The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-26

Ills uTSC letleF anu luc teiuio HA
Mr.. Mortlock speaks Of him are almost
an assurance of this. Whether l am
right OF wrong in my surmise. your
uncle certainly has a very high opinion
OF Mr.. Mortlock."
(Which now" l said, us not shared
by me-
Nor by me. l regret to say" :!
knew it panied her to make the admls'
sion: it was a grief to her 10 think i'll
of any person. Does it occur to you,
Richard. that your uncle had any spe-
cial object in asking us so strongly 10
make a friend of Mr.. Mortlock"
No." l replied.
II am glad to hear you say that; but
think. Bring our dear Eunice into the
question"
| OWNED her trouble Immediately.
You think that he had her i'll view
when he askediu to make Mr.. Mort
lock welcome in our home"
1T is my fear" said my wife.
reflected. The suggestion had never
occurred to me, but with every passing
moment of time it gathered weight
now that my wife had mentioned it.
ut is possible" l said, gloomily.
ut is more than possible. Richard; it
is probable, and Mr.. Mortlock's be-
havior seems to favor it,
But before he arrives" l said, "he
will have read my letter announcing
her engagement with Harry. Surely,
in the face of that" l paused, see
ing, from the expression on my wife's
face, that l was making no impression
upon her.
Il I'M 50 much impressed" she said,
"by a certain phase i'll your uncles
| character which has been Gwelt upon
by Mr.. Mortlock-I mean in regard to
his being self-willed and obstinate
when once he has made up his mind
that | cannot Danish my fears. 1t is
n painful subject. Richard: do not let
US dwell upon it any longer. Hope is
left to us, and We will cling to it."
This conversation made me moody
and unhappy; there were so many con-
t~ingencies depending upon my Incle's
whim.
Minor incidents which occurred dur
ing this day passed lightly of, although
on other occasions / should have
deemed them Of Importance and have
estimated them Alright. ! had lately
perceived signs Of failing health i'll
Samuel Fleetwood, and had advised
him to consult q doctor. He simply
smiled, and said that it would be use
less, as no doctors could do him good;
but as his bad symptoms continued, l
desired our own physician to see and
examine Fleetwood. The physicians
report was melancholy enough. He
represented our faithful servants case
to be hopeless. saying he had heart dis
ease and could not live through the
year.
Did you inform him Of it," l in
CURED.
1t was scarcely necessary" replied
the physician. He has been for some
time aware of his state, and be looks
forward to the end almost with cheer
fuIness."
1t will be understood how deep would
have been the impression produced
upon me by this sad news had ! not
been so terribly harassed by my own
special anXieties.
Before shutdown Mile. Rosalie also
played her part.
In anticipation of nay uncle's visit,
and desiring that be should see Bos-
combe Lodge at its best, l had given
instructions to my gardener, which he
said he could not carry out alone. L
empowered him to hire a man to assist
him, and he told ME he bad done so.
I was satisfied to leave the matter to
him: he had been in my service many
years, and had served me well. All
that / knew of the man he had engaged
was his name-Redwing. When the
gardener came to me on Saturday for
wages, I asked how RedwinS suited
him.
"Oh, pretty well, Sir" was the reply;
he isn't all he made himself out to
be. but l shall manage"
And my gardener being content, so
was l.
At the beginning Of the week l my
self saw Rcdwing for the first time.
He did not appear 10 be overexertinG
himself; and this, and the fact that he
was a good-looking fellow, comprised
my observation of him.
/ return now to the incident in which
Mile. Rosalie played a part on the
evening of the day on which l received
my uncle's second letter.
To be continued.