Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-02-17

quences," and then he looked up at her with laugh and said "Really, Mrs. Jock, l beg your pardon. How exceed ingly rude of mel
 But he was firm, all the same; neither friends nor nurse nor doctor made the smallest impression on his resolution. He had made up his mind to go down to the Fish Ponds to put everything right with the girl he loved, and all their ar gumcnts were simply as so many words uttered to the winds.
 Blackwood alone, who had gathered very fair idea of the position of af- fairs, encouraged him in his purpose. I'll telegr aph to the groom to meet us, sir" he said, suggcstively. "Ycs; and tell him to say nothing in the house about it." said Lumley, | promptly.
 Eventually Mrs. Jock agreed that Lumlcy and Blacllwood and the nurse l left in charge of the case should go down by the twelve o'clock train and that she and Jock would follow two hours later; and in due course, feeling | thoroughly shattered and with split ting headache, Lumlcy and his attend ants arrived at the station for the Fish | Ponds.
 To ease his masters mind Blackwell at once made inQuirics-and through him Lumlcy learned that Miss Nugcnt | had arrived in the early morning, that she had hired rough spring cart which was generally used for conveying lug garc and parcels about the country, and had reached the Fish Ponds looking very pale and weary. Lumley knew that cart, having used it on several oc- | b;D,cn1f and did not 1TD06ar. at it. He also gathered, however, that Miss Nugcnt was very busy packing her things, with the help of her maid, and that she had told the groom that she should want him to drive her down tn I'arl<cstown that eve" NT so as to be in time for the Antwerp boat.
 And it was wonderful how coolly Lumley took it, perhaps because his poor battered head was aching so badly.
 They drove up to the house by the back way and stopped at the side en- trance instead of going round to the front door. Miss Nugent is at lunch, sir," the parlor maid said in reply to his questions
 So Lumlcy walked, tottercd, ought more correctly to say, to the dining room and there distinguished himself by fainting dead away.
 II was afraid it would be too much for him." was BlacllwOods comment, while in his heart he thought that escape from Mrs Hope was wort! a little suf- fering and over-fatigue of body. No, don't get Hurried, Miss Nugent-a little brandy and water, not too weak. Yes, that's it. He'll be all right in a minute or two.'
 Lumley was lying on the sofa in the drawing-roOm when he came to himself again and We're was bending anxiously over him with all her heart in her eyes.
 Its all right-don't be frightrned,'' ,'' he was able to say.
 "Oh! but you oughtn't to have come, D she cried, responsibility. "Neither ought you," he retorted. weakly.
 But he was soon almost himself again, and that same afternoon, as he lay at her feet on the turf, they came to dis tinct and settled understanding. "I don't know how she could have told y7u that she was engaged to me-" he said, in astonishment, when 5 ,' had told him all.
 We're was silent for minute. 'Well do you know, now look back calmly, don't believe she did actually Say that l w udI SIlc llu Stty was ASSs "lSh 1OI ) to understand that l am engaged tC him. Of course that is not the same as positively declaring that she was en gagged to you"
 "There's not much differencc-the lie is just the same,' said Lumley, uncom promisingly. But, all the same, think it was excessively nasty of you to TUT away like that without giving me g chance of telling my story. Ithink you ought to be thoroughly ashamed O, yourself; and you know you're not, no a bit"
 "Wcn," said the girl, slipping close = down beside him. ''I arn and am not Don't you understand that if it had beer so. couldn't-couldn't have argued tht subject out with you or her or Mrs Jock. Indeed" raising her lovely eye to him, went on so long as I coul'
 without saying word, until I though
 you were on the road to recovery, an' then, ell st once. felt e If hadn'