The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-08


 ter to subdue his own lively astonish- ment.
 ''1t's-it's-Brancaste he said.
 For six days now Lord Brancaster had lain in one of the old lofty cell Inged bed chambers of the ancient cas- tie of Falconhurst. He had not re- gained consciousness for a moment since the day he had been hurled out when his automobile struck the stone bridge
 Despite the words of censure the Marquis of Beverley had spoken of the Earl of Brancaster there was noth- ing for him to do now save to try to efface them in every possible way.
 Beverley had done more than the sit nation demanded It was as if the in- jury which had fallen upon the earl had wiped out all the past and had brought to the old racing nobleman 8 renewed consciousness of the brother hood of man. The most noted physi- clans and surgeons of London had been summoned by him, and Sir Andrew Beck, whose very retaining cast dis t1ncf1on upon the families able to in- duce the great surgeon to visit them. was even now in consultation with
 
 est surgeons. There was question as to whether they would try an opera ton in the hope of relieving the pres sure upon the brain, but the consensus of opinion was against it.
 The chamber in which Brancaster lay had been the abode of more than one fugitive nob1eman in the days of the commonwealth, which had followed the ascendancy of the Pur1tans after the execution of Charles l., and there was a well authenticated legend that "Bonnie Prince Charlie himself had once been sheltered there when there was price upon his head.
 But certainly never before had the old apartment occupied by the uncon- scious Brancaster had more lovely aspect There were flowers every where, but not in the profusion that would have meant annoyance to the i'll man had he been conscious of them. There were lilies of the valley in the old stone vase built into the old dis used fireplace Their white 1oveliness was accentuated by the long trailing vines which formed their background, for Lady Diana had seen to the conn fort and the decoration of the apart ment of the man she was sure could not be all quite bad.
 The accident to this young man in the prime of his life had done much to soften her pride of the very young, and she realized that her judgment was harsh.
 In these days. she accepted nearly everything without question. When the woman she had seen with Bran. caster on the day he was known to her merely as the artist called at Fal- conhurst and asked to be allowed to sit by Che side oea Brancaster the girl had led her without question: to the bed, chamber, though her grandfather had subsequently seen that footman per. formed that office.
 Lady Diana had not inquired as to the woman visitor anything more than her name. The Mrs. D'Aqui1a'' she had received told her nothing, and she did not ask other information as to the dark, foreign appearing woman who seemed to take Brancaster's injury SC deeply to heart.
 There was within Lady Diana deer spiritual sense. She felt that the strick en earl might die. Indeed, she had heard 1t so whispered, though the mar qu1s tried to spare her such thoughts as these. She felt in her pure con
 
 without receiving the benefit Of the ] Church of England or of any clergy man there would be cloud upon botE his chances in world which might understand him better and upon he1 l own conscience. She could not fOrge1 those murmured words as the car shot 1 by her and that waving of the hand | Surely "that within us which makes for righteousness" could not ignore such a spirit. His was a rare soul which must have it's chance in that void into which it hourly seemed about to escape.
 So she had dispatched a note to tho vicar, innocently unmindful of the fact 1 that Sporting Jack Thorpe rode fa1 better to hounds than he did to grace and that even then he was taking the cure for gout far from the village, the l great name of which was Beverley Cro be Continued1