The Washington herald., 1907-12-01

should break away from the Leblaucs and
go North with him. he had acted on the
spur of the moment suggested what DE
| thought the best course for her. without
duly considering the added difficulties
which tile championship Of beautiful
young woman would put i'm his way.
To have on his hands girl who was
already almost hysterical from the shock
She had just received. when no was bent
on task which would need all his nerve
and all his resourcctuluess. was "a situa-
uon with which he felt that he had never
! properly grappled
I'm very sorry" he stammered.
At the words Miss DenSIey looked up
again, then with a woman's quick intul-
ton she understood what DE felt. and
dasling away from her eyes the tears
which had again begun 60 gather I'm them
She said with unexpected frmneSS-
Don't look so frightened. ] sse-you'rc
afraid of me. afraid I shall be silly have
attacks of nerves and cry, and make
scenes, and be a trouble to YOU. You're
quite wrong. I won't. I've got over the
worst of il now. You see. its really been
coming upon me for days. though ] didn't
exactly know it-I wouldn't know il, Eut
now that the worst has come. that 1 un-
dcrstand just where 7 am and what
/ have 10 do, you won't find me silly or
I troublesome. indeed. Only l can't be sat
isfied. any more than YOU can. until I
know if those wretchcs have done any
! thing TO Massey, What have they got
| him up there for2 Why couldn't they
have robbed him at Briar Lodge. as they
robbed the othersc Ii frightens me,''
! The girls great eyes Were fun Of dis
| treSs. but as she had promised. she con-
quered the outward manifestations Of her
agitation, ana clasping her hands tightly
as " that would help her 10 keep her
feelings i'm check. she told him Of the
scene she had Just gong through
When I ran away from you and went
! indoors she said Mime Leblanc met
me. and asked where I'd been, There
was something IN her face I had never
seen before. something that frightened
me- So 7 said J had been to speak 10
you. and that YOU had said ] was being
promised in marriage 20 Cap Darnau
and other men. besides the one man I
was really engaged to-AIassey ST Quin-
tin. Then her face grew very hard and
cold. and she pOunced upon me. as If
l had been naughty child. and dragged
me into the drawing room. and told me
/ was "A fool and an idiot 20 quarrel with
the splendid position / should presently
have If / did as ! was told and let her
manage my affairs for me. And l told
her I didn't want them managed ]
only wanted TO marry the man I cared
for, and then I asked why he had been
taken 10 Densley. And she looked fright
ened at that and said unless l held my
tongue l should find myself in prison. as
there was plenty Of evidence that I had
been taking presents from different
I -. ..r,Hg.
ragged and stormed at me and tried TO
frighten me into going away with her 70
France. and told me that when Mr. st
Quintiu found out how he had been
treated he would never speak 10 me
again. but would get his friends 10 prose
cute me fox theft. / kept as quiet as
could. and presently l asked her point
blank if IL was true that my name was
Densley. and that ! was entitled to n
large fortune. And she laughed i'm my
face, and told me / knew very well il
was rot true; that I was only plain
Dorcas Lane. without a friend and with
out a penny, and that that was why Mr.
ST Quintin had given me up; that he
had learned the truth, and looked upon
me as an adventures. I told her l knew
better: that ne would never give me I'D
for the fault Of other people, and that
=
l was really the grandniece Of Sir Will
fam Lane. after all.
That seemed TO frighten her little
and she laughed in forced sort Of way
and said sneeringly that my grand rela-
tions never had done much for me. and
that they would be still less likely to do
anything when they found out the sort
of life I had been living.
Here the girl turned with an implor-
ing lock at James Ince and said:
But there was nothing really wrong
in my life, was there? J only talked
civilly TO the people the Leblancs
brought to their house, and 7 certainly
never promised to marry anybody but
Massey. or allowed anybody else to think
/ had like him..
Ince smiled pitifully.
"Of course not. You have been IN no
way 20 blame that / can see"
We'll, when she found I wouldn't so
away with her she grew very quiet. and
sent me out OF the room. And then 1
thought perhaps l should DC made to go