Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-17
CHAPTER XIV.

"GOne away! Gone away!' The mu-
steal cry SO dear to fox hunters ears
rang mockingly in Lesley's ears, but
with no answering rush forward, no
CHEEKY following, as at 5 o'clock in the
morning she stood in the middle Of the
room that had been prepared for her as
an unwelcome guest, and whence she
was now secretly departing, without
that good character which she had SO
earnestly promised to Lady Appuldur-
combe.
"Gone away" Slipped off! She COW
cred her face and thought of those
words of Ronny's that had SO angered
her when she rode with Yelvertop, per-
haps because they were true. for Lesley
bad a perfect genius for running away
and had been sent to school three times,
only to bob up serenely at Malincourt,
having begged or stolen the money to
pay her fare home, or, as on one Occa-
sion, walked the distance. And now
she was running away again, this time
because, though she could give Ronny
up, she could not trust herself to see
him again, and the worse he thought of
her the better it would be for Cynthia.
She had told her maid that she was
tired and on no account to be called I'M
til 10 o'clock-and the train left at
6 :50-plenty Of time to dress herself
and say goodby to Miss Coquette, and
she would be far on her journey before
the cuckoo in the nest would be missed
She would have liked to say goodby
to Yelverton and some of the men who
had been really good to her in these
brief three weeks-some of them had
asked her to marry them, but that came
and passed as matter of course, doing
no harm-and also to beg Lady Appul-
durcombe's forgiveness for all the trou-
BILE she had given her, but this was i'm
possible, though little note ON the ia
BILE explained boldly enough that Lesley
was homesick and had "gone home"
When she had put on cool. neat
travelling gown and hat she inclosed q
e5 note and addressed it to Charville,
put gold in good many envelopes with
the servants names outside, then taking
up the little bag, which somehow she
always associated now with Ronny,
softly opened the door and listened in
tently, fearing lest some housemaid
might thus early be stirring.
But Lady Appuldurcombe's house.
hold slept late, and the girl met no one,
as pausing one moment outside Ronny's
door, while her lips moved in little
loving pitiful farewell and blessing in
one to him, she stole softly down the
| stairway, and knowing the ways of the
front door soon unlatched it and passed
out.
1t was on just such morning that
she and Ronny had made their expedi-
ton together to Covent Garden, and
she stopped to look up at the drawn
blinds Of the house, wondering if she
would ever see it or Ronny again.
And then for a moment her heart
failed her, and looking across the tree
tops in the direction of Grosvenor place
her youth cried out passionately and in
| sistently against the sacrifice she was
making, and in that moment, when
her heart cleaved to the house that hid
Ronny from her eyes, and she could
barely force her leaden steps away, she
knew that she left behind in his keep
ing that which no other man had ever
"SAAs AL" AZ" 81 pNotcH yct al AAuuitSly
richer Lesley was she who now depart
ed, than the girl, proud and ashamed,
who had SO unwillingly crossed his
mothers threshold as guest.
A sleepy stable bog unfastened the
stable door. and Miss Coquette, broad
awake and fresh as paint, looked over
her shoulder as Lesley came in and
whinnied with delight at sight Of her.
For once the girl had no sugar in her
hand, but Miss Coquette did not seem
to mind, but rather to understand. a.
Lesley took on her hat, and leaning her
head against that satin neck let the
tears stream like rain down her face. It
was because Coq7ette understood that
those tears came, and when she nuxzled
her head delicately into Lssley's shout
der it was Is real bit Of comfort rs II
J she had spoken loving vcrd. making.