Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-02-02
CHAPTER ".

OF greetings might have been mere
awkward platitudes but for her won
derful conversational skill.
II am SO sorry / was detained in
town last night" she laughed. 1.-THE
major was actually frightened when
he reached me. 1 did very foolish
thing in taking so much money. Inn
agine my surprise to find that / had
actually $4,000 in my purse when 1
took it out to pay the cabman. When
1 went of the major was not here,
and being accustomed to taking
money from the safe, I thrust NV
hand into the box and folded up some
bills. intended to pay few bills of
pretty good size in town, but goodness
knows didn't intend to carry off a
small fortune"
Talley laughed unsuspiciously.
Some pickpocket would have been
In clover" he remarked.
"The fright gave this dear man, {"
and Mrs. Goddard laid her sloved hand
on the arm of her statuelike husband
"was good thing in one way, for
when 1 told him that DIR. Sloan, who
was at the Palace yesterday, had sd-
vised me to take a sea voyage he was
so relieved over finding that / had not
been abducted that he really con-
sented 10 my running over to London
for week or So"
I'VE are sorry you are going" said
Blanche, with start of surprise.
but surely not slone" remarked
Talley.
mo; have applied 20 bureau for
companion. They know exactly the
kind of woman / want, and shall
have no one else, assure you"
Il have been looking over my at
fairs, and 1 think can get away"
usid Goddard. you will at least al
low me to go over with you"
sand be obliged to nurse you
through your seasickness," laughed
his wife. mo, this voyage is for my
own health, thank you. From the mo
ment the gangplanks ara up till they
are down he is too i'll to eat a bite"
she said to Blanche and Talley. ct
shall be provided with q good compan-
iouable maid. New York is full of
gentlewomen who are dying for such
opportunities"
After all, it may do her lot of
good" Blanche said, consolingly, to
her guardian, when Mrs. Goddard had
left the room. "She seems to antici-
pate so much pleasure from IL. She
seems to treat me so much more gen
tally than she has been doing"
The major frowned. There was a
trustful glance in the girls eyes
which recalled her school days to him.
She looked almost as childiike as she
had the day she had come into her
fathers sickroom, her long golden
hair plated and hanging down her
back. How wildly he recalled John
Briscoe's words:
my darling child, this is the best
and truest friend ever had; he has
shown me his friendship in thou
sand ways; IL anything should happen
to take me from you he will care for
you as tendsrly as your own father
could"
Goddard shuddered over this mem
DRY, and the thought that, although
she was marked as such an early prev
Of death, he had been induced to plot
against such frailty, but he felt the
futility of struggle. Ever since he
had fallen under the spell Of Jeanne's
eyes he had looked upon her as the
ruler of his destiny, be it for good or
evil.
"You ought not to suffer so because
she is going, dear guardian" said
Blanche, with tender concern. "You
ought to look forward to her return.
and not give yourself up to morbid
brooding over it,
"She doesn't want me to go with
her, you see" answered the major,
coming back to a closer vieSS of his
own woes. His lip was quivering, and
his tone was almost petulant.
Sometimes / am afraid am in the
way" said Blanche. Perhaps ought
to so away myself"
mo, you must stay" said the ma
jor; "but you must invite some one
to be with YOU"
"Lottie Dean will come" said
Blanche; Il shall write to her." and
suspecting that Goddard wanted to be
alone with his trouble, she left him. :
One morning three days later they
were ali seated in the library. Mrs.
Goddard sat in the bow window, her
eyes on the road which led past Lynd-
hurst to the station. Blanche was
looking over some music at the piano,
and Talley was taking down in short
hand from Goddard's halting dictation
some business correspondence. Now
and then Mrs. Goddard would furtive-
ly scan the faces in the room and
then peer toward the road again
Suddenly she saw cab containing a
single occupant driving in at one of
the gates at the bottom Of the lawn,
and she at once rose and went to the
fire and sat down. When the door.
bell rang few minutes later, she was
the only one in the room who did not
appear to notice it. She seemed SO
much absorbed in thought as not to
see James when he entered with a,
card on a tray.
"a lady to see you, madam" he an.
nounced.
Mrs. Goddard had four pairs of eyes
on her as she scanned the card.
"Mrs. Lucy Nolan" she read,
% from the MetroDolitan eYnDlovment