Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-08-31

"You haven't got bit of an appetite,
miss" the old woman declared in dis
tress. "The mistress will be fair put
about when she hears what poor dinner
you have made. Eli, but it's bad job
her being too poorly to sit down with
youi"
1T is very Disappointing" Sage said,
feeling very hypocritical Il have some
shopping to do, Betty, and | shall get
my tea in town before / start home; 1t
will be better than coming back here to
disturb your mistress again"
Betty agreed to this reluctantly
enough.
There be no keeping her quiet if she
knew you were in the house, miss.
She's bound to be easier by then, and
she'd be having you upstairs and making
herself bad again. I'll tell her you're
leaving by the 4 o'clock train?"
Sage managed to avoid any response,
but Betty did not notice the omission,
and continued to bemoan the fact that
the young lady's visit should have been
so unceremoniously shortened.
eff it had been summer, miss, you
might ha' taken a nice drive out into
the country" she said. There's many
pretty excursions. You'd like to see
Milesbrook, I'm sure; it's fine old
place is Nilesbrook; but the public
haven't been admitted to the grounds
since the trouble at the court"
Sage depressed her involuntary start.
"Is--did Sir Harold die?" she asked
falteringly.
"Eh, so you heard the story Well,
to be sure it was in all the papers," said
Betty a fine stir it made too at the
time No, my dear, the poor old gen
tleman isn't dead yet. It's a wonder
how he fingers on, for he hasn't reeov-
cred consciousness once, they say, and
there isn't shred of hope. My sister
is bousekeper at the court, so | know all
about it. you see"
Sage crumbled her bread and made a
pretence of eating.
"The young man-Jerrold Milnes-es-
capped after all?" she observed tenta-
lively.
Betty sighed and shook her head.
"He did-more's the pity" she said.
"Selina-that's my sister, miss-says
that if he'd only ha' stayed to face it
out there's not a person in the place as
wouldn't have stood up for him. He's as
popular with them all as Mr.. Miles is
the reverse; the tenants and the serv-
ants fair worship Mr.. Jerrold, and they
do tell that Sir Harold set a deal more
store by him than he did by his own
son. Not as that's much wonder, for
Mr. Miles is a bad lot all round" added
Betty retlectively.
Sage had plenty of food for medita-
ton when, having procured carriage,
she left the town behind her and found
herself driving rapidly along a smooth
high road. She had not made any def
mite plan but she had hidden the driver
stop when he reached Milesbrook with
in sight of the park gates and wait for
her outside. 1t did not occur to her that
che might find some difficulty in enter
ing the park, but when she left the car
riage and made her way to the tall iron
gates she found herself confronted by a
bulletin which declared Sir Harold's con-
dition to remain unchanged, and by a
written request that no traffic of any de-
scription should pass up the avenue. A
couple of trim little lodges stood nesting
in the strawberries one on each side of
the gates, and at the sound of Sage's
footsteps a woman came hurriedly out of
her door and held up her hand.
"You must go round by the west path,
please, miss-no admission this way
she said. ooh, beg your pardon, Miss
Tenbyl Won't you stay a bit longer
now you've walked 80 far, miss?" she
added, drawing back to make room for a
small, slender girl, beautifully dressed,
who had followed her out of the cottage.
mo, thank you, Mrs. Price. viii
come again to see Jimmy. Good after
nooni" The speaker was turning away
when she caught a glimpse of Sage's
face, pressed eagerly against the bars
of the gate She hesitated, and then
turned. with pretty cmrtesy, towards
the stranger.
Can / do anything for your" she
asked. "You see the bulletin-we are
obliged to close the avenue for the pres
ent hut"
"If / might speak to you," Sage inter-
rupted. "My name is Sage Havant. l
have come to see you-to bring you
news" she added. in French, as the
lodgekeeper was listening.
Elinor Tenby's fair, delicate face paled
to the lips, but she grasped the situa-
tion with unexpected presence of mind.
Miss Havant! | beg your pardon; /
I did not recognize you!" she ex-
claimed. "Open the gate, Mrs. Price;
this lady will walk a little way up the
avenue with me-"
TO BE CONTINUED.
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