The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1909-04-22
curtain and descended a small flight

! curtain and descended a small nigh
Of stairs into a ~carpeted lobby.
The place was lit by a single cleo
trio pendant, and upon a table agains
the wall was a tray of supper things
The door opposite was half ajar, ant
as they ven up to it a housemait
came out with some plates, and near
" dropped them In amaZement as sht
saw the duchess and her cavalier.
The noise of voices and laughter
was heard from the room as the Ouch
ess rushed into it. At a round table
close to a fire, in a large and com
fortably furnished room, the house
steward, Mrs. Buchanan (the house
keeper and Mrs. Alexander (the
head nurse) were sitting over the re
mains of a meal. The house steward
was speaking.
so | told him, Mrs. Alexander" he
| said, in his grave, pompous voice.
told him that ii was no use applyin
TO me for a situation, and that her
grace never liked to see men about
the house who were less than five
foot ten. He looked"
The words died upon his lips. He
sat for a second with open mouth,
staring eyes, and pale face; then sud
denly leapt to his feet, followed by
the two women. with simultaneous
murmurs of surprise and alarm.
His grace" the duchess cried,
where is his grace?"
Mrs. Alexander, a pleasant-featured
woman of middle age, turned pale as
linen.
His grace, your grace" she said.
His grace is asleep! Grace is asleep!
His grace has been asleep for several
hourS!"
The duchess stamped upon the
ground.
81 tell YOU" she said, that his
grace is not in his cot. Mr.. Grant and
| have just been up to see him; his
grace is not there. Where are Hob,
son and Merryweather?'
IT'S Merryweather's evening out,
your grace" the head nurse said, in
a thin, terrified voice. she left the
house at half past five, before you re-
turned with his grace; and Hobson-
Hobson is in the day nursery"
There is nobody in the day nur-
sery," the duchess answered. Michael,
there is something wrong here
Even as she spoke there was a loud
crashing noise outside in the lobby
Some one was rushing. almost falling
down the little flight of stairs, and in
a moment more Hobson, the second
nurse, a tall, dark haired girl, burst
into the room with a shrek.
"Oh, your grace she said appar,
emily too frightened to be surprised
at the presence Of the duchess in tn
kousekeeper's roOm-"your grace, his
grace was sleeping so beautifully that
| went down to the servants hall for
half an hour. I've just been back.
and his grace isn't there, I thoLght
you'd taken him to your own 0
but it was empty, so | came"
Her voice died away, and for two
or three seconds there was an abso
lutte silence in the place, save for the
hurried breathing of the servants, who
stood motionless as figures of wool
and in a curious tableau of terror and
CONSERVATION.
The duchess looked from one to the
other in wild amazement, so surprised
that her furious anger seemed to have
died away.
Then, wbat-why-'' she began
when Grant b oke in.
Il think it's all quite simple, duch
ess," he said, with a calmness in his
voice that he was very far from fepi
in gin his heart. | expect that, while
Hobson was away, Miss Decies Wen
into the nursery to have a look al
Fitz. Perhaps she found him awake
and took him to her rooms"
Although such a thing had never
occurred to them before, all of the
people in the housekeeper's room
heaved a sigh of relief.
Surely that is it, your grace" said
Mrs. Alexander. The lamb VIII b.
with his aunt. I assure your grace
that it is no fault of mine that you
should have gone to the nursery anG
not found him"
ITO Be Continued.l