The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-09
CHAPTER XIV.
A Little Note.

CHAPTER XIV.
A Little Note.
The little parish church of Broom
was remarkably full on the Sunday
morning following these events. This
fact was observed by the young vicar.
without surprise, and moreover with
out prejudice.
He shrewdly suspected that these
| strangers had come, not to worship
by preference in his church, but to
see the well-known Colonel Wright
and his distinguished young coad-
jutor; yet he thought no worse OF
them for that, and was honestly glad
to see them all, remembering that a
seed sown by the wind may well find
a fruitful resting place.
Ivan Meyer had not come to
church from mere curiosity, but with
a set purpose. Marie Bakovitch had
been more incomprehensible than
ever during the last few days, and
her patient lover was slowly awak-
| ening to the fact that her mind was
no longer reliable. Nevertheless, he
hoped on; but to continue hoping
and watching in silence and alone
was a heavy task for one of his i'm
| pulsive nature. He suddenly deter
mined, therefore, to seek assistance,
and this from VINEYARD Mistley him
self. Something in his artistic soul,
some strange love Of. a crude con-
trast, prompted him to do this; and
so convinced was he of the wisdom
of his appeal, that he had come TO
Broom Church with a little note in
his pocket to be passed into Win
yards hand. .
AS the congregation trooped down
the narrow aisle, VINEYARD caught
sight, for the third time in his life,
of Ivan Meyer; and in his eyes he
saw the CLEAN Of recognition which
is so difficult to conceal, and with it
he thought he detected a peculiar
pleading expression which he failed
at the time to understand. .,
Without turning round to look, he
felt that the tall foreigner was i'm
mediately behind him as he passed
out of the-low door, and it was char
acteristic Of his readiness of mind
that he showed no surprise when a
note was thrust rather clumsily into
his hand. He must have slipped it
into his pocket with wonderful celer-
ity, because he was shaking hands
the next instant with Miss Mabel
Sanford, who appeared to be COM
pletely satisfied with her new sum-
mer costume.
Her interests in theatricals was
rather too os%tentatious, and Mrs.
Wright, with a woman's quick in
sight, saw, al she came out of the
church, that she was displaying her
intimacy with the young diplomat
for the sole benefit of her lady
friends.
Mrs. Mistley had for some. days
been trying to secure a tete-a-tete
with her son, and with little difficult
ty she now arranged that they left
the ~churchyard together. For some
moments the mother and son walked
side BY side in silence.
They were now walking by the
Broomwater, and the ripple of the
stream as it danced and tumbled
along filled in the intervals of the
conversation, and led to long,
thoughtful pauses.
Tell me, Win" said Mrs. MistIey,
at length, with a hesitating glance
toward him, what do you think of
doing in the future?"
"I?" he began vaguely. ooh, ]
told them at headquarters that 1 was
ready to go anywhere at any mo-
ment."
You have no thought Of set
ting down YETI" gently and sug-
! gestively.
Settling down."
eyes; marrying and going into
Parliament, and behaving generally
as a well-bred and somewhat am
bilious young E%nglishman ought to
do, according to precedent"
81 have no respect for precedent,
mother"
"Nor I. But why not give up wan
dering. Win, and go into Parlia-
ment?" she added softly. "A mai
who has mastered a specially, as you
have this Russian question, is Ger
tain to get on there"
But l have not mastered it yet"
"Well-you and the colonel are
the accepted authorities upon the
matter. 1 do not see what more you
can require. Whether you have mas
tered it or not, you know more than
any other man"
eyes, but it is like exploring & new
country-there is no end to it. One
must keep up to the times and be
ever in the front, or it is useless COM
peting. Once the ground has been
travelled over by another man the in
| terest is lost. While ! am here, the
Russians are not by any means idle;