Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-10

| of appointment
| Yes. l suppose that would be the better.
| pian sighed the girl although l dislike
| riding alone in the dark
; Il don suppose it will be necessary for.
| us 10 separate on the road: l am merely
| speaking of what had best be done should
| our plans be discovered, most unlikely
! eventuality, for your father has not the
| slightest suspicion, and may not miss you
| until it is too late for him to do ANYTHING .
| Old Peter chuckled Extensively and SILENT
| ly as he heard this.
| Wouldn't it have been better to have
| gone to your village. which is only five
| miles away, than to Puddlebury which il
| twenty?'
They are such gossips in our village that
| ! dare not risk it. If We were seen together
| the news would be all over the country in
| half an hour and your father would be sure
| to hear of it. AT Puddlehury no one need
| know us. and the moment the ceremony is
| over we can snap cur fingers at the whole
world l have Witnesses ready, and there
| Will be no delay
How thoughtful you are! VIII it take
! long. once we reach there"
| only few minutes
| And to think that an action fraught with
| such consequences-an action which changes
| the whole course Of two human lives Ocru-
pies out FEW minutes. / can hardly be-
! lieve that we are so near to the realizati ton
| OF our fondest hopes. When shall l. meet
| you?'
| Il shall be in the lane with two bicycles
1
| lamps will guide you. We will ride SLOWLY
! unless there is pursuit, and should reach
! Puddlebury about daylight. l hope YOU will
| have difficulty IN getting away from L he
| castle unseen"
There will be no trouble about that. At
) O'Clock, then"
Thus they parted, and Gwendolen sought
| hef own room. Had she any qua ms about
| leaving IT thus surreptitiOusly? I'm sure,
| don know l am compelled to keen
strictly to the facts within my own cogni-
Zance.
| l am, however, delighted to he ab,a tn
| state that here the villain met his first diff
/ ncultS. Up to date everything had been po-
ing his way, and if that kept on to the end
| there would be little use in writing this mar
ratiVe. The proud earl was not at home
| The county court was in session that week
at Scrad .1ngton, ten miles westward from
the castle, while Puddlebury was twenty
| miles TO the east, and the earl always at
! tended the county court, being usually
summoned to do so. He was a Dunctiliors
| observer of the laws of his country, and
never hcuted a writ. Old Peter therefore
| mad his work cut out for him. He mounted
horse and gallopcd for the earl Treve,-
lick dld not shine as Il horseman and the
| oiIs morse at MS disposal was not of rae
| ing stock, having been more accustomed to
| the pillow than to the hunting field It was
long after midnight when Peter reached
| me county town, and then there was much
| neIay IN hndlng his lordshp and in conyinc-
ing MIN that his daughter had actuaIIy
/ eloped with the son of a blacksmith No,
| StoDcfoSS since the days of Noah had evar
so demeaned herself, the earl maintained
ne saw tnat II this We're indeed true he
| could not in future keep his chin an biab
| In the air, and as he had become accms-
| toned to 1t in that position he hated 70
cnange. He was very conservative a,y.
| now, and had always hated change never
| having any of it in his pocket Ar iast
| however, he rode grumblingly to his castIe
and arrived there about daylight fu1Iv az
| pectpg TO ma GWendolen in her room and
/ then he told himself be would mako 4,
| lively for old Peter who had thus unnecese
sarily disturbed his rest. He even confided
| this resolve to Peter, but the latter had
confident air that troubled his lordship
| Sure enough, the castle was empty, The
bird had flown. Madly the earl gallonea
| TO Puddlebury. He called first, raging an
| the established clergyman of the place
| but found that placid old gentleman had
| ing on, the perturbed nobleman's distracted
! brain came the thought that the black
| smiths son was sure to be dissenter and
| had doubtless been married by one of the
numerous ministers of that faith He visit
| eo in turn all the reverend gentlemen sn
PuddlebnIy. but without hearing of the fu-
gitiVes. There was now left only the roo,
istrar. The last of the cloth on whom he
| called had suggested this official. as n had
| never occurred TO the earl that dauub
ter of his would descend to a civil mar
| riage. 1'i
The earl called upon the registrar in a
| towering rage.
| Il am the Earl of Stobcross and 7 have
| come
"oh, yes. my lord About the little affair."
was honored in carrying out for yo.,r
daughter, Lady Gwendolen. Quite SO. quite
SO. 1 am delighted to be able to assure
your lordship that there was not hitch in