Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-04-25
CHAPTER VIII.

As the day went on. therefore. I
looked eagerly for Mistress Anne's re-
turn, hut she appeared no more though
| maintained Il close watch on the cab
IN door. All the afternoon, too, the
duchess kept away from me, and |
feared that | had seriously offended
her, so that 1t was with no very pleas
ant anticipations that. going into that
part of the deCkhOuse which served us
for common room, to see If the even
ing meal was set, ! found only the
duchess ana Master Bertie prepared to
sit down to ii. l suppose that some
thing of my feelings was expressed in
my face, for while | was yet half way
between door and table my lady gave
way TO peal OF merriment.
Come, sit down and do not be
afraid" she cried pleasantly, her gray
eyes still full Of laughter. Il VOW the
lad thinks l shall eat him. Nay. when
all is said and done, | like you the bet
ter. SIR Knight Errant. for your
scruples. | see that you are determined
to att up to your name But that re-
minds me, she added in a more seri-
ious vein. I'VE have been frank with
you. You must be equally frank with
US. What are we to call you. pray?"
looked down at my plate and felt
my face grow scarlet, The wound
which the discovery of my fathers
treaChery mad dealt me had begun to
heal. In the action, the movement. the
adventure of the last fortnight, I had
we'll night lost sight OF the blot ON my
escutcheon. of the shame which had
driven me from home. But the ques-
tion, What are we to call you?' re-
ViNed the smart, and revived il with an
added pang. 1t had been very we'll i'm
theory, to proudly discard nv old
name. 1t was painful in practice to be
unable to answer the duchess: Il am
a Cludde OF Cotton, nephew of Sir An
thony: formerly esquire of the body to
King Henry. am no unworthy follow
er and associate even for you" and TO
have instead tC reply: Il have no
name. / am nobody. i have all to
make and win.' Yet this was nv III
fortuIe.
Her woman's eye saw my trouble as
l hesitated, confused and doubling.
what l should reply. Come" she said
good naturedly, trying to reassure me
You gre Of gentle birth. OF that we
feel sure"
l shook my head. Nay. I am of no
birth madam" l answered hurriedly.
Il have no name, or at any rate, no
name that | can be proud of. can me
call me, If 1t please you, Francis
Carey"
IT Is a good name" quoth Master
i'NiNlF' pa uSllS Will MS KIllIS suspend
ed in the air. "A right good Protestant
name"
But l have no claim to it," I re-
Joined, more and more hurt Il have
all TO make. l am new man. Yet do
not fear." l added quickly as | saw
what | took to be a cloud of doubt
cross by lady's face. Il will follow
you no less faithfully for that"
Well" said the duchess. "A smile
again transforming her open features,
Il will answer for that. Master Carey.
Deeds are better than names, and as
for being new man, what with Pagets
and Cavendishes and Spencers. we have
naught but new men nowadays. So
cheer up! she continued kindly. And
we will poke no questions at YOU,
though l doubt whether you do not
possess more birth and breeding than
you would havSus think. And IT, when
we return to England. as | trust we
may before we are old men and women.
we can advance your cause, then let us
nave your secret. No one can say that
Katherine Willoughby ever forgot her
friend"
"Or forga.ve her enemy Overquickly,"
quoth her husband naively.
She raped his knuckles with the
back Of her knife for that, and under
cover of this small diversion | had time
ter left me sore at heart and more than
little homesick. And / sought leave
to retire early.
You are right" said the duchess.
rising graciously. Tonight, after be-
ing out in the air, you will sleep sound
Iy' aud tomorrow you will be new
man, with faint smile. Believe me,
l am not ungrateful, Master Francis
and l will diligently seek occasion to
repay both your gallant defense of the
other day and your future service" She
gave me her hand to kiss. and l bent
over ii. Now" she continued, do
homage to my baby, and then ! shall
consider that you are really one of us
and pledged TO our cause"
l kissed the tiny fist held out to me,
a soft pink thing looking like some
dainty seashell. Master BERTHE cordially
grasped my hand. And so under the
oil lamp in the neat cabin Of that old
Dutch boat somewhere on the WAL
between Gorcum and Nimuegen, we
phghted our troth to one another, and
in sense l became one of them.
| went to my berth cheered and en-
couraged by their kindness. But the
interview, satisfactory as it was, had
set up no little excitement in my brain,
and II was long before i slept. When
did, had "a strange dream. I dreamed
that | was sitting in the hall at Cotton,
ana that PetTonilla was standing on the
dais locking fiXedly at me with gentle,
sorrowful eyes. l wanted to go to her,
but l could not move. Every dreamer
knows the sensation. l tried to call to
her, to ask her what was the matter,
and why she so looked at me. But
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