The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-10-17

Go, Bic COulu see uef ldluST SlIlluS
there in his hunting clothes, his whip
across his knee.
The old pointer, the squire's favor
tie, came whining to her feet. How
old he looked! The drawing-room
was all aglow with blazing logs, and
the sky outside the windows looked
pale and gray. Mrs. Tempest was in
her favorite armchair by the fire. Mr..
Scobel, the clergyman, was sitting in
a low chair on the other side of the
hearth, with his knees almost up 70
his chin, and his trousers wrinkled w
ever so far above his stout Oxford
shoes, leaving a considerable interval
Of gray stocking He was a man OF
about thirty, pale, and unpretending
of aspect, who fortified his native
with a pair of large binocu-
lars, which interposed a kind of bar
rier between himself and the outer
world.
He rose as Violet came toward him.
and turned the binoculars upon her,
in the glow of the fire.
How tall you have grown." he
cried, when they had shaken hands.
And how" Here he stopped, with
a little nervous laugh. Il really don't
think / should have known you If We
had met elsewhere"
Perhaps Rorie would hardly know
me-" thought Vixe-
How are all the poor people?" she
asked, when Mr.. Scobel had resumed
his seat, and was placidly caressing
his knees, and blinking, or seeming to
blink. at the fire with his binoculars.
Poor Lady Janet" sighed the in
cumbent of Beechdale, looking very
solemn, "she has gone to land in
which there are fairer flowers than
ever grew on the banks of the
Amazon"
What do you mean?"
Surely you have heard"
Nothing" exclaimed Mrs. Tempest.
81 have corresponded with nobody but
my housekeeper while l have been
Vawdrey?"
"She died at Florence last Novem-
Der, of bronchitis. She was very Ill
last winter, and had to be taken to
Cannes for the early part of the year.
But she came back in April quite well
and strong, as every one supposed, and
spent the summer at Briarwood. Her
doctors told her, however, that she
was not to risk another winter in Eng
land, so in September she went to
Italy, taking Lady Mabel with her."
And Roderick?" inquired Vixen.
He went with them, of course?"
Naturally" replied Mr.. Scobel.
"Mr. Vawdrey was with his mother
till the last"
VERY nice of him." murmured Mrs.
Tempest, approvingly; for, in gen.
eral way, / don't think they got on
too well together. And now, / sup
pose, Roderick will marry his cousi,,
as soon as he is out of mourning"
why should you suppose so, nam
MAJ" exclaimed Violet. 1T was quite
a mistake of yours about their being
engaged. Roderick told me so himself.
He was not engaged to Lady Mabel.
He had not the least idea of marry.
ing her."
HE has altered his mind since
then, / conclude" said Mr.. Scobel
cheerily-those binoculars of his would
never have seen through a stone wall
and were not much good at seeing
things under his nose-"for 1t is quite
a settled thing that Mr.. Vawdrey and
Lady Mabel are to be married 1t will
be a splendid match for him, and will
make him the largest land owner In
the Forest, for Ashbourne is settled
on Lady Mabel. The duke bought il
himself, you know. and it is not in the
entail" added the incumbent.
Il always knew that 1t would be so,
said Mrs. Tempest, with the air of a
sage. Lady Jane had set her heart
upon it. Worldly greatness was her
idol, poor thing. 1t is sad to think OF
her being snatched away from every
thing. What has become of the or
chids?"
Lady Jane left them to her niece
They are building houses to receive
them at Ash5ourne"
Rather a waste of money, isn't it?'
suggested Violet, in cold, hard voice
why not let them stay at Briarwood
till Lady Mabel is mistress there?"
Mr.. Scobel did not enter into this
discussion. He had an service at Z
o'clock that evening, and would bat
just have time to tramp home through
the winter dark and take a hurried
meal before he ran across to his neat
little vestry and shuffled on his sur
plice, while. Mrs. Scobel played her
plaintive voluntary on the twenty
guinea harmonium.
And where is young Vawdrey
now?" inquired Mrs. Tempest, blaEdly
HE has not come home yet. The
duke and duchess went to Florence
just before Lady James death, and ]
believe Mr.. Vawdrey is with them al
Rome. Briarwood has been shut W
since September"
Didn't / tell you, mamma, that
somebody would be dead?" cried
Violet. Il felt, when we came into this
house yesterday evening, that every
thing In our lives was changed"
She walked up and down the din
fire-lit room, thinking of what she had
just heard.
What does it matter to me? Why
should / be so angry?" she asked her
self. I'VE were never more thar
friends and playfellows. And | think
that, on the whole, rather disliked
him. 1 know i was seldom civil to
him. He was papa's favorite. / should
hardly have tolerated him but fol
that"
She felt relieved at having settled
this point In her mind. Yet there was
dull blank sense of loss, a vague
aching in her troubled heart, which
she could not get rid of easily.
Il hate myself for being SO vexed
about this" she said, clasping hel
hands above her head with a vehe
mence that showed the intensity oil
her vexation. Gould II, Violet
Tempest-ever be so despicable z