Middletown transcript., 1895-03-23

were placed beside the driver, wht
drove from one side, and Jucelyn him
self prepared TO step upon the other
The sleepy footmaD, however, who hat
accompanied him with half shut eye;
down the steps, looked over hi.
shoulder, and another figure emerged
from the hall door-a girlish figure, lI
a rough tweed frock, evidently put or
in haste, for her coat collar was unfast.
ened, her hat awry, and her gloves in
her hand. Moreover the youthful
travellers face was very pale, and hel
eyes were very red. AT sight of Joce
lyn she stopped still with a start. and
he also stood motioDless with cOnstern.
tion.
The young lady, however, made an
effort to recover herself. "My carriagei
my maid?" She looked to the SER
wants, ignoring Jocelyn.
"The maid goes with luggage
MISS"
Meantime Major Jocelyn stood by,
gnawing his TEstache.
But he had no time to think out the
situation.
One mile-two miles-three miles
passed and not word nas spoken.
The little Car whirled on faster and
faster. Donald appeared to be some-
what reckless driver. They swayed
from side to side, and more than once
they narrowly escaped taking a post
ior the end of a bridge wall by the
way. Major Jocelyn would have
called out sharply TO the lad to be more
careful, but Major Jocelyn Was deter
mined not to open his mouth.
He looked uneasily round, however,
more than once, aud knitted his brow
under his close cap. "He'll have us
over" he was saying to himself. He
had hardly said this, with any serious
thought of its being the actual truth !,
when there came tremendous lurch,
the Car appeared to spring up into the
air on one side, and the next moment
its Occupants-or at all events two of
them-were shot out, and landed in
the midst of dark, wet peat moss,
where for a moment both lay quite
sill.
'Lilias 20
"Sigismund !"
''Oh, Lilias, my darling, you are
not killed. Thank heaven for that |!
But are You hurt? Open your eyes
aud see who it is. 1t is I-Sigismund-
oh, say are you-are you hurt ?"
'.I-I don't think [ am hurt, thank
you Sigismund," family. ''Oh, Sigis-
mund-do tell me-are you hurt ? Oh,
do say! You are not h-h-urt, Sig
Sigismund ?"
"My poor Lilias - both his arms
round her by this time.
Lilias, subbing vehemently, "Oh-
oh-oh-ob Si-Si-Sig-Sigismund."
Sigismund, in her ear; won't you
at least tell me what it was, Lily p''
"Oh, 1 don't think l can, Sigis-
mund."
Sigismand, however, is sure she can.
Sigismund is kneeling by her side on
the sopping moss, and has got her head
on his shoulder, and his face so near
hers that sometimes it is not quite
clear when they touch each other, and
now he is not going to trife with the
advantages of such situation. "You
must tell me-" he say firmly and he
reiterates this so often, and accom-
panies the demands by so much pres
sure of another sort that at last-well,
at last she does tell him.
She had overheard such a dreadful
thing at the ball-such a dreadful
thing. She heard some one say, "Isn't
it luck for Jocelyn to get a girl with
all that money!" Then another voice
replied that it certainly was luck, but
that Jocelyn was good fellow. "He
said you were good fellow" sobbed
poor Lilias. "He did say that, Sigis-
mund. Oh-oh-oh-oh! Sigismund,
l did-did think you l-l-loved me-"
Sigismund was silent.
At this moment the horse and car,
with Donald securely seated in his
place. appeared above, the brow of the
hill, Donald peering about anxionsly
for the whereabouts of his fellow suf-
ferers.
Hi! Here we arel" cried Jocelyn,
rather unnecessarily; then turning
again to the little girl, whose bare
hand lay fast in his own, he murmured
as the horse trotted up: ''We'll go
back to Castle Lachlan, Lily, and say
we had spill, and I'll put it right
with Sir LachlaD. No one else need
ever know anything bout this, and
we'll not cut our visit short, after all,
shall we, Lily?'
The blinds were still down all over
over the castle, and all appeared pre-
cisely as the travellers had left it an
hour before, when the little party re-
turned to tell the tale of their miskap.
Only Sir LachIaD, who was an early
bud by nature, by = ood hap had come
down, and was ON the low st step of
ef he porIico stairs. looking abroad,
to see wlai kind of day ii was going
to be.
Lilias flsw past him-She was "not
fit to be- looked at" Jocelyn fingered
TO give explanations, and to
add that more would be orlhcoming
He had changed his plans,
''All right" Sir Lachlan cut the
speaker short heartily. Glad to hear
it., can see it's all right. eh?,, Amil-