Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-21

his demise. however the direct line from
the issue OF the third Baron Nermeil ana
of Eleanor seventh Countess de Lannoy.
became extinct. The separate peerages
revert therefore. To other branches. They
have been SO long associated that the
necessary divergence of titles held under
different patents has been lost sigh; OF.
II was only when the solicitors 10 the
Nermeil family We're preparing their case
to submit to the house OF lords for the
issue of the new writ of summons tPat
they became aware of the Earldom de
Lannoy lapsing from the line of Nermell-
The Barony of Nermeil accrues to the is
sue of Edward. second son OF the second
Baron Vermeil. This has been carefully
traced. and the present claimant or the
title will be acknowledged without trou-
bic. Your own title of Countess de Ian
noy comes to YOU through your ancestor
Isobel. third and youngest daughter OF the
sixth earl: the line descended from PHIL
ippa. the second daughter having become
extinct in the time of Charles III. There
is absolutely no doubt whatever of your
claim. and no question ever can possibly
be raised. You will petition the crown.
and on reference to the house of lords
the committee for privileges will. without
doubt. admit your right. May offer my
congratulations. Lady de Lannoy. my
very true and sincere congratulations on
your new acquisition? BY the way. l may
say that all the estates of the earldom.
which have been from the first kept in
strict entail. go with the title de Lannoy.'
During the recital Stephen. though fol-
lowing Mr.. Copleston's speech and express
sion with all attention was conscious of
another intellectual process going on syn
enormously: a sort of bitter comment on
the tendencies of good fortune.
Too late! too late.' something seemed
to whisper to her. what delight ii
80 If Harold had not gone ." - All
the natural joy seemed to vanish. as bub-
bles break into empty air
To Aunt Laetitia the new title was a
source of pride and joy. far greater than
would have been the case had ii come to
herself. Stephen would have in her own
right title which had been we'll estab-
lshed when good Queen Bess had been a
cinderella princess, bullied by her half
sister and innocent of the pleasure of new
clothes. Miss Rowly was naturally to see
the new domain. but kept her feeling con-
cealed during the months that elapsed
until Stephens right had been conceded
by the committee for privileges. But
after that her Impotence became mani
fest to Stephen. who said one day I'm a
teasing. caressing way. as was sometimes
her wont:
why. auntie. what a hurry you are
in. LannOy will keep, won't it ?"
"Oh my dear" she replied. shaking her
head, II can understand your own reti-
cence. for you don't want 10 seem greedy
and in a hurry about your new posses
sions. But when people come to my age
there's no time to waste l have a sort
of feeling that 1 will never see Lannoy,
and I feel / would not have complete
material for happiness in the world-to-
come If there were not remembrance
of my darling in her new home!" Ste
phen was much touched; she said, i'm
pulsively:
I'VE shall go there today. auntie. You
shall not wait an hour that 1 can help"
Not yet. Stephen, dear. 1t would
furry me to start all at once; tomorrow
will be time enough.
the heaven Stephen was hurriedly sum-
moned to her aunt's bedside. She lay
calm and peaceful. but one side of her
face was alive and the other seemingly
dead. In the night paralytic stroke had
seized her. With slow, painful effort, she
managed to convey to Stephen that she
felt that the end was near. Feebly and
slowly she murmured:
"You will find happiness there" She
said no more, but seemed to sleep.
From that sleep she never woke, but
faded slowly. softly away.
Stephen was broken hearted. Now, in
deed. she felt alone and desolate. All
were gone. Father. uncle. aunt.-And
Harold. The kingdoms of the earth-or
what stood for them in her microcosm-
which lay at her feet were of no account.
One hour Of the dead or departed, any of
them. back again were worth them all.
Normanstand was now too utterly lone
ly to be endurable and SO after some
weeks OF endless monOtony Stephen de-
termined to go, for a time at any rate
to Lannoy. She had a growing idea that
It would have pleased her aunt to know
that she took an interest in her new po-
sition and estate.
So, all at once. without giving time for
the news to permeate through the neigh
borhood she took her way to Lannoy
with few of her immediate servants.
l-annoy was on the northeastern coast
of Britain, the castle standing back at the
base of wide promontOry stretching far
into the North sea. From the coast the
land slOped upward to great rolling
ridge. Beyond. far away. rose range of
high heather-clad hills. broken here and
there by great outcropping lodges of rock
and deep gorges faced with precipices.
Great woods clothing the western side of
the ridge came in fiamelike tongues over
the crest of the hill and ran down the
eastern slopes For the rest the outlook
seaward was over a mighty expanse of
green sward, dotted here and there with
woods and isolated clumps of trees, which
grew fewer and smaller as the rigor of
the northern sea was borne upon them
by the eaSterly gales.
Far away the line of the coast, broken
like the edge of a lace scarf. was shown
up by tiny rim of black rock, stark be-
tween green sward and blue sea. Here
and there a few dark rocks rose from the
the very point of the headland was
fishers house. the only building. except
those of the little port away TO the LEFT.
looking seward, which seemed from its
position at the edge of the high cliff TO
dominate the cluster of sunken rocks
which, only below half tide, raised their
heads above water. For centuries the
lords of Lannoy had kept their magnifi-
cent prospect to themselves.
From the terrace of the castle only one
building other than the cottage on the
headland. could be seen. Far off on the
very crest of the ridge was the tower of
an old windmill. the skeleton of whose
sails looked. when the sun ShOne through
Them like the ribs of that phantom vessel
in which I1ife-in-Death had moved over
the MINDLESS sea to the Ancient Mariner.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Silver Lady
Stephen did not wish To see any one
Just at present. The grief that was on
l,o he