The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-07

AS they went In TO dinner Sir Douglas
led the way with Miss Craven. and Rose
mary was taken in by his cousin, who
appeared to be in the highest Of spirits
and she forced herself to play up 10 him.
DO you know London well. Miss
French Philip Craven said. suddenly.
He was sitting opposite to her, and SO
far had not spoken much.
Rosemary blushed family. Not very
we'll, she murmured. II always feel
frightened at it,"
He smiled. II can quite understand
that-there is no experience so bad as
ones first London fog. Have you been
through one yety'
One" she faltered. and wondered
whether he had asked the question acct
dentally or whether more lay behind it.
Miss French came TO my mother Just
about the time when your London par
ticulars' must have been on, Sir Doug
las broke in, with a smile at Rosemary,
which she tried to return with her trem-
bling lips
"Ahf' Craven said. slowly, that would
be about November. You must ind Corn
wall wonderful change. Miss French
She bowed slightly. She felt that had
she tried TO speak she would have broken
down into hysterical tears. for the mock
ing eyes OF the man opposite her were
/ Haunting her secret IN her face.
let US hope you viii be spared another
London fogP he said presently, when
Sir Douglas had begun an animated con-
versatiOn with Laura and Usher. '"fhe
| deaths that took place in the one that
you must have experienced were dreadful.
One poor girl was run over by a motor
! bus. and helped the police TO take her
to the hospital. She was a wonderfully
pretty girl-duite lovely-and--"
He paused suddenly. as his sister broke
in abruptly.
Philip. tell Sir Douglas about that
motor accident We had coming from
ExeterY
With a scarcely pereeptible shrug OF
his shoulders he obeyed. and during the
rest cf the dinner Rosemary was able TO
gather together the scattered remnants
of her self-control That he knew her
she now had not the slightest doubt. and
she wondered whether he would take the
earliest opportunity TO tell her SO or
whether he would play with her as a cat
with a mouse. In the drawing-room after
dinner she forced herself 10 entertain
Miss Craven, whose cold. bored manner,
now that Sir Douglas was not there 10
see her. was verging on insolencc.
What makes Lady Mallaby unable 70
come downstairs?" she asked, languidly
Because she is ill.," Rosemary an
, swered She has been IA often, and
during those times I never saw her"
Laura craven raised her black brows
| sarcastically.
How oddi I. must be dull for you In
! this big house, with no one to talk TO.
Unless Sir Douglas entertains you
The warm color flooded Rosemary s
cheeks at the direct question, and the
| Older woman's hard eyes were quick 20
see the light in the lovely gray eyes. She
| bit her lips with jealous anger. She had
/ been annoyed at the idea OF the motor
/ trip bringing them into the enemys
| country but now that she was really be-
meath the roof or Luck House her feel
/ ings had experienced q revulsion. She
was cold, ambitious woman without an
! atom of sentiment in her composition,
| and she had been prepared 70 marry the
man now posing as Stephen Usher mere
! ~ because OF the money he had come
into by his clever imposture OF his dead
friends name, but when that became inn
| possible on account OF the conditions OF
Ralph Savage's will she had ceased 10
regard Stephen Usher as anything more
than a name. Since she had come 70
Luck House she had fallen in love with
Sir Douglas, the man she had helped
TO defraud and the idea had obsessed her
clever, schemlng brain that she might
easily become Lady Mallaby. If she played
her cards we'll So II was with a SEN
sation Of active dislike that she eyed
Rosemary sssoft girlish beauty, and spec
ulated upon the possibility OF her cap
tivating the man whom already she
herself was bent upon fascinating
Il suppose. she went on, slowly, that
there Is some elderly woman here who
chaperons you while Lady Mallaby is
me-"
Rosemary opened her eyes. There are
only two old servants heTe-the butler.
Jason and Kezlah. who act as cook ard
housemsid I don't see the necessity OF
an elderly chaperon." she said, with a
smile
Il am afraid you are very young and
inexperienced, my dear girl, Laura be-
gan slowly. choosing her words carefully,
'or you would see for yourself that no
girl ought 10 be so much alone where
she is continually thrown into the So
ciety OF a young man, unless she is al
ways with an elderly person. People
might say anything, and spread about
after Sir Douglas while his mother is
i'll and there are only two servants in the
house"
Rosemary sprang to her feet. 1T would
be false" she said, quickly. Il never
see Sir Douglas. I nearly always lunch
and dine in my own sitting room, and as
10 the rest OF your speech" she added in
a voice that trembled with hurt pride, sit
is too absurd 10 consider. Sir Douglas
and I understand each other. and
II was on the tip Of her tongue 10 pro-
claim that they were engaged 20 be mar
ried. and that ID did not matter what the
whole world said, but she stopped with a
sudden blush as she remembered that her
lover had asked her TO keep their engage
ment a secret until the visitors had gone
and his mother was better
Laura had seen the blush. and inter
preted it her own way.
MY dear girl" she said, with easy
friendliness, you must not misunder-
stand me. only spoke for your good
You see,' she went or. II know the
world. I have learned 10 understand
things that some people would not guess
at. Why, IL you became engaged TO Sir
Douglas. even. il would be more impossi-
BILE than ever for you TO stay in the same
house Surely you can see that" she
added, toIerantly. cot course, have nc
right to dictate, but I should advise you
to think over what have said, and please
take it as It Is intended"
Thank you." Rosemary replied. hum
bly,. 7 was stupid TO be offended. but ]
was startled at arst. 1 am sure YOU
meant 10 be very kind. And now she
added as she rose, IF you will excuse me
l viii go to bed"
That night. when she was in her own
room-the best guest chamber that Luck
House offered 10 its rare but honored
guests. and which had it's own dressing
and bathroom-Laura Craven sat in front