The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-04-23

curtain and descended a small flight
Of stairs into q carpeted lobby.
The place was lit by a single cleo
trio pendant, and upon a table against
the wall was a tray of supper things.
The door opposite was half ajar, and
as they went up to it a housemaid
came out with some plates, and near
ly dropped them in Amusement as she
saw the duchess and her cavalier.
The noise Of voices and laughter
was heard from the room as the duch-
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.
$50 I told him, Mrs. Alexander he
said, in his grave, pompous voice-"I
told him that it 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,
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.
Il 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?"
Its 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 mor 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 the
housekeeper'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! l thought
you'd taken him to your own room,
but it was empty, so l 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 m%otionless as figures of wood,
and in a curious tableau of terror and
, CONSERVATION.
The duchess looked from one to the
other in wild amazement, so surprised
hat her furious anger seemed to have
died away.
Then, what-why-' she began.
| when Grant broke in.
Il think it's all quite simple, Ouch
ess," he said, with a calmness in his
voice that he was very far from feel
in gin his heart. l expect that, while
Hobson was away, Miss Decies went
into the nursery to have a look at
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
peop,e in the housekeeper's room
heaved a sigh of relief.
Surely that is it, your grace" said
Mrs. Alexander. The lamb will be
with his aunt. l assure your grace
that it is no fault of mine that you
should have ccne to the nursery and
! not found hi y
/Tot ne Continued