The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-11-15

dropping, lovely creature, with pa
thetic eyes and appealing hands.
aYou wouldn't judge me harshly
if you knew my real motives" she
| said sadly.
What in heavens name are your
motives?" Lise cried with interest,
from the other side Of the room.
Audrey sighed
*Only love- she said, @and pity.
Tormentilla gasped.
she has had a hard life," the girl
went on, "a hard life. Trouble he
says, has hardened him. and am to
be the softening influence of his
| future"
No one made any remark. What
indeed could they say2
ssHe consults me- Audrey said, con
everything. And him. We have
been in perfect sympathy ever since
told him of my great trouble"
Still they were speeches..
"He tells me everything" she went
on, land this morning he showed me
his black list
Tormentilla reused herself from
her bewildered stupor
ellis what?" she cried.
ellis black list" Audrey repeated
with dignity.
''Do you mind telling me exactly
what you meant"
mot at ALL" Audrey repeated with
simple pride. Lord Malinder had
very high opinion of him, you see,
and he entrusted him with a secret
mission when he gave him the living,
Of finding fraud and misuse Of au-
thority, and a lot of other things that
forget. He has natural gift for
finding cut weak places in people and
things, and all the time he has been
here he has been looking out and dis
covering things, till he has made out
quite long list. His black list he
playfully calls it, and think it is
such good name, don't your"
Very" said Tormentilla grimly.
ri never heard more suitable-pet
name. Go on"
at is most interesting list" said
Audrey, "and there we're all sorts of
people on it that you'd never have
dreamt of associating with hidden
crime"
II can quite believe it." Tormen-
tilla's voice was almost sardonic.
PLEASE don't STOP"
"For instance, there was that nice
Mr.. Crimes the baliff, who has al
ways such pleasant smile when I
meet him riding about on his fat grey
horse. He used to give me rides or
it when I was little girl, and quite
liked him, but you never know, do
your
NO said Tormentilla. "Who
else?"
ooh, so many people! The head
keeper, Mr.. Groves. thought he
was such dear, and he always let
me trespass when wanted ferns and
primroses and things for my botany
class at school. And one of the un-
der-keepers, and several of the SER
wants at Malinder House, and quite
number of farmers, and one or two
of the tradespeople even. All of
them Lord Malinder's tenants"
WAS that all?"
ooh, no." Audrey cast quick lit
tie side glance at her, and stopped to
arrange fold of the forget-me-not
gown. But / have such bad mem
DRY. Do you know that the sight of
that list made ne feel quite sad?"
ut did, did it," Tormentilla cried.
Eyes, wouldn't it your"
mo, it wouldn't have made me
sad 1t would have made me-but
go on"
'I didn't like it," said Audrey,
meeting the girls eyes frankly. 81
confess that / didn't like it. And
said so frankly
"That was noble of you'll" Tormen-
tilla cried sarcastically.
"Oh, no." said Audrey modestly.
ri was quite open with him. Not
one of u.s. said. is entirely without
fault and he quite saw it. He is so
broad-minded, you see, and he ad-
mitted it at once. If he did make one
exception, he naturally would be blind
to my faults just now, wouldn't he?"
Very likely" said Tormentilla,
drawing deep breath.
YES" Audrey proceeded. 1--WE
might have been the same ourselves,
said, If we had lived amongst their
temptations.
"Worse!" Tormentilla cried fierce
ly. "a thousand times worse"
"And So" Audrey finished, IT per-
suaded him to burn it."
ITO WHAT"
"To burn it. Why not?"
'tNoi" Tormentilla stared at her
and rose from her seat with amazed
eyes.
Yes" Audrey smiled her pretti-
est smile up into the girls face.
Let us burn it together / said,
in memory of yesterday and we did.
We made a little celebration of it.
He called it a little celebration
with fusee. and it took long time,
but it is rather a beautiful idea, isn't
it, to cement our happy bond with an
act of forgiveness? We mean to go
on as we have begun, and to help each
other. And he says that he shall al
low all those peoples sins to find
them out, without his help"
Tormentilla CROPPED for her hat,
cast haif-blinded look of bewilder-
ment at the silent Lise, and went
hnr1o She could haaY. M mora