The Delta independent., 1915-10-08

Should we?" said Blanche, Just
smiling at her invisible anglers.
Il 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 very deep veranda.
though her straw hat and straw hair
remained in contradictory evidence
against very dirty window on the
Middlesex bank of the Thames. 1t
was a shame of the September sun
to show the dirt as it 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 straw hat over stack of
straw hair, that had not gone out to
Australia-yet.
And of course just then a 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. a
sportswoman like you! l believe
you'd take to 1t like duck to water"
He had aoundered to his feet as
well. He was standing over her, feel
ing his way like n great fatuous cow
ard, SO some might have thought. But
1t 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 confounded 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 voice.
And your old lady-in-waiting figured
should find you fown!"
Hilton Toye was already q lands
man and a 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 1t. But Cazalet did, in an instant;
his old bush clothes changed at once
into a merely shabby suit OF despica'
BILE cut; the romance dropped out OF
them and their swearer. ~ he stood
like . trussed turkey-cock. and
watched . bunch Of dollhouse flowers
presented to the lady with . little gem
Of q natural. courteous, and yet char.
acteristically racy speech.
To the lady. mark you; for she was
one. on the spot; and Caxalet was q
man again, and making . mighty effort
to behave himself because the hour
of boy and girl was over.
"Mr Cazalet.' said Toye. II guess
you want to know what in thunder
I'm doing ON your cracks 20 soon It's
| hog-luck, sir. because I wanted to see
you quite a lot, but l never thought
I'd strike you right here. Did you
hear the news?"
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 Blanche's pres.
ence, even in her schoolroom, the 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
he had quite expected 1t, which set
Blanche on trying to remember some
thing he had said at the other house;
but she had not succeeded when she
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 mani"
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
aneslers was actually busy with his
reel.
But I thought Mr.. Scruton was
still" Blanche remembered him. re-
membered dancing with him; she did
not like to say, "in prison"
He came out the other day" sighed
Cazalet. But how like the police all
over! Give a dog bad name, and
trust them to hunt It down and shoot
1t at sight!'