Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-11-20
CHAPTER III.-(Continued.)

fire with the memory of her last linger-
Ing look. and the blood danced In his fin
gers as he recalled the warm, clinging
pressure of her hand at parting. -
Il think l must be mad when she is
near me, for somehow l always manage
TO believe in the possibility of her love
for me when in her presence" he NUT
tered. remorsefuly. And, if she did
love, what then? Could l throw Ethel
over? My sweet. pure little Ethel 1t
woud break her heart! | must get rid
= of this folly. I'll finish Ethel's letter at
once. and send it off by the morning post.
HI write long. loving letter to the poor
little girl; it will do me as much good to
write it as it will her to receive it."
This time he commenced with MY
dear Ethel" and then, before proceeding
further, he made a close examination OF
the beautifully executed address and
crest on the paper.
The crest of 'Mallyngs"-as the name
was originally spelled-a tigers head and
front paws in repose, with the motto,
"Let the sleeping lie," particularly in
terested him. He had stood for many a
minute during the past week In front
of one Of these emblems Of the family
circle-ferce, ungovernable-and ponder
ed the probable events that had caused
Ii TO be bestowed on them as their
badge.
Il wonder why she never marriedY'
he unused. Il wonder if mine Is the true
reason, and there really Is some poor
beggar in the background awaiting her
twenty birthday? l shall have a
chance of finding out If l accept her in
vtation for the partridge shooting in
September, for Lord Summers told me
she would be twenty-five In that month.
Ought |, in justice to Ethel, to place my
self in the way of such temptation
Bosh. l must be a weak fool indeed IL l
cannot live in the society Of beautiful
woman without making an idiot Of my
self. Besides If come and see for my-
self that she is really gone on some
lucky fellow it will be the most complete
cure 1 could find for my own folly"
But Jack knew this to be false rea-
suning; nevertheless he would not listen
to conscience, and, with a gloomy brow
and tightly compressed lips, sat glaring
moodily at the blank sheet Of paper be-
fore him.
will you take your luncheon in here,
sir? 1t will seem less lonely than in the
dining room. | think
Jack looked up in surprise at the
housekeeper.
Il must have been sitting here nearly
three hours. | don't mind where lunch,
Mrs Perkins"
Then I'll put 1t In here. sir; it's
brighter and more cheerful than the din
ing room"
Mrs. Perkins walked to sideboard
and hicked away an imaginary speck of
dust.
Were you here in Sir Paul's time?'
he asked, more because the old lady
wanted to talk than from any interest he
took in the matter.
Bless you, sir, I've been servant in
This house for turned fifty years.
began as under housemaid at sixteen,
and here I've been ever since; so I'm
what you may call an old servant"
"Of course you remember Miss Mall
tng's mother? She must have been a
beautiful woman"
Sometimes she was and sometimes
she wasn't. She was handsome enough
naturally; but she had such an awful
temper that it quite distigured her at
times. I've known her to sulk about
che house for a month at time because
her brother, the late Sir Paul. had re-
fused her some trihng thing. We were
quite relieved when she got married
and went away on the Continent with
her husband. You see she was many
years younger than her brothers. Sir
Paul and the present baronct. Sir Geof
frey, and was bit spoiled in consc
quence-though there is an old saying
In the family that a Malling's daughter
Is always a fend, asking your pardon
for the word, sir; so it's lucky Miss
Pauline is only a Mailing by adoption.
Then you think she has escaped the
failing usual to the ladies of the fam
llyf"
II should not like to give an Opinion
OF my mistress disposition. 1t would b,
very bad taste on my part, sir. Mis-,
Mailing during the six years she ha,
been mistress here, has been everything
one could desire"
Il beg your pardon" he said, politely
az did not wish to betray you into dis
respect for Miss Mailing. My question
was the natural outcome of your remark
as TO Miss Mallings being only a Mall
Ing by adoption"
ITO be sure sir; and that takes me
l.
Ines mother was away On the Continent
with her husband directly after they
we're married, and roamed about fol
years from one country to another Will
him; she never came home again, poor
dear. She died when Miss Pauline wa.
fifteen years Old; and then Sir Paul wa,
anxious to have the child with him il
England, rs he had made her his heiress
In consequence of the other brother
Godfrey, having married without hi
consent. But Major Luton would no
part with his daughter, and refused ever
TO let her come on visit: so we none
of US ever saw Miss Pauline until sh,
came here, grown woman. to take hel
place as mistress of Mallngford."
Il suppose you knew her at once by
her likeness to her mother?'
Strange to say, we didn't. sir. To h,
sure she was very i'll. for her father haC
been dead six months before she hearC
word about being heress to this prop
erty, and all that time, to keep herself
from starving, had been teaching in som,
Spanish convent. But even as she re
covered her looks we watched in vain fol
something In the voice or the expression
of the face that should remind us of heI