Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-04-05

read on it the simple faith of a child,
mingled with the dawn Of tenderness;
no anxiety, no fear.
| Tomorrow will be Wednesday, and
i will devote the whole of il to making
arrangements. You have heard of the
pretty little town of Holmleigh, not
far, not above two miles from st. Ina's.
1t has an old church called st. AIMS
and | thought, Ethel, my darling, we
would be married there
She made no reply. The marriage
itself did not interest her so much as
the interview with Miss Digby which
was DO follow it.
Il will procure a special license, so
that we shall have no difficulty; and |
will, with your consent, my darling
arrange the time for half-past eight on
Tuesday morning You can rise as
early as you generally do; and it is no
unusual thing for you to take an early
morning ramble. Suppose you do so.
| will meet you, and we can walk to
Holmleigh church. We are not likely
in this quiet place, to encounter any
one, or TO be seen; and the church
stands quite by itself, you know, at the
foot vi a hill just before you enter the
town. We can return by separate
roads"
And them" she questioned, eagerly.
He knew well of what she was thing
ing
Then we can nave the grand inter
view with Miss Digby," he said; "and
very amusing it will be- can i'm
agine so we'll what she will say and
how she will look. After that, my
darling, we will lose no time; we will
start at once for Austria"
The untruth did not trouble him. He
had found her so easy to manage that
he felt sure, when they came out of
church, he would be able to invent
some story or other that would satisfy
her.
DO you consent Ia these arrange
ments, Ethel?" he a~ss,I
Yes; l cannot object. Are you
quite sure it is right, Laurie?"
Il am certain it is he replied, with
a ready confidence that eheered her:
and then, bending over her, he wished
her goodnight.
She preferred to go back to the house
alone, He stood and watched her. his
heart thrilling with the thought that
in a short time the young girl would
be his wife.
1t seemed strange that when he en-
tered the hotel the first question was
as to whether any strangers had ar
rived.
No" was the reply; st. Ina's has
never been more quiet"
Il am safe" he said to himself. 'IfI
there had been any truth in that re-
port, they would have been here before
this. Give me forty-eight hours more,
and i shall be over the sea with my
proud, beautiful Ethel"
Little did Helen Digby dream of the
conspiracy forming against her. She
was happier than she had ever been
since her arrival at st. Ina's. She be-
lieved Ethel was beginning to like her:
there had been more of gentleness in
her manner, and something which
Helen could not define-a shadow of
regret.
Ethel herself slept weTI; it was won
derful how blind she was to the enor-
nifty of the step she contemplated.
Laurie Nugent was the last person she
dreamed Of her father, Helen Digby,
even Lady Station, occupied her
thoughts more often than he did. Ian
rie was to prevent her fathers mar
riage; Laurie was to restore her to her
own position at Fountayne; Laurie
worshiped her more fondly and truly,
so he said, than man ever worshiped
woman before; so she was grateful to
him. He had been the first to give any
romance to her girlish dreams: 1t was
from him that she first learned how be-
witching and charming she was; he had
ministered to her pride; her vanity,
her love of power, and therefore she
was grateful TO him, and had consented
to marry him with far greater heed
lessness than she would have promised
to walk out with him.