The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-01-27

II Lady Brackncll's motives for Turing
Beauchamp away from her slster-in.law's
side were obscure 10 Lord Staines, they
did not TO reflective person appear quite
unfathomahle When only one life inter-
yenes between your husband and large
property IL must, no doubt, seem deplor-
able that that life should be supplemented
by others, and can well believe that to
see Beauohamp married would have gone
to Hilda's heart, even though he should
select as his wife member Of her hus-
bands family 1t Is true that she can
hardly have hoped TO keep him perma.
ncntly single, but she may have takenln to
consideration that existence Is precarious,
and that young men addicted to field
sports run frequent risks Of breaking their
necks. Add TO this she did not love Lord
Staines, while she detested Lady Mildred
with the intensity Of an impositor who
has been found out, and you have an ex-
PLANTATION of her conduct which Is ut least
plausible. don't say that IL is the. true
explanation, because cannot pretend to
DO able to follow all the tortuous work
ings OF such mind as Hilda's; but that
the course which events subsequently
took was premeditated and contrived by
her In cold blood seems 10 me too violent
an hypothesis. In any case there could
DO no question as to the fact that she had
marked Beauchamp down as her prey, nor
did she fail to capture him.
He surrendered Internationally at the
first blow, and spent the remainder Of the
London season upon his knees, metaphor
ically speaking. used to meet him and
his enchantress pretty frequently ut balls
and crushes, and always watched them
with interest, Other people watched
them too, making such spiteful, ironieal,
or condemnatory comments upon the pro-
ceedings Of the pair as were prompted by
their several dispositions and by ths nature
Of the case; but by the persons who have
been introduced into this history 1t SO
chanced that they were little remarked
Lady Mildred, who was In constant at
tendance upon her father, went very sell
dom into society; Bracknen had Of late
years ceased to frequent the circles which,
M bachelor, he had so conspicuously
adorned; and those OF Jim's friends who
had not forgotten him during his long alb
sence belonged for the most part to his
own sex, and were not In the habit Of CIV
ing balls. Thus Lady Bracknell was able
TO carry out her designs unmolested; and
as Beauchamp continued to pay visits to
Portman square with unfailing regulari-
ty, any anxiety that Lord Staines may
have felt on the day Of the cricket match
was probably soon allayed.
Summing, to be sure, very nearly let the
cat out Of the bag one afternoon when
Jim and called at his grandfather's
house We found him and the old gem
tleman with tea table between them,
husily engaged In eating hot buttered
toast. Lady Mildred was pouring out the
tea and Beauchamp, reclining In an arm
chair, looked very much MS II he was Won
dering how soon he might venture to go
away.
II do not think II Is very dangerous
Lady Mildred was saying as we entered;
and after she had shaken hands with US
she appealed for support to Jim. INF.
Leigh, do you think 1t Is safe for such
mite as Summing to ride in the Row with
nobody but o groom to look after himf
And he always makes the groom ride .
hundred yards behind
From what have seen Of the eques-
trim performances In the Row, ] don't
think 1t is IN over and above safe place