Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-06
CHAPTER Iv.-Continued.

the passerby was out Of earshot.
81 don't know" replied Luke. Il
thought it was some one You knew. He
bowed to YOU
NO" she said, ito you, think. Funny
you should not know him.
But silence once broken. constraint fed
with it. She drew nearer to Luke and
once more her hand sought his coat
sleeve, with light pressure quickly
withdrawn.
"Now, Luke she said. abruptly. revert
Ing to the subject, "how do you stand in
all this?'
opp
Eyes. What does Lord Radcliffe say"
HE laughs. the whole thing to scorn,
and declares that the man is an impudent
liar
"He saw" she asked. 1.-The first letter?
The one that came from st. Vincent"
yes Mr.. Warren and I did not think
We ought to keep 1t from him."
"Of course not" she assented. Then
he said that the letter was a tissue of
lies?"
From beginning to end
"He refused she insisted, Ito believe
| in the marriage of your Uncle Arthur out
there in Martinique"
HE didn't go into details. He just said
that the whole letter was an impudent
attempt at blackmail."
"And since them
He has never sroken about II.
Until today" she asked.
HE hasn't spoken he replied, insist
ing on the word, 'even today. Two or
three times, think. letters came for him
in the same handwriting. Mr.. Warren
did not open them. of course. and took
them straight to Uncle Rad. They al
ways bore foreign postmarks, some from
Zone place. some from another; but Uncle
Rad never referred to them after he had
read them, nor did he instruct Mr. War
rem to reply. Then the letters ceased
and 1 began to forget the whole business.
1 didn't tell you, because Uncle Rad told
me not to talk about the whole thing. 1t
was beneath contempt. he said. and he
didn't want the tittle-tattle to get about
Then she asked, what happened?'
"A week ago letter came with a Lon
don postmark on it. The address and
letter were both typewriter. and the
latter covered four sheets OF paper and
was signed Philip de Mountford. Bar the
actual story of the marriage and all that.
the letter was almost identical to the
first one which came from st. Vincent.
Mr.. Warren Lad opened it, for 1t looked
like business one and he waited Tor
me in his Office to ask my opinion about
Rad. 1t had all the old phrases in 1t
about blood being thicker than water, and
about longing for friendship and COM
Partnership, and all that There was no
hint Of threats or demand for money or
anything like that"
"Of course not she said. while Lord
Radcliffe is alive the young man has no
claim
only" he rejoined, that of kinship.'
Lord Radcliffe need not do anything
for him.
| Already there was note Of hostility
/ in Louisa's even voice. The common
place woman was DOMINIC armor against
the man who talked Of usurping the loved
ones privileges.
ct wish" he insisted that 1 could
| have got the letter from Uncle Rad to
| show you. 1t was SO simple and SO
sensible. All he asks is just to see Uncle
Rad personally, to feel that he has kim
bred In the world. He knows. he says,
| now. AS a matter OF fact, lie has some
thing more substantial than that. for
Uncle Arthur had q little personal prop
erty, about fifteen thousand pounds,
Frank and Edie and me-and which I for
one wouldn't touch II 1 knew for certain
that this Philip was his son"
But" she argued. you say that the
man does not speak Of money!
She hated the talk about money-for
she had all that contempt for it which
women have who have never felt the
want Of it. 1t would have been so simple
II the intruder had only wanted money.
She would not have cared little bit If
Luke had none, or was not going to have
any. 1t was his right which she would
not hear of being questioned: his right in
Lord Radclyffe's affections, in his house
hold, and also his rights in the future
when Lord Radcliffe would be gone.
You are sure,'' she insisted, that he
does not want inOney1"
Il don't Think he replied, that he
does, just now. He seems to have lit
tie; he must have had a little, since he
came over from St. Vincent and is stay
ing at moderately good hotel in Lon
don. No. He wants to see Uncle Rad,
because he thinks that. if Uncle Rad saw
him, blood would cry out in response. 1t
appears that now he has lodged all his
papers Of Identification with London
lawyer-a very good firm, mind you-and
he wants Uncle RAIDS solicitor to see all
the papers and to examine them. That
seems fair to me, doesn't 1t to you?"
Very fair. indeed" she unused.
What 1 mean.'' he added. with great
weren't all right. he wouldn't be so anx-
ious for Uncle RAIDS solicitors to have a
look at them. would hep
No"
And after awhile she reiterated more
emphatically:
Certainly not
81 must say" he concluded, "that the
whole thing simply beats me-
But what does Lord Radcliffe say
now?'
Nothing
How do you mean nothing?"
Just what I say. He won't talk about
the thing. He won't discuss 1t. He
won't answer any question which I put
to him. My dear boy. the man is a
palpabfe. impudent impostor. black
mailer and that's all can get out of
him.
He won't see the man?''
Wont hear of it."
And won't he let his solicitor-Mr. Dob
son. isn't it?-meet the other lawyer"
He says he wouldn't dream of wasting
old Dobson's time"
Then what's going to happen?"
Il don't see.' he said, what is going
to happen"
Wont you have a talk about it all
with Mr.. Dobson and see what he says?"
Il cant very well do that. Strictly
speaking. it's none Of my businesses
yet. couldn't consult Uncle RAIDS law
yers without Uncle RAIDS consent
Another one. them
He shrugged his shoulders. obviously
undecided what to do. He had thought
very little about himself or his future in
all this; his thoughts had dwelt mostly
on Lord Radclyffe-father mother broth
er, sister to them all. Bless him, And
then he had thought of her. He looked
round him with eyes that scarcely saw,
Tor they really were turned inward to his
own simple soul, and to his loving heart
Right up against that very simplicity of
soul q duty stood clear and uncompro-
missing. duty yet to be performed. the