The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-04-16
CHAPTER w.
Continued.

With q swift hand Jeanette locked
the door behind him, and stood lis
tening for his heavy step upon the
iron stairs.
THANK Heaven, that's over!" she
exclaimed, with a great sigh of relief.
"Drat the man, 1 wish he was
drowned!"
The aspiration was pretty strong
one, but there was little doubt of its
senuineness. Her eyes had still the
fire of indignation in them, her
bosom still palpitated with it quite as
much as with her late passionate elo-
uuence Glow Miss Sophy can stand
it," she went on, 'amazes me. 1t
. would wear me to skin and bone. Oh,
Jemimaram, if he hasn't come back
asainI"
The interjection was caused by the
same tapping on the door lock with
out, that had already summoned
Jeanette from her duties about her
young mistress. She had little doubt
that she had heard Alright, but she
was very willing to believe herself
deceived. The wind was still roar
ing and raging, and it was just pos
sible that what she had just heard
was but the swinging of the iron gate
of the balcony. Surely, surely, after
that piece of her mind had been given
him, not apparently, with such ex-
cellent effect, Mr.. Herbert Perry
could not desire admittance a second
time. Yet, as she listened with pain
full intentness, with her ear at the
keyhole, there came again the we'll
known summons ''It is him, drat
him!" she murmured; and with the
same precautions as before, but rem
dered more difficult by the angry
trembling of her limbs, she opened
the door a little space, when, without
making it any wider, to her horror
and amazement there slipped in, like
a serpent, the attenuated frame of
Mr.. John Adair.
The apparition of total and un-
expected stranger, under the circum-
stances we have just described, would
have been alarming enough to any
young woman; while the appearance
of the intruder himself-limp, be-
draggled, livid-was not calculated
to restore confidence. One s:5c c.
him covered with mud (where he had
lain on the ground, pending Mr.
Perrys investigation of the garden
gate), the other in sodden evening
clothes, his only protection against
the wild weather without an under
graduates gown tied round his neck
like a shawl-the only thing that
could be said to the advantage of the
young man was that he did not look
like gay young Lothario. Not for
a moment, however, did Miss Per-
kins imagine him to be vulgar thief
or a. burglar.
The intruder, too, was hardly less
surprised, and from the same cause.
He had counted upon being confront
ed with a familiar face, and 10! he
found himself in the presence of
stranger.
Being a woman and a ready one,
Miss Perkins was the first to speak.
"Who on earth are you?" she in
auired; "and what are you come here
about?"
81 am a friend of Canon Aldred's,"
he said; "and as I was coming home
from the ball, saw a man slip into
your garden. Perceiving by the light
yonder"-he pointed to the candle
that some of the family were still
up, l thought it my duty to give you
warning of it,
An ordinary British maid-servant,
under like circumstances, would hare
grasped with gratitude at the means
thus suggested of explaining matters;
but Jeannette was much too sharo to
fall into such an error. It 1asned
upon her in a moment that the new
conner could not have made use of
the same signal as his predecessor,
had he not witnessed it; and, there
fore, that all concealment as to that
incident was useless. Moreover, here
was an unexpected opportunity of do
ing a good turn to her young mis-
tress, whom she knew had reason to
stand in fear of this gentleman.
MY master should be greatly
obliged to you, SIR" she said hesitat-
ingly. t'But the fact is, the person
you saw is no burglar, as you sup
pose. I have just seen him myself,
for he had the impudence to force
his way in, though did my best to
prevent him; he is friend of the
family--though, as you may well say,
after such conduct, hardly deserves
- 1,a io nf m q
Of his own actions tonight, having
been, 1 suppose, at the ball supper!
Il it got to be known, I am terrified
20 think what would happen; 1 don't
mean to him, for he would only have
himself to thank for it; but the
canon, I'm sure, would be SO dread
fully distressed.
And your young mistress, MISS
Gilbert, also, perhaps?" suggested
.Adair, dryly.
"No doubt, and Miss Aldred like
wise. There is nothing like your
gentleman blackguard for doing mis-
chief in a house"
Wet as he was, a glow came into
the cheeks of Mr.. John Adair and
touched his trembling ears.
There is a general notion, set ago.
ing l am inclined to think, by the
scoundreIs themselves, that persons
who behave in rascally manner are
unaware of it, or at all events that
they gloss it over in their own minds.
SO that the thing looks much more
presentable; it is just possible that
it may be so, when rascality has be-
come the rule and not the exception
of their lives, but in general way
every one is conscious OF the comnlls-
sion of a baseness, and no more likes
to be reminded of it than Of any other
unpleasant fact.
II have heard of a gentlemen
farmer and of a gentleman jockey
returned the young man with a
forced smile; ''but gentleman
blaekgQard, my good girl, is a contra