Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-01-09

nrmatlon of her suspicious. she had ft now
In full. A touch of genuine regret darkens
her piquante face for a momeHt, and in that
moment is born very honest friendlineTs
toward the slender creature by her side
InstinctiveIy she lifts her gaze and turns 81
on Delaney, who is standing partly within
the recess of the window. Thus situated he
Is rather hidden from the general eye, and
Miss Blakes glance falls upon him without
disturbing the direction of his own.
Was ever despair more keenly expressed
than in those dark eyes that are fixed with
such a mournful yet hmpassioned intensity
upon the Duchess They tell their tale to
the attentive watcher-therC Is no need
for further speculation. That Denis loves
this little dark newcomer as he has never,
loved the handsome blonde-as he has
never loved any one-as he will never love
! again-is as plain to Miss Blake as if his
own lips had said it.
And now he starts. His melancholy day
dream is broken in upon by the approach
Of his mother, who comes up to him with
radiant smile.
''She is charming Quite a picture
Not ono word too much did you say" de-
clares she, with soft enthusiasm "Was
there ever such mouth, snch eyes2-and
her pretty little hands! / must manage
and have her presented. She will be quito
tho fashion at once, her eoloring is so very
original, and her manners 50 fresh. In
fact, / predict all sorts Of good things for
her. She might in my opinion make
very excellent marriage"
Delaney bites his lips.
How you run away with things,S he
says, in tone more impatient than he has
ever used with his idolized mother. Here
to-day and-already married! Let her
breathe a moment or two, poor ehildT'
"Ah, well, we shall see, says madam,
vaguely. The impotence, the touch Of
pain in his forced smile, have not gone un-
noticed by her. GAS you say, she is but
child" Then she passes ON quickly to
meet another guest who has just arrived,
and Delaney goes back to his unhappy COR
temptation of her he loves.
He has made Il slight movement as his
mother went by, and through it his position
has become more known to those Immediate
| ~ within his view. Two cold blue ewes,
uplifting themselves from the black and tan
terrier, grow very earnest in their express
sion, AMI watch him with a studied
scrutiny that denies the power to
cheat them. When she had witt
messed his absorption for quite a minute
a fine cold smile parts Miss Caz6lets lips.
Lifting the tiny creature on her lap she
drops him deliberately, and rather cruelty,
with a certain force upon the ground. a
! slueal is the result of this maneuvre, and
! Denis starting, looks in its direction and
straight into Miss Cazalet's eyes. Some
thing in them ohills him, but he has hardly
| time to decide what it is when she rises and
moves slowly to where the Duchess is sit
ting, close to Nancy Blake, and talking TO
a young man, rather stout anu very close
ly cropped, who rejOices in an eyeglass
and the shortest coat that decency will per-
nit, and who seems gifted with quite a
fund of light and airy converse.
Miss Cazalet having demanded very pref
tily, and obtained, an introduction to the
Duchess, stands by, listening to the lido
shafts Of talk that every now and then
reach her ears.
''I've run down for week, p" the stout
young man with an inch or two of coat is
saying, with beaming smile. 'Madam
wrote me word there was a garden party
on for next week, so knew was safe to
meet Mrs. O'Shaughnessy, and as she is at
present the light of my eyes and all the
rest of it, I'd thought I'd come"
"What a name!'' said Miss Cazalet.
"Fine Old Irish name, give you my
word. There's a good deal of it, allow,
but you can't have too much of good
thing She says she is descended from D
King or Queen, or several Kings and
/ Queens-I really forget. At all events,
she is the one woman upon whom my affec-
tons are at present SET"
"Don't be cruell What on earth win
become of the others?' says Sir Phillip.
"Well, that's it, you see! What is
fellow to do" says the stout young man
Mr.. Greene.
81 hate garden parties-paltry things"
says Miss Blake. ~ have fixed my fondest
hopes upon the fancy dress ball to come off
later on. Which would you prefer, turn
ing with a friendly air to Norah.
1.-THE ball, l think" says she half shyly.
1t is an adorable shyness that brings Mr..
| Greene to her feet in no time
''Trust the Duchess for that" saws Kill
gariif, >,ith lingering glance at his old
| friend and play fellow.
''T'he Duchessp' repeats Miss Cazalet in.
her clear sweet voice IFS that how they
call your az
| dad does" says Norah, with painful
blush-her voice about whisper
"The Duchess! A rather-er-pronoun
sort of sobrquet, don't you Think But of
course very appropriate" with a polite
SMILE but in tone that says plainly that
the Duchess in question in her opinion is OF
very inferior quality indeed. e5f
| Sand right good Duchess, too,D says
Kilgarrin resentful of this tone
''No doubt" says Mss Cazalet with a
steady smile.
'Has your Grace any vacant place in
your retinue that you might offer to a de-
serving valet?' demands Mr. Greene,
humbly. "If so, here he stands ANY
post, however low, would be gladly ac-
cepted. Scullion-turnspit-a to
serve your
'But that your rank precrudes the idea,
you should feel honored," says Miss GAIA
let, fixing the girls nervous shrinking eyes
with her own cold hooking gaze. There Is
a sense of keen pleasure to her in the agony
of shyness that has overtaken the poor little
Duchess at thus finding herself the central
object of this unknown circle. "Do you
know" Miss Cazalet is just beginning
afresh, some subtle cruelty upon her lips,
when there is a little stir behind her, and
Denis, pale and stern, presents himself
He looks alone at Norah.
"My mother wants you, he says, CURLY,
and, drawing her hand within his arm, CAR
rias her away.