The Washington herald., 1907-09-29
CHAPTER Y.

Massey ST QuinuE felt sick and dizzy
with the shock.
What was the connection between the
paragraph about the missing man, HaT-
( old BUrdock. and the adventure he had
I had az Tie Briars? Was II. indeed. the
| voice Of the missing solicitor that he
( had heard that Thursday evening when
I he stood outside the study window II
/ So, what had happened 10 the man?
What bad been done TO him?
| The more be thought about the whole
matter the surer he was that some
/ thing sinister had taken place In the
| handsome suburban mansion. and that,
difncult as the feat seemed, the amiable,
/ refned-Iooking Monsieur Leblanc must
/ have contrived 70 deceive him
| What were the facts?
! man had been seen coming up the
garden A suggestion had been made
/ that il was Mr.. Bun lock whose visit
was 10 be expected Monsieur Leblanc
| had disappeared from the diniug-room.
and had reappeared later in the draw
/ ing-roCm. calm. bland charming and
apparently perfectly unrUfied.
! Then. little later, St Quintin. on TAX
| ing his leave, had heard. or felt sure
/ that he heard cries of Help issuing
/ from the house, and had seen the study
window slowly shut.
/ And now he learned that Harold Bur
/ dock was missing, after having been
Iseen % start for Wimbledon, with a re
| turn ticket, on the very evening OF St
Quintin's adventure.
/ The ideas and suspicious that crowd
| ed into the young mans mind were I'M
CanDy. horrible; and reluctant as he felt
/ 70 take any man into his confidence upon
/ a matter which was bound TO involve
/ the relations and friends of Marie Dens-
/ leyN If not herself. he IT length decided
that he would consult James Ince be-
! ginning cautiously. and that he would
! hear submissively whatever he might
/ have to say.
| That this would be rather unpleasant
to hear he felt sure
| And in this he was, Of course, right
! Going to Ince's chambers that evening.
at length, after good deal of hesita-
/ tion, which opened his friends eyes to
| the fact that he had something to say
which he wished he could leave unsaid,
St QHintin burst into an enthusiastic
/ account of his meeting with Miss Dens-
| ley at the house of her people at Briar
Heath
James Ince looked at him keenly.
"Oh, you did go down there them he
said
"Of course I did. And Of course I
/ found her looking lovclier than ever. "
/ said St Quintin. with an uneasy feeling
! that his friend perceived that something
was wrong.
And her people What are they like?
/ AL right, eh?''
/ St Quintin hesitated.
They're very nice people. charming
people" he said at last But I suppose
one always has stupid insular idea that
one would have preferred. if possible,
| to have none but English connections for
ones wife"
Wife, en-? You have got on
St. Quintin ignored the facetious tone.
and answered steadily:
I knew in Cowes thai wanted her
for my wife. but now I know It much
better No other woman would ever
have for me the charm Miss Densley
| has
But remember, you have to marry
| the French relations. and I gather-per-
| haps from your tone and looks rather
than from your words-that however
charming they may be. you have some
very strong reason for wishing that they
We're other than they are"
Il don't mean to marry the relations" ="
said St Quntin. firmly; the French
ones at any, rate. But I may tell you
! If there is foreign blood iTR her veins
through her mother. there is a good old
English strain on the other side Her
father was an Englishman. of good fam
lily. and through him Marie inherits prop
erty which is. I am told. very consider
able
'Ab! Well, and now I want to hear