Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-01-16
CHAPTER XVI.
"Just when seemed about to learn,
" here is the thread now7 or againi

W mere Is the tnreau nOWl OU again.
The old trick! only discern
Infinite passion and the pain
az hnijc hears that yearn."
Not very much, when all is told. The
day is too warm for that. A good deal Of
tennis, a little sauntering amongst the late
roses, a tremendous amount of lounging
and Irritation at will. The afternoon flies
by almost before one remembers it has be-
gun, and now everybody is lying about,
rather exhausted from doing nothing, and
drinking tea, AMI champagne, and divers
cups with an mfegned appreciation Of
heir merits
Col. 'Shaughnessy, a large, forid, we'll
bred looking man, with dictatorial man
ner and the kAdest heart in the world, is
telling an old and thrilling Indian ta,e
born of his years in 'Hyderabad) to select
company. His wife, at a few yards dis
lance, is giving all tho local gossip, COL
lee ed since her return yesterday, to pale
little woman, who seems rather upset by it.
Some of our other friends are scattered
round, and Mr.. Greene, who makes no Sc
cret Of his alteration, is lying prone at the
feet Of the Duchess The Colonel, having
brought his tale TO pitch that is positively
appalling, winds it up suddenly wi n all the
knowledge Of clever raconteur and is re-
warded by silence that is half hysterical
! Suddenly says some one-the rector's
wife, think-the little pale woman
docs any one know how Mrs. Brady Is
to-day? ] heard she was i'll, butt
"Nes, l called this morning." shouts
Col. O'Shaughnessy--h always shouts
more or less. ''She's far from we'll. They
told ne she had been confined" Here a
most inopportune fit of coughing overtakes
him
confined? What are you talking about,
! Colonely" cries the wife in condemnation
| "Why, they have only been mar"
Providentialiy at this moment her cup
slips along the saucer in tie nasty, treach-
erous way cups will at times, and Mrs
| O'Shaughnessy makes grab at it, forget
full in her fear for the Irune silk Of the as
Constituent and horror that possesses her.
CONFINED TO her bed with q bad cold,"
| roars the Colonel in voice suggestive of
mui der and with complexion positively
apopletic.
There is a dead pause; then somebody
whispers something into Mrs. O'Shaugh
neesy's ear, who appears bewildered, and
somebody elsa gives an indignant kick to
Mr.. Greene's recumbent form, who Is
plainly on the verge of Mysteries.
"a had cold" persists the Colonel Wild
! ly. 'Called there-saw her! Nothing
worse than that, give you my honor"
The nothing worse than that is the
last straw, AMI finishes Nr. Greene, who
explodes with laughter and then rolls over
and bites the daisies in last vain endeavor
to restrain his ungodly enjoyment But
Mrs. O'ShaughneSsy, who has at last
mastered the real meaning of the thing,
evidently secs no reason for restraining
anything, and leaning back in her chair
| gives way to mirth.
"And is that b." she says "Bless me,
what q mistake l madev' And off she goes
into an unlimited number o. cackles until
she shakes again. Then Miss Cazalet is
seen TO draw gently near, ami as mirth has
n trick of dying out in her presence, once
more decorous tranquility holds sway.
Mr.. Wylding, the author, is with her.
"One can see | scribble," lie is saying, in
his deilgntfni soft voice. "Yet whoa people
look at me they sometimes hesitate Gt is a
compliment, / assure you; am always
charmed with it, and / can almost hear
them say: He is like it, of course, but he is
not so spiritual as / imagined. And yet
You can read the rest for yours If. is ID
not9 1t is all in my nose think" with a
deli ious frankness, Switch is of a goodly
length, and in my upper lip-have you no
ticcd my upper hpS-which is distinctly en-
suite
Miss Caza.et murmurs soIse inanity or
other, q ite unworthy of Ter, her mind be-
ing with her eyes, which are far away
across the shaven lawn, where stands De-
lnney. He Is converting with some one
she cannot see whom-but some one In
white. Pre- emily he moves a little, and
her pulses grow more even as she sees that
tie woman in wLite is not-Norah!
A voice at her elbow makes her start.
Can / do anything for you, Duchess"
the voice is Lord kilgarrid's, and Miss
Ca act, looking abruptly round, finds that
Moran Is sitting almost exac ly behind her.
"Eh? whatr' says the Duchess, with a
rather absent air, turning to Kilgarrif. 1t
is plain the tone, not the words, have
reached her ears
Miss Eelaney-why this abstraction"
says Mr.. Greene in accents mildly re-
proachfrL Are all we nothing to you,
that you thus wander into realms of phan-
tasyl Come back, come back, l entreat
you, to SOLID earth and us AMI cease to
tread in spirit inmaterial space."
Norah, thus importance, turns upon him
q smiling face.
~ have been thinking" she says, that
/ should Ike to ay one set"
"Wfta me!' exciaims he rapturously,
scramll.ng to his feJt. Consider IL done.
Now to find two others on playful thou hts
intent"
~ was just wishing for game myself"
says Miss Cazalet amiably. "What do you
say? y on and Miss Delaney against Mr..
Wylding and me-"
az should be so charmed-so too de-
lighted" says Wylding, but there is this
one trifiing obstacle to my bliss-I don't
pay"
'If l might aspire" shippers Sir Bran
drum, turning languishing eye upon the
blonde beauty.
''To what" asks Greene inuoceutly.
''To er-to be Miss Cazalet's partner in
this projected game Of tennis, )" replies the
baronct stiify; and then in lower tone, adj
ded TO the tall, fair godde,s at his side,
"Oh! that da ed aspire TO more-to all.
Miss Cazalet sweeps her cold eyes across
his fnce with an tnsolence indsseribable.
This man-this old man-to presume to
hope that she will throw over Ventry and
Denis for himl
"Well, is it a MATCH" says Greene, look
iEg at her with dry twinkle in his eye.
IF you will, g" returns Miss Cazalet, in
differently, ignoring HIS evident meaning;
"Sfr Brandrum, as you know, Is an excel
! lant-fndead- with m slow Olanca at tha