The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-02
CHAPTER XVII

u TIKI C1IAIsTE1R XVII ..3l3
when I came down before dinner
found Ralph and Charles talking earn
estiy by the hall IRE, Ralph s liza nd on
] his brothers. shoulder.
,.Y gu see we are no further forward
7 than We were,' he was saying.
4}3 ''We shall have Marston ba ck o-mor-i
row, !" said Charles, rs the gong began e,
sound. I'VE cannot tnlse any step Mt NV
3 them especially IL we don't want to put
5 otlr6 foot In 1t. I have been ra cking my
brains all the afternoon Without the yes
ttige Of d result. We must just hold our
hands for the moment" b \,
Y Dinner was ANNOUNCED, and we waited
patiently for d few minutes and itnpa,:-
ttently fox n good many moro, until
Evelyn hurried down, npologizing for boz g
ing into, and With d message from Lady
Mary that we were not to wal t for her.
MS she was dining upstairs In her wn
room n practice TO which sho seemed
rather addicted Va Va !. ",
And whore IS Aurelia |? asked Ralph.
ether" 4 said Evelyn. .she has bad
headache again, and IS lying down. She
asked me to tell you that she wishes par
$tlcularly to see you this evening. na slio
is going away tomorrow, and ~ 81 70 "
well enough she will como down to the
morning-room at nine Indeed. she sag l'u
E.lz
After Ralph's natural anxiety respect
Ing his lady love had been relieved. and
I, he had been repeatedly assured tina t not ~
Ing much was nniiss, We went IN to d DIM
ner, and q moro lugubrious rel past never
remember being present at, The meals q y,
thus: Breakfast dismal, luncheon dls-
mailer Tor moro dismaD: dinner dirmnl-
est Tor most dsmal) /. There really was
no conversation. Even 1, who. without
going very deep (Which y consider IS not
In good .tasto), have something to say on
almost every snbject-even | felt, I, mys 'e'.s
nonplussed for the time being. Each Or
us In turn got out q few constrained
words, and then relapsed into silence.
Il Evelyn ate nothing. md her hand trem-
bed so much when she poured out q
h glass Of water that she split some on TN
cloth. E r saw Charles was watching her
furtlvely, and became more and more
certain that Aurelia was right, md that
Evelyn knew something about the mys.
terry OF the night before must ana
would speak to her that very evening \
bitterly cold" said Ralph, when at
last we had reached the dessert sta ges..
lis showing still, and the wind IS getting
up
In truth, the wind was moaning round
the house like an uneasy spirit. Il
'"That sound In tho wind always means
snow said Charles, evidently for the
sake OF saying something. u t Is easter
ly,ggI should think Yes" after pause
when another silence scemd imminent,
'..thore goes the o'clock train It must
be Quite a quarter Of an hour ate.
though, for 1t has struck eight EolEs time NJ
can hear 1t distinctly. The station Is
three miles away, and you never hear
the train unless the wind Is in the east
GONE Charles, not three miles--tWo
miles and a halt. !" put In RAJ
9t,p1p
to the station, but certainly three from
the station up here, replied Charles:
and 80 silence was laborlously avoided
by diligent sail talk, until we returned
to the drawing-room, thankful that there
at least NO could take up q book. and ne
silent IL we wished. Veal did W'sh y
apparently. Evelyn was sitting BY q
lamp when we came in, with book be-
fore her, her elbow on the table, shading
her face with slender, delicate hand.
She remained motionless. her eyes fixed
upon the page, but noticed a tier some
time that she had never turned iit over.
Charles may have read his newspaper.
but iif he did, 1T was with ono eye upon
Evelyn all the time. Between Watching
them both I did not. as may be imagined,
make much progress myself ,tlow was
i to manage to, sneak to Evelyn alone.
and without Charles knowledge |? "
5j5 At last Ralph, who had gone Into tho
s''ci - g
door, and put his head in. Is 4.
"AurelIa has not como down yet, and 1t
| is a uuarter-p past ninc. wish you Would
run up. Evelyn, and see Il she Is com ~
Ing Us :, e H., =,
without raising her eyes. she 5 ssiiu s'to
must see you. 81 {. I, ;, Z.
Ralph disappeared again, and the books
and papers were studied anew with nm
sweryIng devotion. At the end OF another
ten minutes, however,, the impatient
lover reappeared. 4. ~ !,
at is half-past ninc." he, said. IN an
injured tone do pray run up Evelyn
I don't think she can be coming ct all.
7 am afraid she Is worse, (, y.
! EVELYN lain down {her book and le1t
| the room, Ralph sauntered back into the
morning room, where VIC heard him pe-
| quilting his solitude with IA few chords On
| the piano. :, lg3$ =, .
palo oyen,to the lips and her voice falt-
cred rs she said: .5S .
"she has not gone to bed, for there is g
light in her room; but sho would no.
answer when I knocked ana the a 400 y
lock ed VS. y !, q
sutHcient to make you as white as 4
rhost." said Charles, II think even y
5Aureia has a headache. you would heal
4 tho occurrence with fortitudo NY deal
child you do not. net 50 wen , ~ w ~
stage MS on It. There Is something OF
YOUR mind. People don't upset wa tel
at dinner, and refuse gil food exc :;
pellets Of pinched bread, for nothing ''ti'il7lg
Eve sank into a chair, and covered
her face With her trembling hands:
. icy es, i thought So said I. Charle ],
kneclng down BY her. and gently with
drawing her hands, Come. Evelyn w WI =
Is II?
IT dare not say" And she turned
away her face, and tried to dlsengag ., ll N
i hands but Charles held them hrnily,..
IFS It about what happened last night 9
a no asked in tone that was kind, pu
that evidently intended to have an ans ans
wer. 4. III n
i ''Yes." y. !, !.
't';You, charles9 Noyorl" she cried
I 'H"Yes, +. Suspected by my own father
So lie you know anything. Evelyn-Whlcl
SEQ YOU dot is your duty to tell US
ana to help us In every way you can a.
ia 80 Nor hu ud9 now. and hat