Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1915-09-03
be TH0USANDTH
| WOMAN & &ERSESG
Author Of OheMAIEUR CRAFTSMAN.
RAFFLES. Etc.
ILLUSTRATIONS, by g. sIss Sxll>l N es,1s97

ing for cuIiousiy numOie, eager ana
| yet Intellectual vein.
"Old Venus Potts!' he kept ejacu
lating. You couldn't help liking him.
And he'd like ysu. my world"
rs his wife nice?" Blanche wanted
to know; but she was looking 80 In
tently out her window, at the opposite
end of the bow to CaZalet's, that a
nan of the wider world might have
thought Of something else to talk
about.
Out her window she looked past q
willow that had been part Of the old
life, In the direction OF an equally
typical silhouette of patient anglers
anchored In punt; they had not
raised rod between them during all
this time that Blanche had been out In
Australia; but as q matter OF fact she
never saw them. since, vastly to the
credit of Cazalet's descriptive powers.
she was out In Australia still.
Nelly Potts?" he said "Oh, q jolly
good sort; you'd be awful pals"
Should WEI" said Blanche, Just
smiling at her invisible anglers.
81 know you would" he assured her
with immense conviction. "Of course
she can't do the things you do; but
she can ride. my word So she ought
to, when she's lived there all her life.
The rooms aren't much, but the veran-
das are what count most; they're bet
ter than any rooms"
She was still out there. cultivating
Nelly Potts on q very deep veranda,
though her straw hat and straw hair
remained in contradictory evidence
against a very dirty window on the
Middlesex bank of the Thames. 1t
was a shame OF the September sun
to show the dirt as 1t was doing not
only was there great steady pool OF
sunshine on the unspeakable floor, but
a doddering reflection from the river
on the disreputable ceiling. Cazalet
looked rather desperately from one to
the other, and both the calm pool and
the rough were broken by shadows.
one more impressionistic than the
other, Of a straw hat over q stack of
straw hair, that had not gone out to
Australia-yet
And Of course just then Q step
sounded outside somewhere on some
gravel, Confound those caretakers!
What were they doing. prowling
about?
Il say, Blanchie" he blurted out Il
do believe you'd like 1t out there,
sportswcman like you believe
you'd take to 1t like duck to water"
He had fioundered to his feet as
well He was standing over her, feel
ing his way like a great fatuous cow
ard, 80 some might have thought But
it really looked as though Blanche was
not attending to what he did say; yet
neither was she watching her little
anglers stamped In Jet upon the sill
very stream, nor even seeing any more
OF Nelly Potts In the Australian YER
anda. She had come home from Aus
tralia, and come In from the river and
she was watching the open door at the
other end of the old schoolroom, listen
ing to those COMPOUNDED steps coming
nearer and nearer-and Cazalet was
gazing at her as though he really had
said something that deserved an an
swer.
why, Miss Blanche!" cried a voice.
And your old lady inv waiting figured !
should find you tiown!"
Hilton Toye was already lands
man and Londoner from top to toe
He was perfectly dressed-for Bond
Street-and his native simplicity OF
bearing and address placed him as
surely and firmly In the present pic
ture. He did not look the least bit out
OF It. But Cazalst did, In an instant;
his old bush clothes changed at once
into merely shabby suit of despica'
BILE cut; the romance dropped out OF
them and theii wearer as he stood
like a trussed turkey cock, and
watched O bunch Of dollhouse flowers
presented to the lady with little gem
of a natural. courteous, and yet char
acteristically racy speech.
To the lady, mark you; for she was
one, ON the spot; and Cazalet was
man again, and making mighty effort
to behave himself because the hour
Of boy and girl was over.
Mr., Cazalet, said Toye. 81 guess
you want to know what in thunder
I'm doing on your cracks 30 soon It's
hog.luck, sir, because | wanted to see
you quite a lot, but l never thought
I'd strike you right here. Did you
hear the newsT
No! WHAT"
There was no need to inquire as to
the class of news; the immediate past
had come back with Toye into GAIA
let's life, and even In Blanches pres
ence, even In her schoolroom, tie old
days had flown into their proper place
and size In the perspective.
They've made an arrest" said
Toye; and Cazalet nodded as though
LIE had quite expected 1t, which set
Blanche of trying to remember some
thing he had said at the other house;
but she had not succeeded when size
noticed the curious pallor of his chin
and forehead.
"Scruton?' he Just asked.
Yes, sir! This morning" said Hill
ton Toye,
You don't mean the poor man."
cried Blanche, looking from one to the
other
yes, he Does said Cazalet gloom
lily. He stared out at the river, seeing
nothing In his turn, though one Of the
anglers was actually busy with his
reel
But thought Mr.. Scruton was
still" Blanche remembered him, re.
nembered dancing with him; she did