Hutchinson gazette., 1901-02-28
4& LOVE IS BEST ~
ny Florence HOdStinGOn

CHAPTER XI,-(contlnuod.) }


you must not give me false hopes,
Bridget" she said gravely, "You
know at the time Of Mrs, Lindon'a
death you, among others, never doubt
cd the legality of the will"
II cant express myself well,
maam," said Bridget Ransom; but
II tell my story my own way perhaps
you'll understand, When you and Mr.,
Dynevor engaged me as nurse to Miss
Kitty you made one stipulation-that
was not to be talking continually OF
Mrs. Lindon. You said the subject
was very painful one, and you did
not want to discuss IT,"
I'VE both felt 1t mistake to dwell
on IT," agreed Mrs. Dynevor.
And 80 | never told you what my
poor lady suffered" returned Bridget.
Care for her? Eustace Lindon cared
for no one but himself and the baby
He was 30 jealous Of his wifes affec-
ton for her frstborn that as soon as
his own child was born he sent little
Miss Lillian away to the country. She
was brought up in a French peasants
cottage and the parting almost broke
her mothers heart"
But, Bridget" persisted Mrs Dyne-
vor, why tell me all this now? II
is too late to help either my poor Sis
ter-ln-law or her child"
please hear me out" said Mrs
Ransom. Il might have written home,
and told you and Miss Llllian's uncle,
only Mrs. Lindon begged me not. The
fact was her husband hated Miss Lii
llan, and che thought the poor child
happier anywhere away from him."
Did he care for his own chlld?"
"Yes; but she was n slckly little
thing, and with none of her mothers
beauty. She had an English nurse
rather a flighty young woman, whom
my mistress hated. When Mr.. Lindon
suddenly declared they couldn't afford
to keep me and Julia, she begged and
prayed for him to let me be the one
to stay, and ! humbled myself to ask
him, too. | said I'd do all my own
work and look after the child as we'll;
but 1t was Of no use. went, Julia
stayed"
Mrs. Dynevor could not see the
thread OF these recollections, but she
listened patiently,
"A year or two after left you,
ma'am, met Julia again. She wasn't
In service then, but she seemed to have
plenty of money, and she told me Mr.,
Llndon allowed her so pounds year
for the sake OF all she had done for
the child.
81 thought II was the most generous
thing I'd ever heard Of him; but l
didn't come all this way to tell you OF
this. I'm a widow now, and I've a
nice little lodging house at Brighton.
| took n partner lately, and she turns
out to have been housekeeper to Mr..
Lindon for ten years; and, Mrs, Dyn-
evor she says the woman he has mar
rIed Is the Julia who was fellow-sery-
ant with me in France,
Mrs. Dynevor looked bewildered.
Now, with all his faults, he was a
gentleman" went on Mrs. Ransom,
"and Julia Maunders was common,
uneducated woman, who could never
be companion to him. Mrs. Markham,
my partner, told me she had actually
been in his house as attendant to his
daughter. that she gave way to drink,
and, when not quito herself, actually
struck Miss Llndon. Now, ma'am, u
gentleman doesn't marry vulgar, un-
educated woman Of forty, who, besides,
is given to drink, without some rea-
son. Mrs Markham and | have talk
ed the matter over and over again,
and we believe there's something
wrong about the will, and Julia knew
It,"
At that moment Harold Dynevor
came in He would have gone away
on seeing his mother was not alone;
but she detained him, and in a few
words gave him the heads of Mrs,
Ransom's story.
"l can't see how the will could be
q fraud" he answered, "and yet every
thing points to it. Lindon dlsmissing
the attendant who was true to his
wife, and keeping the one who could
be bribed, points to fraud; but, mother,
| don't see what We are to do
Neither did Mrs. Dynevor; but their
visitor now proceeded to relate the
best part Of her story,
Mrs. Markham told me a good deal
of her young lady, Beryl Lindon, and
I'm ready to swear she Is not the child
| left in Julia's care when l was sent
away. There must be plenty Of people
left in the French village who remem-
ber little Beryl. She was so puny and
backward for long time the doctor
feared she was an idiot. She had
light hair, almost white and perfectly
straight, and big, watery blue eyes
the sort of eyes you see oftenest in
idiots. At three years old she could
hardly walk. No one but her father
could see anything to admire in her.
According to Mrs. Markham, Beryl
Lindon has very dark eyes, blue-grey