The Ordway new era., 1910-03-18
CHAPTER Iv.-continued.

Miss Crew smiled Il am afraid So"
"Oh dear" exclaimed the house
keeper reprovingly at the lack of pro-
fessional enthusiasm. mfr. Basil loves
his writin'! He was no more than six
years old when l remember him com.
ing to my room with a little stick OF
wood. ! was under.housekeeper then
and quite a young woman. 'Henly.'
he said. sharpen this into a pencil
and I'll write you a birthday story
And time and again I can see him in
the big chair by the fire in the house.
keepers room with the maids and me
around him. maxim stories.' his eyes
big rs saucers. his cheeks like roses"
Mrs. Henly had not reminisced
about Lady Ormond and she was not
conscious Of reminiscing now. Lady
Tempest died at his birth. and for all
One night. miss. ! was in this very
room lit was his mothers morning.
room. and when the family were away
I used to come in and dust the things
myself. and a fly had driven up with.
out my hearing 1t. for 1t was winter
time and snow on the ground: and
this door"-she pointed to twas
pushed in and Parsons (the old white.
headed butler you may have remarked,
missy came with little lad by the
hand. Id not seen Mr.. Basil for near.
ly five years. He stood there in his
little great.coat and fur cap and says
out clear as bell: 'Henny. father
sent me back to Craven There's n
letter for you in my pocket some
where's. He was not much over ten
years old
Just take this yellow stun OF the
wall. commanded Mrs. Henly with
imagination. "and put on blue pa.
per and curtains to the window to
match. and give me back my plain
furnishings. and you have the dear old
room. miss. as he stood In it. I have
thought sometimes he always con.
nected his lonely coming with II and
was glad to change It. I says to him:
They haven't ever sent you alone.
Mr.. Basil" | couldn't believe my
eyes-all the way from Paris like n
lost foundling." she paradoxed.
Why not?' he answered me as
old-as old. II I'm to live alone. I
expect ! can travel alone as we'll
Sir Godfrey had married a French.
woman and she took a dislike to the
child"
You call him Mr.. Tempest" the
guest said.
There's Sir Cyril. his brother-he's
nine years older. How I've gone on"
oh" exclaimed Miss Carew. mot
too much II you can talk to m4-d'm
more than touched by 1t: you've been
a mother to him-or near It,"
All he had. poor lamb. from then
till he went to Oxford. and then he
made his friends. We had masters
here for him. Sir Geoffrey wrote me
month by month how to do for him
and ] had but to follow. If you could
get min to talk of 1t all-there's a
study! ! sometimes wonder. His
thoughts and feelings must have been
strange enough some of those days"
In Miss Carew's sympathetic silence
she went on: i've been glad he
wasn't my own If you will believe me,
many times. for such as he was to
me he has made my heart ache, and
! suppose flesh and blood can ache
deeper still for its own"
1t was singular ending. Miss
Carew felt It so. Was he ungrateful
or base?
Il get quite savage here" Mrs.
Henly apologized. II never talk
live in the past
"1t is you who should write the
study. Mrs. Henly." said her listener
There's no one SO well fitted. Alfred
de Musset's nurse wrote her souvenirs
of her master"
"Oh. mel" exclaimed the old won.
an. can't write letter any more
and I've forgotten how to talk. I'd
like to see 1t written in another way,