The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-10-24
MARIAN'S SACRIFICE.
By JEAN MIDDLEMASS.
CHAPTER u.-Concluded.

trois, he found Miss Templemore alon,
in the drawing room. She wore her habi
and advanced to receive him in her usua
frank, bright manner.
''It is SO tiresome," she said; "Mariar
is closeted with the Baroness de Stair
her godmother, you know. The good
pompous old woman has lunched will
us, but wants as usual an hours private
talk with her half niece or whole cousin
or whatever it is. These visits are peri
odical, and Marian hasn't the heart tc
thwart the old lady, who is now no doubt
holding forth by the yard upon the dis
position of her property. But she says
Il mean Marian, of course-that we are
not to wait for her and she will catch ua
up if she can."
All this was said very rapidly, even
with shade of trepidation.
ooh, surely" said Dalyell, eve had
better wait"
"No, she says she will be very angry il
we do. I'm to make the most of SO fine q
day and Of my time, for I'm sorry to tell
you have to go away on Friday"
sLeave the manor!" exclaimed John
with touch of tragedy in his tone which
rather astonished Miss Kate.
eyes, mamma wants me-
No wonder, thought he.
"And l must leave Marian and-and
you, and the horses. Oh, I'm awfully
sorry, can tell you, though I'm dying
to see darling mamma, of course, for
love her better than anything"
John reflected that he too loved his
mother, but "better than anything?" No.
"Come let us start" she went ON, catch
ing up her whip and gayly beating her lit
tie boot with it as she went along. ''By
the bye, l am to ride Revelation for the
first time"
''Not reallyw cried her cavalier, more
tragic still than when told she was going.
Now Revelation was a young mare of
Dalyelrs, brought recently as a present
to his fiancee and supposed to be under
going long and careful education ut the
hands of a breaker.
ooh, you needn't look 30 frightened VI
she laughed; ''you will have no RESPONSE
bility. Bates says she has saints tenn.
per, though still rather raw and nervous;
besides, l assure you at home I do lot
of horsebreaking myself"
"An accomplished horsewoman, am
sure" said John; "but-Revelation-
wonder Marian can-let me entreat you
it is not ten days since saw her with
Bates on her back plunging all over the
place."
Kate was evidently deaf to all argu.
ments. They were by this time at the
door, and John soon felt treasured by the
sedate manner in which the thoroughbred
filly allowed herself to be approached and
mounted.
The deproved uneventful, outwardly
at least. Somebody has said "there must
be spirits in the air to tell women when
they are beloved"
Did this little sunbeam Of damsel sus.
pect that Of the man at her side! And
can the suspicion have anything to
do with her rather sudden plan of de-
parture? We have no means of knowing.
When that important person. the bar
oness, in her own right, had done telling
her goddaughter for the fiftieth time, and
much to that lady's annoyance, not only
what sum of money she intended to be.
queath to her, but exactly what trinkets,
nay, even which of her we'll thumbed
prayer books, would be Marian's at her
death, and had mercifully rumbled away
in her old time chariot, Miss Peyton went
straight to the window to consult the
sky, for, from an ominous darkening Of
the room some minutes before, she sus.
pected sudden change for the worse.
''Dear, DEAR" she says to herself; "a
thunderstorm, or I'm no augur. What
wetting they will have! A brisk walk
within reach of shelter will be my wisest
plan, and save me too the trouble Of
habiting-=not worth while at this hour.
Why, 1t is just 4, / declared"
1t is quite relief when she finds her.
self outside; but the nearing thunder Is
distinctly audible.
81 do hope," murmurs the chatelaine,
"they have not gone miles away"
81 know" she thinks, quite pleased at
the idea; ''the ruin! The ruin is the
very thing. Besides, they will probably
return that way"
Now the edillce In question was nc
cockney affair, but veritable relic of a
former manor house and church all in
one, dating from the days of Richard II.
In one nook of it Marian had manufact-
ured kind of summer house, where for
the sake of the view she and her visitors
frequently took tea. She had scarcely
reached this retreat when fearful flash
rent the sky, as it seemed, from pole to
pole, passing right overhead, almost in
stantly followed by terrific roll of thun.
der. At the same instant the rain
In tumbling torrents gan to pour
Marian is no coward, but in the awful
convulsion of nature she realizes more
than ever how frail is the thread of even
strong young mans life, and A4mhlF,
earnestly she prays for him. That done,
she continues to watch the impressive
scene through the glass door.
~ do love-ohl ! do love himI" she
murmurs, thinking for the Arst time OF
what ii would be to lose him. "Any-
thing but that. Spare his life, kind
heaven, and will declare your severest
dispeHsations mereifulI"
1t has never dawned upon her that she
could lose him save by death. "Ah! how
good, how noble is John Dalyell! Such
a son, too. All, how proud shall be to
bear his name! May I only be worthyP'
Then with cry Of joy, "Harki Here
they come; but, horror! what do heari
O-o-or and the exclamation dies in a
distracted moan.
1t is, indeed, the hoofs of horses-of