The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-05
SHREWSBURY
By STANLEY j. wEYMAN.
? ospy-toAtsd 1897 sv ssa.isv ). wsymS~-
CHAPTER xxx.-coNrnvuEp.

did not remember that she, supposing i had
informed, and ignorant of the scene which had
bound me TO the Duke Of Shrewsbury, would
zee nothing surprising In my presence In his
house, and more deeply wounded than l can
now believe possible by her domeanor, 1 bent
ever her.
Don't you know mef' I whispered. Mary
She shivered, but retained the same attitude,
hcr eyes on tho floor.
Can 1 do anything for youi" I persisted;
but this tine / spoke moro coldly; her silence
began to annoy me.
She looked UP then with a wan smile, and
with lips so dry that thoy scarcely performed
their office, spoke. you can let me escape"
she said.
THAT is impossible" I answered, promptly.
In nut an end TO such notions. And then, to
comfort her. Besides. what can they do to
your I said, confidently. Nothing. You are
not q man. and they do not burn women for
treason now. unless 1t 10 for coming. Cheer upi
They-"
.Thoy will send me to tho Compter. and whip
mo-" she muttered, shuddering so suddenly
and violently that the chair creaked under her.
And then, IF you can get away" she contin.
uod, moistcning her lips and speaking with her
oyos averted. well But IL not, you had bet
Ger leave me. You do me no good" sho added.
after q slight pause. and with . sob Of impa-
tience In her voice.
I knew that It was not unlikely that the house
OF correction would DO her fato, and that such
a fate, even to q decent woman-and che was a
rirl-might DO less tolerable than death. And I
felt something of the horror and burning appre-
hension that parched her mouth and strained
her eyes. Tho hall was growing dark around
MS, and tho throng of persons of all sorts that
nlled II, poisoning the air with their breathing
- A. 10. .-tNh thafr ,1pthAa nvnariapraH
an astonishing loathing of the confinement and
Tho place. saw this, the beginning of tho
dreary road which she had to travel, and. my
heart revolving with the pity Of It and tho future
Of It, I fell into a passion, and did a thing I very
seldom did. swore.
And then-heaven knows how I went on to q
thing 30 unwise and reckless and In every way
unlike mol Certainly 1t was not the mere OPP
portunity tempted me-though a chance moro
favorable, tho general attention being COM
pletely engrossed by the two noblemen, could
not have been conceived-yet It was certainly
not that, I say, for l did 1t on the impulse of tho
moment, in sheer blind terror, not looking to see
whether l were watched or not. Nor did it
arise from any further suggestion on the girls
part. In fact, all 1 remember of it is that, in
o paro1ysm Of pity. feeling rather than seeing
that tho people round us completely hid us, I
touched tho girls shoulder. and that she
looked up with q wild look in her eyes-and
that that determined me. So that without
more I unlocked the door In o trembling. fun.
bling sort of manner. and passed her through
It and followed her. no ono except Cassel, tho
prisoner who sat next her, being tho wiser.
Had I been prudent. or acted under anything
but the impulse of the moment, 1 should have
lot her go through, and, trusting to her voman's
wits to get her clear of the house, have remained
- p,-na1f oa 40 nNthtr~ hol harparal
and certainly this would have been the safer
way, since I could have sworn, when I was
challenged, that no one had passed through
the door. But I had not the nerve to think Of
this or remain, and I went with her.
The thing once done, my first thought, and the
natural, II foolish. impulse on which I acted
&as -. take her to my room; hers to follow
where I led. The passage beg ond the door was
dark. but taking no thought of slip or stumble,
In q moment I had her up tho small staircase
which led to the first floor. and through the
door at the head Of the flight into the long cor
ridor, which spacious. lofty. and comparatively
hght-in every way the strangest opposite to
the crowded hall below-ran from the we'll of
the great staircase into the depths of the house.
BY involving hor In this upper part nf the house,
whence escape was impossible, and where pro-
longed search must inevitably discover her, 1
was really doing q most foolish thing; but in
the event 1t mattered nothing, for as we reached
tho corridor and paused to cast q wary glance
down Its length this way and that-I for my part
shaking like an aspen, and l doubt not as white
"a q sheet-a single ~footstep rang on the marble
floor that edged the mating Of the passage, and
the next moment tho Duke himself. issuing
from q doorway no more than five PAGES away,
came plump upon US.
The surprise was 30 complete that We had no
time to move. and we stood as II turned to stone;
yet even then. II l had retained perfect pros
once Of mind and bethought me that he might
not know tho girl, and would probably deem
her one Of the household, q still-room maid, or q
steamstress, all might have been well. For
though he did In fact know the girl, having
questioned her not half an hour before. 1t was
on me that his eye alightcd, and his first words
were proof that he suspected nothing.
Are you betterf' he said, pausing with the
kindness and consideration that 80 well became
him-nay, that became no other man 80 well.
II am glad to see that you arc about. We shall
want you presently. What was itf'
And then, IL I had answered him at once, !
have no doubt that he would have passed on;
bpt my teeth chartered 30 pitiably that I could
only gApe at him.; and on that, seeing in a mo-
Z ment that something was wrong. he looked at
my companion and recognized her. I saw his
eyes open wide with astonishment, and his
mouth grow stern. Then. But w~hat-what,
sir, is thisf'' he cried. And what do you"
He said no moro, for as he reached that word
the door beside me opened gently. and a man
slid round 1t, looked, saw the Duke, and stood,
his mouth agape. q stifed oath on his lips. II
was Cassel, his hands shackled
AT this fresh appearance the Dukes astonIsh,
ment may DO imagined. and could scarcely be
exceeded. He stared at the door as II he ques
toned who still remained behind 1t. or who
might DO the next to issue from 1t. But then
seeing. I suppose. something whimsical and
bizarre in tina si~tuation-which there certainly
was, though at the time I was far from discern
ing it-and being a man who in all circum
stances retained a dignity. he smiled; and 70
covering himself before any ono of us, took q
tons. between the ETS aIsss and I'd ! iro o n "Mr; Cas-
The gentleman I saw a few minutes aeoi'
THE same" the conspirator answered, jaun
THY, but his anxious eyes rowing beside and be
hind the Duke belied l 10 tone.
Then, perhaps" my lord answered. taking
out his snufrDox and tapping II with a good
humored air, you will see. sir. that -FOUR pres
ence here needs some explanation. May / ash
how you came herof"
''The devil l. know, or care. your Grace!'