The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-06

to stay with his friend NJ Jouffroy? Give
the poor man a chance, my dear. Forget
your grievances, real and imaginary, for
the space Of eight hours. AT the end Of
that time promise you a letter explaining
everything, and proving me a true prophet.
Let us go and look at the horses; I want
to renew my acquaintance with old Rat
tier and the Gamecock and have a peep
in at the kennels though | know you hate
going there. 1t isn't true that you've per-
suaded Lyndon to give up the beagles. is
II! suppose there never was such
thing as a Mistress of the Hounds, or I
shouldn't mind taking the little beauties
over myself. The sports poor sport COM
pared with fox-hunting perhaps; but it's
relic Of good old English times after all.
Queen Elizabeth had a 'cry'-they called
pack cry in those days. didn't they?-
OF beagles, every one OF which was small
enough TO go into the good lady's glove.
She must have had a fine fist the old
LADY, No wonder her boxes on the ears
have been handed down to posterity! BY
the way, talking about the beagles re-
minds me to ask Question-have any of
them strayed lately? You don't happen
to have missed one, do you? Because the
other day-oh there is Rather coming in
how we'll he looks" And so on. and so
on, until Margaret's dismal forebodings
were fairly submerged under food of
CHEEKY small talk.
The next day came. and found Laura's
prophecy as 10 the letter fuldlled-after
fashion. I am sorry to say that Lyndon
barefacedly represented himself as, from
the first. having taken up his abode a,
the Grand He even threw in a few bits
Of local description, quite unnecessarily,
and added that. heartily as he wished
himself at home, his business was likely
to detain him in Paris for a further
twenty days or so. Twenty days-it
might just as we'll have been three
weeks" And the same post that brought
this unsatisfactory epistle brought letter
from Barry. He had ascertained that
letters addressed to Lord Lyndon were
received at the hotel and called for by a
messenger in the due course of things;
but upon Lyndon himself he had not set
eyes. He should leave for England by
that evenings mall he ended abruptly;
the wild-goose chase was. 1t was evident.
beginning to tire him. and also to arouse
latent suspicious Of his brother-in-aws
good faith. Here was a pretty state of
things! Even Laura rumpled her hair
and wrinkled her brow in trying TO fit the
pieces of the puzzle satisfactorily together.
She put on her ulster and went for five.
mile walk in the rain her usual remedy
for disturbed or excited feelings; and
during the walk she said several times
with energy, "Confound the fellow! What
does he mean by cooking up a mystery?
If | thought Her hand clenched it.
SSlA, dS II IL uelu d hunting crop instead
of an umbrella Laura's emotions were
at all tmies OF the militant kind.
Those twenty days crawled by and
Lord Lyndon came home. Between the
happy past and the doubtful present there
was gulf fxed-but his wife's love over
leapt 1t at the instant Of seeing the dearly.
remembered face again. Lyndon was look
Ing haggard and wan There was a pallor
about him, a lassitude. oddly combined
with restlessness his wife had never
noticed in him before He made no con-
hdences as TO the business that had de-
layed him in Paris, he never alluded 10
that curious mistake about the hotel.
Lauras presence seemed TO be a relief to
him-and he begged her TO prolong her
visit with an eagerness which he seldom
exhibited. Could it be that he felt the
presence Of third person a relief? But
Laura was too wise 10 stay.
The couple to whom a solitude a deu1
had been, until now. the pleasantest form
or loneliness, sat in the drawing room on
the evening OF Lyndons return. The chilly
Autumn evening had warranted the light.
Ing of fire, and the wood blazed and
cracked comfortably in its shining steel
basket with a Renaissance of the Wintry
days Of their honeymoon 1t was in the