Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-04

| away, aud so she left him with a sinking
heart. He looked into the drawing room
| for q moment before he left the house
and told Nancy that eft the priest
called, she was TO tell Father Hayward
| from him, that he preferred to have
"nothing to do with the affair at all. -
"Let them manage it their own way,
he added. Goodbye Nancy; IN re-
appear when 1 think the coast is clear of
! the priest, - and he nodded his head and
was gone-without saying word where
he was going.
| CHAPTER XxXu.
Father Hayward arrived the next
| morning at II o'clock, as he had ar
ranged, and looked very grave indeed
when Nancy was forced to tell him that
her husband was not at home.
''That is most unfortunate, he said
slowly.
'@Yes,' answered Nancy, trying to
hide Hugh Clifford 8 seeming discourtesy +,
she had made an engagement TO go out
of town, which he could not put off-but
he told me to tell you, Father Hayward +,
he would prefer to have nothing to do
with this affair-about his brother.
"Do you mean about Offering q re-
ward for any olew to throw light on Lord
Gilmore's strange disappearance?'
''Yes; ns said he should rather not
1 move ~ the matter at all-You see they
were not friends.
| "Still think it great pity, q very
great pity, considering the ciroum-
stances, that Mr.. Clifford should not
come forward in this matter. You see,
If anything has happened to Lord Gil
more, Mr.. Clifford is at the present mo-
mi hair
child should be born alive and a son. -
"And the wife?'' said Nancy. wishing
| to change the conversation. "Did you
see her, and what is she like?"
"She is u pretty, fair, understanding
young woman, and seems in great dis
| tress about the disappearance of her
husband-she fears he has been muir
dered. -
"Oh, how terrible.'
'The mysterious part of 1t is that
someone must be withholding informa-
tion from the police, as he left the house
two hours before he was seen ut the sta
ton, ct Maidenhead, by the station mas
| ter, who seems an intelligent man. and
positively states he saw Lord Gilmore
start in the eleven train for town. Now
during these two hours he must have
been in some house, as tne night, they
tell me, was wet and stormy, yet no one
has come forward to tell where he was;
and this is one reason why L am so anX-
ious that large reward should be
offered, as it might be an inducement for
some person to speak the truth
cit is most extraordinary, -" said Nan
cy, casting down her eyes.
at is a grievous thing, grievous for
the poor young wife, and for the whole
family, and what its effects on Lady Gill
more may be l dread to think of aud
desire to keep it from her knowledge as
long as possible. And this is why so
earnestly wish that your husband would
come forward.
Nancy shook her head.
az fear that it will be In vain TO ask
him, Father Hayward. - she said.
"Could you not try to persuade him?'
al do not think 1 could
"In that case 1 must act on my own
responsibility and Oh that of young Lady
Gilmore, and her father, Mr.. Summers;
for there ia no doubt that the affair is
most serious, and that no exertion should
be spared to elucidate the strange disap-
pearance of this young man.
He took his leave shortly after this,
and Nancy remained in the house all
u.
But Hugh Clifford did not reappear until
nightfall, and told Nancy casually that
he had been down the river to Cookham.
GA man 1 know is staying at the hotel
there, so l went to get out of the way of
the priest, he said. "Did he come,
and what did he say?''
Then Nancy explained and told him
what Father Hayward had said, and
Hugh Clifford listened with moody
brow.
GAS said before, let them manage it
themselves, - he said sullenlY; elf this
woman is his wife, she Is the proper per-
son to do it;'' and then he changed the
conversation.
But Nancy noticed that during the
next few DAYS he was more restless and
unsettled than ever. She saw, too, how
often his eyes would rest on her face
with panied, sad look in them, and he
was more considerable, and more gentle
In his manner TO her-mOre as he used to
be after her accident and during her
long illness-and he grew fonder than
ever of the child.
A large reward had been offered in the
meanwhile for any information regard
ing the disappearance of Gerard, Lord
Gilmore, but Hugh Clifford said nothing
to Nancy of this until nearly a week
after Father Hayward s last visit. Then
suddenly, one morning, he told her he
was going abroad for a while.
can this affair has worried me so that
1 want q CHANGE he said. ''People
are always botbering me at the clubs to
know if anything has been discovered,
and one fellow had the impudence to
call me Lord Gilmore again yesterday,
and so am about sick of it, Nancy and
am going away
"You will take me with you, them"
said Nancy looking up with her dark
eyes on his changing face.
"No, no, 1 cannot; what could 1 do
with a nurse and baby dragging after
me, and you could not leave the child?'
81 could take him TO your mothers or
Miss Clifford s. answered Nancy,
though the thought of parting from her
baby was very terrible to her.
Eyes, and be pining after him the
whole time. No, you stay at home, aud
look nfter the child-poor little woman
He laid his hand kindly on her
shoulder, as he spoke, and looked al
most wistfully in her face.
al am afraid have been a bad hus-
band TO you, Nancy he said. "God
knows did not mean to be-that was
very fond OF you-but with one thing
and another.