Hutchinson gazette., 1901-01-10
CHAPTER |,

burning In the grate-for, In spite OF
the April sunshine, the wind was in
the oast-and for sole occupant
young girl, whose age was IS, though
she looked little older, perhaps be"
cause she had cried till her eyes We're
hot and swollen, and her cheeks had
lost their delicate colorlng-a girl who
J was the daughter OF one Of the richest
commoners in England, and who yet
was as unhappy as the poorest waif
In London's streets,
Beryl Lindon had no mother. She
could Just recall frail, delicate wo-
man, who loved her very much, but
who seemed too sad and sorrowful to
show her affection. She had been n
tiny child when that mother was
taken away, and yet she had been
quite conscious that, save for leaving
her, the tired woman was glad to go.
aHer mothers love had been taken
Hfrom Beryl full early, and no other
had replaced 1t.
Mr.. Lindon placed his daughter In
q private family at the seaside until
she waS 10 years old, when she was
Vent to a boarding school in Brussels,
0nce a year he had called at the
Sshool, and had q brief formal inter-
lew with his daughter In the prln-
pals own sanctum; and IL months
90 he had removed Beryl from the
select establishment, and brought her
'Ato his stately home In Elchester
square.
For one year they had lived to-
ther, father and child, yet strangers
N heart aud feeling; they drew no
carer to each other. Beryl knew
,erfectly that to the handsome, we'll
reserved man OF the world. still un-
ier So she was only an encumbrance.
ge took no trouble to conceal the
act, and his friends took little notice
u the. shy, frightened-lookng girl
they thought such contrast to her
fascinating father. She was not
"out." 1t pleased Mr.. Lindon to re-
gard her as too young for society so
7 she had no chance Of meeting people
more congenial to her than her
fathers circle. She was terribly
lonely, desperately unhappy; but yet.
after reading the letter which had
come from Mr.. Lindon that morning,
II seemed to the girl she had never
before known what trouble meant,
and that II only things could be once
more as they were yesterday she
would be content.
Her breakfast had gone away un-
touched-all her meals were served
,home-and she sat over the fire, with
Va look Of such pain on her face as
was terrible to see in girl Of 18.
Suddenly the door opened, and the
housekeeper entered without the cere-
mony of knocking, unless, indeed, her
knock had not penetrated to Beryl's
dazed, stunned brain.
Mrs. Markham was kind, motherly
woman, not lady by birth, but we'll
educated, aud with more refinement
Of feeling than many Of her superiors.
She had been in Eustace Lindon's en-
ploy ever since he took the house in
Elchester square 10 years before.
81 came to speak to you, Miss
Beryl," she said gently. II had
strange news from Mr., Llndon this
morning, and when Nancy came down
and told me you'd not touched your
breakfast, | thought perhaps he'd
written to you, too"
Eyes, Mrs. Markham. | cant quite
take 1t in, It seems too terrible"
The housekeeper sat down opposite
Beryl. She was quito as indignant as
the girl could be.
"You see, Miss Beryl, your papa's
not an old man--47, believe-and It's
natural he should tire Of lonely life.
Perhaps his new wife will make things
pleasanter for you. You've had but a
dull time of it since you left school,"
II shouldn't mind his marrying"
said Beryl frankly-"in fact, / think
l should be glad; but that he should
choose that woman, should put her in
my mothers place-it Is terrlble"
Mrs Markham looked bewildered.
do you mean that the lady Is any
Pne we know, Miss Beryl? Mr.. Lin
don never mentioned her name to me.
He only said the wedding would be
at once, and he hoped to bring his
wife home on May l."
He Is going to marry Miss Maun-
ders, said Beryl, almost apatheti-
cally.
The housekeeper started
When Beryl Lindon first left school
q very showy-looking woman was en7
gagged as her maid-companion. Miss
Maunders was supposed to walk with
Beryl, look after her wardrobe, and |
make herself generally useful From
the first day Of their meeting Beryl |
took antipathy to the woman. She |
felt that Miss Maunders was unwor-
thy her trust and confidence, that she |
had none of the qualifications she pro-
fessed and the girl yearned to escape
from the companlonship she hated.
At last, only three months ago, things
come to crisis, Miss Maunders, whom
the household suspected Of liking
for stlmulants, went into more vio- |
lent rage than usual, and actually for
got herself so far as to strike her
employers daughter. At that time
Mr.. L!ndon was away, spending