Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-20
CHAPTER XIII.
Is she not passing fair?

Is she not passing fairf
He is however. Barely half an hour ha
elapsed before she hears steps in the hal
outside, quick steps. strong and determined
not by any means the steps of an ole
man.
after all it is not he, saws she to her
self, and tired, worn out from waiting ant
thinking, the tears rise to her eyes Th'
feet of old age go slowly! These feet seen
to feel the world as an elastic ball. No
1t cannot be Mr.. Drayton. How mucf
longer must she sit here in durance vile,
hoping against hope?
At this moment the door is flung open by
mysterious hand, and a young man enterI
the room.
'T'm awfully sorry" begins he pleas
antlv, indiferently, and then stops dead
short. Rhoda's embarrassment as she rises
on his entrance, which is worthy OF com
ment, sinks into insignifcance beside his.
"To have kept you waiting" The COM
pletion of mis- sentence is halt, and lame
and blind. Especially blind! He sees nj
longer anything, except the pale, frightened
perfect face before him.
q" He pauses. Il beg your pardon
l was told that"
He breaks off again distractedly. Really
1t is an impossible situation. Who is thi:
lovely woman? And why has she come
here? MANY lovely ladies nowadays spend
their time going about soliciting aims fol
the poor, but this lovely lady had made nc
sign; she had not run through the usual
little learned sentence at a hundred words
the second. And besides--Peter had dis
tinctlv said she had come to engage with
him as housekeepeE Peters intellect must
be weakening.
"If l can be of anv service to you" be-
gins he. simply because the silence is grow
ing awful, not because he has anything to
saw
"You can," saws Rhoda family, very
family. To her horror she feels the tears
risinr to her ewes again, and knows that
only very little more will make her cry
outright
81 am glad of that" says he. He is still
frightfullv embarrassed. Peter can't be
right, buff Peter is right-how should he
dare to engage such lady as this as his
housekeeper? "How can 1 help you?'<
asks he.
s'You can tell me when 1 shall see Mr.
Drayton," returns she, quickly, with the
quickness of despair.
''Mr. Drayton?" says he. He moves back
from her.
There is a mistake somewhere" says
Rhoda- Both the disappointment Of not
seeing her future master and the meeting
with this embarrassed young man have
rendered her a very prey to her nerves.
The pallor that grows upon her face and
the touch of sad grief that accompanies 1t,
only add to the beauty that she already pos
sesses-a beauty that requires no addition.
There is q mistake, l am sure, SAYS she
hurriedly. IL want to see Mr. Dray-
tom"
There is a pause, during which the young
man has decidedly the worst of IT, All up
his Sace dark red color travels, and pres
emily his eyes fall. They leave hers, and
sink to the carpet at her feet Plainly, for
some unaccountable. unexplainable cause,
he is feeling ashamed of himself.
81 am Nj. Drayton"' says he at last, in q
tone full of abasement.
"Your saws she. fnvoluntarilv she
withdraws from him, and moves back step
or two.
The man her employer! This man the
old wornout explorer. Oh, auntie should
have known before she spoke! Why, now
that she looks at him afresh, he is the man
who crossed that green fed leading to the
park as she drove down the avenue.
1Ou-afe WI. lTds LOH-NOu. que
recollects herself all in a moment, and pulls
herself together by great effort. ''If you
are Mr. Dravton," SAYS she, 81 have come
here TODAY TOTO sav-that il, nervously,
''you think you would like me, [ should be
glad TO be-vour housekeeper!
"Ah" SAYS Mr.. Drayton. 1t is the bold
est Of returns, but just at that moment he
feels incapable of anything better. Well,
it would be hard not to like her! He re-
covers himself presently
'sTm sure its very kind of you," saws he,
stammering. ITS" an1iously, 'ft's toe
kind And, if you really mean it." with a
glance at her that requires an answer.
81 mean it, indeed, says she, sadly.
''WeI. if YOU DO, I'll be immensely OBJ
liged to you if you will try and manage
matters FOR me, but
"But?" Rhoda with terrible forebod-
ing that he means to decline her services,
raises her eyes to his.
'eYou think L shall not be able to per.
form the duties required of me?" asks she,
8 suspicion of agony in her soft voice.
"Oh, no." vehemently. Not at all.
Not at all! / am only afraid you will hate
the duties. There will be the looking after
the servants, you know" vaguely, "snd
the seeing after everything in fact, and
and all that sort of thing, you know" His
tone is painfully apologize.
sI think I can manage all that" saws
she in a low tone. She speaks to him now
as her EMPLOYER, not as the Young man
whom 10 her horror she had seen enter tine
room a few minutes ago. Her only thought
now is to find place-an honest place
where she can give good work for her wages
and be no burden on her friends.
ss,Yeu, if YOU can" says he, and then
ssIt's awfully good of you. shall be leav-
ing here tomorrow, and shan't be back till
the OH of August. IF you think -
..Think?" saws she, hesitating, and look
inc at him with all her heart IN her eyes
ssTs IL can II be true. that he is really 60
inr TO engage her? And without a word as
to references even!
ssYou will like to see this" says she,
holding out to him Lady Barker's letter to
LADY Carvslort, but he waves it aside.
s'If YOU think you will care to undertake
tbe-the duties here" says he in rather
Ehan,eiaced fashion. 'Tm sure shall be
greatly obliged to you.
You mean," says sne uses, as
though the speech has sslole TO
ber sYou really mo 4l u rs rill have
me then?" She b. f.. ,or.r- gh with
ont tears. and ae ..-1ggia h herself
goes on again f-- '-.t ''" as your
housekeeper?
'If you W. o7s E+ -Ei ne; and