Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-16
CHAPTER XII-Continued.

|
According to all accounts the young
man only discovered the secret of his
birth by accident He walked straight
| into the house not so very long ago and
claimed his father l believe the scene
was most pathetic. They say that for
the first time since his Elton days Cam
marleigh wept."
| ''YeS-well?"
| THE ice of years melted from around
his heart and. too respectable tn admit
his youthful error he installed the young
man as his secretary with all the priv
| leges of a SON
| Your authority"
The details appear to have meandered
| by degrees from the servants hall. and
to lave been formed into connected
! story by Cammarleighs friends.
Anthony had been expecting this little
| scandal to mature for some time. He
| had begun to fear thaNafter all the foot
, man whom he had selected as his per-
| sonal attendant had not read certain
documents which had been left within
his reach. A letter suggesting the above
story. written to himself by an imaginary
and devoted nurse in the country, but
mentioning no names. had been carefully
placed by him amid these documents.
The foOtman could not help Boosting of
his knowledge to another fOotman who
told Mr. GregSbury. who crosS-eXamined
the delinquent with severity. threatening
him with instant dismissal unless he fur
nished him with all details and informed
him of the exact wherea bouts of the let
ter in question:. in order, as he said, that
he might warn Mr.. Brooke against leav-
ing his correspondence within the reach
of those who We're without a sense of
honor. On the foOtman'S evening out Mr.
Gregsbury fastened to arm himself with
absolute proof of the scandal. To his
great disappointment, however. when the
opportunity came the letter was gone. but
this In no way prevented him from throw
ing out to his acquaintance vague hints
of what he thought to be the truth. such
as asking the butler next door if he saw
any likeness between the young gentle
man who was Lord Cammarleigh's secre
| tary and his lordshp. On his friend
| from next door questioning him. Mr.
! Gregsbury assumed look of offended
dignity with the person who should pre-
| sumo to think him capable of betraying
| important family secrets. The next time
| he opened the. subject, however. he turned
| the other buffers suspicious into GER
| tainty by saying:
| In olden times. Mr.. Summit bastardy"
| Mr.. Gregsbury was immensely proud of
the historical flavor of this word-.'was
| considered no disgrace. The ancient kings
| of England. Mr.. Summit, conferred IT,
ties upon their bastards''
We'll. Lord Cammarleigh can't do that
nowadays
| Mr.. Gregsbury looked at him in silent
! contempt.
Who's talking of his lordship. Mr..
| Summit
Il only thought stammered Mr..
| Summit.
1T isn't that You think too much. Mr.
Summit: it is that you think all wrong -
And Mr.. Gregsbury passed on.
1t was not much to go upon. but Mr..
Summit found il enough. and was puffed
up because he flattered himself that for
all MIR. Gregsburys cleverness ne had
| not been able to hOodwink him
| The. two fOotmen and the two buffers
were quite sufficient to spread the news
| far and wide.
| 1t is known fact that well-bred peo-
| pie do not gossip with their servants.
| and, considering this. it is quite remark
| able how much scandal finds its way from
| the kitchen to the drawing room: usually
be it remarked. via the bedrooms.
| Soon Mr.. Submits lady, Mrs. Mug
| gall the wife of the South African mil
| lionaire. was in possession of the news
! and found people whom she had never in
! her widest moments expected to welcome
| beneath her roof, calling upon her to hear
the truth of the matter.
! Thus by the evening of the ball il was
| getting quite talked about.
! Anthony had not been unmindfu in
| spreading the report that it would, so to
| speak, have the effect of permitting hin,
! to give q greater rein to his extrava-
| gance. If society in general believed him
| to have Il claim upon Cammareigh. there
would be no great surprise if he appeared
to have A good deal Of money.
| The last people. of course. to hear any
thing about the matter were those most
concerned. and Cammarleigh's relatives
| beheld with a certain vague wonder the
growing cvility with which Anthony was
being treated. They realized although
| Anthony had never even limited as much
that he was responsible for Lord Cam
| marleich'S uneypert cd and amazipsr n c.
formation. The idea that he might ap.
pear in the light of an unacknowledged
heir. which so far had not even remotely
entered into their calculations might If