The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-12-05
CHAPTER Ii-continued.

CHAPTER ii-continued.
He was to have been home by
noon" she said, and | have been
standing here two hours. Sailboats
are treacherous, and Harry Is SO reck-
less. Ah."
The ejaculation was one OF relief. as
a white sail appeared and headed for
tho slip.
I'm coming TO see you" \ called. as
we walked on. but the conclusion was
forced upon me that she had forgotten
my existence.
Why do you suppose they use that
foriorn little slip l inquired, when
there are plenty OF good landing
places further on"
But the subject did not seem to
interest Elizabeth, whom l had ad-
dressed, for she merely remarked with
= sigh:
Il Just hate to go back to that old
hotel"
But OF course We could never rent
the cottage" said Gabrielle. the pru-
dent
"Oh, OF course not" We agreed
and ascended the steps OF the hotel
In gloomy silence.
In the hall there were mountains of
trunks. covered with bewildering
quantity OF labels, and subdued air
of excitement prevailed, indicating
that the new arrivals were worthy of
consideration. AS soon as possible
we Investigated the register and found
that Lord Wilfrid and Lady Edith
Campbell OF London, England. were
enjoying the hospitality of the house.
1t was no use pretending that We
were not impressed, for we were, and
We read the names over several times
aloud to see how they sounded. 1t
was our first encounter with British
aristocracy outside of books, and we
hurried upstairs to make fresh toilets
in their honor.
They did not appear until We had
nearly finished dinner. and we were
so interested watching for them that
We forgot to complain about the food.
Lord Wilfrid was disappointing, al
though he had the dropping blonde
mustache and bored manner we were
familiar with on the stage. ! say this
frankly, because we learned later that
w0 uhu DttH uHJuSl dHu lual HIS
prepossessing appearance was simply
the result OF unrequited affection.
which. OF course. went very hard
with one who was accustomed to hav
ing the world at his feet-especially
the feminine world.
Lady Edith told us all about II after
We got to know her very well. and
explained that they had come to this
,quiet retreat. where they were sure to
meet no one, to allow her brother to
regain his usual poise before visiting
their uncle. the governor general of
Canada. She added that the length
of their stay depended upon the BEN
eft he derived from it, and hoped we
would do what We could toward d-
verting him. We said we would.
OF course all this happened quite
naturally as time went on. and I only
mention 1t here to show how wrong it
is to Judge by appearances. for we
thought Lord Wilfrid looked Ill
natured and grumpy, whereas he was
really suffering from broken heart.
His sister, however. was all that
could be desired. and suggested Lady
Clara We're de We're in very salts
factory manner. In fact, / heard
Gabrielle murmur: THE daughter
OF hundred earls,'" as Lady Edith
swept through the doorway, and Eliza
beth quoted: THE languid light of
her proud eyes," when she inspected
the somewhat dingy menu.
I don't think l said anything, for l
was SO absorbed in wondering whether
the ripples OF her golden hair were
natural or acquired that 1 forgot
everything else; but when We met her
the next day and felt the charm of her
personality l was ready to swear that
everything about her was genuine.
So absorbed were We that evening
IN discussing the brother and sister
that We almost forgot the cottage;
but l saw Elizabeth busily engaged
with pencil and paper as we we're pre-
pairing for bed, and was not altogether
surprised to hear her voice from the
next room after the lights we're out.
III we got a competent woman who
would do our washing" she remarked,
1T would not be much more expensive
than staying here. l have calculated
everything"