Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-12-17
CHAPTER VII.
An EVIL Counsel.

An Evil Counsel.
Sir Andrew and Lady Gwenap came
home from their brief honeymoon two
or three days before Sholto found him
self able to tear himself away from his
self-imposed task of comforting his
aunt.
Two or three causes combined to
make the bridegroom and his BRIDE
unanimous on the point OF making the
honeymoon as brief as poss BILE. IN the
first place, the season was well on, tn =
drawing-rooms were over, in fact, and
Lady Gwenap was determined MOI to
waste amy more precious hours, but to
grasp every bit of such as remained Of
the seasons pleasures. She longed to
set up her throne in he handsome
house in which she would have such
free scope for carrying out her design
OF becoming queen Of fashion and
one OF the ''smartest" of socie.ys en-
tertainers, to see and be seen. She
was impatient to hold out a helping
hand to her brother and guide him
safely out of the middle-class ranks
to find that Sir Andrew bored her con
siderably now that sac had him all to
herself, unmixed and unrelieved by the
presence of Others or by any form OF
social excitement. She did not care
for mountain scenery, or for the old
for blue, unclouded skies. She wantel
to be in the whirl wherein she would
be marked and spoken about. she
wanted to see her name in dozen
papers and read descriptions of her
own dresses and jewelry every week.
hand, and to have the handsomest an 4
highest ponies that money
could buy. She wanted to entertain
royalty, and to make her old Edin-
burgh friends sick with envy with her
vaunts of how kind their royal high
nesses were to her. And as Sir An
drew wanted to get back to the
house, and to be within easy reach of
several branches of his colossal busi-
ness, the happy pair We're perfectly
agreed as to the desirability Of a
speedy return, so home they came.
Sholto had told Patrice the number
of the house in Hyde Park Gate in
which Lady Gwenap was to set up her
court, ard Patrice often found herself
passing and looking up at its flower
laden balconies and wondering how
lone it would be before she would be
standing there with Sholto, being
treated as a sister by the mistress OF
the house. There was sump,uous
summer air about the house already.
Gayly striped red and white awnings
shaded the windows and balcony and
gorgeous dollhouse flowers blazed on
the latter, intermingled with waving
ferns and stately palms. The atmo-
sphere was warmly fragrant for some
distance round the house and the blue
velvet Dreeched footmen who stood and
aired themselves at the door OF an
evening looked down on all passing
pedestrians with a supercilious air
that made sensitive and shy people
stumble and trip. Patrice was not shy
and her sensitiyeness was not Of the
order that shrinks and squirms under
the gaze Of superclious footmen. 1t
amused her rather to picture how diff
ferently they would regard her when
she should walk in with Sholto.
She came home one evening from q
long walk through the gardens past the
palace and out into old Kensington,
with May Thorburn for her compan-
ion. She had not heard from Shoito
for nearly a week, but she would not
allow this tact TO depress her. lie hal
often hold her that he was mot fond
of letter writing" and she was begin
ming to comprehend that what Sholto
was not fond Of doing he rarely did
voluntarily. II was with all the
greater Joy. therefore, that she heard
from Mary when the latter opened the
door that Mr.. Graham has been here. "
eIs he gore? Wouldn't he waltz
He's coming back to dinner, OF
course?" she questioned, eagerly.
May, you must stay and dine with as,
and Jet me introduce Sholto."
Il can't leave my mother for the
whole evening. but" May had got
thus far when Mary broke In, depre-
catingly it seemed. with the words:
'Mr. Graham couldn't wait, miss,
and he can't come back this evening.
He told me to say he only got back this
afternoon and he has 10 dine out to-
night"
Dining out the first might he hes
come back. You mus be mistaken,
Mary" Pafrice said, trying to steady
her tones and To keer her flushed face
turned away from May Thorburn's
perceptive eyes.
mo, Miss Patrice, I am not mis-
taken: he told me to lell you he would
j look in tomorrow.