The Minneapolis journal., 1906-07-11


Az exceedingly rich man when he in
herited the bankrupt estates of the
Melb0urnes, each year found waning
of his natural generosity, growth Of
nnaccustomed meanness, and a diligence
in the quest Of fortune which the cir
cumstances made almost pathetic. On
her part, Evelyn was perfectly well
aware that he would give no parties at
the hall this year, would not take her
to Trouville, nor visit the Mediter-
ranean in the winter. Each season
, found its own excuses for delay. The
wretched mine in Tuscany was very
godsend when postponements of any
kind troubled the earl for a good
excuse. -s =
"I am glad you are going to do some
thing to the hall,' she said evasively;
Eat least there will be the painters So
may go to Dieppe, as Aunt Anne wishes.
It will be quite. dissipation-under the
circumstances. - r.......> 49,
He looked at her rather sharply.
$50 you went to London after alls''
he said. :" thought you meant to put
"To put it off! That would have
been familiar task. live. to put
things off. There is no one in all
Derbyshire who has SO many excuses
to make as I have >#.
"My dear Evelyn, you know per
fectly well why l dislike all this kind
"Indeed, I know nothing, except that
you dislike it, This is the third year
that you promised to take me to Lon
don and have disappointed me. If there
is any reason that keeps us prisoners
when others are free, would you not
wish me to know of it? / am your
= daughter, and surely, father, you can
speak to me Of this. - =
.tMy dear little Evelyn he said,
hiding his embarrassment as well as
might be, you are talking the greatest
nonsense in the world: # you want to
go, to London, you, shall go, tomorrow.
Take house, a fat, an hotel, anything
you ike-only don It ask me to go with
you. I am past all that sort of thing.
A city stiles me; the fools I find in
it make me angry. # you like them,
go and see them; I have been alone
much being alone again. -: :.
This quasi-appeal to her pity was his
invariable argument. He would have
been embarrassed had she accepted his
proposals; but he knew full well that
she would not accept them. And SO he
made them with a generosity which cost
him nothing but momentary tremor Of
doubt lest her answer should disappoint
him. -. r.--...
"'Oh,'' she said, rising from the
table and going: to the window to look
across the park, II am satiated with
Aunt "a Anne is s
night at half past 9 and got. up at 6;
and, of course, Richmond is quite
+ Mayfair when you learn to know it. +"
The earl, rising also,- would have
laughed it off, despite" the ridiculous
natHre of the effort. -
t1s$Poor old Anne is not as young
as she was,o he exclaimed lightly. "I
dare say you found her a little tire
some. Well, I suppose you come home
when you were tired of it?"
= 8 Yes,v said Evelyn, without turn
ing round, II came home when was
He could not see the deep blush
upon her cheeks. nor would he have
understood it had he done so. Indeed,
she was truthful so far as the letter
| of the truth went. A visit to Rich
e eaa ead ssen Mbeafne en Hall neh rhee
dreary days she had spent in prim
house overlooking the Thames The
home Of the skittish Aune Anne, whose
60 years did not forbid her still to
look out. like Sister Mary, for an
heroic " Him : upon her horizon. From
| Carlton theater; and now, Fer an in
stant, even here in her own home,
the Eta Rpmney could return to de-
light in her adventure.
- What SENSATION had attended her
disappearance from London9 Safely
guarded in her Jewel case upstairs were
cuttings from the newspapers of the
days succeeding that mad fight. Be
sure that the great Charles lizard made
the most of his misfortune. He had
believed that Eta Romney left him at
the bidding Of caprice and at the voice
of caprice would return to him again
| His shrewd mind instantly perceived
that the truth would best serve him OF
this occasion; and tho he was not on
very good terms with truth, the quarrel
was soon patched up. To all the re
porters he told the full story Of this
captivating romance.
stThe girl came to me from no
where,'' he said frankly, and where
she has gone God knows. I gave her {
hearing because she wrote me the clev
crest letter have read for many a lons
| daY Her home was in DerbYshire, an(