Catoctin clarion., 1907-11-07
CHAPTER II.
Continued.

The lovers sat hand in hand, just a
week after coming into their inherit
ance, upon the stairs of the great empty
house in Russell Square. No one else
was in the house except the caretaker,
one of those old ladies who are not in
the least afraid of loneliness and
ghosts, and are only truly happy when
they have got fine, roomy basement,
with a scullery, a coal cellar and two
large kitchens all to themselves, and a
great empty house over their heads.
The furniture may crack all over that
house, and the stairs may creak after
dark; there may be clanking chains.
groans, shrieks, sobbings, walls and
trampling feet at midnight; there may
be shadowy sheeted figures i'll the
empty rooms at twilight; the caretaker
is not in the least concerned. These
things, with the house and furniture.
are the property Of the landlord. She
is there to look after them, ghosts and
all. At night she sleeps. and all day
long she makes tea. Nobody ever saw
a caretaker yet who was not making
tea. The inevitable caretaker, there
fore, remained in the basement below
making tea while Tom and Katharine
sat upon the stairs. They might have
sat on the drawing room sofas or in
the library easy chairs had they chosen,
but they preferred the stairs, perhaps
on account of the novelty. 1t was only
at an evening party, as rule, that
young people get the chance of sitting
on the stairs.
They were sitting on the stairs at
the drawing room landing, hand in
hand, and their faces were much more
grave than BELTS young lovers. Some.
thing-the more means more, the aG-
dtional explanatory adjective bad"
is misunderstanding had happened
to account for this gloom.
"Is it really and truly all gone"
asked Katharine, presently.
"It is all gone, dear. vanished away,
just as if it had never existed; in fact,
it never did exist But there can be no
doubt about it, Our grand fortune was
dangled before us for one week, and
then it was snatched away. In cherry
bob 1t was always thought mean for
the BOLSTER not to let the bobber have
the cherry"
ooh, Tom. it is wonderful
at is, indeed. think of it with awe.
Some wonderful things are also dis.
gusting, Katharine. Nobody ever heard
of more wonderful thing or more
disgusting. If it is any comfort to us,
let us say it over and over again. Truly
wonderful. Providential. Quite. a
dispensation. An overruling, an
Don't, Tom. 1t will not mend mat.
ters to talk bitterly and sarcasticaly."
"All right. Katharine, dear. Let us
pretend that we like the new arrange
ment better than the old"
mo, no. But tell me more, Tom.
How did you find 1t out?'
ut was found out for me. You see,
Katharine. I've got one first cousin on
my uncle's side. He is a solicitor.
which ought to have pleased the old
man; but he is also fond of sport, and
billiards, and so forth. Jem Rolfe is
his name. knew he would be aw-
fully savage Mt being left out of the
will, and thought to make 1t up Bit
to him; and hadn't got any solicitor
of my own, and so I thought l would
keep the thing in the family, and !
asked him to take charge of my affairs
for me, and wind up things, as they
say. Jem isn't bad sort of fellow.
He doesn't bear malice against me.
and he took over the job and went
through the papers. First he began
firing notes at me every other hour,
telling me what he had discovered
good investments here and bad invest.
ments there. In short, he found out
what the estate means, and where 1t is
invested, and all about it--details
which did not concern me in the least
The notes are all part Of the business,
suppose, and will appear on the bill
Of costs. However, the notes con.
tanned nothing that would arouse any
kind of suspicion. and began to think
we were going to be rich beyond the
dreams of avarice, as DR.. Johnson
said. And then there came a check
there always Is a check"
"WelI, Tom?" for he stopped, though
it was some comfort for him to feel
that he was telling the story in good
descriptive style which would have
done credit 10 the paper. "What was
the check?"
"You don't know Jem. His style Is
rather sporting. But, of course, being
n lawyer, lie knows what he is about.
Two days ago he sent q letter, begging
ne to cal upon him. And then he
staggered mo by telling me that there
vas 4 charge upon my uncle's estate
of certain. trust money, amounting,
with Gccumnations. to 100000. 1t was
originally $4,000. cut of which IN an.
uu!ty of 1900 had been paid. and the
rest was to accumulate for the m.
nuitant's heirs in some way. My
cousin remembered this annuitant
when he was articled to my uncle. So
that our inheritance was 100000 less
than 1t seemed to be. That's a pretty
big cantel to be cut off. But worse re-
mained. For Jem went on to tell me
that considering the depreciation of Ger.
tain stocks and the losses my uncle
had incurred in his investments, he did
not think there would be much left
when that trust money was set aside.
First he said mot much that was to
Iot mn dawn ooav uo thnn told fna