The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-09

! grin at last spread itself out to cheer
him.
Il won't if 1 can help it," she said
wistfully.
think it was through the Malinder
| servants that the dark secret came to
| light at last. The only wonder was
that it had remained a secret so long,
when one remembers how Tormen-
tilla. to Illustrate Mr.. BromsgroVe's
evil designs. had been obliged more
! than half to confde in the head gar
dener and the head game-keeper-
both married men.
1t was at the Cogwheels' bridge
| drive a. month later that it was first
openly discussed:
Mrs. Hay was frankly annoyed.
81 have always heard" she said
Gin fact. it is one of my husbands
most settled convictions - that the
habits and morals of the ~aristocracy
are beyond all-well, you must admit
that they would never be tolerated
for an instant in the upper middle
| class to which we belong, and which
is. my husband often says, the bull
wark of our country-the backbone
of our empire"
Yes, but how sweet of her to run
| about in her old blue linen pinafore,
with her frank, unaffected ways, and
be so nice to everybody" kind Mrs.
Cogwheel murmured. 81 said to Au-
drey directly I heard the news this
afternoon, Darling I. said, you
would never have guessed that she
was blue-blooded for a moment,
would you? She was so polite and
| friendly and natural with everybody
| And Audrey quite agreed with me.
Lise laughed. Mrs. Flanelle, who
had been busy sorting her cards,
leaned eagerly back to join in.
"She might have been a milkmaid
in a sunbonnet," she said. II never
was so surprised in my life, and it is
| such a relief to ME to think that we
had such a delightful talk together
in Garland's the day she took the
children in and gave them buns-all
| about" She caught Lise's eye and
| Redeemed a little. 81 little knew that
an angel was entertaining US I'M
! awares," she finished hastily. Shall
I play to hearts. partner"
All through the evening the play
was interrupted by their comments,
but then, as Miss Cotton remarked,
n never expects bridge at a drive,
and no one ever minds, eXcent II or
two elderly men, and'if so, whv come?
But my heart aches for the
| thoughtless child" she said. you
never know what deception may lead
into when you once begin
You never know what anything
will lead you into if it comes to that"
Lise said coolly. And if you never
! begin anything, you won't travel far,
will you?"
Miss Cotton shook her head. I'm
afraid YOU are a philosopher she
said sadly, land that is so risky, I
always think, and so destroying to
ones peace of mind. I'm afraid I am
right. There was the Lord Of Bur-
leigh. o sea similar case-and
; YOU remember his sad bereavement;
and then the young Pretender, too,
; and Perkin WarDeck and Lambert
, Simnel-always such tragic episodes
in history. I am sure it is better far
to live an oren life. 7 cnce knew a
girl-a pretty girl, too-who mas
. uueraded as a mothers help, and she
was the comfort and right hand OF a
simple, trustful family for years. But
truth will out, and I leave you to
guess the climax when all was discov-
cred"
: "Who was she really. them" Vera
Hay asked with much interest. What
was there to discover"
"She was a ballet girl who had
strained something permanently,
which prevented her from pursuing
her calling, yet allo wed her to run
I'D and down stairs a hundred times a
day. No one would have known that
she wasn't a simple, modest English
girl if they hadn't been told, and she
kept it up for years. I heard her
mistress say with my W ears that
3 Miranda would be a blessing in any
home. and then-like a ~thUnderclap
the end came. Did a diamond take
that trick"
How" Miss Hay was deeply in
terested by the story, and obviously
bored by the game.
! "Oh. she got engaged to a young
man in tea, and she told the whole
shocking truth to them all the day
she left them to get married. when it
was too late to do anything. Not
the king of spades? Why, l thought
that was played long ago. How stu
pid of me-"
/ What did the tea la 6o?"
ooh, he'd known it from the first.
But you car never tell what might
not have been averted if she had not
stopped to deceive. can you??'
No one could, but it didn't matter
much. and a diversion came here;
a little natural confusion brought
about by the surprising second APP
p~earance Of an ace of hearts, and it
was not until it was finally discovered
that Audrey had absently absorbed
a whole trick into her hand a few
! minutes before, that any n remem-