The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-11-24

them day by day, and would it not be
here that he would bring her to
tell the secret which he thought she
must have guessed long ago. Rector
O'Malley would let him speak at last,
for the long waiting had borne its fruit
in recouping the Blake Golfers, while
Teddie knew that the Burroo Pass af-
fair, of which he himself thought and
spoke 80 modestly, was not likely to be
forgotten when his name came up at
the Horse Guards. A thousand times
he had gone over all this in imagina.
ton, lingering, meanwhile, the little
fiat locket that hung at his watch chain
land now-and now, he was creeping
back to Moyliscallan like a thief, hav-
ing given no word of warning either to
the rector or TO his agent at the castle
creeping home just to see Nellie's
face again once more and then to 90
away anywhere and die. He was still
weak and wan from the fever. Mrs.
Diamond had tried hard to persuade
him to remain a little time in London
for a consultation with a first-rate doc
tor, but the determination to see Nellie
at Moyliscallen once more was the only
desire that remained to him in life, and
till it was accomplished his shrewd lit
tie friend saw that there was no good
talking of anything else. So he bur-
ried over to Ireland and reached Thorn
astown the evening before. To-day he
had taken car over to the village Tin
the old days it was the shortest and
pleasantest four miles ever known
and, leaving the driver asleep in the
sun at the cross roads, had turned into
the wood that is a short cut TO the two
principal houses in the parish. He had
no very definite idea of the plan to pur-
sue. Now that he had reached his
journeys end, it seemed as if all power
had left him. Perhaps somewhere
among the trees, crossing from the cas-
tie grounds to the rectory side, he
should see Nellie passing by, and he
would slip down upon his knees among
the fern and look at her-George
Strangeway's wife-and-oh, this faint
nessl Merciful Godl is that Nellie2
"Teddie, is it really your"
Teddie was on the moss, stretched
fiat, save that Nellie's arm was under
his head; Nelie's little, bare, sun
burned hand unfastened his colar--he
could only look and smile. The green
Moyliscallan leaves were overhead,
dancing against the blue, Nelle's face
was very close, and he thought he must
be in heaven.
"How could you come like this and
take us by surprise, and you so i'll, Ted,
die" the girl went on responsibility;
''if hadn't been going across to the
castle this morning early and come on
you lying here in heap"
"Going across to the castle?" Teddie
found time to utter, his eyes on Mel
lies left hand. "Don't you live at the
castle now altogether"
"And what should l go and live at
the castle for, when I've good home
of my own, intruding on newly mar
ried people, as if l didn't know better?
Besides, Aunt Ellen isn't home from
her honeymoon yet, and Uncle George
what, are you able to sit upp Take
care or you'll"
She could not finish the sentence, for
Captain Blake was sitting up with a
vengeance, and to steady himself he
had got his arm around her waist.
$50 you never thought of Aunt FL
len?" said Nellie, by and by; swell,
you wouldn't have been an Irishman if
you hadn't made mistake somewhere
Only if you'd ever seen Uncle George l
don't think you'd have doubted me,
Teddie dear. Oh! they have been so
funny counting one another these five
yearsl and if l hadn't been so well
amused think l must have died, for
you kept me long time waiting with
out word"-Boston (EnglandD Guar
dian.