The Washington times., 1913-06-01


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Cruelty treated and condemned to hang
s. % vss Fs.s siss ss.ao. K Dissss
eooaDe from the dungeon In his way. and
he sss.: ,sfrEs In q chaposr;M M ~nise assa
hsdss him In her bed while the whole
court are hunting for him. Her old nurse
ssnD % change the sheetaL
CHAPTER XXI.
~, Lammas-Eve.
oUIID she be treated as his wife
II she refused to speak her al
lotted words in the marriage
ceremony? That uestfo n
fhomsine Musgrove asked herself
over and over again in the days that
stumbled one upon another in their
merciless haste to reach the eve Of
Lammas
Upon the negative answer to that
Quegtion-and In her reason she knew
that the answer must be negative!-
shs fslt that her fate depended.
NE had blazoned to her world the
0Hury of Won Kerstenbroock, and she
AaA ssm this. that she had held i'm
peugnable bar against Lord Staver-
Uham, put By - q mere wisp Of straw.
ne had nc other defense. Within
Sha cAatle she had neither champion
psFs ffssnd. She had no hope Of flight.
ne .fslt herseif helpless. driven against
ths vail
mt he held fast to the one poor
0vaDoa. of her silence.
Oureay. 3-she did not speak the words.
he should not be his wife.
nut q the days marched past and
Sho naght Of fitful sleep followed one
ypoa. the other; Thomsine felt new
6uppose she should find herself say
Sn4 doc words that she was 20 fain
ma % ny? For round her in the cas-
tls che hoard nothing but preparations
she kneW that guests were hidden.
0he knew that there should be bridal
feast upon that eve Of Lammas. ana
thereto q mask She heard Charlotte
and Eleanor discuss the gowns that
thsy should wear. and even the ssr-
her sd5ssacsf. =
Wifh . tortured sense OF beiAG caught
.n the great wheels Of mill that should
grind her. she no longer questicned;
shouid Il avail her to be silent7
Instead. she wondered II she should
have the strength to be silent. with
the weight Of all those strong Wills
bent to make her speak?
II was useless to bid herself be steady
and courageous. In such unheard-ol
circumstances. how was she to eat and
drink. and sleep. and be In any, wise
herself?
6ometimes she felt that surely she
should 70 mad.
She felt the surer because, night after
night. In her broken snatches Of slum-
ber. she dreamed Of Won Kerstenbfoock.
- - >l - uvzA
masterful and coming toward her: and.
waking from that dream to unblessed
reality. she shook with hopeless sob
bing.
Q pretty problem of adjustment: how to
marry the girl of his election with
every form Of legality. and at the same
time do II 20 privately as to give her
no chance to make scandal
break in Thomsine's wan young face
and hunted eyes He determined to
have the wedding ceremony quietly per-
formed In the girls chamber, on pretext
with Carisford DO few weeks dead.
He would have as witness only his
daughters and their husbands-his near
est kin-and he would have the service
read by his kinsman and creature. the
In this needy DR.. Gascoisne's room he
would vastly have preferred some one
Of the saintly men who lent luster to
the church that was marked for de-
struction, but he dared not ask such
men to countenance that which he had
in mind as q desperate last resort
For he would have the form of cere-
mony with Thomsine Musgrove tand
With In twelve hours after the cere-
rsony he calculated 10 to have instruct
ed her that she were fool indeed to
question the validity Of their union.
private marriage. then. for many
reasons, declared and undeclared. But
on that evening. lest 1t be said that
he had huddied through the marriage
in Q corner he would risk a banquet
and q mask.
Word of this he sent to Oxford and
to other pieces where We're folk that
were kin to him or friends. and he
found a few courageous or mirth-loving
souls who. In spite Of the unsettled
state Of the roads, would venture as
h: sos:t' ts. to n Sasas few Of men and
women came Eleanor's husband, Sir
Francis vyyyan. who was indeed no
myth, but q querulous gentleman of
five and thirty. with a nice taste in
doubiets.
Came also Lord Trevor and Sir Ed
ward Borlase, who said that twas the
third time that he had made him ready
against the marriage of little Thoms'ne
Musgroye.. and he trusted that he
tnOufu tuCA III TIC o1o
Pleasantly Lord Stayersham made all
Welcome A busy man he was in those
days. what with a wedding land the
bride unwiliing9 and a plot Of treason
both upon his hands.
In some vexation at finding his prof
fered service at low price. he was mind
ed to let that business lie fcs a few
days.
BY his cool withdrawal he thought 70
bring his opponents to meet the terms
that he had named. No more than Rob
Erisey At that moment also standing
on conditions. did he realize that, ac-
cording TO the homely, adage. he needs
q long spoon who will sup with the
devil
30 the swift days hurtled past at
Kings 6taversham. until IL was the last
day but one of giittering July.
Up In the chamber that she seldom
Quilted Thomsine lay upon her bed.
c0MB YOUR GRAY HAIR
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