Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-05-23

uTcdulul pCSSiUlllIy VI udfiuS W az
knowledge that Nell was a thief
The sleep-walking notion had
brought him some comfort, and be felt
quite hopeful about clearing up the
mystery, when a faint noise outside
his door made him start up and listen.
He peeped out upon the landing. but
there was no one to be seen. How
ever, he Kept his door ajar and
watched.
In few minutes he felt O rush Of
cold air from the grOund-foor of the
house, and dashing quickly out upon
the landing, he came face to face with
Nell herself, as she ran up the stairs.
Now e 1t had not been for the
strange occurrence of the night Cliff
ford would have thought nothing of
this early meeting People rise early
in the country, and Nell had the live
stock to attend to, as she had told him,
taking her turn with the servants. The
fact of there being a visitor in the inn.
too. would have explained satisfactory.
~ tue So1C Suc tooh hot w IhohC any
noise.
But with his mind full of the agony
of unwilling suspicion, the young man
could not hep noticing that Nell looked
guilty and frightened, that the color
suddenly left her cheeks. and that she
stammered in her efforts to give him
greeting.
"You-you get up very early. II
had not expected to see you down be-
fore eight O'clock" she managed to
say at last.
And there was in her eyes, as she
looked shyly up at him, an unmistak.
able anxiety which made his manner.
as he answered, short and cold.
81 was disturbed in the night" he
said, stiffiy.
And he avoided her eyes as steadily
as she avoided his.
"Dis-turbedw exclaimed Nell, faint
ly.
And then she looked up quickly in
his face with glance so full OF in.
quiry, of fear, that, against his wish
and his will, Clifford's own eyes met
hers with suspicious frown.
What was it that disturbed you"
asked the girl.
He hesitated. Surely this candid
anxiety was proof Of innocence, not
guilt Surely thief would have been
ready with a glib speech, with look
Of overdOne surprise. He looked away
again, absolutely unable to frame, to
her, the story of his adventure.
ooh, don't know. It was nothing,
suppose" he answered, confusediy.
He felt the girls eyes were upon
him, but he would not meet them. He
must speak about his loss, of course,
but it should be to her uncle, not to
her.
what are you going to do with
yourself till breakfast time?" sne
asked, pleasantly. 1--WE have no nice
garden where you could walk about
on a pleasant lawn and PICK roses.
Will you go out over the marsh and
battle in the sea? I could show you
the way to the ferry. Or would it be
too slow for you to watch us turn the
cows out?"
Innocence! Surely this was inno-
cence. Clifford only hesitated for
moment. During that moment he told
himself that he would conquer his
feeling for the girl, that he would not
run the risk OF becoming more infat-
uated than he was. But the next mo-
ment the girl conquered, and looking
down into the fair, sweet face, he was
ready to think that his own senses had |
lied to him, that the hand which had
robbed him could not be NelPs.
So he followed her out into the fresh |!
morning air, helped her to turn the |
bolts and draw the bars to let out the |
cows for their days wanderings over |
the marsh, and to look for the eggs |
which lay warm in the nests Of the
fowl-hOuse.
Long before breakfast time the &C.
currence of the night had become a
half-forgotten nightmare, and Clifford
was enjoying Nell's unaffected, lively
chatter as much as on the previous !,
day. Only when his hand touched |
hers, as she took the basket Of eggs
from him, did Clifford remember, with
a shudder, that it was the same touch
which he had felt in the night, the
same smooth, soft skin, the same slen-
Ter little fingers; so that he was
bound, before he met the landlord, to
come back to his old theory that Nell /
vas a somnambulist.
1t was a disagreeable business. that
If making known his loss to George,
Claris. But it had to be done, and as
soon as he had had his breakfast
Clifford followed the landload to the
'front.' Of the house, where he was TAX
ng down the shutters, and told him
le had something unpleasant to relate
% him.
The young man at once perceived,
~ q sudden change to sullen expec-
ancy in the landlords manner, that
he was not wholly unprepared for the
sort OF story to which he was listen
ne. He heard with attention the
whole story, and only looked up when
clifford described how he had actually
ouched the hand as it was withdrawn
rom under his pillow.
"You touched it, you say?" said
George Claris, sharply. "Then why
IN earth didn't you hold on and ]
,houtI"