Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-10-06
CHAPTER 1II.-tContinued.)

g. roce. his speech, his whole appear
~. had certainly instantly dispelled the
>-,entary fears which had possessed
W. II certainly don't know who you
~, she confessed naively. "Unless"-
Il a.. basitated-"but that is impossible;
~ Guardian is not even in England"
stf~ rather, was not until a couple of
5.,-. AGO. when that bugbear business
-snc1 the unfortunate individual to
I'm" was the reply. THAT is how it is,
~. Yelverton. l dare say you do not
i-9cy what rolling stone | am. Any
Gayr YOU see / have taken the very
asrlest opportunity of coming to pay my
rasnpcts to my new ward"
q II was her guardian-it was really
Sir Ughtred! At this point Phyllis was
canscous that her feelings had undergone
q decided shock.
How often she had pictured him to her
belf. how often she had tried to recall to
her mind that young Wharf" as her ia
tber had always called him, and who she
remembered had invariably made one of
the large shooting party which annually
assembled at the Abbey. Her recollection
nj him was haZy, haZy in the extreme /;
Init how utterly different was the man
who stood there in the uncertain light of
the cracking fire from the Wharf of
days gone by!
Twelve years or more might have
elaDsed since she had last seen him, but
could twelve years have wrought that
change? Could they have sprinkled his
hair with those silver threads-have
brought those lines of care to his brow,
and altered the careless, happy expression
Of his face to one of absolute cynicism
and gloom? And yet to doubt his iden-
titv was impossible; he was veritable
Wharf from the crown of his head to the
soles of his spurred boots. with that
same distingue air and military bearing
which was to be found so faithfully re-
produced in nearly every portrait of his
dead-and- gone ancestors in the manor's
picture gallery.
And Sir Ughtred, what were his
thoughts as he looked down upon that
slight, girlish form before him2 People
spoke of him as q woman Halter. and the
wav in which he esehewed society, and
that of the fairer sex in particular, GER
tainly gave them every reason for saving
so: but was it possible he was so utterly
blind 10 beauty that the pretty bewitch-
ing face and lovely Irish blue eyes of
Phyllis Yelverton could fail to fascinate
him?
He thrust his hands into his pockets
and regarded her with a curious, half
4 puzzled glance.
And so you have baen in this dead
alive place a whole fortnight Miss Vel
verton and have actually lived to tell
b the tale?" he observed, with a ring of
peculiar bitterness in his tones. "How on
earth do you manage to existY"
1T is lonely, of course" admitted Phyl-
lis with little pucker of her forehead
III perhaps a consciousness of the fact that
~ 4beggars cannot be choosers" made her
refrain from eonfessing how lonely.
"Still"-here her gaze rested upon the
St. Bernard, whose days, according to
n Mrs Mathews, would be surely numbered
as soon as Sir Ughtred took up the reins
4 OF government-''we don't mind so much
whilst we have Benedict to protect US.
He is a splendid guard"
Yes; for the matter of that l should
think you are well protected. He was
decidedly averse from allowing me ad-
mittance; he evidently thought had no
business here at all. But we soon made
friends, didn't we, old mann" he said,
passing his hunting crop over the dogs
tawny head.
You have not been here long, 1 sup
poser"
No, scarcely more than half an hour
have only ridden over from the Cour-
tenays, where l en- staying for the next
lew days; so that l can promise not to
trouble you with my company overmuch.
Inhappily l have a full hours work be-
lore me with Mrs. Mathews and her
books, and must throw myself upon your
mercy, and ask you to give me an invita-
ton to dine with you"
10 dine! Phyllis folded her arms upon
Ihe back of a chair and gazed into the
IqePths OF the fire with a decidedly du-
pI24s expression on her pretty face
low very unfortunate! l am so
1Fe' -ully sorry" she said despondently,
slowly raising her eyes to Sir Ughtreds
lace. 1t is the very worst day you could
possibly have chosen; because as Miss
LaFe IS upstairs with bad cold l said l
sAoa'l not want any dinner"
III Oghtred smiled. "Ah, is that It? I
see. Well, l have no doubt Mrs.
1e'aeWs viii be ingenious enough to con-
1I"e US something; she will not let us
,S"'Fe, At all events this is step in
'le right direction" he added as James
entered at that moment with the lights
anu 1ea. We can but hope for better
tangs to follow"
Iayllis' only answer was light laugh:
=, most heartily she echoed Sir Ugh
sentiments. Experience had taught
sAat a good or bad dinner material
.''1 Jed the equanimity of most men;
- olgmg from the little that she had
a d her guardian, she could imagine
gag under adverse circumstances that
-..s.eman's temper would not be of the
very sweetest.
W The appearance of the butler. how
'. Aer thoughts instantly reverted to
.F alarm Of some minutes before. Ger
-5 mat alarm had to some extent di-
'-rlea since she found herself safely
. the manor walls; she was begin
fS 20 think that perhaps she had