Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-12-23


quis before they reached the castle,
she was joined by her cousin, Captain
i Greville Sartoris. The captain was,
as usual, "devilishly hard up" and he
was trying to evolve a way to make d
killing"
To him Lady Diana expressed he:
fear that Brancaster might die before
a clergyman could see him.
| my dear Dr." exclaimed Sartoris,
hes just as likely to come to himself
and wake up as he is to kick off, and
when he does wake up, mind you, Di,
he won't ask for any parson. He'll
ask for the lady who is sitting by him
now"
The birth Of what may have been
| jealousy began in Lady Diana. 1t was
not strong and merely manifested it
self at this moment by a curiosity not
usual with this gentle though self con-
tanned English girl.
"Greville, who is Mrs. D'Aquila?"
she asked suddenly.
correctly
There was astonishment in her cou-
sins face as he realized that the ordi-
narily self sufficient DIANA who usu-
ally was content with the personal
knowledge that her own senses con-
veyed to her, had asked him a ques-
ton on a plane with those asked by
the ordinary members Of her sex. New
ertheless he did not pause in his an
swer.
"Oh, you know, Di, she was staying
at Rievers when the small came
staying there with very tame chap
eron. Oh, she does everything very
correctly"
But who is she, Greville?"
she was a married woman moving
in good society,"" said Sartoris "She
is-er-still received in some society.
| She is exactly the sort of woman who
suits the Brancaster sort of man. She
| is not the sort of woman Beverley
would wish me to discuss with you"
He stopped and looked into her face.
| She seemed abstracted, musing upon
| something very far away. He thought
that there was look o. tenderness in
her face. Perhaps this wasn't the
right moment, but he was rather hard
up, you know, and they were alone.
Who could tell when they would be
so again, and the girl was heir to
much. 1t was worth trying. Sartoris
cut in on her thoughts with:
"The more I see of women like Mrs.
D'Aquila, the sweeter, the fresher, the
dearer seem the natural. real, true
girls-the girls like you, Di. You've
been an awfully good pal to me- and
want to see you've never talked
nonsense and love to you, Di, and all
that bally rot, but I've learned to love
you for yourself and because I've seen
the world and know your worth in 1t.
I'm not a saint but every hour with
you makes man better, makes him
try to be more worthy-Is it quite
impossible-Think, Di! I am the heir
to the title, and with you as my wife
the Beverley fortune and the Beverley
title would be brought together"
Not all of this speech Lady Diana
heard. Now she slightly smiled and
made a commonplace gesture. She re-
fused to be moved by what she un-
consciously felt to be another of the
constant attempts of her cousin to re-
duce life's odds more in his favor.
"Greville, it's quite impossible she
said. "and for the sake of friendship
and cousinship let's hear nothing fur
ther about it-ever'-
To the relief Of Lady Diana this dis
tasteful conversation with her cousin
was ended by the appearance upon a
lower slope of a youngish man in cler-
ical dress. She went to greet him,
and he explained that he. the Rev.
Werner Haslam, was taking the place
of the vicar during the latters alb
sence. During this explanation of the
stranger, who had received Lady Di-
ana's note, Sartoris, who apparently
had recognized Haslam, smiled Slight
ly.
Lady Diana was about to lead the
stranger to Brancaster's apartment,
after her explanation of the accident
and the unconsciousness of the earl,
when she saw that the clergyman and
Sartoris were exchanging strange
looks. Sartoris broke the silence as
he said nth a sneer:
Il feel that the poor sufferer will be
benefited by the ministrations of so
goodly a divine as the Rev. Werner
Haslam."
The rudeness of it all shocked Lady
Diana and she could not relieve the
situation by other than a perfunctory
inquiry to the man in clericals:
"You know my cousin?"
The eyes of the young clergyman
sought the face of Sartoris almost
pleadingly.
Il did at Oxford" he said, as though
he were asking that something in the
past be ignored. But we have not
met for many-years."
Then with another troubled look at
Sartoris he passed toward the castle
with Lady Diana.
(To be Continued)