The morning call., 1890-08-14
MILLY'S JOURNEY.

-HE express train from Paddington to
az Swindon was speeding along one
.SE5A warm, or rather sultry, summer day,
when in one of the railway-carriages sal
mild-looking old gentleman and young
lady. they two being the sole occupants oil
this carriage.
The Young lady was fresh, fair, and not
vet 10: she was simply yet daintily dressed
in n dark sateen costume, relieved by
narrow friI of cream-colored lace, and she
wore broad brimmed straw hat. Inc OLD
gentleman, habted in loose overcoat and
wide gray felt hat, leant back in one corner,
his somewhat long locks OF thin halr
escaping on each side his face.
The heat seemed TO affect him very much;
two or three times his benevolent head
nodded, overcome by the burning rays
which scOrched the air, and caused the
flowers to droOp their heads also; but he
ALWAYS reopened his eyes with start, ap-
peariug 10 make superhuIGan efforts TO
keep awake. The young lady, demurely
occupied with her book, wondered that he
did not take a comfortable nap at his ease.
By and by she glanced dreamlly from the
window at the summer landscape, ana sue
began to wonder, q little sadly, what the
house to which she was going would be
like: for she had undertaken to teach an
only child, girl nine years OF age, VINO
lived with an uncle and great-aunt. 1t
would be lonely, monOtonous lie. sne In
feTred from the letter she had received from
the said aunt; however, beggars cannot
be chOosers," and MIlly Foster was one OF
six sisters whose mother was widow. 1t
was absolutely necessary for Mllly TO do
something, and SO she accepted without
hesitation this opportunity offered to her
through a friend.
you will have to live quite alone, to de-
pend on your own resources for amuse-
ment," said Mrs. P0rtly. the lady who had
secured for her this position.
l am prepared for that" replied Milly,
courageously, but her youthful heart sank
little.
"The school-room is shut off from the
| visitors rooms at COnyerS Lodge" con-
| tinued Mrs. PoTtly. Mrs. Conyers thinks
! it better for all parties, as your pupils
uncle, Mr.. Brooke Conyers, Is still young
! man, though a widower And, my dear,
it will be better for you to keep your own
| apartments; you can save time for study,
| and save in the matter of dress also"
Again Mlly said, Yes certainly" but
| her heart sank a little more.
| However here she was, speeding toward
| Conyers Lodge, resolved to adhere very
| strictly TO the rules of the household into
which she was going, and to smother all
her dislikes-also to be very dlllsent IN
| everythlng-aboye ALL to avoid the Wldower,
| who would certainly avoid her.
At this point in her reflections the old
| gentleman nodded more than ever, and, in
deed, almost fell forward, but he speedily
reopened his eyes, and this time offered an
apology TO his traveller.
at is such hot day, he remarked, with
courtesy in his bearing.
Indeed, yes" replied Milly, as court
eously.
She regretted the efforts he continued to
make in order to resist the drowsiness
which weighed down his eyellds, for he
fdgeted about, folded up his newspaper,
locked and unlocked his travelling bag, re-
marked on the beauty of the country, the
fine weather, the need Of rain, and then sat
bolt upright, as if determined to conquer
his disposition to sleep. Mliy 6evoutly
wished that he w9uid leave her to her own
thoughts and siumber comfortably himself
All at once she became aware, by a sound
as of deep breathing, that lie was at length
fast asleep, and that instead OF nOddlns, his
head was resting against the cushioned side
Of the carriage.
Milly herself drew a breath of relief; but
hardly had she done so when she gave
start, and was conscious OF thrill OF fear;
for the wide felt hat worn by the old man
had fallen aside, displacing the Skull-cap
over his scant locks, thus disclosing the
fact that underneath the caphe wore wig,
and that this wig covered shl ming black
hair-a woman's hair, surely!
Indeed, Milly's frightened glance detect
ed suspicion of the hair on his face being
false also; in other words, that the whisk-
ers he wore were fastened on.
She recalled the peculiarly shrill tone in
which he had spoken. Not natural
one" thought the young girl, longing for
the time to elapse when she could quit her
strange companion. -,
"a woman in the disguise of an old man ~
her thoughts went on, uneaslly; she tried
to withdraw her gaze from him, but sort
| OF fascination attracted her glance again
| and again at the slumoerlng person III the
| opposite corner.
"Oh, there was no doubt about it! The
| shining black hair beneath the wig and
skull-cap was plainly observable. Now
! she understood why he-or rather she-had
| made such efforts TO remain awake. The
trembling Mily had just decided that the
| best thing to do would be to appear uncon-
| sciOus of her discovery, and to seem ab-
sorbed in other things; when, even before
! she had turned aside her alarmed gaze, the
person 50 near her awoke with a start, and
! in that instant became aware of what had
occurred, for Milly's face would have re-
yealed the fact that she was terrified; and
the sheltering hat had fallen 0ff-while the
skull-cap was all awry.
No need to ask why the girl sitting OPP
posite was SO pale. nor why she shrank into
| her corner.
"Wbat have you seen? What have you
been about whilst l slept? Answer mel"
said the disguised woman, in reSolute
voice.
II AN HOT uIStuIUluS YOU. oldnul6Ieu
Milly, without the power to add more.
Did | say you were? l asked what you
had seen whilst | was asleepi But l need
not ask There! don't look as if you i'm
agined yourself in company with any ogre!
l am woman, and so are you'll But let me
caution you to let me alone, if you wish to
get comfortably to your journeys end"
Milly, trembling in every limb, said moth
! ing; whilst her unwelcome companion took
a hand mirror from the travelling bag, ad-
| justed the hat and wig carefully, and con-
| tlnued to watch Milly with a keen glance.
You are young, and have much to learn;
| begin to-day to perfect your lesson in know
ing how to be silent, young lady" said the
disguised woman. That will repay you
| for your little fright"
Again MiIly returned no answer. The
woman laughed discOrdantly. On sped the
train; would it never arrive at Swindon?
We shall stop in mOment!' exclaimed
the woman. "Once more | caution you to
hold your tongTtes' and to mind your own
| affairs, not mine"
Slowly the train came to a standstill, and
almost before it did so, the (seeming) old
| gentleman jumped upon the platform, and,
mingling with the rush OF passengers, was
| lost to view
done with him yet, for in his haste to es-
cape her he had let fall his newspaper, out
| of which fiuttered slip of paper.
lnstinctively Milly picked it up. and
| hastily quilted the tram, by WHICH TIME no
trace Of the old gentleman was visible.
The agitated girl crushed the slip of pa
per out of sight in her pocket, as she was
accosted by a stately lady, attended by
servant in livery:
care you Miss FosterP" And on Milly's
reply in the affirmative, the lady added:
Then may beg you to be quick In point
ing out your luggage, as the horses will not
stand"
A month had now elapsed since that
ties at Conyers Lodge. One of these duties,
she perceived, was to keep herself out of
sight, and she did SO carefully. But she
was very lonely, and she was fast becoming
changed into sad and spiritless girl. Dur
| ing all this time she had never spoken to
the master Of the house save once, on her
fa6mentary, formal introduction to him the
| day she arrived al Conyers Lodge.
"This Is Miss Foster, Brooke" the old
lady had said. stifily, as they met Mr. Con-
/ ysts In tho hall. Then he had bowed, and
AiiIy had made a slight inclination, since
which they had remained strangers under
| the aaIue fnaf