The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-23

when they were at Coningsby Castle as entertainers, liked them both and was especially glad to see Flora again, Tor the gentle, soft-hearted and modest girl had made an agreeable impression on ...n She in her turn, heard of ms arrival wls shining eyes and greeted him with an ear nestness that only her timidity saved from being noticeable to everybody.
 Lord Monmouth lost no time in telling Coningsby what his plans were. l want you to stand for parliament Harry cried he 'in the borough of Darlford against that fellow Millbank. The name of Con , ingsby will be a host. We are bound te win! I want to turn our coronet into ducal one and to get your grandmother barony called out of abeyance in your favor. have already purchased an ample estate. with the view of entailins it on you and your issue. You may marry, if you please, Lady Theresa Syd- ney. Count on me.
 My dear grandfather" said Coningsby touched deeply you have ever been onlg too kind There is no personal sacrifice which I am not prepared to make, except one. l cannot trade my convictions. cannot support the conservative party Damn the lad!' cried Monmouth, starting in his seat. Members of this family may think they like. but they must act as I pleasei You must go down on Friday to Darlford and declare your candidacy, or l shall reconsider our nut tual positions" He rang his bell and dis missed him.
 Harry Confngsby did not go down to Darford on Friday, nor did he allow any considerations of worldly prudence to tempt him to compromise. He saw his grandfather again a few times. but the nobleman did not allude to the subject Thus a few months passed and then Con ingsby was called from fesuvity one night to learn that Lord Monmouth was dead.
 After the funeral Coningsby was ush- cred into the principal salon of Mon mouth House where the will was to be read It proved to be a long string of codicils and alterations. The original will left Coningsby and MT. Rigby each G1o- | 0O0 Then came a codcil increasing Con- l ingsby5s legacy to e50,000. The next cod | icil revoked this and left the amount to | the Princess Bucreta and bequeathed | another e5OOo0 to Rigby, while Conings- | by was to inherit all the rest of the | huge estate
 Now came a codicil made after the separation. MT. Rigby's legacy was re- l duced to 9f0, GOO. an equal sum was given l to Villebecque. Lady Monmouth was cut | off with a small annual sum, and every | thing else was left to Coningsby. | Anoeher codieii4-followed. It cut down 1 MT. Rfgby's legacy to G5000. but added l that lie might have hls own bust. which ! he had once presented to Lord Mon | mouth
 1 Everybody took care not to catch the | Rigbyan eve at this passage. That poor 1 gentleman waited wildly to hear the next and final codicil. in the hope that there l might be a change There was, but not | in his favor.
 | The final codicil cutting Rigby off en- | tirely, left Coningsby e10'0O0 and no more | It left f3o.000 to Villebecque and all the 4l.I f l ing to nearly million pounds. was given | to Flora, who was described as My | daughter by Marie Estelle Mattean. an | actress at the Theatre F'rancais in the l years 1911 to 1915.
 | Alone in his rooms, Coningsby's heart | sank. He faced not only hopeless fight l against what to his mind was absolute | poverty after his training and previous | life, but he had to say farewell finally l and forever to all lingering hope of gain | ing Edith His night passed in misery. | The next morning he received note ask l ing him to call on Flora.
 l She pressed his hand affectionately
 when he entered and made few com | monplace remarks. Then she burst out | suddenly with an appeal to him to take | the fortune that had been wrested from him unwittingly by her My fragile life has hung for years on your kind ness" she exclaimed. "This fortune is an arrow in my heart
 1 Gently Coningsby held her hand and
 bade her dismiss the thought. He left
 her in tears. but walked away with
 fresh courage. Gradually his soul
 emerged from the crash of his hopes.
 He determined anew to devote himself
 to the cause of the people as he saw
 it. and as the first step toward enter
 ing public life. now that he could
 count on no aid he decided to read for
 the bar.
 He took lodgings in the Temple and
 became the pupil of a celebrated spe-
 cial pleader Within a month his name
 had been erased from all his fashion
 able clubs his horses and carriages
 sold and his old haunts knew him no
 more.
 Then came a time of keen trial for
 him. A catastrophe was imminent TOT
 the existing government. The battle
 lines between the great parties were
 drawn. all the friends of his youth
 were in the field. Henry. Sydney was
 certain of election. Buckhurst Was
 campaigning a large agricultural DOT
 ough. Lord We're stood for York
 shire town, and osward Millbank was
 soliciting the suffrage or Hlanuiac-
 turing constituency.
 rhis was the time, then, of which he
 had dreamed. for which he had studied.
 It was to have been his epoch and he'
 after all his preparation, was no actor
 in the mighty drama. His friends sent
 him their speeches. He could see Tn
 them the influence of his own mind. The
 voice of regeneration and new impulse
 spoke through them. But he was laie
 in camp while the banners lowered on
 each ether. ,
 Discouraged, depressed, he wandereo
 +o tha one modest club to which he stiii
 belonged and ordered his dinner. men he took up the evening paper. larse
 headline bearing the name CT Darliofo q
 caugtt his eve He looked, and lesped up amazed. The column contaiheo n'
 address by Mir Miilbank in which ne re-
 signed his candidacy for parlimen' III
 fayor ot-Harry Coningshy'
 Scarcely knowing what he did, cohlhss-
 h,, ruehed hack to his chambers to pack
 fov Inc tourney to Darlford. In the whlH
 ~ hia thoughts that was the only clear
 idea in his mind-to get there TOT lhe
 election which was to begin the heA' morning. As he was ready 10 start Us
 wald arrived He was as excited as ceh'
 inesby. With sparkling eyes he told nm
 the solution of the mystery.
 s,Sonla had informed MT Millbank ol
 ,he reason that had impelled Lord Mon
 month to disinherit his grandson. Tha'
 pentleman had watched to see what the
 young man would do. and was delighted ] when he found him taking the earnes 1 and manly course of working out his lu'
 ture without degning to ask help iron his noble and rich friends When the