Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-12-01


her heart Of hearts Blanche could not
say that Cazalet had the best Of the
argument. Toye had advanced a gem
eral principle with calm ability, but
Cazalet could not be shifted from the
particular position he was so eager to
defend, and would only enter into alb
stract questions to beg them out of
hand.
Blanche rather thought that neither
quite understood what the other
meant; but she could not blink the
fact that the old friend had neither the
dialectical mind nor the unfailing
courtesy of the new. That being so,
with her perception she might have
changed the subject; but she could
see that Cazalet was thinking of moth
ing else; and no wonder, since they
were approaching the scene of the
tragedy and his own old home, with
each long dip of her paddle.
It had been his own wish to start
upstream; but she could see the visit
full pain in his eyes as they fell once
more upon the red turrets and the
smooth green lawn of Uplands; and
she neither spoke nor looked at him
again until he spoke to her.
Il see they've got the blinds down
STILL" he said detachedy. What's
happened to Mrs. Craven?"
Il hear she went into nursing
home before the funeral"
II expect We should find Savage
somewhere Would you very much
mind, Blanche? l should rather like
if it was just setting foot-with you"
But even that effective final pronoun
failed to bring any buoyancy back into
his voice; for it was not in the least
effective as be said it, and he no long.
er looked her in the face But this all
seemed natural to Blanche, in the
manifold and overlapping circum-
stances of the case. She made for the
inlet at the upper end of the lawn.
And her prompt unquestioning &C.
quiescence shamed Cazalet into further
and franker explanation, before he
could let her land to please him.
"You don't know how l feel this!"
he exclaimed quite miserably. Il mean
about poor old Scruton; he's gone
through so much as it is, whatever he
may have done to deserve it long ago.
II 1t conceivable that he should 60
and do a thing like this the very mo-
ment he gets out? l ask you, il It
avon conceivahle2"
Blanche understood him. And now
she showed herself golden to the core,
almost as an earnest of her fitness for
the fires before her.
Poor fellow" she cried, The has .
friend in you, at any rate! And I'll
help you to help him, il there's any
way can"
He clutched her hand, but only as
he might have clutched mans"
"You can't do anything; but won't
forget that" he almost choked. Il
meant to stand by him in very differ
ent way. He'd been down to the
depths, and I'd come up bit; then
he was good to me as a lad, and it was
my fathers partner who was the ruin
Qlm. / SSSucu ~ O"0 A4A oOAAC-
thing, and now-now I'll stand by him
whatever happens and-whatever has
happened"
Then they landed in the old old in
let. Cazaret knew every knot in the
post to which he tied Blanche's canoe.
1t was a very different place, this
Uplands, from poor old Littleford on
the lower reach. d. The grounds were
five or six acres instead Of about one,
and house in quite another class
stood farther back from the river and
very much farther from the road.
The inlet began the western bound
ary, which continued past the boat
house in the shape of high hedge, a
herbaceous border (not what it had
been in the old days., and a gravel
path. This path was screened from
the lawn by a bank of rhododendrons,
as of course were the back yard and
kitchen premises, past which it led
into the front garden, eventually de-
bouching into the drive It was the
path along which Cazalet led the way
this afternoon, and Blanche at his