Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-10-03
CHAPTER VIII.
An ELOPEMENT

Rough hew them how we may!
There was a crowd of people that same
evening at Charing Cross station, on the
departure of the Continental train, and
Madame de St Maur congratulated her
self that it was so. She had no fancy
TO be stopped at the last moment and
see all her carefully-laid plans upset
AS she took her companions ticket
and hurried her through the crowd into
an empty compartment. she was devout-
ly thankful not to be recognized by any
OF her friends.
No one is more grateful to Providence
(although she gives it another name)
than a bad woman when things go well
with her.
You are behaving like a woman of
spirit, and l feel quite proud of you,''
she said, in jubilant tone to her shrink
ing companion. You understand that
it would be fatal mistake to let your
relations or Lord Seton know where
you are, as if you saw him again you
might be weak enough to return to him"
jean looked at her with dull misery
in her face that would have moved any
one less stony hearted.
81 shall not return to Iveagh Seton,
now that | know that he is not my hus-
band" she answered with a proud de-
cision; Especially as he married me
without knowing who l really was"
She leant out of the window as she
spoke, and a young fellow who was
passing looked closely at her, then
paused, with one foot on the step of the
next compartment, while he threw a
quick glance at her companion
IL nj hosr II
dressed, but there was nothing in his APP
pearance to attract attention.
Madame, returning his glance, found
him very uninteresting, although she
summed him up with the quickness of
her race.
"A Scotchman, and an army man."
this was her verdict, and it was quite
correct.
With all her cleverness, she was far
from seeing in his presence the Finger of
Providence, and had anyone told her as
the train steamed aawy, that all her
to naught through the instrumentality
of this red haired youth, she would have
laughed them TO scorn.
When the train was once fairly in mo-
ton, Joan sat in a corner, prey to the
saddest thoughts. As the speed in
creased, she realized that she was leav-
ing behind her all that she held most
dear.
Madame de St Maur had hurried her
along and given her no time for thought.
and now her head swan as she tried to
recall the events of the last few hours.
One fact stood out before her with
fatal clearness. IL seemed to her excited
/ -
on the very walls of the carriage
"You are not Iveagh Sefton's wife.
He married Joan Fordyce; you never
had any right to be called FOrdyce. The
false name makes the marriage illegal"
1t was this which had driven her out
fugitive from her husbands home.
81 have made a shipwreck of my life"
she thought miserably. Il wish could
have seen Daphne. She seemed strange
last time we did meet, and Jack did not
approve of her friendship with this Capt.
Tiernay. promised Jack that l would
ask Iveagh to make some inquiries about
him. l hope he is a good man, and will
make her happy. / should not like any
thing to 60 wrong with Daphne
As these thoughts crowded through her
mind the train gave a sudden lurch, and
tnen became perceptDIy slower ne
membering that she had been told that
it was an express. and stopped nowhere,
she looked up, and her attention was at
once caught by piece of paper which
futtered down apparently from the roof.
1t fell Just at her feet, and she saw
that it was folded into the shape of a
note, and was addressed to Lady Seton.
AS she opened it, she realized with
alarm and establishment, that she had
not succeeded in escaping recognition at
this early stage of her journey.
The note had been pushed through the
opening near the roof, by some one who
knew her, and who was travelling in the
next compartment
She tried to hold the paper steadily,
and read