The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-07-15
Pegnm's Office were told It was true that
the Old man had died very suddenly and
unexpectedly.
CHAPTER XIV.

venting his falling a prey TO a most au-
dacious imposition; still the fact remain
ed, that he, Viscount Lexington, was left
in just as precarious a 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
up the coronet that would eventually fall
to him, yet he had an inward conviction
that Jack Phillimore would please him
self about choosing a bride; and though
he might talk of speaking TO his daughter
concerning the palpable love-afair going
on between herself and her cousin, ye
he knew that he had tried Beatrices obs
dience to its uttermost limit when she
consented to marry Robert Pegram His
lordship was now thinking for himself;
and now occurred TO him that idea which
had flashed across Ronald Ringwood Oh
the discovery of Finnigan.
Why he exclaimed. II can marry
Miss Chichester and settle the Great Ton
tine that way. | will do ii, and with as
little delay as possible. / had better, per
haps, take Beatrice into my confidence at
once il would be as well 10 have her on
my side, and she can, il she chooses aid
me materially. Girls object at times to
youthful stepmothers, but she and Miss
Chichester appear to get on well togeth-
err Besides, if she means realizing her
present love-dream, who the second Lady
Lexington is can be of little consequences
to her"
About two or three days afterwards
the yiscount, rather TO his amazement,
wa inf cd hr hso DO. ~hor
Chichester was grateful to him, and all
of them, for their kindness: she thorough
ly 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
rargement could never be; and the Wis
count consequently had to once more pom
der in his study ever that, to him, stu
pendous problem of What is to become
of mel"
1t speedily occurred to him that the
next thing 10 try was to effect compro-
mise. Miss Chichester had stated her
readiness to meet his views in any way
but matrimony, and he would therefore
write to Carbuckle. and propose a 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 to
be mixed up in such a trial.
When the servant one day announce.
Mr.. Ringwood, there was no little fiutter
in the drawing-room in the Victoria Road
Mary felt that from that interview she
should be able to decide as to whether
Ringwood really cared for her or not
he Il
to say, to break bad news to you" said
Ringwood; land if Mrs. Lyme Wregis will
excuse US, should prefer that you alone
heard my evil tidings in the first place.
Terence Finnigan is dead"
Poor Terence" replied the girl, 81 am
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."
by his death your share in the Ton
tine becomes void; and l am sorry to in
| form you-and it is this more especially
that Mr.. Carbuckle wished me to poin<
out to you-that the agreement betwes
you and Lord Lexington being still UNI
| signed. it is not worth the paper il L, writ
ten on"
Il understand" replied Mary, quietly.
"You mean to say that Lord Lexington
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 for
you it is
''Well, Mr.. Ringwood. I am not going
TO pretend to you that / am wholly indif-
ferent to the loss Of four thousand
year; but after all, remember, / only
stand in the same position that ! did
| three or four weeks ago; and never hav-
ing had the spending of such an incorie,
/ very partially realize the loss of il. I
shall always feel that / can never be suf-
| iciently grateful to you for all the time
| and trouble you have wasted, first on my
aunt's behalf, and then on my own"
Il have something more TO say TO you
| of little moment, it may be. to you, but
very great matter 10 me. / have loved
you sincerely, and hoped TO make you my
wife, almost from the beginning of our
acquaintance. If / have never ventured
to tell you so before, the Tontine' must
| be my excuse. 1 was always in posses
sion of the facts of the case, while you
what the world might say as what you
might think, when. supposing / had the
good fortune to win you, you should dis
cover that had known of the possibility
of your being an heiress all along.
could not face that: and i swore to keep
aloof from you until this lottery was de-
cided one way or the other | could have
even dared to put my fate TO the test had
you won the whole and become a great
heirness. There would. at all events.
have been nothing underhand about my
wooing then. Whatever answer you may
give me now, you must, at all events, &C
quit me of mercenary motives. and feel
sure that love you for yourself l love
you very dearly, Mary; do you think you
could love me well enough to be my
wife?'
You have taken me so by surprise
that | hardy know" faltered the girf:
but, believe me, no one can more thor
oughly appreciate the delicacy of your
conduct that / do. and it is that which
makes me now hesitate. Your wife, Mr..
Ringwood, ought 10 be a woman who not
only loves you dearly, but can enter fully
into the career which am sure is before
you; and unless / feel certain / could be
all this to you, l would say you nay
whatever my own feelings might be. VIII
you give me little time to think over it?
Come and see me tomorrow, and / will
honestly answer your question"
1T is more than / dared to hope for"
replied Ringwood, as he raised her hand
to his lips; please make my adieu up
stairs. and till tomorrow, goodbye"
That the finishing of the Great Ton
tine" resulted in double wedding 1t is
almost superfuous to add; but that Lord
Lexington. under the strenuous pressure
of his nephew and daughter. was induced
to settle ten thousand pounds upon Mary
Chichester as a wedding gift is fact
that deserves to be recorded, the Viscount,
after the somewhile manner of those who
have been spendthrifts in their youth, de-
veloping a laudable ambition for the &C
emulation of riches in his mature age.
(THE ENID