Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-01-28
CHAPTER XVIII.

happy. The mere fact of his favorite Sis
ter hring driven from his home by the I'M
Kindness of his wife would have been
sufficient to poison his cNiStcnce: but
when Iosie's departure from Lalmbscote
was followed by her actual flight and dis
appearance from them all. he became
misrrably anxious and sclf-rcproachful.
Even the letter he received from Wales
was no more than IL passing drop of COM
fort. Ii told him she was alive. and he
never doubted that fact: but ii left him
completely in The dark concerning her adj
dress III her surroundings. and held out
no hope of their ever meeting as:lin.
He had several quarrcls with his wife,
naturally. on the subject of ltosies de-
parturc. Lena WAS at first so positive
that her own behavior had had nothing
whatever to do with tho resolution of her
sis,cr-in law. and af,erward. when The
news of l.osic's flight from Su,hiton had
reached them. and became an assured
fact. she launched ont in such cruel in
v~rc'ivrs against the absent grim such
crtrl insinuatiunS and doubts of tile pur-
ity of ncr conduct and motivcs-ihat Slr
Wilfrid would not listen to her, and or
derNsi her sternly to hold her tongue.
You can be unwomanly enough. he
said, Ito arousc my suspicious respecting
a poor girl who is not here to defend her
self. But mind you. Lena. Rosie will not
be lost to Ills forever. ! shall not cease
to search for her until she is found. 1t
is my duty. And when We meet again.
/ will have the whole story from her w
lips. that l may judge how far you AVE
deceived me-"
"And you will believe her in preference
IN, ,,nSss .,;n.l InJr LS,,.o1I oru,;l,- HNp,,
will take the word of n child. whose aim
her behavior. before that OF your own
wife"
"Oh, Lena, my dearest, ii is the last
thing in the world l wish TO do. But tho
side YOU have taken in this sad affair has
You are my own wife. why cannot you
believe as ] do. instead of being IL mere
echo of Lady Otto's sentiments! Some
times you make me fear there is an end
of it-an end of everything-love. hope
and happiness. Blu it is a sorry end for
such Il bright beginning. Lena
II did not know it was Il bright begin
ming. We married. ] suppose. ais other
folks do, for our mutual convrniencc-at
least, l did"
You did not marry me for my money,
Lena"' he said hcarsely. Don't tell me
that!'
Gould ! have married you without ii: 2"
she answered. Nov, don't pretend to be
so innocent. Wilfrid. You know as we'll
as anybody, when you came into your for
tune. that You were a bon parti. Would
you have had the courage to propose to mo
else, knowing l had refused YOU hcfore:'
But that was your mothers fault. You
acted under her influcnce-you told me
so!''
"As if one did not say anything when
one is being courted. Really. Wilfrid, 1
credited you with more scnse. You have
got me now, beyond all dispute. Cannot
you bc satisfied with that!"
She did not love him, and she never had
done so. Perhaps the intelligence was
not quit. new to him; but he had not
realized it so fully before. To hear ii from
her own lips. accompanied with snecrs at
his folly, WAS very hard to bear. And as
Sir Wilfrid wandered about his grounds.
downcas, and alone, brooding over his dis
appointment and the misery of an unre-
Quilted love, there came into his mind for
tho first time. n doubt whether it might
not lc Il judgment sent by HEAVIER upon
him for his pcrtidy to Jane Warner.
When Lena and her mother had been
settled in Paris nearly Il month. Captain
Dorsay turned up. rather Unexpectedly,
at Lambscote Hall. Sir Wilfrd had not
invited him. although he knew no reason
why he should have Il grudse against the
man. But he had always considered Jack
norsny as Il friend of Lady Otto st. Blase
and her family, and had left it to his wife
to invite him as she thought fit.
But he had not been seen at Lambseotc
since ltosie's departure from it, a year
before. and, to tell the truth, the reason
of Lady Ewell's rcstlessness was because
she was afraid she had offended him on
that occasion beyond forgiveness. She
could not tear her thoughts from this
unworthy man. do what she would, and
though she had seen how little he cared
for her, she still hoped on that, some day,
his truant heart would come back plead
ing for rcacccptancc at her hands.
But that just happened to be the last
idea in Jack Dorsay's head. He saw
through her worldly and selfish character
thoroughly-much better thar her hus-
band did-and would not have taken her
as a gift from his hands. In fact, Sir vii.
frid had less to fear from Captain Dorsay
than from any other man-had he only
known it-or, rather, had Lena only
known it. But she shut her eyes las chill.
dren shut theirs at a fancied ghost) and
refused to believe the truth.
The baronet received him cordially. He
was dull and hipped. and his guests were
not q very bright lot, and Jack Dorsay
was just he man to stir them I'm and
keep them going. And the second night
he was thereafter they had finished nm
uproarious evening of funny stories and
comic songs, and the other fellows had
bctaken themselves to bed or fallen
asleep in their chairs-Sir Wilfrid found
himself pacing the moonlit terrace in com.
paly with Jack Dorsny. and coniiding to
him somehow his disappointment respect.
ing his wife.
Give me Your advice. Dorsay.' lie said
"and l will try to follow it. l know In
a great fool about her. but l can't hcl1
being unhappy. Perhaps she has told yor
as l know YOU are such fricnds-that
fell in love with her years ago, and she
wouldn't have NC. When she came round
1t took me so much by surprise, l thought