The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-25

4 but it seems TO me as though this were
really important" Mary scanned the
letter again. Yes, 1 win 90 to-day
CyIal Will want TO come, too, of course,
/ bat I must not let him. Lady Lillian will
1 be furious II ne does not look after her
( guests: besides, the future is ours now,
50 we must not be greedy
The news of the Sebastian financial
smash coupled with the fact that the
{ head and chief instigator of the series Of
( fraudulent speculations had abscODded,
. carrying with him all the available CAPT
/ tai he could lay his hands upon, fell upon
/ the world Of finance and society like
/ thuuderbolt.
I To say Lady Lillian was Mortified would
I be but a mild term. Her incredUlity
/ passed after awhile into indignation and
/ the most acute personal dlsappOlu lment.
/ Then the Indignation became armed with
{ cunning and cold, cautious strategy ana
/ war determined and iueXOrable, hlled her
I IN every hber Of her being.
"He win marry her as sure as a gun
unless l do something TO prevent him,
/ she said 10 herself, desperately. The
[ girls attitude only makes him keener, of
/ course, and if he can find out where she
/ is hiding it is all up with him"
Cyril Duustans aunt could never be too
| thankful that the engagement had not
| been publicly announced. She knew well
| the sort of light she had before her with
| Cyril, but the position would have been a
hundredfold more difficult ana disagree
able if the world had been enlighten on
the subject Of the love story that had.
| by The irony of fate, only come to
crisis on the very eve of the Sebastian
| failure
There were innumerable inquiries
about Mary Sebastian. Curiosity, apart
| from any other feelings, prompted some
| interest in the fate of one who, from be-
ing a star Of such magnitude. had now
sunk into absolute oblivion. Lazy Lillian
could satisfy no one. Mary had disap-
| peared as completely as though she had
been swept into the silence and secrecy
of death itself. From that morning when
she left GLADSTONE for London in answer
| to the lawyers summons, no sign no
| trace Of her was to be found. Cyril
Dunstan searched for his love like man
demented. He left no stone unturned. A
| letter had reached him through the law
| yers, bidding him farewell foreyer-a let
ter written in an anguish that not even
the cold, formal words could shut out.
Through the same source Cyril had re-
piled, saying nothing in the
wide world would make him &C
cept her decision as final, and
| praying her, by all the beauty and inten-
| sity Of their love, to let him see her, if
I
answer came. The solicitors gave Cyril
! all the information in their power They
| spoke of Mary's nobility, of the eagerness
| with which she had given up every far
| thing she could claim to 90 toward the
| help of those her fathers crime had
| brought 10 the verge of ruin; but Of the
| girls private movements they would not
| speak. "She is not absolutely destitute.
| She has found work" That was all that
! Cyril could extract from them. He grew
| very thin and haEgard in those days of
| sorrow. Lady Lillian left him severely
| alone. She was in town now, driving
| about wrapped in furs with a pretty girl
| as her constant companion.
Sir William Donnithorne is ordered to
| the south for the entire winter, and he
has lent me his little Enid fora long, long
while. Is it not good of him} l am so
! glad to have her. The child is so sweet, -
| she said to all her friends. To some more
| intimate ones she added: "As a matter
of fact, the girl is not quite happy with
her father. Sir William always was n
difficult man, and since he has been so ill
he has been very much worse One must
| be sorry for him, of course, poor man
| Still, it seems such a pity he cannot go
| out of the world in a good temper. Cyril
must marry Enid" she said to herself /;
| che must-he shall!n
| The prospect of Sir Williams departure
! from this world, however, only made
| Lady Lillian the more angry with Cyril
! when she found, as she soon did, that he
was not disposed to fall in with her new
| plan for him. OF what use all her schemes,
| all her sacrlhces-the perpetual ennui of
! association with u silly, brainless girl
| the risk of influenza by the abandonment
! of her usual trip to the Riyiera-of what
! use praying for Sir Williams early de-
| mise, while Cyril remained so improve
fr9 Flgrlrr hi la
! defeated after all. Lady Lillian knew of
| Mary's farewell letter; she knew of her
| nephew's reply. She set her teeth one
! day. 'Strong diseases need strong rene
dies" she said to herself, and, announcing
| bad headache, she shut herself up in
! her room and was extremely busy with
! pen, ink and paper for several hours.
When she emerged from her seclusion
her headache was gone, she looked radi-
| ant. That night she took Miss Donni-
! thOrne to theater, and, stepping the
| carriage en- route, she actually alighted
to post two letters with her own hand.
One of these was addressed to Cyril
! DunStan, and was in the writing that be-
longed TO Mary Sebastian; the other, in
Lady Lilian's own characters, was ad-
dressed to firm of lawyers in Lincoln S
Inn, and contained an inclosure, which
she requested the firm to be good enough
to forward 10 Miss Sebastian
Just about the beginning of the new
year Cyril Dunstan accepted an invita-
tion to dinner with his aunt. He was
much changed on this occasion from
what he had been during the past few
months. Lady Lillian watched him mar
rowly. After dinner she found herself
alone with him for a moment.
You look very excited, Cyril Has
anything pleasant happened} Have
you'-she hurried a little over these
words-"HaVe you heard anything OF
Mary}"
Cyril Dunstan laughed half bitterly
half reckiessly.
yes, | have heard from Mary at last
She wrote to me TWO days ago. She-she
is going to be married, ana writes to give
me the news. She learnt to forget more
quickly than l did, you see, Aunt Lii, g
the young man said, pausinG abruptly
You must promise me one thing. Never
mention Mary's name to me again. lit
hurts-toO much"
Lady Lillian pressed his hand tenderly
Dear Cyril, - she said softly, You can
trust me" and she spoke the truth foi
once.
When the season was well started Lady
Lillian announced with much delight The
news Of her nephew S engagement to Miss
Dounithorne
They viii be married directly" she
COnfded to every bDdv SIT is IN atloyo 1,I.