The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-22

when she learnt the real nature of the
message the girl had received, anger
against Heseltine took the place of all
other feeling, and she expressed her vexa-
ton in such a way that Brandreth easily
gathered that she had never approved of
the engagement.
He saw that his presence was embarrass-
ing TO the girl and took his leave, asking
the elder Miss Beresford's permission TO
call next day TO inquire after her niece.
This the old lady graciously gave. Her
manner. indeed. conveyed the impression
that she regarded the doctor as the bearer
of good news. Brandreth fattered himself
that, so far as his hopes of gaining admis-
sion to Una's home were concerned he had
made a good beginning.
e day Una was not visible. This did
not surprise Brandreth. He could easily
realize that the girl would not wish to see
him. Her pride. as well as her heart, was
wounded, he imagined, and the fact of her
betrothed having chosen to send her a mes
sage by a stranger, instead of writing to
her, would make that man hateful in her
eyes. But Brandreth meant to live that
down.
Miss Beresford, however. became very
confidential in a tete-a-tete with the doc
tor. She was a talkative old lady, and the
subject of her niece's engagement was one
on which she felt strongly.
Il always told my niece she was throw
ing herself AVA on that young man. 1t
was a piece OF presumption on his part TO
ask her TO marry him. He hasn't a penny
in the world except what he earns, and it
would have been years before he could
have married. And, as if this were not
enough, his sister took it upon herself to
object, and wrote to me asking me to use
my influence with my niece to break off
the engagement, as she thought it was
such a pity for a young man to start on
his career fettered in this way"
"A great liberty, certainly.
"I wrote back 10 tell her that if her
brother and my niece chose to be a pair of
fools-strong language and unladylike, eh?"
Brandreth laughed. mot at ALL" This
was good hearing for him. Heseltine's Sis
ter wouldn't forgive that easily
We'll, I felt strongly. Hadn't 1 cause?
My niece to go and throw herself away on
a pauper like that! And now he has shown
her what a perfectly worthless man he is"
"Will she take that view" Brandreth's
voice trembled a little as ne put the vital
question.
Miss Beresford bridled. MY niece has
some pride. sir! Her fathers laughter is
not likely to take an insult calmly"
Brandreth arose in a few minutes after
this to go. "If I can be Of any use" he
said, 81 am staying in the neighborhood
and it would be a pleasure
rs your home in Devonshire?" asked
Miss RpraSfOr6 at do NOT rooono;z1 tho
name"
"Alasl Miss Beresford, 1 am one of those
unfortunate beings who have no home. L
have neither father nor mother, brother nor
sister. And the result has been that 1 have
been a %wanderer. But L have a great de-
sire to settle down now and 1 thought +
might find some little place that would suit
me in the south of England. This was my
mothers county and it appeals to me more
than any other corner of the world"
The old lady was greatly interested.
"Sit down and tell me just what YOU
want, she said. II am as good as a local
directory. 1 wonder now, whether Colonel
Fitzhume's place would suit you? What
size would you wish your property to be!
A hundred acres. or more?'
Brandreth could hardly conceal his salts
faction. He had, hit upon the very subject
to interest the old lady in him and his for
tunes, and before he left he had arranged
to drive over with Miss Beresford at the
end of the week to see an estate of modest
size, but still quite the place for a country
gentleman and very suitable if you care to
practice your profession-we are greatly in
need of q man with more modern ideas
than our old doctor
So the old lady ran on. and Brandreth
congratulated himself again and again as
he walked back to the village inn on the
way in which fortune seemed inclined To
favor him.
And he would have been still more salts
fed with the success of his plot had he
known what was passing in the heart of
the girl for the mad love OF who he had
become a villain. For weeks past Una had
been tortured with suspense on account of
her lover. The only letter that had come
for months had been one which she had
received a few weeks before Brandreth's
arrival, and this had given her such a
shock that she had never breathed a word
to her aunt of having received it. 1t was
an ~indecipherable scrawl; the writing ran
in a slope from left to right and the sigma
IuTe, Maurice, U66uGQ al the anxious
scrutiny of loving eyes for it's interpreta-
ton. No news of illness had reached the
girl, and the note reminded her in such a
startling way of the scrawl of a tipsy man
that a woman in the village had once shown
her that she had been unable to avoid a
comparison between the two letters. A
heavy dread had come upon her. and as
week after week no letter had followed she
had begun to fear the worst. And then
Brandreth had come and in a word or two
had suggested the explanation. "a wreckl'
What did people mean when they used this
word of a young man unless they could at
PLANTATION, such as an accident or a severe
illness, to account for their words? He
must, indeed, nave felt himself unworthy,
she thought, that he would not even write
to her. And then the pity that surged UP
in her heart and made her long to go and
seek him out and try TO rescue him was
blotted out by the cold-blooded way in
which he had parted with her picture-the
one which she had had taken especially for
him just after their engagement.
Before long Brandreth had become a fire.
ouent visitor at the cottage. Miss Beres-
ford had taken a great fancy to him, and
soon Brapdreth saw, to his delight, that a
project was forming itself in the old lady's
mind-no less a one than to make a match
between himself and Una.