Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-06-28
CHAPTER XIV.

Mr. BRENT (having previously made
an appointment by means of an inter-
change OF post-cards) called at Fred's
rooms one evening after Office hours N
order to report upon the lady as 20
whose existence he had so often pro-
fessed himself skeptical.
The fact IT," said he, that your
cousin is simply charming. don't
know exactly what there Is about her;
but there is something that is ire
siscble; you'll say so yourself when
you have s-en her. 1t isn't only that
she Is rretts. nor that she Is a thor
ough lady all over"
Fred interrupted this eulogium by
laugh. What a rage my poor old I'M
Gle would have been in.'' he remarked,
IF he had heard you say that Just
imagine the audacity Of calling his
daughter lady. AS If she could pos
sibly be anything else
well, she might have deteriorated,
you know; girls who marry music
masters and run away to distant col
on,es are not so very unlikely to de-
teriorate. But she hasn't. Indeed. she
has improved, according to the Master
of All Saints, whom she went to see
me an enthusiastic letter about her.
He says she has gained immensely in
appearance and manners, but that she
doesn't strike him as having gained
much in the way OF experience, and he
Is terribly afraid lest she should fall
among evil-doers. BY which. l take 1t,
he means that he is afraid of her maxi
ing another foolish marriage. Anyhow,
~ 81, e. 40 hsa@
from adventurers."
TT is pretty clear that she has made
one staunch friend already" Fred OBJ
served.
Mr.. Brefit looked a little shame
faced Il can't help IT," said he; Il
am Just as sorry for you as ever l
was, my dear fellow. and l feel that it
is very bad luck for you; still it isn't
the poor things fault that she is the
Deans daughter or that he remember
ed that he had a daughter before he
died. And then, as / tell you, she is
irresistible. Even that dry old stick
Sir James LIE Breton thawed before
she had been talking five minutes 20
him. He says she has a look of her
mother, which l dare say is true: she
certainly hasn't much look of her faith
or. Now I'll tell you what I want you
to do, Fred: l want you to go round
to Albemarle street and call upon her.
/ know you well enough to know that
you don't bear malice: but she doesn't
know you yet, and she is very much
distressed in her mind about you. She
says she can't get over the feeling that
she has robbed you"
Assuredly Fred bore no malice and
even If he had, propriety would have
compelled him to pay his respects to
his cousin. Moreover he was really
anxious 70 see her. So. as II was only
a little after o'clock when Mr.. Bret
fit left him, he walked over to Abe
marie street forthwith, and was glad
to hear that Mrs. Fenton was at home.
She was busily engaged in writing
letters when he was announced: but
the moment that she heard his name
she started up and walked quickly
across the room to meet hi holding
out her hand. "Oh, Mr. Musgraye,"
she exclaimed. "how very kind of you
to come! All to-day I have been try
ing to screw up my courage to write
you a note; but l couldn't get II as
far as the sticking point, and the note
hasn't been written yet"
What were you going to say in it p
asked Fred. smiling
"Ah, that was just the trouble;
couldn't make up my mind what to
say, and now I'm very glad of it, be-
cause talking is so much easier than
writing"
She pushed a chair forward for him,
and he seated himself and gazed IT
her. and was quite as much impressed
by her beauty as Mr.. Breffi. had ex-
pected him to be. He could not begin
by abiding to the subject which was
necessarily uppermost in the thoughts
OF both of them; so he asked her
whether she had had a prosperous
voyage, and whether she did not no.
tice good many changes in London
and so forth But she did not even
take the trouble to reply to these we'll
meant eommonplaces. which she inter-
rupted without ceremony after she had
made a somewhat prolonged scrutiny
of the young man.
Tell me-" said she. suddenly, do
you think me horrid?"
"Of course l don't" ne answered,
laughing; why on earth should 10"
Well, all / know is that 1 should
be ready to murder anybody VINO
cropped up from the southern hemi-
sphere to pick my pocket of nearly a
quarter of a million of money. But
perhaps you are not vindictive.."
Il don't think 1 am. and besides"
"Oh. yes. I know. Wills can't be set
aside. and the testator's only child has
9 natural right etc. l have heard all
that from Mr.. Breffit. Still the fact
remains that IL I had put an end to
myself out there in Australia, as l have
more than once been tempted to do.
you would be rich man to-day"
What made YOU think of putting
an end 10 yourself?" asked Fred, more
impressed by this incidental admis-
sion than by the feeling OF compunc-
tin to which she laid claim
Perhaps l will tell you some day. II
we ever become friends. Is II at all
possible for us TO become friends?"
u hope So" answered the young
man. AT all events, We are rela-
tons"
''1es. but am not sure that that IS
any great help toward friendship. Say
what you will about it. you can't help
feeling that / have supplanted you. and
you can't like being supplanted: no
human being ever did since the world
began"
Il think it's all quite right" said
Fred. but even II II were not. you
have, had nothing to do with it,
I dare say men don't look at these
things in the same way as women do.
You are supposed 70 have an Unborn
OF acquired sense of justice which we
haven't. believe. should like very
much 70 be your friend. Fred. May /
call you F'redg'
What else should you call mes
That's understood. then: you are 20
be Fred henceforth. and / win be
Laura. II you please. I was going TO
say that have very few friends In the
world. and none at all In England
and I like the look of you. Do you
Ike the look OF me as far as you have
gote+
VERY much indeed Fred replied.