The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-01-03

The letter which the duchess dis
patched to her cousin was artfully art
less. the outcome Of much elaboration;
and Philip Ives, accumtomed as he was
to read between the lines of his cousins
epistles, did not dream, as he pushed
it into a drawer Of his writing table,
that he was an object of suspicion, or
that the writer's mind was budrened
with anything beyond her extreme graf
itude for his sEillful rescue of her son.
If she had any notion as to the true pO-
sition of affairs, he argued, she would
hardly have expatiated on so trivial a
subject as the merits of the new cue
which had just been made for her in
London. At the same time he was per
turbed; the letter, conveying as it did,
in urgent terms, an entreaty that he
would come down to Appleford. de-
manded an answer. He had already,
more than once, reproached himself on
the score of his silence as regards his
infatuatiOn Qt amounted to that for
Miss Faunthorpe, and he felt that to
write to the duchess without abiding
10 IL would be a piece OF cowardice, a
reticence touched strongly with the
faint of duplicity.
The longer he pOndered the situation
over his solitary breakfast table, the
less 1t pleased him; but he decided at
last that he might as well be hanged
for a sheep as for a lamb, and that be-
fore writing the inevitable reply he
would offer himself i'm due form 10
Miss Faunthorpe, so that, when he
wrote. his cousin might understand that
his apostasy was a thing irrevocable
and complete. He felt little doubt as
to what Miss Faunthorpe's answer
would be- though he had seen enough
of her TO realize dimly that she was
not an ordinary woman, that she was
capricious, a charming enigma, fantas-
tic bewildering; he could not accuse
himself Of presumption in concluding
that he had unchangingly encouraged
the passion which he had taken no
pains to disguise. The signs, he as
sured himself as his cab drew up at
the door Of the now familiar ivy-clad
house in Hamstead, were almost I'M
countable, and not one of them ad-
verse.
1t was early in the afternoon Che had
chosen the hour with intention) but he
was not fortunate enough to find Miss
FaunthOrpe alone. Her other visitor
Ives recognized him as Mr.. Nettleton,
the aggressively amiable and opulent
nonentity whom he had encountered
there before-did not hasten his de-
parture, or spare his stock of facetious
stories, and II was only when Ives had
begun to despair of accomplishing his
object that this interloper $50 Ives had
ended by regarding HIM glanced at his
corpulent gold watch, and presently
took his leave. Ives resumed his chair
with sigh expressive Of unqualified
relief.
AT lastr' he said softly. glancing at
Miss FaunthOrpe, whose eyes, when his
encountered them, seemed troubled,
lacking their wonted charm of frank
ness.
AT lastw she echoed lightly. bending
over vase of flowers. I'm afraid you
don't appreciate Mr.. Nettleton; I'm very
sorry, for"
I've no doubt he's an excellent man
in his place"
Poor Mr.. Nettletonp' exclaimed the
other with a curious smile. did you
regard him as de trop?'
'Ah, precisely. When / have been
longing all the time 20 tell you that
you have never looked so charming
that i adore your
She raised her eyebrows smiling
family, adjusting a featherly golden
brown chrysanthemum in the bosom of
her dress. Thanks; but ought you to
say 1t? Aren't you afraid that the
duchess will hear your"
THAT is my affair." ne said with the
shadow Of frown. "All l care for,