The evening times., 1898-03-18
Parker, Bridget & Co.,
Ciothiers, 3I5 9TH st.

would like very much to take you to
| India"
! "When?" inquired the young lady,
with somewhat startling deiiniteness,
Not" he replied, It'll, say, October.
/ India in the middle OF the season you
would not enjoy bit. But really fear
! (unless We DO get married) the trip is
/ Impossible All the same, i should Iove
TO explain the Tai to you, and Shah
Aims mosque at Ahmedabad-oh, and
! the Golden Gates at San Francisco; 1t
/ is tiresome that l cannot take you
! there without marrying you.
| You could take mamma as We'll and
! Aunt Adeliza, perhaps" -~a
That would be different. n superior
! plan for those to whom il commends
itself. but personally l should not like
( il SO much"
| Miss Greatorex laughed. Mr.. Mark
ham left his sequestered seat and took
one beside her on the little sofa. sae-.
Were you thinking" asked the lady,
that you would like 20 take my hand?'
Il have thought that before. l was
thinking Of taking it. Now, if we were
married" he continued after an inter-
val, this would be my business. 1t
would be expected CT me as ii is OF a
! hen to lay eggs, or the Prince of Wales
TO lay foundation stones.
ana lnen IL WOuI1 cease piSdSt-
1T would then become detestable.
And often lately l have pictured my
self as riding home in the deepening
dusk OF a winters afternoon from
hunting, either with you by my side or
to find you waiting for me at home.
When l think of it | nearly take a
hanson and come here TO lay myself
at your feet
why don't you?" .-r
For the reasons detailed above. /
picture being refused and the subse-
quent discomfort and inconvenience. 1t
would entail an entire change of my
plans for the rest Of the season"
But if you were not refused?'
Mr.. Markham started.
"Oh. that struck me as an alterna-
tive. but | did not find il less alarming.
If l were accepted we should probably
get married; and how dull for US both
it would subsequently be! What L
should really like would be for you TO
come and stay just in our present ca
pacaity at Markham, say, for a year.
You would walk with me, row with me,
fish with me, hunt with me; l would
read to you my favorite bits Of my ia
vorite authors, and you should retaliate
with yours. ! can imagine nothing so
delightful l have already had you to
stay at Markham; but then Lady
Greatorex and Sir Marmaduke came,
too, and my sister came down to do
hostess. We were never alone except
now and then for a quarter of an hour
after an hour OF mutual endeavoring."
Thank you" interjected, with some
asperity. the lady.
What should like would be to have
you thus for time all to myself You
would find me much nicer than you i'm
TO- ma aa
the Yankees say, than you would
think"
You are not, in fact, such fool as
you look"
(Mr. Markham took no notice what
ever of this frivolous interruptionD
Well" added the lady, ION one con-
dition / will come. Do not look fright
ened: l don't mean TO insist on prior
engagement You need not promise TO
marry me- But / will come for a whole
year to Markham if-if l may bring
Lord Mendip with me-"
Lord Mendip," Mr.. Markham re-
leased what he had been holding and
laid it back in the young lady's lap
with something Of the air wherewith
one puts down again upon the counter
an article that one has been lingering
in a salesroom when one discovers il Is
marked Sold" He resumed his posi-
ton on the hearthrug. but without
again accommodating his back to the
mantelpiece. 1T was" he remarked
presently, very nice of you to inform
me of your engagement in that way.
Yon can do things. when you try, very
gracefully. A more awkward woman
might have told me fatty half an hour
ago
Il was going to tell you just now. But
you begged me to wait, as you wished
to finish your delightful conversation.
l concluded that you thought you were
shining. After all you do not affect to
ignore your reputation as a converse
tionalist."'
II am sure" he said, after the brief
est possible pause. you will be eX-
tremely happy. That is certainly my
wish-that you may be as happy as
you deserve Lord Mendip's happiness,
of course, goes without saying. II is
interesting to think that he was my
grandfather's fag at Eton."
He lold me it was your great-grand-
father"
"Ah, / think he was mistaken. Ny
died quite two years
before Lord Mendip was born, and he
was not at Eton. Where there is any
of years
Between Lord Mendip and myself
there is some disparity.
quite So But ii is on the right side
take 1t Lord Mendip is not more than
eighty"
Scarcely so much" declared the
young lady, with admirable temper
He is but seventy-four.'
"And he is a peer. 1t is better than
could have offered you"
"As to that, when your uncle dies you
will be a duke"
My uncle does not contemplate any |
public event so little as his own de- !
cease. And he is year younger than |
Lord Mendip; he will doubtless marry |
again."
Yes, I thought of that; took that |
into my consideration" the young lady |
asserted. staring full up into Mr.. Mark |
hams face, with an expression he |
rather failed to understand. There was |
unusual also about her |
voice.
There was slight sound behind her |
Here" remarked the young man, |
looking over her head to the suddenly |
opened door, comes Lord Mendip him. |
self to receive my congratulations in |
person"
Miss Greatorex leaped to her feet.
"Don'ti For heavens sake, DON'T" |
she cried, in a smothered voice. 'It was |
a lie. / did it to see If / could shake |
you at ALL"
Lord Mendip ambled forward with a |
keen old look in his faded eyes and a |
much cooked" expression about his |
half dead old ears.
Congratulations. Ell? Who am I to |
/ think I heard some |
hing about congratulations in person"
Yes. Lord Mendip. 1 want yours"
Mr.. Markham sighed heavily. IT have /