Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-01-01


shrewdness did the rest. She was the
beautiful Miss Crawshay, and nobody
ever tried to remember that her father
had enjoyed and deserved a reputation
for such i'll conduct as had made his
friends pension him off on condition
that he rever set foot in his native
country.
Lola was not long idle, moreover, in
making her plans. She meant to marry.
She had heard nothing of the man who
had forced her to marry him, and she
believed him dead. If he was still liv-
ing, it was almost impossible for him
to find her, she thought. Anyway she
would take the risk.
The homage which the men all round
the neighborhood were eager to pay her
wherever she went soon convinced her
that she could marry almost whom she
pleased, and, as she had long convinced
herself that she had no love to give and
no reason to fear any yielding to a
weakness Of the kind, she carried very
cool head indeed behind her very glow
ing and fire raising beauty.
Her final decision as to the man she
would marry came as much by accident
as design on her part.
Among her distant connections was
bright, shrewd, gossip!ng little woman,
Mrs. Do Witt, whose married life was
in Lola's views a curiosity. The hus-
band and wife had no tastes in common,
except that they were both intensely
fond of the comforts which money can
give. They went nowhere together. If
they met in public, it was generally ac-
cidental, and if they staid at the same
place it was owing to quite independ-
ent causes. Each had separate circle
of friends, male and female, for uncon-
ventional purposes, though both moved
in the same social set for conventional
purposes.
The "little woman" as most Of her
friends called her, heard of Lola's beau
ty and went down to Mosscombe, the
village near Walcote where Mrs. Will
yers lived, to see for herself what the
girl was like and to judge whether she
could do herself any credit and serve
her own purpose by taking her up and
bringing her out in London. She was
more than satisfied by her scrutiny,
and as Lola was careful to show some
what different side of her character to
her from that known to Mrs. Villyers
though not at all more natural-Mrs.
De Witt carried her off there and then
to London, protesting that such a girl
must not be shut up in a country box,
but must seek her fortune and her hus-
band in London.
At that juncture, however, Lola
proved her clever shrewdness. After
staying with Mrs De Witt for a few
days she relinquished what was in fact
inexpressibly delightful to her the pleas
ures of the London season, in order to
return to Mosscombe and Mrs. Villyers.
BY that one act she secured forever the
affections of the widow, who would
after that 60 anywhere to please her,
while she did not leave London until
Mrs. De Witt had seen how much use
the girl could be in making the house
attractive to men.
She paid several visits to the lively
little woman's house, and it was in one
of these that she met Sir Jaffray Wal
cote for the first time. He had been
abroad on tour half round the world
hunting and shooting at the time of Lo-
las arrival in England, and she had
thus only heard Of him by repute. She
knew, moreover, that he was to marry
his cousin, a distant relation Of her
own, Beryl Leycester, whose people
lived near Walcote.
Mrs. De Witt had spoken much about
him, describing him always as one Of
her chief intimates and suggesting more
in her manner than in her words that
there was an understanding between
them of the closest and most confiden-
tial kind.
The moment that the baronet's eyes
fell on Lola, however, he seemed to
yield to the influence which she exer-
cised over men, and he never had either
strength or inclination to attempt to
resist it.
Perceiving this and knowil'-. ;ntui-
lively that any encouragement Oh her
part would tend to estrange Mrs. De
Witt from her and being quite unwill-
ing to have so agreeable house closed
against her, Lola held herself in the
strongest reserve against him and when
other things failed made all excuse ant
returned to Mosscombe
The baronet soon followed her, how
ever, and, going to Walcote manor,
much to the delight of his mother, who
quite misunderstood the reason of his
return, began to stalk Lola with az
much persevering patience as he had
been wont to show with some rare
game.
At that time she was OH very friend
ly terms with Beryl Lcycester, and her
quick woman's wit had shown her how
strongly Beryl, who hid her feelings be-
hind mask of reserve, loved the man
whom, by the common desire of both
their families, she was to marry. Nor
at the time had Lola the least intention
or desire to come between them.
How that design was first formed she
never quite clearly knew. The baronet's
persistency was one great cause, while
her determination had bee" greatly
helped by an incident in wa:ch his
mother, who had never liked her, had
slighted her and insulted the memory
of her father and stirred the fires of that
temper which she knew so well how to
control. But when once the purpose
was formed nothing could stay it, aud