, 1890-12-25

ons rai,nent. Most of the travellers
had invested In paper bags fuli OF
Bath buns, for an expedition WIN
the British association Is generally
fraught with peril in the matter OF
supplies. The weak-eyed young
man was In state OF excitement
bordering on delrlum. Lady Love-
day sighed as her eye ran over the
mass of pushing, perspirlng, be-
macklntoshed human beings on the
platform. 49,,
want to speak to-" she thought, set
tllng into the comfortable corner
place which the youthful professor
had secured for her, and then as her
eye caught the square-shouldered
back of u check-coated man in the
distance, she added mentally, "rhat
looks like n nice man. His hair Is
cut beautifully short, and he's got
brown neck and a properly lroned
collar. He reminds me of poor
Dick.n
But, directly after, the train
steamed out of the station and Lady
Loveday's "reminiscences came To an
end She had to make conversation
with her cicerone for the day and u
whole carriageful of other people.
BY the time they had arrived at the
pits mouth and were waiting their
turn to go down, Lena was not sure
that she wanted to engage In such
perilous experiment.
Only about u quarter of the train.
ful of people could be accommodated
under the shed which covered the
shaft, the rest were waiting outside.
Finally, however, she was jamned
with some seven or eight other peo'
pie, including her scientific udmirer,
In the baiZe-cOvered bucket, and
was emptied out, after an uncnnny
descent through black void, into
the brown walled cavern ut the bot
tom. The mine had been decorated
with thousands of candles in honor
of the event, and each visitor was
provided with q tallow dip stuck
into II wooden handle. Down in
the depths of the mine the Scotch
professor waXed confidential, not to
say tender.
"This man IL getting bore,
thought Lady Loveduy; al must
really evade him somehow and
with another turn of the rock sine
managed to slip away from him.
Candle in hand, she followed u
group of people in front OF her.
Presently one of the party, the
young man whose back she had
seen on the platform, stopped and,
with an action which she recognized
at once, struck n match, stopped his
head and lighted a cigarette.
"Why, it is Dickw she muir
INJURED; and just then he turned and
saw her. al thought you were in
Afghanistan, she went on hur-
riedly, as he stood gazing at her.
$50 | have been, for the last two
years. That frontier business took
longer than thought. And you?"
Lady Loveday blushed and looked
down. Here was an adventure after
her own heart. She was q curious
mixture of practical worldliness and
theoretical sentimentality. She had
liked him, handsome, penniless
Captain Bramwell, more than any
man she had ever known, and he
well. she was quite aware that he
had worshiped the very ground she
trod on. But all that was three
years ago, and in three years there
are many changes.
IL saw you the other night" he
continued, presently; "you came in
an awfully fetching cloak, with n
white fluffy thing around your neck.
I've been trying to find you out ever
since, but nobody that asked. could
tell me anything about Miss Gard
ner.n
Lady Loveday smiled. He did
know of her marriage, then? The
caprice took her not to tell him Just
yet-she waited, womanllke, TO SEQ
II he had remained faithful all these
years.
"Oh, | am such an insignificant
person in the midst of all these big
wigs"
Dick smiled back at her-he had
a charming smile-and they wan
dered along together, each with IA
tallow dip fiickering and spluttcr-
ing, and fitfully lighting their hand
some young faces. She had not
altered one bit he said; and she de-
clared he was as brown as "A Hindu,
and would have to be scraped white.
Time flies when old lovers meet,
and nearly an hour had gone before
Dick had told her that he had come
down to the association to read a
paper in the geographical section.
Would she come aud hear IL? OF
course, OF course she would! Poor
old Dick! Why, he was Just as
hard hit, she firmly believed, as
ever.
When they at length got back to
the bottom of the shaft. there was
not soul to bo seen. The awful
truth began TO dawn upon them
that they had been left behind.
How easily that might be, with the
five or six hundred people who had
come with the excursion, they both
saw ut glance. What was to be
done? thing-absoiutely moth
ing. Lady Loveday turned greensh
white as she leaned against the rock.
"Sir James" she moaned-"Sir
James would never let me die like a
dog in hole.n
"Slr .Iamesp' said Dick surprised.
"iou mean the president? Is he IA
great friend of yours?"
"He is-O my poor Dick he is
my husband?n she faltered, not dar-
ing to look Mt him now. Captain
Bramwell gave little whistle, and
turned away. What a farce, and
how like Lena the whole thing was!
Lady Ioveday did not see him
smile.
Forgive mev she murmured.
stepping nearer TO him and laying
II caresslng hand on his arm. She
was very fond of the drama, and