The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1895-02-16
G,lAiTIR NH,

titAt MIL.
LADY RAYMOND'S STRAWBERRY TEA.
Cecil told his mother that she had
II auagej very badly.
/ 90, boy. he really had some cause
for complaint, for, IL he did not iail TO
point out. in spite OF the defec ion OF
Lady Dawii5h, Bellenden could still
have handed in MS sister Ethel, while
the deserted Mr.. lie Mao5erer would
have been equally. if not still better
pleased to have had the pretty
heire-s.
He did not add that in this case he
would have been satisfied on his own
account. laying al the stress on his
friend having been separated fro
his sister: but Lady Raw ond under
stood hlm perfectly, nevertheless.
The poor woman had not Il word 10
say Tor herself.
OF course, She too coulj have seen
the better arrangement, had one min
ute's time been given her to think
about it, but how could she. or how
could anyone have been rXpe. ted TO
take in all the bearings OF the case in
the buzz OF Il full draWing-roOm. with
the dinner imminent, AMI q husband
signalling the one thing ol Importance,
TO which al besides must give way:
She had not en- Dyed her own dinner,
that be knew: and whether the turbOt
were fresh or stale, or the whitehall
jill or well done. She had not cared an
atom. She had only eyes for two
Things, tetiIs unha by. and Ethcl'S
Disseminated faces and neither Of them
ou2ht TO have east Il stone at her. she
was 50 truly Dcuitent.
Now, Cecil would not have minded
one half aa much had it not been for Il
certain increase Of spirits on Bellen-
den'5 part, visible after the meal.
!5tllunJCn usually somewhat grave
and distract of late. had on the recent
occasion been almost merry after the
ladies had gone upstairs. and had shonc
forth as one OF the takers and enter
taincfo OF the room. Lord Raymond
had told his wife afterwards that Sir
Frederick BeIIenden had been a great
success. Mr.Lc MaSScrcr had expressed
his pleasure at meeting him: they must
have him again. Where HAD he dis
appeared to when the gentlemen came
up 10 the drawing-roOm?
He had disappeared, certainly. and
oh, he had gone to the foreign re
ccution, had he: With Cecil:
NO: Cecil had gone with the Camp
bells ! cllendcu 10y himself?
IS Lady Raymond did not know and
Cecil did not tell her, that the further
shadow on the young mans brow after
that evening was due to auOthc" cause
beside that OF the diearramgcd dinner
table. namely to what had transpircd
during the small hours that followed.
Hellcnden had appeared at the en-
ba-sy soon after he and his grand
mother and cousin had taken up posi-
h., hood Of h. Z
case.
They had seen him coming: and he
had felt lash of conviction that by
one al leas, of the party he had been
expected. Geraldine had expressed
40 surprise, and on his own suggestion
OF an ad OmnmCnt to one of the rooms
4 suggestion which experience had
taught him to believe would be accept
able under the circumstances She had
Obstin tely held her ground. 1t was
too hot to 90 inside. she had alleged.
and the crowd was too great, and she
was sure granny did better where she
was
Geraldine's eyes. meanwhile. had
been following BeIlcnden slowly MAX
ing his way up the staircase. as though
impatient OF his tardy progress, yet
she had not spoken his name, nor told
her q andmOther of his proximity.
He had come straight to them di-
rcCtly ii had been IOssiblc
Still there has been nothing definite.
nothing tangible. nothing that a rival
could take hold Of. Mrs Camp ell
had received Sir Ere icri-k courteous
", bat still with something Of the
stately dignity lately assumed in his
presence. and Geraldine had merely
hOuOred him with a casual remark or
two. such as might have been male to
any one. There had been no chatter
mo, 10 flirting, no picking ~ Of
threads dropped at the diuner-table.
He would have told himself he was a
fool for his uneasiness, had it not been
for what took place presently.
BeHendcn had been with them for
about a quarter of an hour. quietly as
sumlng his pIa. e as one Of the party in
manner he had never done before.
when some acquaintance Of the Ray
mOnds had claimed Cecils attention.
and had for some minutes completely
diverted it from his cousin. He had
had 10 tell them how he came to be
there. and how his people were not
mere. what they were about, where
they were 10 be met. and where they
We're not 10 be met He had had to
put some questions on his own account.
The newcomers We're great folks whom
he did not often chance to mcet-pcO-
pie who seldom frequented fashionable
resorts. but who would I e noted wher-
ever seen: the sort Of acquaintance.
IN short, that young Raymond APP
proved OF, and with whom he would
not for the world have cut short an in
teryiew.
For full five minutes he had been
thus completely engT0s~ed. and when
he had looked around At the cXpiry OF
that peribdf neither BellcuGcn nor his
cousin had been anywhere To be seen.
They have only gone to hear the
band. Mrs. Campbell had said placid
y. 4 told them that | should remain
here, and that yOu would take care Of
me.
How long the strains of the band had
been heard thereafter he could not
have told. 1t had seemed ages. and
must really nave been during a CON
siderable length of time. since directly
Geraldine had reappeared, il had been
time 10 90.
Geraldine had seemed hurried and
apologetic, and thee had been a good
deal said about the crowds, ana the
number OF rooms. and the difficulty of
making way through them: but all the
talking had been done 10y her.
BeIlenden had said nothing, but had
stood by with a sort OF a smile on his
face. which il had not cheered poor
Cecil's heart to see.
He had, indeed, let all the excuses
and explanations TO his fair com panioni