Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-12-11
CHAPTER xxxu.

as ne usmounted at the "Bayneham
Arms"
II am waiting for my LADY," replied
tie man; "she desired me to do so"
Barbara Earle had said. AT any
cost We must keep the secret and
Lord Bayneham remembered the
words.
'.it Is all right" he replied, hast ~;
"you can go home. am sorry you
hove been kept waiting so long.
LADY Bayneham will not return with
you this evening"
The landlord, who had shared the
Coschman's wonder, reentered the
isouse. perfectly satisfied, and Lord
Bayneham followed the man, who had
been Tor more than thirty years val
liable servant to his family.
Dickson" he said. laying one hand
UBon the coachman's shoulder. tell
me all that has passed since Lady
Bayneham left the house"
Nothing. my lord" replied the
man: her ladyship told me on starting
to drive to oulston, and wait for her
at the 'Bayneham Arms, and I have
done Sc"
where sid you set her DOWN.
asked Lord Bayneham.
MY lady stopped at the corner OF
Hill Street." replied Dickson; "she
went down toward the Old Cross, and
I drove on to the hotel"
Did Lady Bayneham say anything
about returning. asked the earl.
mo" said Dickson. Her ladyshiI
never spoke to me after she entered
the carriage. She looked very i'll
my lord"
And YOU have no idea where she
went?" Interrupted Lord Bayneham.
None" said the man. 81 nave
been waiting in much surprise for hel
ladyship has always been so pune
tuaL"
Dickson" sad Lord Bayneham, q
shall want one man to help me III
what have to do; we have some
reason to fear that Lady Baynehan
is Ills not quite herself She has
left her home. and gone no one knows
where. Can you keep this secret
and help me to trace herr"
7 can, my lord" said Dickson
quietly. He made no protestations
but the young earl understood the
good faith and strong reliance o.
those words.
She went down toward the Ole
Cross. you say" continued Lord Bay
neham; shat is the road to the
station: can she have gone there?"
He went into the hotel to look al
the Railway Guide, which lay upon the
table. His wife left her home some
few minutes past two o'clock; al
twenty minutes past three there was
train for London at four, the express
for Scotland; later on, the train fol-
New Town, the largest junction or
the line His only resource was to &c
10 the station, and make all the in
quiries possible.
How was Lady Bayneham dress
ed?" he asked of Dickson.
IL did not notice, my lord" he re
Piled. Il remember nothing that her
ladyship wore except a thick water
proof cloak.
Take the carriage home" said
Lord Bayneham; "and mind, Dickson
have trusted you. You will be the
only servant in the house who knows
the secret of your lady's flight; guard
II as you would your life-say what
you like to the rest to allay tnelr sus
picions, If they have any, and-stay
take this note to Lady Bayneham.
He wrote few lines, just to say
what he had done,-that he was now
going to the station, and If he found
any trace of his wife he should follow
it up, therefore they reed feel no un.
easiness at his absence. Dickson-he
told Lady Bayneham-knew the truth
and in any emergency they must trust
TO him. In the meantime they must
shield Hilda as best they could, for he
hoped to bring her back with him.
Lord Bayneham was not long in
reaching the little station, wnere he
was well known; but he found it diff.
cult to ask many questions without ex.
citing curiosity and wonder Fortu.
nateiy there was a new porter, who
did not know his lordship, and to this
man the young earl addressed himself.
The porter had been on the platform
an the afternoon, and remembered the
London train, and that four passen.
gers had left Oulston by it; but that
only two went by the Scotch express.
There were perhaps twenty for the
New Town train, but amongst them
he did not remember to have seen a
lady in a waterproof cloak.
"a dark waterproof cloak, did you
say, sir?" continued the porter. "Ah.
now I remember something. Just be.
fore the London train started, a lady
In long dark cloak sent me to get
her ticket. She sat there at the lower
end Of the platform, and spoke in a
low voice as though she were ILL., :
did not see her face clearly, because
she wore veil, but | thought I saw
that she was very pale and had golden
hair. bought her ticket and saw her
get into first-class carr.ag for Lon
don"
The .orter looked astonished when
Lord Bayneham slipped a sovereign
into his hand, and like wise man he
saw that there was something in It,
ax~,a vacaixa5 ~ baan y,fs &ho.,,oS4, -