The Portland daily press., 1898-10-21
Chapter VI.
OUTSIDERS.

W \ 6LDGIeOs
MANY weeks went by. To Liane the
days wese long, weary, and monotonous,
for George had left, and the Court had
passed into the possession of Major STRAIT
field, a proud, pompous, red-facsd man,
VINO OFTEN rode through the village, but
spoke to nobody. Since her lover had
gone she had remained dull and apathetic,
taking scarcely any interest in anything,
and never riding her cycle because OF the
tragic memories its sight always aroused
within her. Der life was, indeed, grey
and eolourless, for she noticed that OF
late even her fathers manner had changed
strangely towards her. and instead OF De-
ing uniformly Courteous and sollcltous re-
earding her welfare, he now seemed TO
treat her with studied indifference, anu
she even thought she detected Within MIN
a kind of repulsion, as II her presence al
moved and distressed him.
He had never been the same towards
her since that memorable evening when
he had forbidden her to accept george
offer Yet her mind was full OF thoughts
of her absent lover, and she sent him by
post boxes of flowers from the garden.
that their sweet perfume should REMIND
him of her.
Another fact also caused her most III
fanse anxiety and apprehension. Inc
secret which she believed locked securely
within her own bosom was undoubtedly
in possession of some unknown person.
for having gone into the garden one
morning, q week after that night when
she had buried the small pox from nel
ieweI-case, she fancied that the grounQ
had boon freshly disturbed, and that some
one had searched the spot.
If so. her actions had been watched.
Thus she lived from day to day. filed
py q constant dread that gripped her heart
and paralysed her senses. She knew that
the most expert officers from Scotland
cover the identity of Nelly's assassin, and
was convinced that sooner or later the
terrible truth must be elected.
Twice each week George wrote to her.
and abe read and re-read his letters many
times, sending him in return all the gos-
sip of the old world village that he loved
SO we'll Thanks to the generosity OF the
Major. who had decided to give him o
small property bringing in some two hun
dred a year, he was not so badly on as
he had anticipated; nevertheless, were 1t
not for that, he must have been In serious
straits. for, according to his letters, work
at the Bar was absolutely unobta1nable,
and for q whole month he had been with
out a single brief. Old Mr.. Harrison
6OID6U1Vu6S &dtO nam oAINb $3.50 S~S ~-~> $500
he could pick up scarcely anything.
One evening in late autumn, when the
air was damp and chilly, the orchard COW
cred with leaves and the walnuts were
rattltng down upon the clubhouse roof,
with every gust of wind that blew across
she hills, the Captain received telegram,
and briefly observed that 1t was necessary
he should 90 to London on the morrow.
He threw the piece of pink paper into the
fire without saying who was the sender,
and next morning rose an hour earlier
and caught the train to Paddington,
whence he drove in a hanson to an ad-
dress in Cork Street, Picadilly.
A man-servant admitted him, and ne
was at once usbered upstairs to small,
Uell-furnished drawing-room which, how.
ever. still retained the odour of overnight
cigars. He had scarcely time to fling
himself into chair when door on the
opposite side of the room opened, and
Prince Zertho entered. weD-dressed, gay
and smiling, with carnation IN the lap
pei of his coat.
extending his white hand heartily. I'm
back again, you see.
, "Yes." answered the other, smiling
and grasping the profered hand. 1.-The
dignity of Prince appears to suit you,
Judging from your healthful look"
at does, BROKER; 1t does, he answered
lSuXQlnRs Ono thkoD AuOAo 4hCV@Oop IA
life when one has plentiful supply OF
the needful than when one has to depend
upon e ortune for dinner
"I wonder that no one haa yet spotted
you" BROKER observed, leaning back in
the silken armchair, stretching out his
feet upon the hearthrug and regarding the
Prince with a critical look from head to
toe, and lighting the cigar the other had
offered him.
"If they did, it might certainly be bit
awkward" zertho acquiesced. But
many people are ready to forgive the little
psooadilloes of anybody with a title
"Ahi that's SO. It's money, money
always" the luckless gamester observed
with siyh.
"Well, hang it, you can't grumble.
You've won and lost bit in your time, !"
his friend said, casting himself upon a
couch near, stroking his dark beard, and
blowing cloud of smoke from his full
lips. "If you're such an idiot as not to
play sny more, well you, of course, have
"Play be hanged" cried Brooker, inn
pstuously. my luck's gone. The last
time played trente-et-quarante I lost
couple of ponies in three deals.''
"But the system is
"Oh, the system is all rot. Tho Johnnie
who invented it ought to have gone and
played 1t himself He'd have been can
G1Qabo IOr Gne uoare5I WoFknouso W1eulu
three days"
"sWelI, we brought 1t off all right more
than once, /" Zertho observed, with slight
accent.
@Mere flukes, all of them."
"You won at one coup th1rty-siI thous-
and francs, I remember. Surely that
wasn't bad?"
"Ahi that was because Liane was sit
ting beside me. It's wonderful what
luck that girl has"
"Then why not take her back again this
seasonp'' his companion suggested.
"She wouldn't .go," he answered,
after slight pause.
"Woaldn't goP' cried the Prince, rails
ing his dark, well-defned brows. "You
are her father. Surely she obeys your"
"Of late she's very wilful; different en-
tirely from the child as you knew her.
Since COR Nelly's death she seems to
have been seized with g sudden desire to
go to church on Sunday, and Is getting
altogetheria. bluestocking, the Captain
said.
"Poor Nelly p sighed the Prince. IT
have never ceased to think of that sad
evening when she grasped my hand
through the carriage indow as the train
was moving, and with merry, mischiev.