The Tomahawk., 1917-10-25
CHAPTER III.

+. CHAPTER I'll.
-
! Louise awoke the next morning
filled with a curious sense of buoyant
expectancy. The sunshine was pouring
into the room, Frightening up it's most
somber corners. It lay across the quilt
of her bed, and seemed to bring out the
perfume of lavender from the pillow
on which her head reposed.
. Aline, hearing her mistress stir,
hastened at once to her bedside.
1T is half-past nine, madam, and
your breakfast is here. The old i'm
beetle from the kitchen has just
brought it up"
Louise looked approvingly at the
breakfast tray, with the homemade
bread and deep-yellow butter, the
brown eggs and clear honey. The
smell Of the coffee was aromatic. She
breathed little sigh of content.
"How delicious everything looks u
she exclaimed.
'The homemade things are well
enough in their way, madam" Aline
agreed, "but I have never known a
household so strange and disagreeable.
That M. Jennings, who calls himself
the butler-he is q person unspeak-
able, savage"
Louise's eyes twinkled.
II don't think they are fond Of wom-
EN- in this household, Aline," she re-
marked. "Tell me, have you seen
>Charles?'
"Charles has 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 NATTER" Louise de-
clared, gazing eagerly opt Of the case
ment window. Immediately below was
a grass-grown orchard which stretched
upward, at precipitous angle, toward
q belt of freshly plowed field beyond,
q little chain of rocky hills, sheer over
head. The trees were pink and white
with blossom; the petals lay about
upon the ground like drifted snow
fakes. Here and there yellow jon
quils 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. II must 60 out. I want to see
whether it is really as beautiful as 1t
looks
Aline dressed her mistress in ST.
lence. 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, Il
have remembered The name Strange
wey. Yesterday morning you read 1t
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 great fortune-hundreds and
thousands of pounds. The name was
Strangewey, the same as that. re-
member it 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 it all perfectly now. wonder
whether it could possibly be either OF
these two menu"
Aline shook her head doubtfully.
1T would be unbelievable, madam
she decided. "Could any sane human
creatures live here, with no company
but the sheep and the COWS, II they
had money-money to live In tho
cities, to buy pleasures, to be happy
Unbelievable, madam !"
Louise remained standing before the
window. She was watching the BIOS
son-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.
"rhat is Just your point Of view,
AIine." she murmured; ''but happiness
well. YOU would not understand.
They are strange men, these two"
Louise found her way without DILL
Guilty across a cobbled yard, through a
4ostern gate set in a red-brick wall,
into the orchard. At the farther emo
she came to a gate, against which she
rested for moment, leaning her arms
upon the topmost bar. Before her was
tie little belt Of plowed earth, the
fresh, pungent odor Of which was
new thing to her d little way to the
sfsht. the rolling moorland, starred
With clumps Of gorse; 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,
ana dotted all over with little masses
az faeeey. white caeuds-seemed some