Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-11-18
CHAPTER VII.-(Continued.)

and through the llcldS to the hall. which
vas about Il mile and Il half from the
castle. He wanted to see Clarice in the
bosom of her family, to see whether her
surroundings were too terrible, the
father too sngsestivc of the original bar
row. He had seen very little of the Dane
brooks in his boyhood. I'hc passion for
Claricc was Il new craze Of her ladyship's.
The hall was everything which the cas-
tie was not. 1t had been built five and
twenty years before, in the midst of n
level cypanSc of meadow land, which
during that quarter Of 4 century had been
in process of education into Il park. But
as there had been very few old trees to
begin with. the park was still barren, a
waste of level turf with new plantations
dotted about ut intervals. \ fine carriage
drive went from the lodge gates to the
hall door, surely the most uninteresting
drive in the country.
Mrs. Danebrook had just come in from
her conservatorics, where she shipped off
the dead caves and damaged n few Of
the plants every morning under the delu-
sion that she was helping the head gar
dencr. She was n large, placid woman
with small. regular features, which must
have once been like those of Clarice. She
was very fair. with the lily-like fairness
Of her daughter. and she had faXcn hair,
which her daughter had carried out in a
richer and warmer tint Of golden brown.
The daughter seemed to Lashmar to be
4 refinement upon the mother, but he
told himself that as the mother was, the
daughter might be FIVE and twenty years
hence.
While Lashma- was %dawdling in the
morning room, turning over Il pile Of new
novels and discussing their contents with
Clarice, Mr.. Danebrook came in from his
model farm. fresh and breezy as the Dc
tober morning itself and bringing with
him that compound odor Of pigsty and
stable which hovcrs about the person of
amateur agricuiturists and in which they
apparently delight.
They went in to luncheon, and Lash
mar, who had rather despised Clarice for
her stay-at-home metropolitan habits, for
gave her when he compared her pure and
delicate beauty with the bronzed and
weathcr-bcaten countenance and rough
ened hair of the typical country-bred
damsel.
After luncheon Lasl,mar proposed that
Clarice should walk to the castle with
1919 "Atio'Sh = ADullSoiooh "ouil
hardly have seen the fitness of such a
proposition from n coInmoner, she was
willing to stretch the proprieties just Il
little for the sake of Il noble admirer and
to allow her daughter to stroll across the
fields unchaperoned. So Lashmar and
Clarice went across those rich Middle
shire pastures. as gaily as Phyllis and
Strephon, in the sweet half-consciousness
or Ia wpinv lnvn and x-or> rn,,trnl most
graciously by her ladyship.
Lashmar and Clarice went off to the
tennis ground and began a set without
delay. They played two sets and then
went wandering off towards the Italian
garden, which was at the other end Of the
castle, out of Lady Lashmar's ken. 1t
was upon the garden that the late Lore
Lashmus's rooms opened. Clarice loiter-
ed to look in at one of the windows of
the library.
"Oh, what Il noble room!'' she cried,
peering in at the spacious. apartment, with
white marble busts which cleaned in the
shadowy interior. The room seemed in
half darkness as seen from the bright
clear light OF the garden. "Do you NOW
that l have never seen the famous Lash
mar library" she said, looking back at
Lashmar. Il should like to see it,"
Then you SHALL" he answered cheer
ily.. Strange that her ladyship should
never rave taken you in to look at the
old Books Of Hours and such like valuable
rubbish. But the room has very sad as
sociatiOns for her, on account of my
brother. He almost spent his life in that
roOm."
Eyes. l know. How very good and
sweet he was-such a lovely. mournful
face. l only saw him two or three times,
but thought him SO nice. He spoke so
kindly, lie had such IL beautiful manner.
What became Of that pretty little dark
eyed girl he adopted? l saw her with him
one day; such an interesting little thing"
"Oh, she is still here, l believe. some
where in the housekeeper's quarters"
Lashmar answered carelessly.
They went in at the glass door, which
opened into the late Lord Lashmar's sit
ting-room. Nothing in this or any Of his
rooms had been altered since his death.
Her ladyship meant to have a general
turnout of everything and a complete re-
arrangement Of these rooms later on,
when the sharp, sad feeling Of recent
death should have worn away. She was
not altogether without feeling upon the
subject; though she had always wished
for Hubcrt's early death as the best possi-
bic arrangement Providence could make
for everybody, dear Hubert himself in
cluded.
Claricc looked at the room with a
mournful air. Suddenly in the midst OF
her contemplation of the room. she gave a
little start and touched Lashmar lightly
on the wrist. =
"What is that p she whispered.
THAT was a small fragile figure. a
little girl in a black frock, sitting at the
further end of the room, perched high
up on a library ladder, reading a Dig
volume which it a as much as ner
small hands and thin little arms could
do to hold in it's place, Rugged against
her STOPPING chest.
by Jove!' exclaimed Lashmar, 1T 10
the very child you were talking Of, poor
Hubert's protege," and he went to the
other end OF the room, followed BY Gar
ice. aud looked up with a half-amused ar