The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-16
CHAPTER XVII.

SUI kAASCut hCA ACAiOW bCA dllAS NoA1y "hp'
Immediately after post time Miss Lyndei
announced that she and DR.. Lynden wer'
going up to town for some days. Mis-.
Phybbs, cognizant of the preparations that
were going on the day before. was quite pre-
pared for this, but what she was not pre-
pared for was that Nellie, 10 accordance
with her fathers instructions, should not
only pay up their wages but further "a quar-
ter in advance, and that. when the cabs De-
ing at the door, she ventured to ask her
mistress where letters were to be forwarded
70. Miss LINDEN should reply that such let
tiers as might come could wait, that their
plans were still Uniformed, and that she
would let her know where to forward them
as soon as they were settled.
At the station they separated, Miss
smerdon returning to Monmouthshire and
the doctor aud his daughter taking train
10 London.
Frances was really very much distressed
at parting with her friend she did not I'M
derstand il all, but she had vague idea that
something dreadful had happened and that
there vas more trouble in store for Nell
Lynden. or what description she could not
conjecture, but what could be the meaning
of this sudden and mysterious Journeys
Nell herself had said more than ouce that
she neither knew why or where they were
going, and then Miss Smerdon's thoughts
wandered, as they were rather given to do.
off to the Crimea. and she wondered after
all il it were possible that thas was their
destination. Could it be that the doctor,
moved by the trouble in his daughters face,
had suddenly determined to take her out to
the east, and see if they could discover
what had become of Hugh Fleming' DR..
Lynden, she knew, was an excellent linguist,
not only perfectly du cO1TGnt with the con-
tineut but also with singuarly compreheu-
sive knowledge of the Chersonese and adj
Joining countries. Had he been only more
sympathetic on the subject Of NelPS en-
Cagement, she would have felt certain that
that was a solution of the mystery, but he
had always shown himself so utterly indif-
fereut to it that, only Nell had assured her
to the contrary, she would have thought
him unaware that it existed. He hardly
ever mentioned Fleming's name, and then il
was in quite as casual a manner as that of
any other of the officers of the regiment he
had known during their stay in Manches-
ter.
No thought Frances, 1.-THE doctors very
wise and very clever, he's fond of Nell in
his way and he's very kind to me. But he's
as dear and selfish an old thing as ever | met
with, and it's my private conviction that he
not only wouldn't care, but he'd rather pre-
fer not to see Hugh Fleming again. He's
an active and energetic man enough, and if
be seems TO live lazy life at Manchester,
it's not from natural incidence, but don't
I,oJI Ga
Fleming, and If it is not that, wnat on earth
is itl The thing that seems to interest him
most. now that hostilities have virtually
ceased in the Crimea, is where they are to
commence again. How l wish knew what
they were all about there. If one could but
see what they were all doing"
And then Miss Smerdon became guilty
conscious that this general anxiety about
the doings of the Crimean army was q
rather garblei statement of her Desires and
that what Mel. Byng might be about, and
what had become of Hugh Fleming, would
have amply satisfied her curiosity.
My darling Nell" she murmured, 81 do
trust things will all come right in the end
for you; but 1t will be dreadful not to hear
from you-not even to know where you
are
The day after the doctors departure
Police-Constable Tarrant was informed,
wanted in the chief office.
Police Constable Tarrant prepared to obey
the summons with no little discomposure
His interviews with his superiors so far had
generally resulted in somewhat sharp
structures upon his conduct, and he felt du-
bious as TO whether COMMUNICATION was
likely to be bis lot upon this occasion.
However. in compliance with the order he
made his way Ehither, aud found the chef
alba and SarUt Evans ~ oo,
clave.
"Tarrant," said the chief, your instruc-
tons have been for some time past to
keep ar eye upon DR.. Lynden's house
Have you anything special to report con-
corning it,"
Nothing" replied Dick. i've mem
toned that TWO or three suspicious charac-
tiers had gone i'll at that very suspicious size
door during the last month"
YES" replied the chief; quite so. YOU
mentioned that and here he threw q sig
nificant glance at Sergt. Evans. by the
way, you weren't on the Ieat yesterdayg
mo, sir )" rejoined Dick
"That wouldn't matter much to Tarrant
sir" remarked Evans, with an amused
though wicked look in his ewes. He has
exceptional means of knowing all that goes
on IN that house. Never mind, my man Z"
he continued, as Dick looked apprehensivelv
at the chief and evidently waxed very IN
comfortable, Pm not going to betray con-
fidences; men of the world don't talk OF
these little affairs. The day before yester~
day you were on duty there; you neither
heard of nor noticed anything unusual 60
ing on in the familyT
NO" was the reply.
"That will do, Tarrant, j" said the sergeant
suavely, you can't do better than continue
to keep an eye upon DR.. Lynden's. and |
shouldn't wonder II we had to take you on
the detective staff before long" and there
was ring of irony in the concluding SEN
tence that penetrated even Dicks armor of
conceit.
Police-C Constable Tarrant felt an uncom-
Portable conviction that there was some
thing wrong somewhere, and as he started
for his beat, resolved to call at the house
and tell Polly be must see her. By the time
he had carried out his intention the doctor
had been gone four-and>twenty hours.
Miss Phybbs opened the door for him in
person, and started with no little dismay
upoD seeing who the visitor was. She knew
that It must come and she had made up her
mind TO break II. but she felt sure that Dick
would be very angry that ne had not been
informed of the doctors departure yester-
day. She was a plucky and q high
spirited young woman till it came to con-
fronting her cousin Dick, but when he
raiied at her she would merely hang her
head and make no reply. What she saw in
him--why she should bear tamely from him
what she would stand from no one else,
was inexplicable to all her friends; but it
can only be said il was So After all there
is nothing new in it. Clever and pretty
women, from time immemorial, for
reasons inscrutatle have allowed them
selves to be bullied by mean and Contempt