The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-01-10
CHAPTER Wan UNTowARD MEET
ING.

ING.
"You surely do not think that I am
going to sit in idleness with a bit of
white sewing on my lap, and look
out of the window. No, no, Mrs.
Ellis, you do not know me, If you
can believe it possible"
"Well, lass, you are right to work,
you are young and quite strong. But
what are you thinking of doing.
Shall you go to service? The BARN
will be a drawback, unless you con-
sem to leave her with me-"
"Nothing will induce me to be
parted from my child, his child" and
the hot colour rose into Lisbeth
Glend hning's face as she made this
assertion 30 positively, that the elder
woman, who had befriended her
since she left Coleshill, knew that it
was useless to contradict her.
Mrs. Ellis was a kind old lady, but
very poor. The moderate sum Lis
beth had paid during the short time
she had been with her had been a
perfect fortune to Mrs. Ellis, and she
by no mean smiled on the idea of
losing her lodger. If only she would
leave the child, of whom Mrs. Ellis
was very fond, she thought it would
be an advantage.
But Lisbeth was right when she
said they did not know her, who
thought it likely she would ever
allow herself to be parted willingly
from little Lisa.
Lisbeth had told Mrs. Ellis that
her husband was dead; the good
woman, though she scarcely be-
longed to the clever squadron, did
not, however, quite credit the tale,
but she never for a moment associ-
ated Clement Dunraven with the
evil fortunes that had come to Lis
beth, and that was all that mattered
10 Llspell III Htr LnOIOuSH ulStliloh
ness. Yet Mrs. Ellis was a Coleshill
woman, and had read out loud to
Lisbeth, from end to end, the news
paper that had been sent to her con-
tanning the account of the marriage
of Sir Louis Dunraven's nephew with
Lady Gertrude N~erschoyle.
1t was a terrible trial to Lisbeth
to hear so much of the gay doings in
connection with this marriage, which
was the misery of her life, but she
would not have saved herself one
single detail, even if she could have
done so without awakening Mrs.
Ellis suspicious.
Mrs. Ellis, who was an elderly
widow, lived in a small house which
she rented in a street out of the City
road, and she let it off in single
rooms to working people.
1t was the only place Lisbett
could think of when, after Josh
Glendinning's death, she considered
it necessary to leave C%oleshill, and
she did not altogether regret it.
Mrs. Ellis had been good and faith
full to her, in so much hat she kept
a promise made at the beginning,
and had o divulged the secret OF
Lisbeth's whereabouts to any of her
Coleshill acquaintances. But Lisbeth
felt that the time had come when
she must sever all connections with
this old inhabitant of Coleshill, if
she did not wish any portion of the
real truth to leak out,
1t had been very difficult to com =
municate the fact of Lisa's birth tC
Clement, and it had only been done
by writing to him at an address he
had given her in London, under the
name of Mrs. Ellis, and from thence
a trusty agent had forwarded the
letter to him unopened.
This they both considered a risky
proceeding, but nothing else suggest
ed itself, and they agreed that il
must never be repeated.
In order to have freer commune
cations with Clement and at the
same time to begin the earning
of an honest livelihood, Lisbeth
decided hat the moment had come
for her to leave Mrs. Ellis hospita
BILE shelter.
Clement had told her it vas un-
necessary for her to work, but Lis
beth came of a class of people who
had never been unaccustomed to hard
work, and to be idle would be tc
forego a better part of her existence
She would not refuse his help
however, and in the last of the oc'
casional letters she wrote him she
had asked him to let her have &
small sum of money 80 that she
might take a little business, and thu
make a respectable home for her
self and Lisa.
She had been twice to a stationer's
shop at the West-end, where for the
modest sum of n penny letter.
can be left till called for. But M
letter had as yet come from Clement
and Lisbeth was becoming anxious
Surely he was his own master nov
Sir Louis was dead. There could b,
no difficulty in giving her the fifty
pounds she wanted and which SHE
considered she had a right to-
,tuht far axoaad;nn that 80 tIn L.,