friend. He has heard her voice, however.
1t is not like Lady Gladvs's voice, or that of
he Countess it is louder and merrier, and
mas whole-hearted ring in it good to hear.
She played Badminton all the afternoon
Notwithstanding her beadache-with EVE
and Lord Heriot in the long corridor at the
back of the hall. But Mr. Cartwrights ar
rival at three o'clock had put stop to the
game. He never played Badminton, and he
is right His figure is too elephantine to APP
pear to advantage in conjunction with racket
and shuttlecock
Hereward, sitting alone in the dim old
library, feels just little desolate this even
ing, he hardly knows why. But probably
because he cannot help thinking of this very
day last year, when he had first spoken of love
to Nettie Blount, when he had for the first time
in his life spoken of love at all. He remem-
bers SO well the old dining-room at the par
sonage where he aud Nettie had spent so
many hours together decorating the Christ
mas-tree for the school children. He re-
members the very odor of the little red and
white and blue wax candles he affixed to the
branches of the fir at the cost of so many
he remembers how she 1lirted
with him-for she did hirt with him. 1t is
proof that the glamour is clearing away from
his mental vision to find him allowing so
much as that she did firt with him most out
He tells himself now that he
might never have made such a fool of him
self if she had let him alone. The most des-
perate lover will come to that conclusion
sooner or later.
The dressing bell finds him still immersed
in reverie, and it is not very willingly that
he so far conforms himself to sublunary
things as to go upstairs and don the sombre
swallow-tail coat and white tie which his soul
abhors, and in which he looks remarkably
we'll, nevertheless.
He delays so long-not from nervousness
most assuredly-that he is only just in time
to take the lady allotted to him in to dinner.
She is no other than Lady Gladys Palliser.
CONTINUED ON 9TH PAGE.
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