Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-03-06
CHAPTER KILL
LADY RAYMoND's srAwBERRY TEA.
Cecil told his mother that she had

LADY RAIMOND'S STAWBERRY TEA
Cecil told his mother that she hat
managed very bldly.
Poor boy, he really had some cause
for complaint, for, as he did not fa | t.
point out. in spite of the defec; ion o
Lady Dawlish, Bellenden could still
have handed in mis- sister Ethel, while
the deserted MIR. LIE Masserer would
have been equally, if not still better
pleased to have had the pretty
heiress.
He did not add that in this case be
would have been satisfied on his owr
account, laying all the stress on his
friends having been separated fro L
his sister; but Lady RavL ond under
stood him perfectly, nevertheless.
The poor woman had not word Il
say for herself.
the better arrangement had one min.
about it; but how could she, or how
could anyone have been expe, ted te
take in all the bearings OF the case in
the buzz OF q full drawing-rOom, with
the dinner imminent, and a husband
signalling the one thing oil Importance
to which all besides must give way?
She had not en, Dyed her own dinner
that she knew; and whether the turbo.
were fresh or stale, or the whitehall
i'll or we'll done, she had not cared ar
atom. She had only eyes for two
things, Cecil's unhappy, and Ethel's
discontented faces; and neither of then
ought to have cast q stone at her, she
was 30 truly penitent.
Now, Cecil would not have minded
one half as much had it not been for q
certain increase of spirits on Bellen
den's part, visible after the meal.
Bellenden, usually somewhat grave
and distrait of late. had on the recent
occasion been almost merry after the
ladies had gone upstairs, and had shOne
forth as one of the takers and enter
tainers of the room. Lord Raymond
had told his wife afterwards that Sil
Frederick Bellenden had been a great
success; Mr.. LIE Masserer had expressed
his pleasure at meeting him; they mus,
have him again. Where had he dis
appeared to when the gentlemen came
up, to the drawing-room?
He had disappeared, certainly, and
oh, he had gone to the foreign re
ception, had he? With Cecil?
No; Cecil had gone with the Camp.
bells s-Eellendeu by himself?
But I ady 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 another cause
beside that OF the disarranged dinner.
table, namely, to what had transpired
during the small hours that followed
Bellenden had appeared at the en-
mother and cousin had taken up posi-
flOn Tho hnod ~ Tho pron6 ctoi
case.
They had seen him coming; and h.
had felt flash of conviction that by
one at least OF the party he had been
expected. Geraldine had expressed
no surprise, and on his own suggestion
OF an ad ournment to one of the rooms
"a suggestion which experience had
taught him to believe would be accept
able under the circumstances she had
Obst.n ,tely held her ground. 1t was
too hot to go inside, she had alleged,
and the crowd was too great. and she
was sure granny did better where she
was.
Geraldire's eyes meanwhile. had
been following Bellenden slowly maxi
ing his way up the staircase. as thong b
of his tardy pro yr.ss, yet
her grandmother OF his proximity.
He had come straight to them di-
.ectly it had been possible.
Still there has been nothing definite,
nothing tangible, nothing that rival
could take hold OF. Mrs. CAMPBELL
had received Sir Frederick courteous
ly, but still with something of the
stately dignity lately assumed in his
presence, and Geraldine had merely
honOred him with a casual remark or
two, such as might have been maje to
any one. There had been no chatter
ing, no flirting. no picking ~ OF
threads dlOpped at the dinner-table.
He would have told himself he was a
fool for his uneasiness, had it not been
for what took place presently.