The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-03

You seem to expect company. They have laid for five"
 'Yes, I fancy we may have some com pany dropping in," said he. T am sur prised that Lord St. simon has not all ready arrived. Hal I fancy that I hear his step now upon the stairs"
 It was indeed our visitor of the morn ing who came busting in, dangling his glasses more vigorously than ever. and with a very perturbed expression upon his aristooratio features.
 My messenger reached you, then?" asked Holmes.
 "Yes, and confess that the contents startled me beyond measure. Have you good authority for what you say?' 'The best possible"
 Lord St. Simon sank into chair and passed his hand over his forehead.
 What will the Duke say' he mur- mured, when he hears that one Of the family has been subjected to such hu- miliation9"
 "It is the purest accident. I cannot allow that there is any humiliation"
 "Ah. you look on these things from another standpoint"
 ''I fail to see that any one is to blame can hardly see how the lady could have acted otherwise. though her abrupt method of doing it was undoubtedly to be regret ted. Having no mother. she had no one to advise her at such a crisis.
 'Tt was a slight, sir public slight, said Lord St. Simon, tapping his fingers upon the table,
 'You must make allowance for this poor girl. placed in so unprecedented a position"
 "I will make no allowance. I am very angry indeed, and I have been shame fully used"
 q think that I heard ring" said Holmes. "Yes, there are steps on the landing. If I cannot persuade you to take a lenient view of the matter, Lord St. Simon, I have brought an advocate here who may be more successful" He opened the door and ushered in lady and gentleman. Lord St Simon said he, ''allow me to introduce you to MT. and Mrs. Francis Hay Moulton. The lady, think, you have already met"
 At the sight of these newcomers our client had sprung from his seat and stood very erect, with his eyes cast down and his hand thrust into the breast of his frock coat, picture of offended dig nifty. The lady had taken a quick step forward and had held out her hand to him, but he still refused to raise his eyes. It was as well for his resolution, perhaps, for her pleading face was one which 1t was hard to resist.
 You're angy Robert" said she. Well, l guess you have every cause to be-"
 Pray make no apology to me-" said Lord St. Simon. bitterly"
 "Oh, yes. I know that I have treated you real bad and that l should have spoken to you before I went; but I was kind of rattled. and from the time when I saw Frank here again I Just didn't know what was doing or saying. l only wonder I didn't fall down and do faint right there before the altar.
 Perhaps Mrs. Moulton, you would like frtA while you explain this matter?''
 "If I may give an opinlon." remarked the strange gentleman, we've had just a little too much secrecy over this mat ter already. For my part. 1 should like all Europe and America to hear the rights of it.' He was a small wiry, sun burnt man. clean shaven, with a sharp face and alert manner.
 Then I'll tell our story right away said the lady. Frank here and I met in S4 in McQuire's camp, near the Rockies where pa was working a claim. We were engaged to each other, Frank and l. but then one day father struck a rich pocket and made a pile, while poor Frank here had q claim that petered out and came to nothing. The richer pa grew the poorer was Frank so at last pa wouldn't hear of our engagement lasting any longer, and he took me away to Frisco Frank wouldn't throw up his hand, though: so he followed me there, and he saw me without pa knowing any thing about 1t. It would only have made him mad to know. so we just fixed 1t all up for ourselves. Frank said that he would go and make his pile, too. and never come back to claim me until he had as much as pa. So then I promised to wait for him to the end of time and pledged myself not to marry any one else while he lived Why shouldn't we be married right away, then, said he and then will feel sure of you, and I won claim to be your husband until I come back?' Well, we talked 1t over, and he had fixed it all up so nicely. with a clergyman all ready in waiting. that we just did 1t right there; and then Frank went off to seek his fortune, and I went back to pa.
 'The next I heard of Frank was that he was in Montana, and then he went pros- pecting in Arizona, and then I heard of him from New Mexico. After that come a long newspaper story about how 8 miners camp had been attacked by Apache Indians. and there was my Franks name among the killed. I faInted dead away, and I was very sick for months after. Pa thought I had a de- cline. and took me to half the doctors in Frisco. Not word of news came for a year or more. so that never doubted that Frank was really dead. Then Lord St. Simon came to Frisco and we came to London, and a marriage was arranged. and pa was very pleased. but I felt all the time that no man on this earth would ever take the place in my heart that had been given to my poor Frank.
 "Still, if l married Lord St. Simon, of course I'd have to do my duty by him. We can't command our love, but we can our actions. I went to the altar with him with the intention to make him just as good wife as. 1t was in me to be. But you may imagine what I felt when, just as I came to the altar rails I glanced back and saw Frank standing and looking at me out cf tho first pew. I thought 1t was his ghost at first; but when I looked again there he was still with a kind of question in his eyes as if to ask me whether I were glad or sorry to see him. I wonder didn't drop. I know that everything was turning round. and the words of the clergyman were just like the buzz of bee in my ear. I didn't know what to do Should stop the ser vice and make a scene in the church? I glanced at him again, and he seemed to know what I was thinking. for he raised his finger to his lips to tell me to be still. Then I saw him scrioble on a piece of paper and knew that hc was writing me a not. As I passed his pew on the way out I dropped my boquet oyer to him, and he slipped the note into my hand when he returned me the flowers. It was only line asking me to join him when he made the sign to me to do so Of course never doubted for a moment that my first duty was now to him. andsI de- termined to do just whatever he might direct.