Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-09-11
FIb.RNSADD@N.
CHAPTER ix.-tContinued.

Seven years had gone by since Clarice
Danebrook had played tennis on the lawn
under Lady Lashmar's windows, ana
nothing had come Of her ladyships hopes
In that direction. Clarice and LORD i.asn'
mar had seen good deal Of each other III
the London season which followed those
quiet autumn days ut the castle. Ihey
had waltxed many n waltz. had met IN
many crush upon the staircases OF Bel
gravia and Mayfair. But Lord l'ashmnr
deemed that Il was too soon for MIN 10
avow himself. He was not quite sure.
He wanted time. And Clnrice was as
suredly too young to know her own mind.
He left Claricc lamenting. like Ariadne
at Naxos; and. like Ariadne, she found
CONSIDER.
She had been very fond Of Lord Lash.
mar In her mild. almost infantine way |
and she had set her heart upon being a |
peeress. And now she felt heartbroken.
disappointed, crushed. Her mother also
was disappointed and did not concea! her
feelings. She told Clarice that I'ord
Lashmnr had behaved shamcfuIIy, ana
that he was unworthy OF moments
thought. Notwithstanding which Clnrice
thought Of him during almost every mo.
ment Of the day and many wakefuI
hour Of the night; until the appearance OF
Q new odmircr Of still higher rank AFFORD.
Cd spurious kind Of consolation.
The new admirer was Lord Carminow,
q marouis, and one Of the most dissi'
pated young men In London or Paris;
young man who, q year before he met
Clarice, had the reputation Of being IN
dustriously engaged In drinking himself to
death, hut who was sud to have pulled
mn. M II were, on the brink Of the prcci'
nice and 10 be In fur way to reform.
His hand was still very shaky, and nc
was still Obliged to put cayenne pepper
IN his brandy; but he drank less brandy
and his hand was less tremulOus than II
had been last year.
After three weeks acquaintancesh he
proposed to Claricc Danebrook and was
accepted with a kind Of naughty care.
lessncss on the part Of the young Indy. as
II she took this coronct a. her due and dc.
spised the giver; with rapture on the part
Of the mother, but by the father with
considerable ind even outspoken rc'uc'
lance.
Claricc took her chance and enrolled
herself forever among the marchionesses
of England. She endured three and
half years Of most intolcrablc existence
before Lord Carminow finished that busi-
ness Of drinking himself to death. lie
was gone and Job Dnnebrook was gone
and Clarice. Marchioness Of Carminow,
was established Mt Dancbro0k Hall. inor.
dinately rich and as lovely as In her EARL.
est girlhOOd. And now In these days OF
her wIdowhood Clarice was again almost
A n daughter to Lady Lashmar, who had
much need Of solace and society In her
present depressed state Of health; need
also OF much attendance, wanting ~ bc
waited upon with exemplary patience. al.
together a hard and difficult mistress.
She had three slaves, who were always
IN attendance upon hcr-Barber, the pa.
tieut and homeiy maid OF thirty years
service; Cclestine, the expert Abigail,
with deft fingers and faultless taste In the
CONNECTION of q cap or the arrangement
Of a drnpcry, were II only the sweeping
folds Of an Indian shawl worn over M
inyalid's shoulders, and Stella Boldwood,
now nineteen years Of age, and promoted
within the last two years to the post OF
her la,lyship's reader and amanuenSis.
Not OF her own accord, but very re-
reluctantly, had Lady Lnshmar accepted
her step.sOn's protegc In this intimate
familiarity. The girl had been forced
upon her by circumstances and OfticiOus.
ness of her other dependents. The time
had come when she, who had been q
great reader, had begun to feel the fatigue
OF reading too much for her broken nerves
the time had come when chronic Ian.
guor made It an effort to her to hold a
book or follow the lines OF page. Shc
was only at to recline In her easy chair
and listen while some subdued voice read
aloud to her, and the accents Of that voice
must be those Of refinement.
30 Stella was told one morning that her
mission would be to act rs Lady Lash.
mars reader and amanuehsis until fur.
Their notice, and from that hour she was q
slave.
Her life had been easy enough OF late
years, easy even to pleasantness. The rule
Of the uncOmprOmising Middleham had
been made very light for her. when that
autOcratic parsonage found that she was
willing, Industrious and conscientious,
and that whatever she did was well done.
She had been able. by early rising, 10 get
her work done before the ono o'clock din.
ner; and then she had been allowed to do
what she liked with her afternoons, al
ways provided she reappeared at the five
o'clock tea, which OF late she had taken
with Mrs. Barber In the little room up.
stairs, II priceless privilege, since It spar
ed her the gossip and uncOngenial jOvial.
ity Of the still-rOom. Little by little the
girl had drifted, as It were. into life OF
her own, apart from those servants whose
existence the dOwager wished her to
share. She had been among them for a
little while, but she had never been one
Of them. As she grew into girlhOod the
difference between her and them became
more sharply defined. They felt that she
could never be like Themselves, and hel
presence became IN embarrassment
They were very glad that she preferred
solitude to their friendly company, and a
quiet cup OF tea In BARRIERS room to theI,
own noisy meal. She had always such
Old-fashioned ways, they said. Strange
that child should be such a blue-st0ck
ing. But. of course, that was all the late
Lord Lashmar's doing. He had brought
her up rs no child ever was brought ~
before. She had been dry'nursed upon
books.
CHAPTER X.
A the years rolled on Stella was al
most happy. The afternoon hours Of ev
cry day were spent with Gabriel Werner
He was old and feeble, and sometimes
prosy, bat he was mine Of Information