Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-04-23
CHAPTER XIV.

The sun had set before Frank
Armathwaite reached Mereside, and a
/ leaden February day was ending in a
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 10
quacious little scandal-monger, 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
ton made it clear that she had been
carefully drilled
us Mr.. Crosmont at homer"
! mo, sir" And Agnes blushed
violently.
do you know when he will be imp
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 l 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
to linger a moment in the neighbOr-
hood as it was plain that Crosmont
would not 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 TAO
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 Writing-table which
was such an important part of his
| legacy he discovered that it 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
edly, these papers concern a 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. | shall be sor-
ry if I have to make a disturbance
about them, as I certainly shall do if
they are not soon restored"
"It is not very becoming in a young
man to be so nightly interested in
the secrets of married women" said
the widow, Jelly.
Tt 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 COM
paratively unimportant now; for he
felt sure that he was we'll 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
a 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 it was her ladyship's pleasure
to keep always burning in the wide
hall fireplace, the old Scotchman came
trotting down the gallery from his
study with outstretched hand. He
wore his blue spectacles. a black
skull-cap, and loose alpaca coat, and
looked in this get-up, with his awk-
ward, ambling gait, rather like good
humored monkey of extra size.
Dear me. dear me! l thought they
must have made a mistake. 1t is good
of you to come and see me like this
in the evening, when know how tired
you must after your days work. Now
l wonder"
He paused for a few seconds, and
looked we'll at his visitor from head
to foot, and back again with mys-
terious, curious, and rather puzzled
expression.
Armathwaite noticed then that, as
the first flush Of surprise and welcome
passed from his face, Lord Kildonan
looked worried, careworn, and anxious
quite a different man from the ex-
cited and earnest student he had left
that afternoon. The young man almost
felt his heart stand still with a great
fear, and at the same moment it sud-
denly became clear to him that he was
deeply fond of this kind and courte-
Gus gentleman, and that to give him a
terrible shock would be a task i'm
possible in it's cruelty. And what if
he had some inklins of the truth al