The morning call., 1891-03-25
UP A LADDER.
1CONCLUDED.I


Don't 90, Mr.. FentOn. have something
TO say to you."
up at this juncture, but the three spirits
afore mentioned being still employed in
holding high jinkS within him he said moth
ing at all, but stopped where he was.
''Do you know / have thought good deal
about what you said to me yesterday and
think you were perfectly right"
Here she paused and Ernest, feeling that
some answer was expected OF him, aud re-
aIizing that whether it were for good or for
evil, he could not now retire from the sltua-
lion, murmured in choked whisper, Of
which the tones were almost indistinguish-
able:
"Do you think SOP"
eyes, do, really. But | don't want you
to think mere of my words than l mean:
1t was quite right Of you to tell me that |
ought to do some good in the world, and
have made up my mind | will do so. l VIII
visit the poor or nurse the sick-or-or do
anything you can suggest to me to be useful.
did not mean at all to deny your right as a
clergyman to point out this to me when l
told you that | could not marry you. l was
angry at the time, but | am sorry spoke so
hardly. / am sure there must be other ways
of doing good IN the world than marriage,
even with a clergyman
BY this time Ernest wished himself at the
bottom of the ladder again, and those three
rampant little fendS who had led him into
this awkward situation persisted and died of
shame and hamilton within him.
His only desire now was to run away.
lie dared not disclose himself; he dared not
point out the faint CLEAN of the curate's
spectacles as they glittered in the light of
the taliOW candle far away in the distant
chapceI He dared not utter a sound indeed,
50 fearful was he of betraying himself to
Mr.. Fenton's lady-love! He did not wish
to listen to any more of the lady's outpour-
ing of heart, and yet how on earth was he
to get away!
He went down two rungs of the ladder,
and then the voice of the angel arrested him
once more.
Waltz she said, and he waited obedi-
emily
There was something in the ring of that
voice that began to produce odd effects
upon him. He crept up the ladder again.
There was a watt of perfume in the very
atmosphere that surrounded her. She bent
toward him, and he could almost have
touched the dusKy locks of her scented hair.
She was young and she was beautiful He
could not see it, but he could have Wom it.
" have something | wanted to give you.
You have been kind TO me in a place where
| was stranger-and-I fear l have not
treated you very well, and | wanted you to
keep this as a little remembrance uf me. l
give it to you because l have been in the
habit of wearing it, and because l think
you will like it all the better for that How
dark it isl | cannot see bit. Hold out
your hand"
And then terrible thing haFpened.
Whether the ladder with its douSle weight
had slightly shifted, or whether the lady
reached out too far and overbalanced her
self, it will never rightly be known. But OF
a sudden there was crash and cry, and
down came that ladder to the floor with a
great thump, while the two persons who
pended5 struggling, cln6lns on the foTtu-
nately very firmly attached rope which was
fastened to the beam above their heads.
1t sounds perhaps worse than il really
was, for the distance was not immense, and
the rope hung down almost into the organ
gallery. Moreover, Ernest, who was young
and agile, had caught hrm hold OF the young
lady's waist with one arm.
Don't he frightened, | have got you"
he said, and then be swung the rope, himself
and his fair burGen-eyen at that moment
he noticed how slight ana lissOm was the
figure that chung to him-very deXteTously
into the organ gallery, where they both
dropped about couple of feet into an empty
pew, little bit GREATNESS but otherwise
unhurt.
"You have saved my lifeP' cried the lady,
little Historically.
"Fiddlesticks,", repliei the gentleman,
=
a moment Of silence. 81 lad no idea you
were so active-and so clever II was all
my fault. l bent too much over, and you
might have been hurt, toe, Mr.. FentUn, but
for your own presence Of mind, which saved
US both"
'But it was. And-now more than ever
wish to give yyu this-it will prove to you
my gratitude" And she pressed something
into his hand-he hardly knew what.
There Was-if he did not wish to be ign0-
miniously discOvered-no time to be lost
The noise of the falling ladder had alarmed
the Misses Rsdlortn and the curate in the
chancel, where they had been putting the
finishing touches to the east end.
what las happened? What was that
noise? Is anybody hurt?" lie heard them
cry as they came hurTying down the nave.
Without a word Ernest turned and fed.
down the gallery stairs, out at the est end
door OF the church and home to Fossett
Hall as fast as his legs would carry him
down the dark road.
And it was thus left to Mrs. Leigh to make
the astonishing discovery that it was Mr.
FentOn who came running up into the gal
lery with the three RedfOrth girls, that he
had been in the chancel for the last ten
minutes, and that therefore he was not the
gentleman who had received her little pro-
pitatory speeche-, who had stood on the
ladder with her when it had tOppled over,
who mad cleverly saved her neck and his
own by swinging her safely INTO the gal
lery. Nor, finally, was he the individual
upon whom she had just generously be-
slowed the haudsomest of her diamond
rngsl
Being, however, little widow lady of the
utmost discretion, Mrs. Leigh, after the
first gasp of astOniShment, made no sigh
gave brief account OF her having over
balanced herself and having managed to
scramble into the gallery-and never said
one single word to anybody concerning the
sharer of her fate.
'WhOever be is. he is a gentleman at any
rate" she said TO herself, ''anJ he saved my
life-So lie deserves my ring as reward for
his prOwess. l shall ind out who he is in
time, no doubt"
81 forgot to tell you, Ernest, that there is
lady coming to join in our Christmas din
ner," said his mother to him on the MORN
ing If Christmas day.
with but languid interest. Are not
strangers rather bore on these occasions,
mother, dear?'
''Nes, know; but in this case it is almost
an act OF charity. She is a poor widow
whose husband died in India a year ago.
She has rented old Miss Rolls tiny cottage
for six months. Poor thing, she seems guile
alone in the world, aud she has got law
suit going on about some property of her
late husbands, and if she loses it, she will
be peuniIess, poor thing
Ernest Smothered yawn. A poor widow
with lawsuit did not appeal to his fu-
terest in the very least lie could picture
her exactly. Small, dowdy and faded, with
face yellowed by Indian sunshine and a
liver impaired by Indian feYers. She would
be melancholy of course, melancholy over
the memory of the dear departed" and
still more melancholy over the prospects OF
pennilessness and her pending lawsuit,
which she would be certain to lose-pool
widows are never successful in these sort Of
cases. Not very lively addition to a
Christmas dinner table assuredly. Ii
would have been bad enough anyhow, but
with poor widow thrown in-bahl What
q nuisance.
She was standing before the fire talking
to his mother with her back toward him
when he entered the drawing-room, dressed
for dinner.
He saw charming figure, tall and slight
with the slim waist of a girl of twenty.
Let ME introduce my son to you, Mrs
Leigh" said Mrs. Redforth.
She turned. lie saw before him girlisl
face, oval shaped and rose tinted, liquid
melting eyes Of heavenly blue, and beauti.
full dark auburn hair, framed in with tiny
rim Of dazzling white Grape.
0H0W do vou dn Mr. Radfarth ov ahe