Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-07-09
(COntinued.l

Why should l go? Why should
trouble myself? She has poisoned my
life for years-why should | seer her
now?"
She is your wife," said Frances.
He laughed bitterly. Such wife as
she has been! Cold, unloving, sus-
picious of me and mine-not disloyal
in the worst sense, but disloyal as far
as faith in me was concerned. She has
alienated me from my friends, taken
my son from me, caused me to go into
exile, robbed me Of all my joy in life
do you think it is natural for me to
hasten to her side when she conde-
sends to ask me?"
He spoke so fiercely that she recoiled
Il thought you loved her" she said, in
a low voice, but with courage that
amazed herself.
you are right, did love her once"
And she is ill-Very i'll. You could
not refuse to go to her when she sends
for you at such time"
q have had messages before and
found nothing really amiss."
Messages from Lancelot?" she asked
quickly.
NO" almost reluctantly. Not from
Lancelot-from old Josef, her servant.
He was very fond of sending for me
once"
Before Lancelot went there? 1t is |
a different thing, Lancelot's sending, |
is it not?"
Z suppose So" he said heavily.
Yes, a different thing"
And you must go?"
He sighed and stood looking at her.
But the anger had died out of his
face.
Il don't know Why | said all this
to you" he said, at last, you are too
young to hear OF troubles like mine. |!
do not often speak OF them
You said once that | was your
friend" said Lady Frances, tremulous-
~. You could not make a better use
Of your friend than by letting her share
some of your troubles, could you?"
1t IS very kind Of you to say so"
vou tell me to go?"
Surely she said, with a flash OF
her great eyes, You do not need tell
4g?"
Col Vanbrugh took the snub very
quietly. Perhaps he felt that he de-
served it."
"Good-by, Lady Frances. l will
catch the next train"
You are not angry with me for
what | said? Oh, please don't be
ang,y. | was impcrtinent to speak in
that way"
Indeed, you were not he said,
warmly. You are perfectly right and
was wrong. 1t was but momentary
impulse to rebel. My place is with my
wife when she is weak and i'll and
sends for me-
Frances looked up into his dark face
with something of usefulness.
And if she has injured you-you
will forgive?" she whispered.
Her hand had been given to him in
token Of farewell He held it still
and laid his left hand across it, as he
replied
4 will forgive"
Then he left her and went toward
the house
Little Lady Frances, as her friends
still called her, stood quite still for
a few minutes and then went up to an
old gray sun-dial and spent some time
in apparently examining it. But when
she left is the face of the dial was
marked by a wet spot that had not
been there before.
Col. Vanbrugh accepted Lady Ste
yenages offer of dog-cart to the sta
ton and also sent at once a telegram
to his son: Il am coming" For
Lancelot this intimation would be suf-
ticient; he hoped that it would be suf-
fcient for his wife.
1t would not be true to say that he
had ceased to love her. The old love
was there, but it ached like an old
wound. He had been very patient and
Venetia had tried his patience sorely.
He had gone through 4 long succession .
of varying forms of pain, his pride his
temper, his paternal love, had all been
wounded again and again by Venetia's
refusal to trust him, her determined :
belief that his motives were all evil. !
1t had sometimes seemed to him as if
another power had been at work upon
her mind; as if Ill her thoughts of
him were poisoned by some other sug-
geStions; as if some one perpetuaIIy !
poured evil thoughts of him into her
ear. But he had never been able to
make up his mind as to whether that
other person existed or who it might
possibly be.
He had some reason to think little
of limitations Of illness. In former
times Josef had summoned him again
and again. perhaps in order to give the
husband and wife a chance of recon
cilliation, and the illness had generally
proved very slight indisposition in
deed. which had caused Roger Van
brugh to resent these alarming mes
sages. But a telegram from Lance?
Well, that was perhaps a different
thing.
He reached the house and rang the
bell with a grimness of countenance
which did not promise we'll for pre-
lenses of any kind. He expected that
Josef would as usual open the door
and he meant to ask him a searching
question or two before he entered.
But to his surprise a woman looking
like a nurse admitted him ard he was