Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1904-10-08

come home" said be. "if only for n
day. or course. the place would De
safe enough with old John: but you
know 1 never fancied leaving II unless
you were at home. and just now there
are a dozen or more strangers at the
Hall. II Is a strange piece Of business.
this affair OF your Aunt Annie. I
have Jeiegraphed to your grandfather
that l viii do all I can 70 ind out
where his daughter Is. though. SO far
as 1 can perceive at present. that win
be very little. Annie is the last girl in
the world l should have expected To
err IN that way. she was always such
a loving child. I would no more have
believed that she had a thought hidden
from her father than I would at this
moment believe such thing OF you"
At this remark l WINGED. YET fool
ishly held my peace - TO what l had
SO lately read. and which now en-
crossed all my thoughts. To be wise
after the event is the quality Of mod
ern prophets-of dispensers Of gener-
Z alities and copy book wisdom. whom
1 have no desire Go initiate. I know
not how 1t was I suppose ! ~m by
/ nature secretve. or that at the time
some nl-defnod idea suggested itself
/ 90 my mind that I should best serve
/ my intcrcs, by carefully reserying
+ Co myself the information I had ac-
/ Qr.red. though 1 have never al any
i tme re-aricd my fathers interest rs
f other than Identical with my own. nor
+ did 1 conceal my Information as part
OF determined policy. That my reti-
Ceuce was q grave error I now know.
. lad i at once impaired uy discovery
Oh him who by nature and statute law
had the greatest right 20 know of &C..
lal spared myself much misery ana
the British public had not been AZ
c 'oted with these memoirs.
Even n you cannot suggest any
thing for Us 90 do in The matter" said
my father. continuing. lit Is wei thar
you have returned home. When two
persons discuss q ease some practica.
Die notion VIII often occur 20 one OF
them which solitary contemplated
fails 10 produce You have read your
grandfather's lctterT"
Yes. have read grandfathe-'s let
ter" I replied.
We'll. and what is your opiniln
Il think be has acted uuwisely il
making such long Journeys 90 find hi.
daughter. more especially with suci
slender means Us his. II ne cid no
know ar all what had become OF her
1 could better understand his doini
SO. but according 90 Anuie's own let
tors. rs grandfather describes them
she has gone on OK her own free viii
and reponts her act only SO Tar as ne
present position prevents her secin.
her father. Suppose Annle's address
is discovered. and grandfather visit
her and learns al her circumstances
depend upon it his qualification Wi
end there; having been heartlcs
b enough TO voluntarily abandon he
father. she would hardly be likely {
D give mp whoever she is with and retur
r 10 HOldennU-St. or To some employ
d ment Ia London. That you ma
1 gather from her protest that she
kindly treated. l do not think SO we
( OF her as you and grandfather do"
3 Why. Ernest. my boy. you begi
{ to reason Ike your uncle. and Al
rather uncharitable; but fear 20
are right"
+ Il am not in the least uncharitable
e I retOrted warmly. "On the contrar.
d I regret what has happened as muc
z perhaps as you do; but my sympatt
q is more with grandfather than wit
e Annie Although l see but little u;
< in the inquiry he has asked you
J. make. was in the act OF startiI
e for Richmond TO investigate the eli
$ be gave when the Rev. Evan Pri
d brought me your message. and 1
once came here instead. Don't THU
E. I'm Indifferent to what concerns y,
SO much"
My dear boy. why assure me Of VIII
! know So wells' asked Inis best
fathers. Your prompt return is 81
.- Gcient proof of chat" As this parent
ad c0mmendation was uttered we pass
ne through my fathers gates, and
10 next minute alighted at the porch
HOidenhurSt Hall where old Jol
&c stood at the open door 10 receive US.
had been absent from my bir
er place only one week. but the chang
rd which had been made in that br
Ill period astonished me. The entire III
es was encompassed with an nitric:
ng network OF scaffOlding and our beat
ii; full lawn. dishgured by planks. ladde
NY aud piles or slate and white he
es, stone laid about in confusion Ma
en- of the upper windows had been tai
'ut out. the vacant spaces presenting
s..k II hit