Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1909-06-24
CHAPTER XXIV.

CHAPTER NXIV.
1t was quite open to question whether
Lord Iakington was not as much dtsmay-
ed at the explosion of the great Pegram
fraud as the old lawyer himself He was
grateful to his nephew, no doubt, for pre-
venting his falling prey to a most au-
dacious imposition; still the fact remain
ed, that he, Niscount Lakington, was left
in just as precarious position regarding
income as ever.
Although the Viscount might argue to
himself that it was his nephew's bounden
duty to marry money, wherewith TO prop
IN the coronet that would eventually fall
TO him. yet he had an inward conviction
that Jack phllimore would please him.
self about choosing bride; and though
he might talk of speaking to his daughter
concerning the palpable love-affair going
on between herself and her cousin, yet
he knew that he had tried Beatrice's obe-
dience TO its uttermost limit when she
consented to marry Robert Pegram. His
lordship was now thiuking for himself; ;
and now occurred to him that idea which
had flashed across Ronald Ringwood on
the discovery of Finnigan.
Why" he exclaimed, Il can marry
Miss Chichester and settle the Great Ton
tine that way | will do it, and with as
little delay as possible. | had better, per-
haps. take Beatrice into my confidence at
once: it would be as well to have her on
nv side, and she can, if she chooses, aid
me materially. Girls object at times to
youthful stepmothers, but she and Miss
! Chichester appear to get on we'll togeth-
er. Besides, if she means realizing her
| present love-dream, who the second Lady
Iakington is can be Of little consequence
to her.
About two or three days afterwards
the Viscount. rather to his arnazement
was informed by his daughter that Miss
! Chichester was grateful to him. and all
of them. for their kindness she thorough
| Iy appreciated and thanked Lord Laking-
ton for the honor he had done her, and
! she was willing to meet his views about
the "Tontine" in any way, but that ar
rangement could never be; and the Wis
count consequently had to once more pom
der in his study over that, to him. stu
pendous problem of What is to become
Of me?"
1t speedily occurred to him that the
next thing to try was to effect i compro
mise. Miss Chichester had stated hel
readiness to meet his views in any way
but matrimony, and he would therefore
write to Carbuckle, and propose division
of the big lottery. stipulating further, as
part of the arrangement. that there should
be no prosecution Of the Pegrams, as Miss
Phillimore's name would be almost sure tc
be mixed up in such trial.
When the servant one day announced
| Mr.. Ringwood, there was no little fiuttel
in the drawing room in the Victoria Road
Mary felt that from that interview sh'
should be able TO decide as to whether
Ringwood really cared for her or not.
Il have come. Miss Chichester, | regre
to say. to break bad news to you sale
Rinewood "and if Mrs. Lyme Wregis vii
excuse US, l should prefer that you alone
heard NV evil tidings in the first place
Terence Finnigan is dead"
Poor Terence - replied the girl, Il an
sorry for him; though when existence has
become so merely mechanical as his was
one cannot but feel that death is deprived
of all its terrors."
"Ry his death your share in the Ton
tine becomes void; and | am sorry to in
form you-and it is this more especially
that Mr.. Carbuckle wished me to poin
ont to vou-that the agreement between
YOU and Lord I-akington being still un
signed it is not worth the paper it is writ
ten on"
~ understand" replied Mary, quietly
| You mean to say that Lord Iakingtor
| takes the whole .Tontine,' and that my
prospect of being an heiress has melted
into thin air"
THAT. | regret to say, is the exact STATE
of the case; and very, very hard luck fol
you it IS"
well. Mr.. Ringwood, | am not goinI
TO pretend to you that | am wholly indf
fcrent to the loss Of four thousand
year: but after all, remember, | onl
stand in the same position that / di'
three or four weeks ago; and never hav
ing had the spending of such all income
| very partially realize the loss of 1t.
shall always feel that | can never be sui
fciently grateful to you for all the tim
and trouble you have wasted, first on m
aunts behalf. and then on my own"
Il have something more to say TO yo
of little moment, it may be, to you, bu
very great matter to me. | have love
Won sincerely. and hoped to make you m
wife almost from the beginning of on
ACQUAINTANCE. If / have never venture
' to tell you so before, the 'Tontine' mu'
| be NV excuse. | was always in posse
g sion of the facts of the case, while yc
= were not; and / dreaded not so mut
I what the world might say as what yC
> might think, when, supposing | had Il
good fortune to win you, you should dl
8 cover that had known of the possiblll
o OF your being an heiress all along.
could not face that: and / swore to ke'
t. aloof from you until this lottery was d
= cidsd one way or the other. could pa