Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1906-03-10
CHAPTER III.-fcontinuedl

gers as he recalled the warm, clinging
pressure Of her hand at parting.
Il think / must be mad when che 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, remorsefully. And, If she did
love, what then7 Could / throw Ethel
over? My sweet, pure little Ethel, II
would break her heartl l must get rid
Of this folly. I'll finish Etheps letter at
once, and send 1t off by the morning post.
I'll write long, loving letter to the poor
little girl It will do me as much good to
write 1t 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 tigers head and
front paws In repose, with the motto,
LET the sleeping lie," particularly in
terested him. He had stood for many
minute during the past week In front
Of one Of these emblems Of the family
circle-herce, ungovernable-and ponder
ed the probable events that had caused
II to be bestowed on them as their
badge.
Il wonder why she never marriedT
he unused. 81 wonder II mine Is the true
reason, and there really Is some poor
beggar In the background awaiting her
twenty-ffth birthday? l shall have
chance Of finding out If / accept her in
vitation for the partridge shooting In
September, for Lord Summers told me
she would be twenty-five in that month.
Ought l, in Justice to Ethel, to place my
self In the way Of such temptationl
Boshl / must be weak fool indeed If
cannot live In the society Of beautiful
woman without making an idiot of my
selfl Besides II l come and see for my
self that she Is really gone on some
lucky fellow, 1t will be the most complete
cure | could find for my own folly"
But Jack knew this TO be false rea-
soning; nevertheless he would not listen
to conscience, and, with gloomy brow
and tightly compressed lips, sat glaring
modify at the blank sheet Of paper be-
fore him
"Will you take your luncheon in here,
sirf 1t will seem less lonely than in the
dining room, | think"
Jack looked up In surprise at the
housekeeper.
II must have been sitting here nearly
three hours. don't mind where lunch,
Mrs. Perkins"
'rhen I'll put 1t In here. sir; it's
brighter and more cheerful than the din
ing room"
Mrs Perkins walked to a sideboard
and hicked away an imaginary speck of
dust.
Were you here In Sir Paul's timer
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 a servant In
this house for turned Fifty yearsl
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
ing'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 dlshgured her at
times. I've known her to sulk about
the house for a month at time because
her brother, the late Sir Paul. had re-
fused her some tritling 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 baronet, Sir Geof-
frey, and was bit spoiled In conse-
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
ilyT'
81 should not like to give an opinion
Of my mistress disposition. 1t would be
very bad taste on my part sir. Miss
Mailing during the six years she has
been mistress here, has been everything
one could desire"
81 beg your pardon" he said, politely.
II did not wish TO betray you into dis
respect for Miss Mailing. My question
was the natural outcome Of your remark
as to Miss Malling's being only a Mall
ing by adoption"
ITO be sure, sir; and that takes me
back to what l was saying. Miss Paul
ines mother was away on the Continent
with her husband directly after they
were married, and roamed about for
years from one country to another with
him; she never came home again, poor
dearl She died when Miss Pauline was
fifteen years old; and then Sir Paul was
anxious to have the child with him in
England, as he had made her his heiress.
In consequence Of the other brother,
Godfrey, having married without his
consent. But Major Luton would not
part with his daughter, and refused even
to let her come on a visit; so we none
of us ever saw Miss Pauline until she
came here. a grown woman, to take her
place as mistress of Mallingford."
81 suppose you knew her at once by
her likeness to her motherT
Strange to say, we didn't, sir To be
sure she was very III, for her father had
been dead six months before she heard
a word about being heiress to this prop
erty, and all that time to keep herself
from starving, had been teaching in some
Spanish convent. But even as she re-
covered her looks we watched In vain for
something In the voice or the expression
Of the face that should remind US Of her
mother. There are the same beautiful
hair and eyes, and there the likeness
ends"
DO you say she never knew about
her heiress-ship until after her fathers
death7"
Yes, sir. She says he would not tell
her because he was afraid she might be
tempted TO leave him. / believe they
were In dreadful straits sometimes"
at muaf have hean a uvondarfrl