The Winslow mail., 1915-07-23
The Stories Of
Famous Novels
By Albert Payson Terhune
Copyright, 1913, by The Press Publish
ing Co.
BELINDA
BV Maria EdoeWorth

B0lQOd HOTLudu Cduu0 TO LONDON III
the late years of the eighteenth cen.
tury to live for time under the protec-
ton of Lady Delacour.
Belinda was an orphan-young, pret-
ty, innocent-whose designing aunt,
Mrs. Stanhope, had put in Lady De-
lacour's care in hope of finding a suit
able husband for the girl. Belinda
knew nothing of these plans, nor that
she was to be thrown at the head of
every eligible bachelor whom she
might chance to meet during the Lon
don season.
Hence she entered with spirit into
the myriad of gayeties planned by
Lady Delacour, and soon found herself
falling very much in love with Clar-
ence Hervey, a man about town with
whom Lady Delacour was carrying on
a mild Irritation.
Belinda thought Hervey was more or
less interested in herself. But one
night at a masked ball she was, as she
thought, undeceived. And her eyes
were all at once opened to the way
society at large regarded the efforts of
Mrs. Stanhope to get her married Un-
recognizable in mask and domino, Be
linda chanced to be standing near Her
vey and several other men.
There is danger in a firt of Mrs.
Stanhope's training" she heard Her
yey say.
"It was a clever idea of the Match
maker General" observed mother, "to
send Belinda Portman to Lady Della
cour. Last season her aunt was hawk
ing her about everywhere"
ga man must be novice" sneered
a third, eff he could be taken in by a
niece Of Mrs. Stanhope."
"Do you not think" went on Hervey,
that l see as plainly as any of you
that Belinda is a composition of art
and affection?"
Belinda at this point accidentally
made known to them her identity. And,
Fastening to Lady Delacour, she
begged with tears to be taken home at
once Lady Delacour gave her such
good natured consolation as the older
woman's worldly ideas would permit.
But Belinda never forgot.
The girl tried to drown her own cha
grin in helping to smooth out the
tangled affairs of the Delacour family
Lady Delacour and her husband at
heart, loved each other, but the wifes
f1irtations and the husbands heavy
drinking had caused wide breach be-
tween them. Lady DelacOur, in speak
ing of her husbands drunkenness,
once said:
1.-THE funeral of his lordship's intel
lect is a daily ceremony"
Belinda succeeded after time in
opening the eyes of each to the merits
of the other and in lessening the firta-
tions and the drinking. She herself
was wretchedly unhappy. She loved
Hervey, yet, after what she had heard
him say of her, she was forced by
pride to treat him with the iciest stiff
ness. This coldness famed Her
vey's lukewarm affection for herself
into blaze Of love.
Lady Delacour saw how matters
stood And while she was not at all in
love with Hervey she choose to be
bitterly jealous and to make Belinda's
life a burden.
Belinda, however, was soon after
ward instrumental in freeing Lady De
lacour from a group of scoundrels who
were playing on the poor lady's fear of
death to make her believe she had a
mortal disease and to trick her into
paying them large sums of money.
Through gratitude to Belinda for
this service Lady Delacour strained
every nerve to bring Hervey and the
girl together By experience Of bound
less wit and diplomacy she at last
reconciled the two young people; and
so far as they were concerned-prov-
ed as successful matchmaker as
Mrs Stanhope herself.