Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-11-10
"A DEAD PAST
BY L0vETT CAMERON
CHAPTER XVIII.
BY MRS. LOvEn CAMERON

CHAPTER XVIII.
Felicia sat alone in the inn sitting
room at Smackton. Miss Grantley and
Gertrude had taken a fly after breakfast
and gone out for a drive together. They
had been rather mysterious over the
business.
There was knock at the door, and
the old waiter popped in his rough white
lead sideways:
ayes, SIR" he said, half turning back
TO somebody behind him, ''the lady is IN.
a gentleman, ma am, to see you.
He threw wide open the door, ana
somebody, tall and slight, clad in a long
eyercoat, came out from the gloom OF
she passage without into the gathering
twilight of the sitting room. For mo-
ment she peered at him. not seeing who
1t was; then suddenly she recognized
Aim, and her heart beat wildly.
''Mr. Raikes. Is it your
He took her proffered hand and shook
1t warmly, murmuring some half con-
fused words of greeting.
"How on earth did you come here!
What brings you to Smackton? And how
did you learn that l was here?
81 was travelling north. | heard ac-
Qidentally from a fellow passenger IN
the same carriage that you were staying
acre."
'tI am very glad to see you," she an
swered, heartily, and with perfect self
eomposure, for women act these scenes
much better than men do, and she would
not have betrayed her agitation for an
empire.
Glow well she looks" thought Edgar,
land how beaming; it is easy to see that
she is perfectly content" Aloud he said:
do you know who my fellow traveller
turned out to be-"
81 cannot imagine" she replied.
Mrs. Talbot's husband. He is down
stairs in the coffee room. They told
aim his wife was out; he has come here
to look after her"
Felicia laughed. The situation was
really delightful.
"What piece of good luck,'' she cried
gayly. 81 never heard of his turning up
appropriately in his life before. If only
he will take her away, for she is thorn
In my side"
''How we'll you look! l need not ask
you how you are. And your husband, he
Is quite well, hope?"
II ellCld SldIlcu MY uuSDdAu' SllC
repeated, in a strange voice of wonder
&ng bewilderment. What on earth do
you mean?"
He looked at her with a surprisde and
startled face I'll mean Sir Roy" he
said stammeringly.
'Sir Roy is my cousin, Mr.. Raikes;
not my husbandp'
But you were engaged to him, were
you not, when | left England? I was
cold of tit was for that that 1 went
away, and you yourself would not bid
me stay; and when l heard it l thought
that l understood your meaning. Surely,
surely / could not have made SO terri
BILE a mistaken
at was no mistake. l was engaged
10 Roy for one month. Perhaps, had
you not gone away-however, our en-
gagement was broken off"
II never heard of it, he said breath
Ressly. Il believed that you were mar
xied. But tell me why-why was it
broken OFF,"
AZ never meant to marry him. Some
day, perhaps, if you care to hear the
calculation of the mystery, will explain
1t all to you; it is a long story. To be-
gin with, l did not love him." she STAN
mered slowly, with downcast eyes. Then
there was pause. rs not that enough ?"
''Felicia," he said, below his breath.
''Wnl you ever marry anybody?"
"Perhaps-if-if l ever love any
body"
''Will you then ever learn to love
anybody?'
eff anybody cares to inquire, we'll
Shen, perhaps 1 will tell him."