The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-05-23
tor dryly, who began to understand the

| serves MIN TlglI, bdlQ DlQQulpl SlN
agely, whose temper was not quite wha
it ought to be; che flew at me ike tiger
cat"
"Weel, Mr.. Biddulph, all can say is, i
he's not improved yer appearance, we've
certainly got the best O. it. Malcolm, wi
bruises and rage, is in a very bad strait
"And did he tell how it happened?' p
asked Biddulph.
"Na, ma. Jock Fraser sent for me, anc
told me the laddie had had bad fall and
cut his face. But thought the story q
bit lame and Malcolm seemed sarein mind
as well as body"
"What could have been his motive p
said Biddulph, beginning to walk up and
down the room, almost forgetting his
black eye.
''The same as most mems motives,
fancy, Mr.. Biddulph; the laddie has let q
pair Of bonny dark eyes turn his head"
Biddulph bit his lips, and was silent.
ellis mother will be in sare way about
him." continued the doctor.
81 am sorry for that. like Mrs. Fraser
she is so straightforward and honest
but must say she has brought up her son
very badly"
The doctor shook his head.
"The mothers ma TO blame, Mr.. Bid
dulph. The lad has fever which must
run its course-a fever bad to bear, and
i'll to get rid OF, and / suppose we've all
had 1t" and the doctor sighed.
81 suppose you mean he is in lover
said Biddulph, with grim smile.
SAY; wi one who does not care baw-
bee for him. have noticed it coming on
a long while now. Poor Malcolmp
"Well l wish poor Malcolm had kept
his love and his fists to himself, then
See if you can do anything for me, doctor
/ am not fit to be seen."
"Weel, yen just ha' to bide in the house
n day or two. I'll tell NV patient across
the water yer rheumatics are fearsome -
and the doctor laughed.
But Biddulph could not laugh.
"For heavens sake" ne said, "keep all
this a secret from Miss Stewart"
''To be sure, to be sure, and ven soon
be a right. Poor Malcolm has got some
thing worse than black eye"
Yet, when Biddulph saw himself the
next morning he was inclined to think
nothing could be worse. He was ashamed
for his servants to sec him, and noticed
the ancient Donald's expression when he
waited at breakfast with hidden indigna-
ton, for there was an odd twinkle in the
old mans eyes which was doubtless ag-
! gravating
And scarcely was the meal over, when
he sat down to pen an indignant and
angry letter to the woman who had spoilt
his life. In harsh and biting terms he
told her that as he had paid so heavily to
! purchase her silence on the subject of the
degrading folly of his youth, he would at
once reduce her allowance to what it used
formerly to be if another whisper OF this
secret reached his ears. "I know" he
added, ''you will do anything for money;
/ advise you, therefore, to keep SILENT or
| you shall certainly lose it,
And, strange, at the very moment when
| Biddulph was writing this scathing sem
tence at Dunbaan, across the loch at Ross
more Mrs. Jock Fraser was talking to Nora
Stewart Of the very person to whom Bid
| dulph's letter was addressed.
| There is no doubt that Mrs. Jock was
! not q scandalous or evil-tongued woman,
and she had hitherto shrank from telling
Nora her brother-in-law Alexis news
about Mr.. Biddulph. But when she had
returned, the night before, TO Rossmore,
she had found Nora still in the drawing
room with flush on her handsome face,
and bright, glad light in her dark eyes.
"Well, my dear" she said, after she had
kissed her, ''and did Malcolm conner"
"Yes he came when Mr.. Biddulph was
Il
her checks suddenly deepcncd
Mrs. Jock was shrewd woman, and
she saw the blush, but she did not speak
/ without consideration. She said nothing
about Mr.. Biddulph during the evening,
/ but after nights reflection she thought
/ il only right to tell Nora what she had
| heard. Even her good-natured Jock at
| home had urged her 60 do this, for Alick
! Fraser, we may be sure, had carried
Sandy Hills story 20 Airdlinn.
Therefore Mrs. Jock, after Morals break
fast was over, began in her usual honest,
/ downright way.
al have got something to say TO you,
Nora, my dear" she said, approaching
/ the inyalid's bed with her stalwart steps.
"And what havoyou got 10 say smiled
! Nora.
"There is strange story going tho round
OF the countryside, | am told, about Mr.
Biddulph. They say now that he is n
! married man, and that his wife has been
| down here and made tremendous fuss"
Every particle Of color faded from
/ Nora's face rs she listened 90 these words I;
/ she grow so pale, in fact, Mrs. Jock
/ thought she was going 20 faint
at may not be true, of course" said
| Mrs. Jock.
"Its utterly untrueP said Nora, lifting
her dark eyes Indignantly invented by
people who are jealous OF him; who-who
dislike him because he is superior 10 them
| ALL"
Mrs. Jock drew herself up.
'grho person who told me ! do not
think could be jealous of him, Nora; and
certainly do not sec that Mr.. Biddulph
is in any way superior TO the other gon-
! tlemon about here"
81 simply do not believe IT," began
Nora; and then, as the words escaped her
! lips, with n sharp and sudden pang she
remembered the strange message she had
received on the evening when Mr.. Bid
dulph was going 10 dine ut Rossmore, and
also words OF his own which indicated
that a shadow lay athWart his life.
1--WE know nothing OF him, you know,
| Nora" continued Mrs. Jock, therefore
why should this story not be true? AZ all
events, it is true that n woman went TO
! Dunbaan, and had n stormy interview
with him, and that he gave her a large
sum 20 90 away; and IL is said she called
herself his legal wife, and he did not
deny IT,"
"And who told all this-the servants"
"That l can not tell you, butt is known
| TO Jock and Alick, and all the rest 80 L
thought it but right 10 tell you, and you
! have seen moro OF him than most Of u.s."
81 owe my life TO him." said Nora, her
eyes filling, in her excitement, with sud-