Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-11

now inquired Miss Dossy inauisitively.
''Don I be rude Dossy ;, said Gilmore
with some anger in his tone.
81 must say good-morniDg; we are
going in,'' said Nancy, and as they
were within sight of the house, Gilmore
thought IL more prudent TO take off his
cap and turn away.
But as he went along one of the glades
of the park, he was still thinking OF
Nancy LOTUS.
"Ah, my little beauty he thought
"you may be as cold to me as you like
now, but the day will come when you
will not be-yes, I swear 1t
CHAPTER x.-THE soN's CHOICE.
Thus Gilmore thought that the arrival
of Miss Butler at wrothsley at the pres
ent time would be very inconvenient,
and so he had asked his mother to put
her off. He wanted to see Nancy, and
he was determined to see her, and he
felt that Miss Buffers presence might
make it more difficult. But for once
Lady Gilmore was firm, and held out
against her son IS will. She thought in
decd, that il was impossible for her to
make an excuse to Lady Lisburn, and
30 she told Gilmore to his great annoy
ance.
sit will be only for few days, you
know, my dearest, and I am sure Kate
Butler is such a charming girl she will
help to amuse you, - said Lady Gilmore,
not speaking the exact truth about the
time she meant Miss Buffers visit to
continue.
Gilmore gave an expressive gesture of
disapproval, for he thought of another
amusement on which his mind was bent,
and therefore he did not wish TO be
troubled with Miss Butler. But Lady Gil
more kept to her purpose, and Miss But
Ter arrived at Wrothsley on the day
which had originally been fixed.
But IN the meanwhile Gilmore had sue
ceeded in obtaining ano Their interview
with Nancy, which in way was one
momentous to them both And strange
to tell, the grim old woman at Gateford
manor house, was the person of all
others who helped him to obtain his
hearts desire. Miss Clifford, though she
never did, nor never cared to keep her
bitter tongue quiet, was by no means in
different TO family ties, and therefore
wrote one day at this time, to invite
Dossy and Flossy to spend q day with
censed and hurt she might be at the
grsnd-sunt's remarks, thought At but
prudent to let them go. r
And Dossy and Flossy had been in
Gilmore g way all this timel 1t could
not be supposed that when he was SO
anxious to see Nancy LOTUS, that he had
forgotten the corridor where he had
played as boy, and where he had first
seen her sweet face. He had thought of
it, indeed, many times, and no soruples
that 1t was not quite fair to the young
eoverness to enter it, had caused him to
forbear doing SO. Gilmore in fact, was
not scrupulous, but he was afraid of his
little sisters prattling tongues, well
knowing that if it came to his mothers
ears that he frequented the corridor,
which had always been given up TO the
children of the family and their gov
ernesses, that the present governess-if
she were supposed to be the attractlon-
would have very brief sojourn beneath
the roof.
He had locked away the key of the
door which opened on the staircase that
led to it, and been amused one day by
hearing two of the housemaids shaking
the door, and declaring the key must be
lost. But they settled it was no matter,
as the staircase was never used. HWe
can brush 1t down from the other side, -
they said, ''when we do the armory and
the rooms there Thus Gilmore had
his key all safely in his own possession,
and the afternoon that Dossy and Flossy
went to Gateford he determined to use it.
az am going to have smoke, and
then to lie down. he said to his mother
after lunch, cit IS too cold to go out.'
"Then IN drive over for the chill
dren," answered Lady Gilmore, who
felt he was tired of her company, and as
the children had gone in the morning to
their greataunt's, she thought by this
time she would consider she had had
enough of them.
Gilmore having thus secured an after
noon to himself, was determined not to
waste it, and very soon found his way to
the door of which he alone held the key,
and having opened it, relocked it from !
the other side, and then descended tha
staircase, and speedily found hsmselI in |
the long corridor, known as the Srmory
at Wrothsley.
He went slowly down tits, wondering |
what excuse he could make for rapping |
at the school-room door when he reached |
lt, but as he walked on he perceived this |
would be unnecessary, for before him, |
her back turned to him, her arms flung |
carelessly back also, and her hands |
clasped behind her, was Nancy Lotus |
herself, singing in q low undertone as
she went on.
Gilmore qulckened his footsteps, and |
J moment later the girl heard them, and |
turned swiftly round. A flush rose at |
0nce to the clear skin, and she gave a |
little start when she saw who It was, |
and then she smiled.
"1 hope I did not startle you?' said |
"But 1 came here to look at |
some of this old armour, and am happy |
to have met you
81 often walk up and down here,'
Nancy.
''And those little plsgues are not here
10 bother you to-day?"
fNo, they have gone to their grand
aunt's.'
$50 was delighted to hear, and ever
Iince did hear it-shall make q con- |
lesson, Miss Loftus?''
eff it pleases you" smiled Nancy.
ssWell, ever since 1 heard IL then, l /
nave been planning on what excuse I |
,ould see you-and ] found one in the |
I'D armour you perceive. And Gill |
more laughed as he pointed to the walls.
Nancy looked grave for a moment,
ind then she laughed softly too.
do not be angry with me?n said /
Gilmore.