The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-18


 One night when my lord and Mohun were seated at cards. before supper, I Castlewood said to Beatrix: -'When thou art old enough. Trix. thou shalt marry Mohun."
 T think my lord would rather mar ry mama" replied the spoiled girl. and is only waiting for you to die to do so. She talked ever so long with him last night and sent Frank and me out of the room.''
 Ask Lord Mohun what I said to him. Frank" said Lady Castlewood, with great dignity. and, taking her daughter by the hand, swept out of the room.
 T will tell you what your wife said to me-" said Mohun. She asked me not to drink and gamble with you any more You know best if that was for your good or not"
 "Oh. of course.' sneered Castlewood You are model man, my lorda"
 T am no saint, though your wife is." replied Mohun, and can answer for my actions as others must for their words"
 When you please. my lord" said the viscount
 Lady Castlewood was frightened when she heard that Mohun and her husband | had quarreled, but when the guest rode away next morning the two lords appeared to have made it up, and part ed as if nothing had happened. A few days after, however. Lord Castlewood suddenly. grew silent and reserved. treated his wife with greater Kindness than he had done for long while, and appeared to have much business with ms lawyer. Sometimes they could hear him pacing his chamber all night alone.
 Harry endeavored to soothe the l Tears Of his dear lady and to raise the l spirits Of his patron unavailingly. At rf | nounced that he was i'll and must go to London to see his physician. He took Harry along with him. In London they met, apparently by appointment, Lord Mohun and two of his friends, Captain Mccartney and the young Earl of Warwick, and went to the Greyhound Tavern. There they were joined by Captain westbury. an old friend of Castlewoods, and seemed quite merry with wine and cards in a private room until Mohun snuffing candle. Castlewood said: Don't be so damned awkward, Mohun."
 "Awkwards a damned awkward word, my lord" replied Mohun. City gentlemen don't use such words-or, if they do. ask pardon"
 T Hing the words in your face, my lord--shall send the cards after them?" cried Castlewood.
 Harry saw it all-the quarrel at cards was only a pretext. In fact, as they left the tavern to go to the duel ling grounds at Leicester Fields Lord Castlewood confessed aside to him that it had all been arranged before. He had surprised a letter that Mohun had written to Lady Castlewood which showed that, while she was innocent of wrong, Mohun was a villain. He would have fought him before but that he owed him a great sum of mon ey lost at cards which he of course had to pay first
 They had not been on the duelling grounds more than couple of min utes. 1t seemed to Harry. before Cas- tlewood lay on the ground with Mo- hun standing over him with bloody napier.
 They got my lord to bed in neigh boring bath house, and when the Rev. Mr. Atterbury came out from confess ing him he handed Harry a paper signed by the hand of his dying pa tron. It was the story of Harrys own birth which had been told to my lord by Father Holt when he made secret visit to Castlewood during Harry's second term at Cambridge
 Harry thought of all the kindnesses that had been done to him before his patron knew that he could claim them justly; of that sweet and sorely tried woman about to become a widow; of her children, whose fancied tnheri- tance he would take away should he claim his own-and threw the paper into the fire.
 For his part in the duel Harry suf- fered a short imprisonment in the Gatehouse. and there Lady Castlewood came to see him. It was a distressing interview. She reproached Harry for not preventing the duel; declared that he had brought discord into her home; reproached herself; seemed. in fact half distracted. and so at last the wo- man for whom Esmond would willing ly have given his life went away de- claring that though she forgave him she could never see him more.
 All thoughts of being a priest were now over with Harry. and when he came out of prison he did not .scruple to accept the help his fathers widow the Dowager Lady Isabel offered him knowing, as he did. how much more was rightfully his. He would be a soldier, he decided. and so the Chelsea dowager procured him a commission in Colonel Quin's regiment of Fusi- leers. Scarcely was the ink dry on Esmonds commission than King Will liam died and Queen Anne succeeded with blare of trumpets and much pomp of heralds. MT. Esmond was soon of to the wars, where he made a name for himself, and came back after two years of foreign service to find the Chelsea dowager as full of gossip as ever
 Almost the first piece of news she told him was that the late lords wid- ow was going to Marry Tom Tusher the chaplain at Castlewood. Much disturbed by this news. Harry posted off to Walcote, the little house neaI Winchester where Frank Esmond lived before he became my lord, and where his widow was now residing with heI children. He minded not in the least now the prohibition which Lady Cas- tlewood had made about his never sec ing her again. He was the head oi the family, and as such had duty to perform. Marry Tom Tusher, in deed!
 At the house they told him that Lady Castlewood was at prayers at the Cathedral: she went to Cathedral pray CTS every day. The organ was playing. The winters day was already growing gray as he passed under the stre sl arch into the Cathedral yard and made his way into the ancient, solemn edi- flee.
 There were a score Of people in the Cathedral besides the dean and some of his clergy and the cnoristers per forming the beautiful evening servIeo; and in one of the stalls. still in her | black widows hood, sat Esmonds lear