Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-02-12
CHATTER XIX.

2 10 the 1ouft.
Your idea of the length of half an
/ hour must be singularly vague, Mr.. Hast
ings." smiled Lady Grace. Surely you
have been further than the FARM"
/ Not even as far, Lady Grace" he re-
/ piled, with glad smile; and then Wini-
fred being gone he told her his story.
Il am very glad" she said kindly. Il
could wish you nothing better thar to
I have such a wife as Winifred."
/ All obstacles surmounted. and the en-
/ gagement between them being ratified by
! the consent OF all parties, Mr.. Hastings
/ would not hear Of any objection to the
/ marriage taking place Immediately.
Remember, darling, he said, when
I Winifred would have urged him to wait,
II have loved you for more than two
| years. Having made me so miserable,
surely you owe it TO me TO lose no time
| in atoning for it. Pray get that ho-ri-
| BILE trousseau business over with all
/ speed. or l shall think you do not love
me cas- love you"
| Sir Howard was delighted when he was
/ apprised Of the intended marriage, and
| insisted that Winifred should be married
| from Hurst Manor. She had a fancy for
! being married in the little church where
| she had so often sat when she was only
| a farmers laughter. She was not the
simple little country girl now, but an ee-
| CANT young lady, accustomed TO luxury
| and good society. Enrol would have liked
much better that she should come to him
| portonless. but that was not TO be as he
| desired.
Sir Howard Champion gave her twenty
! thousand pounds, and Sir Clayton ten
! thousand, while Lady Grace provided her
with magnificent tronsseau. Mr.. Hast
! ings had the family diamonds reset and
remounted for her, and would have had
| her wear some of them at least ut the
! wedding
Please not, Enrol" she pleaded. Il do
not like all this grandeur. | would rath-
! err not forget that ". carly life was sim
! pie"
! Mrs Clayton was of course to have
been at the wedding. She was looking
| forward to it, glad at heart at the part
she had taken in bringing together two
| people who cared for each other. Three
, weeks before the day fixed she received
a letter with a foreign postmark.
Who can it be fromf' she said, turn
| ing il over in her hand, and speaking to
| W,nifred. II do not know the hand; it
! seems grabbed aud foreign, and has been
| forwarded from London. 1t is addressed
to Mnady Clayton. too And Fee con
| tiuued to look at it without, however,
| breaking the seal. Who can it be
| from?" she said again.
IF you open il you viii soon see, dear"
Winifred replied, laughing.
II don't quite like to do it, Mrs. Clay
| ton remarked presently. Il suppose it is
because | am nervous and unwell; but [
always feel as If every letter I received
contained bad news. win you open it
FOR mef'
And she tossed il across the table.
OF course | will, What a scrawl,'
And Miss Eyre proceeded TO tear the en-
velope. Il should imagine II contained
some mysterious secret. from the way il
is gummed together. | must take a knife
| and slit IL open from the side
With some trouble she got at the con
tents-a dirty scrap Of foreign paper
with a few grabbed hieroglyphics. and be
gan to read aloud:
"Miady and houorcd excclency-I al
te profonde regrette to annonce to you
dat te Milor Clayton monsieur yor hus
band av bin took wild de horrible Inaladit
of cholera an want 10 see you. av sent
for the principal d0cteur an am Mt yol
orders. GODEFRol LUPlN."
A horror seized upon Mrs. Clayton. She
had never loved her husband lately sht
had hated him; but the idea Of his beinl
i'll alone among strangers brought III,
tears to her eyes.
20. Winifred"' she exclaimed to he
friend. In whose face she read consterna
ton. Il must go to him at once
You cannot. Fee; weak as you are i
would be madness. The address is som,
obscure village in Switzerland. Let u
20 and ask Sir Clayton what had best b
done"
who do you suppose this letter to b
written hy?' Sir Clayton asked. when h
had read the curious missive
Il cannot tell. Perhaps the hotel keep
err"
Had he a foreign yalet. do you know
Marion -
, Not when he left London Simmon
! was with him then; but he may have left
he was always threatening TO leave, an
p then, of course, il IS most probable tina
, Francis would engage foreigner
Something must be done at once. 70
b. cannot go yourself, Marion~-that is quit
o out of the QHcstion-neither can yer
we'll. Perhaps Alfred Clayton is
y town: he WAS coming up, know. vi
telegraph TO him. Stay, | am not SUI
'' where he would be, | viii 20 up to Lou
g dou myself az once
: And Sir Clayton rang tac bell and o