The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-01

tired. They passed very slowly round to- |
wards the other side OF the church. Per- |
haps they both wished, half unconsciousiy, |
to prolong their walk in this peaceful cor
ner under the shadow of the gray walls. |
The girl grew graver and more silent She
showed Alleyne a tomb with its strangely
carved device of skulls and an hour glass,
surmounted by the serpent with its tail in
its mouth. which signifies eternity. BY her
direction he carefully read an inscription
to Commander of ships" and ''his care
full wife, jealous to God, and a tender
mother"--and then they left the old towns
folk to their long slumber beneath the
grass where the bees hummed, and went
on together towards the iron gateway
Standing outside. very erect, his broad
red face glued to the bars, his prominent
eyes fixed fercely upon them, was Mr..
William Van Ryn In spite of a certain
clumsiness of gait. he was a magnificent
specimen of humanity, and when he came
and stood beside Janey and her companion,
the two men afforded a curious contrast.
AlNeyne was rather under than over mid
die height, pale, alert, with intellectual
brow and shrewd dark eyes Van Ryn
thick-lipped, ponderous with a highly-col-
ored complexion and a stony gaze. He did
a
Alleyne's honest appreciation of his idol
Cromwell failed to restore him to his usual
imperturbability. He was almost childlike
in his desire to get rid of this gentleman
from London, whose ease of manner and
well-cut clothes were an offense to Mr..
Van Ryn. AIeyne. secretly amused walked
with the young banker and Miss Cunliffe
down several streets. His cordial admira-
ton of a beautiful old house which stood
away from the road behind lawn. did
not soften Mr.. Van Ryn.
Yes, he growled, that's my fathers.
It's a rum old place. But people do admire
it. no end, believe. A chap from London
offered my governor three figures for one
chimney piece" And he glared defantly
at Mr. Aleyne with his stony round eyes
When the latter had left them to return
to his hotel, Mr. Van Ryn still walked by
Miss Cunlffe's side. He jerked his thumb
over his shoulder.
$50 you know him, that wizened chap
from London? Well, I'll tell you who he
is. He's the celebrated lawyer mixed up,
don't you know. in all those horrid cases,
murders, divorces and so on! Yes! that's
your friend!'
II never read the papers, so it does not
mean much to me-" said Miss Cunliffe
| sharply
should hope not No lady would read
| those things. I should be sorry myself, L
know that-to have finger in such! Why,
| just think of that chap-there-he looks
| gloomy and sallow enough, and, no Won
der, getting murderers and most awful
brutes off scot free, just because he's got
the gift of the CAB. Why, it's not work for
| a gentleman, 1 say!'
Mr.. Van Ryn had quickened his steps,
and more scarlet in the face than ever,
and was swinging his stick round and
| round.
Yes" he continued, 'ft was Alleyne who
| got off the famous murderer, somewhere
near Slough. you know. And then there
was that brute Of a woman"
| ''I don't in the least want to hear about
herr Janey was evidently not in the best
! Of tempers herself She turned round
| quickly a minute afterwards and said good
bye to the young banker, who thereupon
left her with a fierce glare in his eyes, and
! tramped back to st. AIldred's as if walk
| ing for a wager.
| The next day it was by the old gateway
that Mr.. Alleyne and Miss Cunliffe met
again. And on Sunday, although he did not
attend church, he managed to time the ex-
| act moment when the worshipers quilted
| it. Young Van Ryn, being church warden,
| had been detained by the vicar IN the YES
| try, so the lawyer able to escort the
young lady to her home. And when they
| arrived there, it seemed a pity to go in
! doors, so they strOlled on together through
the grass; admired brown butterfly with
| his wings set in red spots like border of
/ jewels, and listened to the madly happy
| song of the larks rising ever higher and
| higher above their heads.
To do Alleyne justice, he had never from
| the first moment of his meeting with
Janey had the smallest intention of en-
barking on a Irritation, either trivial or
| serious Such a course would have been
| absolutely foreign to his nature He would
| have argued that in any case busy man,
| no longer young, with a successful career
| to look back on and to anticipate, would
| be committing an absurd action if he
| wasted his time. or amused himself in
trying to engage the affections of an mex
| perienced country girl. Moreover, in his
| special case, there were other reasons
why such a thing would have been impos-
| sible to him. 1t was understood by AL
leyne's friends and by Alleyne himself,
that when he married. which would prob
ably now be soon, there was only one wom-
|
| of many years past with Mrs. FRANKLIN
was a well-established fact. That lady's
acquaintances were mostly not the sort Of
| people who would have expected her to
| remain faithful to an ill-temeDred and
! paralyzed husband. The butler at her
| house in Pont street would have been ex-
| tremely astonished if Mr.. Alleyne had not
| looked in most days after his work at the
| law courts. A few months ago all that was
| left OF Mr.. Franklin had been conveyed in
| solemn state to Kensal Green, and Mrs.
| Franklyn, looking as her friends said 80
we'll in black, with her lovely fair hair
only received at present two or three Wis
| itors including most often the celebrated
| lawyer Now that his future marriage was
| practically settled, Alleyne would have
| found it difficult to define his Utmost feel
ings On the subject He was fond of Mrs.
| Franklin, above all he was accustomed to
her. She was clever. ambitious and inter-
ested in his work, and, as people said, a
delightful hostess. He sometimes was in
clined to feel impotence when he noticed
the undue stress that she laid upon triaes
connected with social life, and at her over
eager craving to be fashionable. She was
conventional and never romantic. But she
was devoted to him, and proud of him. He
| knew that he had every reason TO be sat