The record-union., 1892-06-11

swer?'' she asked the steward. who handed
her the packet.
NO, ma'am; no one" the steward re-
piled.
''Oh; thought perhaps there was a
messenger from the Governor
! She put the missive in her pocket and
took it out again. Read it and reread it.
Fondly read over and over the magic
words, ION Her Majesty's Service"
Biushed, laughed, almost cried for joy.
1t is just this way wherever | CO." she
| said TO Mrs. Titus, as she put the invita-
ton in her hands. II don't know why it
! is, but all the nice people seem TO take a
fancy to me. But what in the world am
/ | TO do? 1t would be very rude to decline
| the invitation, after Lady Clare has been
SO very kind; and if L accept it shall lose
the ship.''
There might be another ship going up
TO Martinique IN a few days. Mrs. Titus
replied. II there should be, you could
come along in that. 1t would be too bad
10 lose such a chance"
So thought Mrs. Timbury, and she in
stantly made inquiries and learned that a
French steamer would leave Barbados
Tor Martinique the next day or the day
/ following. This settled the question for
better or for worse, and Mrs. Timbury
! decided TO accept the invitation. Through
her establishments the first officer was
easily induced TO lower another boat and
ten minutes later ttor it was now past t
o'clock, after fearful adieuS with the
Iituses, big and little, and with a hastily
packed satchel at her feet, Mrs. TimDury
set out for the shore. The tide by this
time had turned, and her boat landed
much further down the harbor than the
point where the Captains boat lay.
1t is worthy of remark, en- Peasant,
that had the tide not turned at precisely
the proper hour, and had Mrs. Iimbury
tl,,,I
| her letters would not now, in all human
probability, be addressed to Lady Nc
Currie,
There is not the least danger of any
white person landing upon the dock at
BarbadoeS without attracting sufficient
attention.; and Mrs. Timbury was in
stantly surrounded by mob of drivers of
decayed coaches and hangers-on after six
pences, each of whom gave her the best
advice possible under the circumstances.
The gleam of sense still left tlickering in
her bosom induced her 20 go first to the
Bridgetown Hotel and secure accommo-
dations; and there she had barely time to
give finishing touch to the toilet that
was already made, and TO spend a minute
in smiling admiration before the cracked
mirror.
When Captain Long and Mr.. Quick re-
turned to the Amazon, after fully two
hours spent on shore, the young man had
it on the end of his tongue several times
to tell the Captain of the handsome little
plot of which Mrs. Timbury was to be
the Victim; but when he considered how
much time had elapsed and reflected that
1t was barely possible that the lady might
have gone ashore and trouble ensue, he
wisely held his peace. The absence of
Mrs. Iimbury from the deck gave him
some anxiety; but when, the ship again
under way, her seat was vacant at dinner.
Da Nf1ir Il
| pense by asking in his bluff way:
where's my friend, Mrs. Timbury p"
! Then Il all came out; how Mrs. Tim
! bury had received an invitation to dine
at Government House; how she had gone
ashore in haste and how she would fol-
! low to Martinique two days later to re-
! join the Titus party at st. Pierre.
| Thankful then was Mr.. Quick that he
had not revealed his harmless joke TO the
! Captain. He said nothing, OF course; but
/ reelected to such an extent that he
| scarcely knew whether he had roast tur-
| key or salt fish for his Christmas dinner.
| There would be a scene at Government
! House; of that he had no doubt The
| forgery would be discovered. Mrs. Tim
! bury would follow up the ship with blood
! in her eye, and horrors y she might catch
| 1t. Was 1t forgery, he wondered, to write
| fraudulent dinner invitation And was
there any special penalty for using one of
! those official envelopes for private bust
| ness? The paper might give a clew and
the stationer describe him; the boatman
could easily be found, and he would
| identify him. Mrs. Timbury, he felt
sure, would not rest until she discovered
| the guilty person. There was no safety
| for him till the ship passed st. kits and
was again upon the broad Atlantic.
! Mrs. Timbury drove out to Govern
ment House in the finest coach the hotel
/ could supply, 1t wanted ten minutes to
5 when she entered the gates-the proper
! time precisely. Her card was sent to
| Lady Clare, and two minutes later she
and that lady were in each others arms.
g am so glad TO see you again." was
Lady Clare's greeting, land | must take
| you right up stairs to lay aside your bon
net, for land it's so Fortunately you are eX-
actly in time to eat Christmas dinner
with us instead of on the ship. We dine
at 5, and we must not keep the gentle
men waiting-just two or three official
| friends of Sir Herberts; Sir John Nc
Currie and Lord Edward Paget and the
| Hon. Mr.. Harrington. You and | will
| be the only ladies, for we are not suf-
| ticiently settled yet to attempt a State
! dinner"
In the plenitude of her innocence Mrs.
| Timbury had stumbled upon pleasant
| pastures. Mr.. Quick was mistaken in
his opinion of the reception she would
meet in Government House. People
who spend half their lives in studying
and practicing the customs of polite soci-
| ETY. are not apt to treat visitor rudely,
and even if Mrs. Timbury had not been
welcome guest she would not have been
permitted to know it. MIR. Quick, how
ever, we must henceforth regard as a fail
urea dismal, irreparable failure. He
had sent his enemy to eat Christmas
dinner in the Barbados Government
House, with a lord across the table and a
Chief Justice by her side. He had