The midland journal., 1910-08-12
CHAPTER II.
Continued.


admiration for this handsome man,
with. his bronzed face and manly
figure.
As they reached the entrance to the
garden, Dorothy stopped suddenly.
"Oh. my bangle." she exclaimed;
@my diamond bangle! 1t is gone."
Lord Derriman looked to the
ground.
4 know" continued the girl,
quickly; Il must have dropped it by.
the chair. Oh. hope it will not be
lost; prize it very highly!"
:. viii return at once" said Lord
Derriman. f..
Let me co. put in Enid, timidly;
but she felt her cousins fingers grip
her arms, and Dorothy had accepted
the offer with many apologies, and
the young man had disappeared be-
fore her arm was released.
Dorothy looked about her swiftly;
then drew a letter out of her pocket.
Take this!" she commanded rath-
er than said, and holding Enid by the
shoulder. Go down that path; you
go in through the gateif itis shut
you must climb 1t; little way in you
will meet a man; give him that letter.
Come back as soon as you can-you
understand?
Enid lifted her pure, true eyes to
the other girls face. flushed and agi-
tated, yet beautiful in its agitation
Tc r. fc }, ~ rt,<
whispered.
Dorothy stamped her foot, and a
smothered exclamation broke from
her lips; then the knowledge that she
must diplomatize came to her.
1t is for charity You know what
papa is! This is a poor man I want
to help, and don't want any one but
you to know! Now you see?"
Enid did not quite see. A hundred
different thoughts rushed to her
mind, chief among them being why
Dorothy should not give this charity
to the poor man herself, but utterly
bewildered and overwhelmed by Dor
gOthy's energy, she turned and moved
away Once she looked back, but her
cousin waved her on most angrily,
and she walked quickly down the
path. The way was rough and in
clined little, and Enid carefully held
the delicate lace of her frock from
the clinging embrace of the brambles;
the music died away in the distance,
and only the sound of the birds and
the occasional sigh of the trees in the
summer breeze disturbed the silence.
She walked on and on till she
reached the gate. 1t was unlocked;
she pushed it open and advanced
few yards into the shade of the
wody Enclosure. Here she stopped
and looked round. AT first she saw
nothing, but after a moment she
became aware of the presence of
man leaning moodily against a tree,
smoking.
Enid hesitated. Certainly this did
not look like a needy person or one
who should be the recipient of char
ity, but she felt that he was the one
Dorothy had meant, so she went tim
idly toward him. AS her light foot
fall sounded on the ground he lifted
his head; for one instant a sharp,
almost triumphant look overspread
his face, the next his brow clouded,
and he compressed his lips, on the
upper one of which a soft golden
brown mustache grew, as he took in
the girl before him.
.If you please, Enid said, timidly,
holding out the note, "Miss Knebwell
has sent you this.
He pushed himself from the tree
into a standing position
Who are your" he asked, sharply,
and Enid felt instinctively that he was
not Of refined origin, his voice was so
common and coarse.
4 am her cousin, Enid Leslie"
He took the note, and pushing his
hat back on his head, opened it leis-
urely. Enid turned away, now her
errand was done. but he stopped her.
Wait" he said; II may wish to
send some reply"
She stood still, and as he opened
the letter she had good opportunity
to observe him. Rarely, even in her
dreamy moments alone with her
painting. had she conjured up more
strikingly handsome face? it was
more than this, the features were
purely Grecian, the brows noble-look-
ing, the eyes of deep, star-like blue,
fringed with lashes a woman might
have enyied. Enid saw that the COM
plexion was as rarely fair as the coun-
tenance perfect, though faint shade
OF brown was spread over the pink
tinted skin, yet, despite all this, the
girl let an intuitive wave of dislike
and fear for this man pass through
her rntnd. The face was peautIful
sin shape and outline. but the eyes
were soulless, and the mouth bespoke
cruelty, weakness and deceit. While
she wondered vaguely what charity
1t could be this wsll-clad person could
need, he startled her by uttering a
Il