The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-13
CHAPTER XVII.
THE LAMP IS BLOWN OUT.

The door of Margaret Douglas cham
Der still stood open, and Sholto found
Earl William seated upon the foot of
the bed and endeavoring, by every
means in his power, to distract his
sisters attention from her fears. Maud
1Alndesay, now more completely
dressed than when he had first seen
her. sat on the other side of the little
lady's couch. She was laughing as he
entered at some merry jest of the earl.
Ana at the sound OF her tinkling mlrth
Sholto'S heart sank within HIM. AL
sight OF the new captain OF the guard
the gladness lett her face and she be-
came grave and sober ike a gossip I'M
confessed When the holy father comes
Knocking at the door.
AT sight OF her emotion Sholto re-
solved uhat if his fears should prove
TO be well founded, he would resign
his honorable Office. For to abide con-
tinuallY in the castle and hourly OBJ
serve Maud LindesayS love for another
was more than his philosophy could
abide.
In the meantime there was only his
duty to be done. So he saluted the earl
and in a few words told him that which
he had seen. But the soul of William
Douglas was utterly devoid of Suspic
ion, both because he held himself so
great that none could touch MN, and
also because being high OF Soul and.
open as the sky, he read into the acts
or others his own StraightforWardness
and unSuSpicion.
The earl rose Smilingly, declaring to
Margaret that tomorrow he would hang
every dog and puppy in Galloway on
the dule tree OF ThneVe, whereupon the
child began to plead Tor the life OF this
cur and that other OF her personal ac-
in 70
" hich told Of a sore, tangled mind.
Well, at least" cried Karl Douglas,
L viii not have such brutes browning
about my castle OF ThrieVe, even in my
sisters dreams. Captain Sholto do you
station a man OF your guard in the
angle of the staircase, where it looks
along each corridor. Pick out your pref
test crossbownen, for ii We're not
seemly that my guests should be dis
turbed by rude shous of the tusil.''
Sholto bowed stift1y and waited the
further pleasure OF his master. Then
the two young men went out without
Maud Lindsay having uttered word,
or manifested the least surprise at the
advancement which had petailen the
heir of the master armorer of ThrieVe.
As soon as the door had closed upon
the two maidens the earl turned a lace
suddenly grave ana earnest on his
young captain of the guard.
3 What think YOU, he said, was
this appearance real?''
Real enough to leave these upon the
floor" answered Sholto, pointing to
sundry gouts and drops Oh blood upon
the turret stair. The earl took the
lamp from his hand and earnestly
scrutinized each step in d downward
direction. The spots ran irregularly,
as if the wounded beast had shaken his
head from side to side as he ran. They
-
where, at the first alarm, Sholto had
found the earl, and in the very midst
of it abruptly stopped. As Sholto and
the earl examined the floor they both
looked over their shoulders occasion
ally, as if conscious of regard upon
them. as if some one unseen himself
Mad been looking ct them from behind.
i DO You place your men as / told
|Ou| said the earl, abruptly, and
Ibring me a truckle bed out of the
guardroom. / shall remain in this
closet till morning. But do you keep a
special lookout on the floor above that
the repose of my sister and her f~iead
be not disturbed"
Sholto bowed without speech and
FASTENED down to the guardroom, he
commanded two of his best bowmen to
follow him with their apparatus while
he himself snatched up the low truckle
couch, which custom assigned to the
captain of the guard, should he desire
to rest himself curing the night, and on
which Landless Jock had always passed
the majority of his hours of duty. This
he carried to the earl, and placing it
in the angle, he saw his youthful mas
ter stretch himself upon II, wrapped in
mis- cloak, and with a naked sword
ready in his hand
"A good and undisturbed slumber to
you, my lord said Sholto, as he went
out.
He saw that his two men were duly
posted upon the lower landing of the
stairs, and then betook himself to the