The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-08

It all 1S. Ana the present peer, who was only a second cousin-well, I say nothing about him." A reticence which was well calculated to consign his lOrdship to the lowest deep.
 "He did not help?" asked.
 "Devil bit, begging your pardon, sir. But there, it is not my place to talk of these things. I doubt not l have wearied you with talk about the family. It is not my way" he added as if wondering at himself, "only sOme- thing in what you said seemed to touch chord like"
 By this time we were outside the room, standing at the inner end of the hall, while he fumbled at the lock oi the door. Short passages ending ir swing doors ran out right and left from this point, and through one oi these tidy, middle-aged woman wear ing an apron suddenly emerged. Al sight of me she looked greatly aston ished. "I have been showing the gen. tleman the pictures" said my guide who was still occupied with the door
 A quick flash of pain altered and hardened the woman's face. "I have been very much interested, madam" said softly.
 Her gaze left me to dwell upon the old man with infinite affection. "John had no right to bring you in, sir" she said, primly. "I have never known him to do such thing before, and Lord mercy there is the mistress knock. Go, John, and let her in and this gentleman" with an inquisitive look at me, twill not mind stepping abit aside while her ladyship goes up stairs"
 "Certainly not" answered. I has, tened to draw back into one of the side passages, into the darkest corner of it, and there stood leaning against the cool panels, my hat in my hand. In the short pause which ensued be- fore John opened the door, she whis- pered to me: "You have not told him, sir?"
 "About the pictures?"
 "Yes, sir. He is blind, you see."
 "Blind?" exclaimed.
 "Yes, sir, this year and more. And when the pictures were taken away by the present earl-that he had known all his life, and been so proud to show to people just the same as if they had been his own, why, it seemed shame to tell him. I have never had the heart to do it, and he thinks they are there to this day"
 "Blindl had never thought of that; and while I was grasping the idea now, and fitting it to the facts, light footstep sounded in the hall and woman's voice on the stairs such voice and such footstep, that, as it seemed to me, 8 man, if nothing else were left to him, might find home in them alone. "Your mistress" ! said presently, when the sounds had died away upon the floor above, "has 8 sweet voice; but has not something annoyed herr"
 "Well, I never should have thought that you would have noticed that !' exclaimed the housekeeper, who was, l dare say, many other things besides housekeeper. "You have sharp ear, sir, that l will say. Yes, there is something has gone wrong but to think that an American gentleman should have noticed itl"
 "I am not an American" said, per- haps testify.
 "Oh, indeed, sir. l beg your par don, l am sure. It was just your way of speaking made me think it." she re- piled, and then there came second louder rap at the door, as John, who had gone up stairs with his mistress, came down in leisurely fashion.
 "That is Lord Wetherby, drat him l'' he said, on his wife calling to him in low voice he was ignorant, I think, of my presence. "He is to be shown into the library and the mistress will see him there in five minutes, and you are to go to her room. Oh, rap away l'' he added, turning toward the door and shaking his fist at it. "There is many 8 better man than you has waited longer at that door,"
 "Hush, John! Do you not see the gentleman" interposed his wife, with the simplicity of habit. "He will show you out," she added rapidly to me, "as soon us my lOrusnlp mas gone in, II you do not mind waiting another minute"
 "Not at all" said, drawing back into the corner as they went on their errands; but though I said, "not at all" mine was an odd position. The way l had come into the house and my present situation in kind of hid- ing would have made most men only anxious to extricate themselves. But l, while listening to John parleying with some one at the door, conceived a strange desire, or desire which would have been strange in any other man, to see this thing to the end ;con- ceived it and acted upon it. The library? That was the room I Al 2.A ~k