The times., 1894-09-07
swear" and in his eyes glittered some-
thing that looked like tears.


Next morning one of tho Englishmen
who had come on board at Corunna,
and who had been i'll ever since. ap-
peared on deck. AS it happened, the
first person he saw was Carew.
They greeted each other cordially,
and after the fashion of old friends.
This Englishman, by the way, was a
well known statesman, and very good
fellow besides.
In the smoking room that afteroonn
some one kindly put him on his guard
as to Carew and supplied the details.
II thought L would mention it, you
know" appended the man who had
spoken. Il saw you speaking to him
awhile ago."
"Thank you," was the dry answer.
i've known George Carew for good
many years. think have pretty
good idea of his idiosyncrasies, and 1
don't think annexing other peoples
property is one of them. By the way,
you may not have heard that he has
come into the title and is now Lord
Evandale. l though I'd mention it,
you know" he added with somewhat
grim smile.
In the silence that followed, the
speaker lit fresh cigar, rose and went
out.
blush to have to relate that during
the remainder of that day good many
of the Cobra's passengers became sud
denly imbued with the conviction of
Carew's-or rather Lord Evandale's-
innocence and evidenced as much. How
their overtures were received perhaps L
need not say.
Joyce Neville was little shy with
her lover when she knew But in the
course of q starlit walk on deck he
made that all right. She, it seemed,
had had the idea that he was rather
obscure and hard up than otherwise,
at which confession he was good
deal touched.
/ think it was on the evening before
the Cobra got into Southampton that
the head steward made a startling dis
covery. Mrs. Bouveries ring was
found in distant corner of the saloon,
where it had been effectually concealed
by an outstanding corner of the carpet.
Captain North publicly restored the
ring to its owner that night at dinner.
There was very uncomfortable silence
for few moments. Every one had an
awkward kind of feeling that some
sort of apology should be made to the
naughty looking young man who was
at present helping Miss Neville to clar-'
ct. And every one had an equally awk-
ward conviction that any apology OF
any explanation whatsoever would be-
worse than impossible.
The subject of their thoughts, how
ever, forestalled anything of the kind.
There was something rather fine in his
appearance just then, as he leaned back
in his chair and threw keen glance
first up and then down the table.
''As Mrs. Bouverie is now, hope,
satisfied that did not steal her ring"
he said in cold, clear voice that pen
etrated to every corner Of the long sa-
loon, "I will explain my reason for re-
fusing to turn out my pockets as the
rest of you did. possess a ring which
is the exact fac simile of that possessed
by Mrs. Bouverie, and as 1 had the
ring in my pocket on the evening in
question I naturally objected to its be-
ing mistaken for any other ones proper
ty. You are all at liberty to examine
it, if Miss Neville chooses. AS he
spoke, he turned and slipped the "dou-
ble'' of Mrs. Bouverie's ring on the
third finger of Joyce Neville's left
hand. The look which accompanied
the action spoke volumes.
There was pause of intense as
tonishment; then babel of excited
and wondering ordinations, in the
midst of which Lord Evandale rose and
went out on deck.
The rings were identical, with one
exception-in one the initials were N.
C.; in the other, G. N.
Mrs. Bouverie looked crushed and un-
happy, for of all things she dearly
loved lord. There was weeping and
gnashing Of teeth, too, in the cabin OF
the Lennoxes. Star.
A {