Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-17

| him. but she had learned to like him very much
quite made Conquest Of her father, to whom !.sir
| Piers" was a very brilliant part indeed.
| Violet was not altogether to be blamed for her
| by and Willie Okedon had never written the few
lines by which he had promised she could hear of
him. II he had plenty Of pride. SO had she and to
| spare, and that pride made her forget the mist
| which had clouded his handsome eyes the last
time she had seen them, the sob in his throat as
| he uttered the last word-darling! She only re-
! membered that he had gone without word
| but asked him to speak, and that he had let the
opportunity pass by without attempting to take
And the other one was so different. From first
to last he had gone steadily on, trying to win her,
| unwilling though she was, and had over and over
| coauetry and her encouragement. He was 80
| faithful, and his meaning was so plain-and Will
lie Okedon had gone away, perhaps forever, with
| She knew that she did Lot like him so well as
Willie; that he did not touch her heart easily;
but--wOmans reason-he had been SO faithful and
50 true, and that touched her heart II he did not
And when Willie Okedons letter and fan
reached her all the old feelings sprang up again
the remembrance OF his brave and bOnny eyes, the
caressing sOftness OF his pleasant voice. the very
| fact that he had remembered her at ALL each and
all served TO send her heart back to the glorious
days Of the last season with great gush Of love
such as made Piers Trevors chance a very poor
hope.
| Daverels country house was called, when Willie
Okedon's letter and parcel reached Violet, hap
pened' indeed. to be In the room at the very mo
rapid changes upon her beautiful face as she
you have newsg" he asked, wondering what it
''Yes," looking up at him with radiant eyes.
"Mr Okedon has sent me wonderful fan he has
had given him In Egypt by an old negrrsA" And
! she began quickly to denude It OF the wrappings
which protected It, ION, isn't it Quaint!-isn't
It and there she broke OF short, for Sir Piers
| n WAS
| ing her to him, fan and all.
Don't say Okedon and hts fan are anything to
you" he cried In shaking voice; ''dOnt look like
that-dont Violet, for Gods Saker'
His words recalled the girl with shock TO q re-
membranes mel 9 OF the fact, which for moment she
| nothing to her. "Mr. Okedon is my very good
friend" she said In frozen voice. 81 don't think
have said or implied that he is anything mOrer
In his relief Sir Piers set her free and stepped
back to the window, that he himself might breathe
more freely. After moment or 80 he returned to
| you know you almost killed me OF fright?"
IL gasped Violet, stepping back that she
mi ~ get out Oh nus way, .I don't know what
have been waiting, hoping, watching for all these
| months7' he asked, his eyes and brow lowering
and his square and heavy jaw settling itself into
| squarer and more determined lines than ever
! Don't you know that II could have killed you
as you stood there smiling over that other fellows
letter, because was afraid he was going to step
| in between us and rob me OF your"
Not one word OF love In all this storm of wooing.
ance which had come to her across land and sea
had all died out OF her face.
Il don't know what you mean" she stammered
nnding he was waiting for her to speak.
He caught roughly at Che other hand. which
still held the ivory fan against her heaving breast
and as he caught at it her fingers half released it.
and the fan flew open between them. For full a
minute they stood thus looking straight into one
| another's eyes; then Sir Piers slowly and as IL
against his will, set her free and fell step away
AS for Violet. her attitude, from one of confusion
ana shrinking distress, altered to calm and up
rlght pose Oh dignity 'Sir Piers" she sadly
Have 1 not sufficiently proved it," he de-
'.Perhaps, and perhaps not. I asked Won a oues-
ti0n, and you answered 1t by another"
He laughed out loud 'Love you? Yesr' he an
But Violet shook her beautiful head. "No-not
as would be my right IL were to marry YOU /
have been close TO the crisis or my lite Sir Piers;
put some strange power tells Inc that you do not
love me as you can loye-or as you dor
IL seemed to the girl as II she spoke by inspra-
ton, as II scales had fallen from her eyes, and she
was able 10 look straight into this mans SOUL
ave will be friends" she said still with the same
air OF dignity, nothing more so beg you to say
no no more about II. By-the-by you have cousin
who has the same name as /, have you not?"
She had moved away, still holding the fam closed
now, in her hand. Sir Piers turned upon her
Hereby, almost Savagely. my cousin! Who told
you anything about her?'
Nobody; only saw it in the paper this morn
Ing that she has had an accident"
W
Violet Daverel took up a paper from the table
and pointed to short paragraph:
LADY Violet Stahdish, who was only married a
lew weeks ago, met with serious accident on
board MIR. Standish's yacht, the Clipper, yester-
day afternoon, at Plymouth, by falling down the
companion ladder The unfortunate Young lady
had not recovered consciousness at q late hour
last evening, and the worst fears are entertained
In dream, and then the paper Tell from his ha nd
70 the moor. But there he stood, just where the
, GioW ma naq fallen upon him. staring blindly out
iOr the moment of all around him as the girl
lying on board Of the yacht Clipper In Plymouth
Violet Daverel stole quietly out OF the room.
''That Is love" she said as she closed the door.
CHAPTER ".
The same evening Sir Piers Trevor left the Chase.
and that night Lady Violet Standish-the bride of
a few weeks-died!
and the intimacy between her and Sir Piers Trevor
ended The relief TO her was great and although
there were certain wise people III society who
remarked that IL was certainly odd but men who
were profeSsedly admirers or Miss Daverel the
beauty, seemed TO get very quickly tired OF her
80 odd, You Know, when she has so much money;
10 almost looked as II there was nothing behind
that pretty face OF hers" They did not say It TO
her and so she did not suffer In any way.
But, after while, the 10Th (ROyaD Dragons
popularity known as '"rhe Creams" and some
times as 1.-THE Ice Creams"-came gatly home
again, ana look up their quarters at ShOrncliffe
And then the Honorable Wilrred Okedon rested
not until he got leave and went straightway of TO
London town TO visit the girl he had lef. behind
him.
Now 1t is no exaggeratiOn whatever to saw that
during the journey home Daddy LongeVs had
gone over with care and loving attention every
little tritiing detail OF this interview until he
might fairly have been described as "word per
feet"
During his sojourn in the land of pyramids and
scarabei he had completely forgotten Miss DayereI
the heiress, had thought very little about Violet
Daverel, the beauty, and great deal about Violet
the girl. In his own mind he had arranged that.
though she would not be expecting him, She would
be alone, that she would spring from her chair
and, with few tears, fail into his arms and like
the prince and princess In the fairy tale, they
would live happy ever after.
IL was all very pretty; but, Vnhappily, 1t did
not fall out as he had planned at Al. ON the con-
trary; for when he reached the home where HIS
divinity dwelt, he found other wOrshipers at the
shrine. She jumped up in a great hurry when he
was announced, II was true-but there all resem-
blance to his arrangements ceased. He had to
endure good deal OF nero worship, which he felt
he did not deserve, and hated accordingly; but he
with the far young mistress OF the house.
AT last, just when he was beginning to think he
should have 10 60, Mr.. Daverel came in and act
ing on hint given In a whisper from his daugh-
ter, told him they were going to the lyceum that
evening, and asked him to come back TO dinner and
go with them.
Daddy needed no second bidding He was out
OF the house and into cab In two minutes and
SDinlinp back 10 the Alexandra Hotel yvhtnh ~