Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-04-23
CHAPTER XIV.

The sun had set before Frank
Armathwaite reached Mereside, and
leaden February day was ending in
raw, wet evening by the time he stood
at the door of Ned Crosmont's house.
The bell was answered, not, as he
had hoped, by the warm-hearted and
trustworthy Nanny, but by the To-
quacious little scandalmonger Agnes,
who started so violently on seeing him
that it was evident his coming had
some special interest for her. Her
constrained answer to his first ques-
carefully drilled.
'Is Mr.. Crosmont at homer"
mo, sir" And Agnes blushed
violently.
DO you know when he will be in?"
81 can't say at all, sir"
How is Mrs. CTosmont today?"
quite well, sir. She is writing
now in her own room, and gave orders
that she was not to be disturbed" Civ
ing off the message with the glibness
of a lesson.
Armathwaite Redeemed.
"That is all right" he said, stiffly.
please let her know that called, and
am glad to hear she is better"
He turned and went down the steps,
too anxious to feel much mortified by
! his reception, which had justified his
worst fears. He thought it wiser not
IN, In n nnipn
hood, as it was plain that Crosmont
would rot see him, and very desirable
that the agent should not suspect that
he was being watched He therefore
rode straight back to Branksome, and
did not leave home again until he
| learned by the clock that the 7:40
train had steamed out of the station.
Then he got up from the chair in
which he had been forcing himself to
sit very quietly, and telling Mrs. Peele
! that he was going TO pass the night
at The Crags by Lord Kildonan's de-
sire, he left the ladies to their aston
ishment without giving them time for
comment.
Frank Armathwaite had entirely got
the upper hand of Mrs. Peele since the
day after the doctors funeral, when,
on opening the writingtable which
was such an important part of his
legacy, he discovered that 1t contained
no papers bearing in any way upon
the secret Knowing into whose hands
the doctors keys had fallen after his
death, Armathwaite had no hesita-
ton in deciding by whom the docu-
ments had been taken; he therefore
went to Mrs. Peele, told her that some
important papers had been abstract
ed adding that unless they were
quickly restored he should put the
matter into the hands of the late doc
tors solicitor. "You see, Mrs. Peele,"
he had said to her. gravely and point
eddy. these papers concern secret
which has passed from your husbands
keeping into mine" He saw through
the stolid expression she maintained
that this statement startled her. They
are in fact only necessary to confirm
what already know. l shall be sor-
ny If have to make disturbance
about them. as l certainly shall do II
they are not soon restored"
at is not very becoming in young
man to be so nightly interested in
the secrets of married women" said
the widow. Jelly.
1T can't be helped sometimes" he
answered, in the same tone.
And so the conference had ended,
and ever since that day Mrs. Peele
had shown an unwonted Difference to
the young doctor, although she had
not yet restored the papers. These
were however, as he had said, corr
paratively unimportant now; for he
felt sure that he was well on the track
of Lady Kildonan's secret, and des-
perately near to that dilemma which
had FASTENED the old doctors death.
From Branksome to The Crags was
walk OF nearly seven miles, and it
was nine o'clock before Frank reached
the big red house. and asked if Lord
Kildonan could see him. He had not
long to wait: before he had stood two
minutes in front Of the great log fire
which II was her ladyship's pleasure
Ito keep always burning in the wide
hall fireplace. the old Scotchman came
trotting down the gallery from hts
study with outstretched hand. He
wore his blue spectacles. black
skull.cap, and loose alpaca coat, and