The Democratic advocate., 1892-07-30

her husbands birthday gift. And now a
week never went by without at least one din
ner party or dance at the lodge; and as
natural consequence of such profuse hospi-
tality, when Mr.. and Mrs. Redmayne were
not entertaining friends themselves few
evenings passed on which they omitted
to return the compliment by visiting else
were.
! CHAPTER II.
When Philip Redmayne's married life
was about a year and half, |, who had
scarcely known what it was to have days
illness, was suddenly laid by the heels.
As soon as / was well enough TO travel,
was ordered off to one of the German spas,
and told that | must on no account think OF
business for at least six months to come.
My sister, Charlotte-like me, too sensi-
Bile to marry-who had nursed me through
my illness, accompanied me abroad. Phil
and his wife came to the station to see us
off, Mimi had hardly let day pass dur
ing my illness without calling to inquire
how was; but that dragon of Charlotte,
who had taken an unaccountable dislike to
her, would never allow her to come near
me, although, as Phil told me afterwards,
Mimi had implored her more than once,
with tears in her eyes, to be allowed to re-
lieye her for an hour or two now and then
at my beadside. That day as she took
leave of me and held up her mouth to be
kissed it was plain that her April blue eyes
were not SO bright as they usually we're
and there was little break in her voice as
she wished me goodbye, and laid her COM
mands on me to get well and come back
home as speedily as possible. 1t comforted
me somewhat to think that should not
live to come back the name of Mimi Red
mayne had not been forgotten in my will
although not for the world would have
had Charlotte made aware of the fact.
1t was not till seven months later that
permission was given me to set my face
homeward, during the whole of which time,
although 1 had had plenty of business com
municated from my partner, no personal
news of any kind referring to the circle of
Tidsthorpe friends had reached me. When,
therefore, | was told, within ten minutes
Of my arrival at home, that Philip Red
mayne had disappeared three days before,
and that all sorts of rumors were rife in
the town, some of them limiting at foul
play, while others hardly yelled the insinu-
alton that he had gone away of his own
accord, because he found the place, too hot
for him to stay in any longer, | felt-to
use common expression-as if | hardly
knew whether was standing ON my head
or my heels. The first thing l resolved
upon doing was to go up to NeedwOOd
Lodge and ferret out the facts of the case
for myself.
Mimi burst into tears and flung herself
into my arms the moment l entered the
room, soothed her and calmed her as
best | could, but some time passed before
/ was able to elicit from her connected her
account of what had really happened.
Itappeared that on the previous Saturday
morning her husband had left home at the
usual hour for going to business. After
calling at his Office and looking over his
letters, he had arranged to walk out as far
as the Haredale limekilns, which, as al
ready mentioned, he had bought some
three or four years before. Latterly he
had been working the kilns at a considera-
bic loss, and on that very morning he had
arranged to meet his foreman there, pay
off the s'hands" and have the fires raked
out
1t seemed to him preferable to let the
kiln stand idle awhile rather than go on,
being money out of pocket week after week.
After finishing his business at the kilns he