The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1910-03-25
LADY CAR:
THE SEQUEL or a LIFE.
MRS. OLIPHANT.

I Wei happen that one of these was
destined by Providence to be the
/ making of the second Tom Torrance
of the Towers. And the parents who
thought, with a softened considera-
| ton of all the circumstances that had
| been against him, that a daughter Of
theirs might perhaps have that mis-
sion to fulfil, had certainly much less
| to tolerate and forgive than Lord
Lindons had when he married his
daughter to Toms father. Therefore
l everybody accepted the invitations
, that were sent out, and for week
/ the house blazed with light and rang
with festive sounds, and life stirred
and quickened throughout the entire
neighbornood. The long interregnum
was over, and Tom had come into his
kingdom.
Happily an event of this kind ex-
ercises certain influence on all
minds. Perhaps Lady Car allowed
herself to be moved by her husbands
optimism, and was able with him to
believe that Tom might do very we'll
Notwithstanding his youthful indis-
cretions; perhaps it was only that
mild and indulgent despair which had
taken possession of her inmost soul,
and which made it evident that moth
ing that could be done by her would
affect her boy, and that all she was
LOW good for was to tolerate and for
give: but at least she presided over
all the reJoicings with apLarant pleas
ure, sparing no fatigue, thinking of
everything, resuming to wonderful
extent the more active habits of for
mer years. And Beaufort played to
perfection the role of the pere noble,
the dignified, disinterested paternal
guardian giving his support and coun-
tenance to the novice without ever
interfering with his, pretensions as the
real master of the house. Indeed,
Beaufort, with his fastidious superior
ity, had much greater influence over
Tom than his mother had, and over
awed him as no one else was capable
of doing; so that everything went
we'll during mis- great era, and the
young Laird appeared to the best ad-
vantage, making those parents of
daughters say to each other that
really there was nothing that May or
Beatrice need object to. Such birds
Of prey as hung about the horizon
even in these moral regions perhaps
sharpened their beaks-but that was
out of sight. And the only one of the
n c~ty r1O RI
happiness was Janet, about whom
there hung nervous haze of sup
pressed feeling altogether alien to her
character and which no one could
fathom. Perhaps it would have been
more comprehensive had any one
heard the occasional word which now
and then dropped from Tom, and
which he repeated with mischievous
boys pleasure in the trouble he could
create. Are you going on the pony
to-day?" he would ask in Lady Cars
presence, with a significant look and
laugh. Are you off for the Easton
road?" No one but Janet knew what
he meant. He threw these stones at
her out of the very height of his own
triumph. And Janet dared scarcely
go out, even in the protection of her
mother S company, lest she should see
Charlie Blackmore turning reproacn-
ful eyes upon her. He did pass the
carriage on one occasion and took off
his hat, but the salutation was so uni
veTsal that no one noted who the i'll
Eividual was, and Janet alone saw
Inc look. Yet even for Janet nothing
iisagreeable happened during these
eight days.