Tombstone epitaph., 1917-12-30
CHAPTER M.

LOUISE dWOke the next mOTlllni
filed with a curious sense Of buoyan
expectancy. The sunshine was pouring
into the room. Frightening up its mos
somber corners. II lay across the gull
Of her bed. and seemed TO bring out III,
perfume of lavender from the pillow
on which her head reposed.
Aliae, hearing her mistress stir
FASTENED at once TO her bedside
1T is half-past nine. madam, ant
your breakfast is here. The old i'm
beetle from the kitchen has jus
brought it up"
Louise looked approvingly at tht
breakfast tray, with the homemad,
bread and deep-yellow butter, III,
brown eggs and clear honey. Tn,
smell Of the coffee was aromatic. Sh,
breathed little sigh of content
How delicious everything looks =
she exclaimed.
The homemade things are well
enough in their way, madam" Aline
agreed. but / have never known q
household so strange and disagreeable
That y. Jennings, who calls himself
the butler-he is q person Unspeak.
able. savase"'
Louise's eyes twinkled.
81 dca', think they are :und OF won.
en- In this Household. Aline," she re.
marked. Tell u, have you seen
Charles:"
Charles mas gone TO the nearest
blacksmith's forge to get something
made for The car, madam" Aline re-
piled. He asked me to say that he
was afraid he would not be ready to
start before midday"
That does not matter Louise de-
clared. gazing eagerly out of the case
rent window. Immediately below was
q grass-grown orchard which stretched
upward. at a precipitous angle. toward
belt of freshly plowed field beyond, a
a little chain of rocky hills, sheer over
head The trees We're pink and white
with blossom; the petals lay about
upon the ground like drifted snow
fakes. Here and there yellow jon
Guils were growing among the long
grass. A watt OF perfume stole into
the room through the window which
she had opened.
Fiji my bath quickly, Aline," Louise
ordered. Il must go out. want TO see
whether it is really as beautiful as 1t
ooks."
Aline dressed her mistress in 81
ence. Then, suddenly, a little excla-
nation escaped her. She swung round
toward her mistress, and for once there
was animation in her face.
But. madam" she exclaimed, 81
have remembered! The name Strange
Dey. Yesterday morning you read it
out while you took your coffee. You
spoke of the good fortune OF some
farmer in the north of England to
whom some relative in Australia had
left a great fortune-hundreds and
thousands Of pounds. The name was
Strangewey. the same as that. re-
member 1t now"
She pointed once more to the family
tree. Louise sat for a moment with
parted lips
You are quite right, Aline. I re-
member 1t all perfectly now. I wonder
whether 1t could possibly be either Of
these two men?"
Aline shook her head doubtfulIy.
1T would be unbelievable. madam"
she decided. Gould any sane human
creatures live here. with no company
nut the sheep and the cows, II they
Iad money-money to live in the
cities. TO buy pleasures, to be happy?
Unbelievable, madam"
Louise remained standing before the
window. She was watching the bios
som-laden boughs Of one Of the apple
trees bending and swaying in the fresh
morning breeze-watching the restless
shadows which came and went upon
the grass beneath.
That is just your point Of view,
Aline," she murmured; but happiness
well, you would not understand
They are strange men, these two"
Louise found her way without diff
Guilty across a cobbled yard, through q
postern gate set In Q red-brick wall,
into the orchard At the farther end
she came to a gate, against which she
rested for q moment, leaning her arms
upon the topmost bar. Before her was
the little belt Of plowed earth, the
fresh, pungent odor Of which was Q
new thing to her; little way to the
right, the rolling moorland, starred
With ciumps Of sorse; in 'front.' across
the field on the other side Of the gray
stone wall. the rock-strewn hills. The
sky-unusually blue It seemed to her,
sad dotted all over With little masses
~ eee-v white esnoAo-sepmed aoun0-