Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-08-25
CHATTER XVII.
Enemy and Ally.

E,EHr.t
Lord Breme had suffered a second
paralytic stroke, and his condition
absorbed the entire attention of the
household. The neighborhood was
alive as to the fate of the Van Dyke
and the possible completely, already
rumored, OF hat rashly entertained
American cousin"
Claire spent an anxious and a wake
full night. She loved Lord Breenne
deeply, and the doctor, whom she had
waited to see as he left the houseiin
the small hours OF. the morning, had
shaken his head with a sad, doubtful
word. (
Il can't bear IT, il he doesn't
doesn't live" she choked, turning
She went to her room, and was
watching the beauty Of daybreak from
her open window when there came
a rap at her door,
Miss Wilton" said the heavy-eyed
servant, 'Mr. fremont would like to
know if,,you'd be good enough to see
him in the hall for five minutes?'
Mr.. Tremont?" asked Claire quick
ly.
eyes, miss. I believe he's leaving"
Claire, after a moment Of consid-
GRAFTON, went down. :
Rufus FREMONT stood below the
Van Dyke. He had changed from his
Cavalier dress . HisNface, uplifted and
struck by the early morning light,
was bleak, without any expression,
thought Claire, but that eternal one
OF will. He turned it to her with no
change. b IS
1T is very good of you to come
someone. The. famtly of course, is
absorbed by Lord Breetne's illness. !
want to be off by the 6 o'clock train
to London. Can you listen to me for
ten minutes? Are you too tired p"
Tam not at all tired. I shall list
EN- to you with pleasure II
She sat down on assettle against the
wall, opposite the picture, and Rufus
stood Or moved about before her.
ins and IL said he, land the tricks
perfectly apparent. The original5can-
vas has been cut out, ana the other
very skillfully inserted. The copy Is
q marvel. and meaES have been used
to give the new canvas a. remarkably
genuine look OF age. That was why
Cardoni. took. it. off to London. He
came back with it, : think, only last
night" i
the hall?" asked Claire, with inten-
tioAal lightness.
mo. BY the time I began to prowl
The was we'll away with his booty. "a
heard the sound ofshis motor,howev
er. He had it on the lawn, back OF
the strawberries. I WAS sitting up'late,
reading in my ROOM, and was disturb
ed by what must have been the re-
! moval of the picture throughthe win
dow to your left---the window neares,
1.-THE canvas
C,oira t,,rnad ~ no+fc,d tho co+oh
had. been wrenched of.
II listened and thought I heard
the hum Of car, nea the house. ]
was not yet undressed, !, so / went
down, stocking-foot,$ in order to rouse
no one. AS It turned out, I made
more disturbance than / thought.
He stopped. and, looking at Claire
smiled in such q qnick. keen. scorn-
full way that she felt the color run
eyes fell. He went on rather more
slowly: was dark and raining. ]
saw nothing, no5wheel marks. j came
back to the hall and, Of course, was
to all appearances as usual. Hit had
not been for Robins, I believe We
should never have made the discoH-
cry. believe" Here he stepped
back a few paces,s drove his hands In.
TO his pockets, and fixed his look up.
4 O4i$ VI 1khuy%Jdl
1 believe 1 should have taken this
little m~asquerader here away with
me from England. ~
Claire made no secret of her un:
d~erstahdtng and disnnay.
Then you still entertained your
original purpose ~ she asked hin
curiously.
Nothing can turn me from it,
now, said he In his most iron and
deliberate fashion. Nothing. / ma
fail IN every other purpose OF my life
but the Van Dyke Is mine. Satar
himself couldn't take u from me
Miss WiltcEi"
You are talking rather danger.
ously, I think She could not rests,
this warning. but he took II up We'll
embarrassing franknesS.
% q mar under suspicion, you
mean z Ills look searched her. and
he shrugged. How III Lord Bresfme?h
She wondefed for a moment at the
abrupt change OF subject mo Bet.
ter I'm clad Ito remember that he
lost consciousness before matters took
just the turn they did. / think ii
would have hurt him. / hope he'll
newer know. I shouldn't like that
He tookSa turn orgtw0, and, stopping,
looked ct Claire with eS2s that were