Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-08-24
CHAPTER III.

Almost before his eyes were open,
Rupert Carroll heard it on the deep
matched caves outside his bedroom
window. Drip drip-a steady, relent-
less downpour. He flung open the
easement. and looked out. Low clouds
covered the sky, the distant woods
were blotted out, the cows in the
meadow opposite the Inn stood meek
ly huddled together under the shelter
of the trees, and the rain came down
in torrents. as If ii had never rained
before.
What a morningi and after such a
lovely night too" he thought and
then he drew in his dark curly head
on which the rain drops were freely
splashing. and proceeded leisurely
with the operations of washing and
dressing.
"A letter for you, sir" said the
chambermaid at his door. just as he
was putting the finishing touches to
his toilet
He half opened the door. and took
the envelope from the girls hand. The
hand writing was his sisters. He re-
marked an Immediate" on the corner
of the envelope, so lie sat down by the
window to read it. Miss Louise Car
rolls letter shall be given at length:
Harrington Lodge, Kent.
AT last you most aggravating OF
brothers, l have succeeded in getting
your address from your London
chambers, 1t is absolutely necessary
that you should come down here at
once. Netherville has proposed to Ag-
gle! He met her last year at the
Claytons If you remember. and 1 think
she took to him then because of his
extraordinary likeness to you. Last
week she went to stay with the Clay
tons again, and met. him again. He
proposed. and she has accepted him;
of course l ought o be delighted for
it is a capital match for her and she
seems quite happy But then, there
is the one drawback of my never
having seen him, which makes it so
very awkward for me now. OF course
family feuds are ridiculous things,
and cannot be kept up through sue
ceeding generations, but the fact re-
mains that our fathers were on bad
terms with each other. You were too
young to know much about it, but
was grown up, and remember 1t all
very we'll. Our mother, as you know,
and Lady Netherville were twin sis
tiers, and the quarrel arose from the
late Lord Netherville's shameful treat
ment of his wife. Our dear mothers
whole life was made wretched by the
misery of her adored twin sister. and
our father did all he could to reason
with and reprove his brother for his
inhuman conduct. but TO no purpose.
There was fearful quarrel between
the brothers. and they parted in an
ger, never TO meet again in this
world Poor Aunt. Netherviile died of
a terrible disease, entirely brought on
believe by her husbands violence
and in-usage. and our mother never
really recovered the sorrow OF her
death. OF course this was all very
shocking and very painful, but it is an
old story now. and all our parents are
dead and gone years ago. and you and
our cousin. the present Lord Neither
Vile. were both little boys OF 5 years
old at the time. so he probably knows
as little OF the rights OF the case as
you do. Still. as he wishes to marry
my adopted daughter, 1t makes the
situation very uncomfortable for me.
There is only one thing to be done.
and that is, that as you and he are
friends. you should come down with
him and introduce him TO me I must
ask you. my dearest Rupert. to put
aside your own pleasures and engage
ments for two days, in order to do
what / want You must not fail me.
dear boy. l do not think that / am
asking too much of this brother to
whom I have been more like mother
than an elder sister l calculate that
this letter viii reach YOU Saturday
morning. SO please pack UP your bag
and come straight up to town by the
first train after YOU get this You
wiz meet Nethervilie at Victoria Sta
ton have told him TO look out for