The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-07-30

rious Blue Eyes.
the telling. Hetty did not go forth
to encounter drudgery, disdain and OBJ
loquy. By no manner Of means! She
went with well-flled purse, definite
purpose ahead and determined fac
tor behind.
In a manner BETTING her station as
the intimate friend of Mrs. Challis
Wrandall, as the cousin of the Murgat-
royds, as the daughter of Colonel Cas-
Teton of the Indian corps, as a per-
son supposed to be possessed of in
| dependent means w1thal, she went,
with none to question, none to cavil.
| Sara had insisted on this, as much
for her own sake as for Hetty's; she
argued, and she had prevailed In the
end. What would the world think,
what would their acquaintance think
and above all what would the high and
mighty Wrandalls think if she went
with meek and lowly mien?
Why should they make it possible
for anyone to look askance?
And SO it was that she departed in
state, with a dozen trunks and boxes;
an obsequiously attended seat in the
| parlor car was hers; a telegram in
her bag assured her that rooms were
being reserved for herself and maid
at the Ritz-Carlton; alongside it re-
posed a letter to Mr.. Carroll, instruct
ing him to provide her with sufficient
funds to carry out the plan agreed
upon; and in the seat behind sat the
lady's maid who had served her for
a twelvemonth and more
The timely demise of the venerable
Lord Murgatroyd afforded the most
natural excuse for her trip to England
The old nobleman gave up the ghost,
allowing for difference in time, at the
very moment when Mrs. Redmond
Wrandall was undoing a certain pack
age from London, which turned out
to be a complete history of what his
forbears had done in the way of prop
agation since the fourteenth century
Hetty did not find it easy to accom-
modate her pride to the plan which
was to give her a fresh and rather
imposing start in the world. She was
to have a full year in which to deter
!, mine whether she should accept tot
and poverty as her lot, or emulate the
bird At the end of the year, unles:
she did as Dicky had done, her source
of supplies would be automatically Gu
off and she would be entirely depend
ent upon her own wits and resources
In the interim she was probationar,
person of leisure. 1t had require,
;, hours OF persuasion on the part o
;. Sara Wrandall to bring her into lin
), with these arrangements.
"But l am able and willing to worl
for my living" had been Hetty's stut
= born retort to all the argument
brought to bear upon her.
'"Then let me put it in another light
: It is vital to me, Of course, that 20
should keep up the show Of a1fluenc
for while at least. I think 1 hav
made that clear to you. But here
another side to the matter; the que:
ton of recompense."
;, "Recompense?" cried Hetty sharpl,
;, without your knowing it, 1 hav
y virtually held you prisoner all thes
! months, condemned in my own jud,
ment If not in the sight of the Law
: have taken the law unto myself. 70
were not convicted of murder in thi
unitarian court of mine, but of al
other sin. For fifteen months 20
have been living under the shadow {
crime you did not commit. l wa
-, reserving complete punishment fo
- you in the shape of an ignoble ma
rage, which was to have served tw
- bitter ends. Well, I had the trut
from YOU l believe you to be abs
lutely innocent of the charge l hel
= over you, for which l condemned yc
- without hearing. Then, why shou
~ l not employ my own means of ma
ing restitution"
you have condescended to belle,
% in me. That Is all l ask"
True, that is all you ask But
or It altogether the fair way out Of i