The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1894-12-27

on your engagement. / hope |
really makes you happy, Glenn
though, by Jove, you scarcely lool
it"
"Oh, 1 am happy enough. Luck
lest dog in Christendom, you know
but l am afraid this engagement IL
scarcely a subject Of congratulatior
to you. always fancied you were
a little hard hit in that quarter your.
self"
"Not a bit of It, my dear fellow.
Lady Gertrude is charming and fas
cinating, and as your wife l hope
shall be on very good terms with
her. But l have no thoughts about
matrimony" l must make my for
tune first"
Clement tried to laugh, but looked
uneasy. He knew full we'll that this
was not true, and that Vaughan was
disappointed, both about the lady
and the heirship.
If he had spoken from his heart
he would have hidden him take
them both and let him he free, free
from the dread he vas already feel
Jig lest his secret marriage should
become public property. 1t would,
however, he thought, be almost as
difficult to own it now as to let thugs
take their course. SO he remained
silent and allowed event to drift
though he looked so overcome by
anxiety that even Lady Gertrude did
not fail to notice it, and people still
wondered what the mystery of his
life could be.
But how could he be otherwise,
when he did not know even now
whether Lisheth would allow the
marriage to go on, or, even worse
still, whether after it was perpe-
trated, she might not annul it.
Clement had done all he could to
have the date of his nuptials fixed
much later, but Sir Louis insisted on
January the 10th, and Sir Louis
would not be contradicted.
This was the first time Pierce
Vaughan had seer his cousin since
the evening of the engagement, and
he was particularly struck by his
changed appearance, for changed
Clement Dunraven was, and no one
knew it better than himself, when
ever he looked in the glass. The
burrows on his face had d%eepened,
the hair on his temples had grown
quite grey.
Any woman less in love than Lady
Gertrude would have sifted the
matter to its foundation, but Lady
Gertrude vas cognizant only of
Clements Projections, and SO glori-
ously happy at the idea of being his
wife, that she saw no trouble ahead.
When one or twice Elvira Delane
had suggested that there might be
something wrong, she had silenced
her 30 angrily that her friend dare
venture on no farther remarks.
The two men walked a few steps
towards the house, in a silence
which was broken at last by Pierce
Vaughan saying, 81 called at the
Glendinning's cottage as l came
through Coleshill. l was astonished
to find that the old man was dead, J
and the young oma had fitted"
The color deepened on Clements
foce, though he made a vigorous
effort to remain impassive and to
speak as usual.
eyes. Josh Glendinning has been
dead some weeks, and | believe the
girl has gone to London"
"Do you know her address2"
"I-no-why should | know her
address? What do you want it for?"
Clement turned on his cousin much
as though he were a tiger at bay.
"Well, you need not get angry,
old man. / used to think once that
you were a bit sweet on Lisbeth
Glendinning, and that therefore you
might know where she had gomez"
"Sweet on Lisbeth Glendinning;
you don't know what you are talking
about, Pierce-if you ever dare to
say that again I'll ran your words
down your throat. Because you are
a blackguard and have secret affairs
and suspicious meetings with girls
yourself, you think every fellow does
the same"
Pierce Vaughan smiled. He was
so delighted at having surprised the
usually genial Clement into a temper,
that he slurred over the imputation
on his own social character.
"Of course, my dear Glenn" he
said, speaking blandly, ~ do not
mean for a moment to i~nsinuate that
now you are going to be married you
will allow your fancy to rest on a
girl like Lisbeth Glendinning, hand
some and v%irtuous although we
know her to be. All the more reason
why you can give me her address in
London. You might do so, since l
am in no way hampered by an en-
gagement to a Lady Gertrude"
A fierce oath was Clements
answer to this request, followed by
the unequivocal assertion that he
knew naught of Lisbeth's address.