Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-02
CHAPTER I.
Zone May Smile, and Smile, and Be a
Villain"

CHAPTER I.
Zone May Smile, and Smile, and Be
Villain"
The Dowager Lady Holland wrote some
figures on sheet of paper, and did a RAPID
sum in addition. Then she wrote in another
line underneath, and subtracted The re
suit seemed to please her, and she laid
down her pen.
would YOU like to hear the total Mary
she asked.
Mary Holland looked up from the book
she was reading and answered without In
terest:
Yes mother"
Thirty pounds better than it>was last
quarter" said the dowager proudly.
II am sorry to hear it..
The answer was spoken quietly, but with
a cold emphasis which limited at an injury
somewhere. Mary's eyes had dropped over
her book again, and she showed no incli-
nation to prolong the conversation. Her
mother looked at her sharply, froWned
slightly, and then sighed. For these quar-
terly remlttances to the absent son were d
theme on which she and her daughter had
Of late had frequent differences of opinion.
Lady Holland locked away her ledger
tidied her papers methodically, ana then
rolled down the top of her American desk tlll
ing at the moment she had no intention or
yielding to her daughters plainly express
ed wish to let the subject of the remittance
drop. On the contrary, she had made up her
mind that Mary and she must have the mat
ter out; there was, indeed, special reason
for plain speaking between them TO-DAY,
though she doubted whether Mary would De
pleased when she learned what the reason
WAS.
Therefore the frown; and therefore, more
particularly, the sigh.
But in the twelve years during which
Lady Holland had managed the Holland
Abbey estate for her son, she had learned to
be methodica, until method had become at
last almost fetish. She said she had found
that tidiness in business matters was
habit that paid. and she had no doubt that
Moreover. 1t was a habit easy to learn, pro-
vided that one made a point of never re
Taxing 1t. She did not relax 1t now. though
she was preparing to begin discussion
which would mark a crisis-perhaps the
crisis-of her daughters life.
Even her enemles-if she had had enemies
would have admitted that Susan Lady Hoi-
land was a woman of great force OF char
acter. Her daughter, had she heard their
verdict. would have thought Of the last
twelve years and would have said, perhaps
trite rebelliously, that the enemies were
right.
When. therefore, the desk had been locked,
Lady Holland seated herself in straight
backed chair, and opened workbasket-
neat in it's arrangements as the desk was
and took out folded linen cloth. Then she
began, with steady. purposeful industry, to
draw long threads from the fabric. For
drawn-linen work was her hobby. She had
adopted 1t in the first instance because the
expense of material small while the
amount of labor which could be put into 1t
was infinite. And the choice was charac-
teristic
Il am proud of my stewardship, Mary"
she said presently, in quiet voice which
challenged attention.
The girl closed her book. She had learned
by experience that when her mother began
a conversation and the linen-work sinful
taneously it was better not to try to read.
Yes, mother, l know you are she said.
But you don't sympathize with me in
that pride?" Lady Holland went on. You
say that you are sorry because l am able
to send Eustace an extra thirty pounds this
quarter"
YES. Yes; J. ! am sorry"
For a moment Mary did not answer.
What was the use of going over all the old
ground again? 1t was a sordid tale al
best-a meanness which her mother had
mistaken for a martyrdom, that was all.
Twelve years ago her brother Eustace had
been in the service of the admiralty and
had fled from the country to escape a
charge OF treason. He lived abroad now.
under the rogues refuge of an assumed
name, and every quarter his mother sent
to him an account of her stewardship of his
L
in the amount for which the remittance
was drawn proved that her stewardship
was good: for all the best powers of an
able woman's brain were employed In pre-
psring for Lady Hollands quarterly sum
in addition and subtraction.
And there were economics. too-rigtd econ
omies; only the two women who pract'ced
them knew how rigid and how cruel they
were. Mary was thinking of these now, as
she observed the care-engraved lines on
her mothers face and noted how the tired
eyes gave the lie to the busy energy OF the
restless fingers; and her thoughts were re-
bellious For the black gown which Susan
Lady Holland was wearing this morning
had been turned once and redyed twice,
and Marys own heavy boots, which were
drying In the fender, showed plainly where
the cobbler had put on clumsy patches
three months ago.
These things. the shabby gown and the
cobbled boots, were only symptoms; but
they made her angry. For of late she had
begun to doubt whether her brother Eus-
tace was worthy of the sacrifice for which
they stood.
She had been six years old when the discov-
cry that the scheme of the secret defenses of
Portsmouth was more widely known than the
authorities thought had caused Sir Eustace
Holland to go abroad suddenly and secretly.
1t was said that he had sold the plans to a
foreign power. Whether he had or not, at
any rate he preferred not to meet MS nc
cusers, and his world drew the obvious In
ferences. Men shifted at the name Of Sir
Eustace Holland for a month or two nEd
then forgot him. He did nothing to bring
himself to their recollection again.
But when all the world condemns.
mother trusts. Sir Eustace Holland had
one defender.
His mother believed in him absolutely,
and expected him to prove his innocence.
1t was to help him to do so that she had
undertaken the management of Holland
Abbey and the small estate that went with
1t, and had begun at once to send remit
tances to the address which he gave her.
Since. of course, he was innocent, of course
also the story that he had received a large
sum the price of his treason was nom
sense: and to live. he must have money.
AS the years went on and he did nothing
to lift the cloud that was over him, her
belief in his innocence, from being a fierceiy
militant indignation, settled down into a
placid faith, unreasoning because unrea-
sonable, unquestioned because no one in
her presence had the heart to question 1t.
The possibility of restoring her sons good
name became, therefore. gradually and UNI
consciously, thing of which the mother
ceased to think: but meanwhile there were
always the remittances to be schen5d for
and worked for. That they should be fat re-
mittances and that as time went on they
should be made to grow fatter, became a
sufficient object in itself The Dowager
7 I4ll, h. I~,Y