, 1923-01-27

you should wonder. II o
WI walk on I Will tell o how-it
happened"
A little time passed before the girl
spoke, and Corporal Bracknell looked
steadily at the snowy waste ahead.
The frozen river was visible for some
two miles. and where It turned round
a high rampant OF the cliff, n moving
figure, clearly visible on tho snow,
caught his eyes. Roger watched It at
tentively as It came to a halt. and
wondered Idly who II might be. a
wandering Indian possibly.
II met your cousin first. whilst I
was staying near Harrow Fell. Dick
made himself very agreeable to me.
Knowing that he WIS Sir James
BracknelI's heir. I was flattered by
his attentions. At the end OF Autumn
he proposed to me.
Il did not accept him then. for
two reasons; first because 7 was not
quite sure that I loved him, and sec
ond because I was not prepared to
take such a step without first con
sultinB my father"
They were both excellent rea.
sons"
so they seemed to me. but Lady
AIcombe. under whose ARE I was
whist In England, did not agre with
me"
Il know Lady Alcombe. and I know
her set" said Roger. 1T is n fast
one. I am n little surprised that any
one should ave selected her to chap
erone a young girl"
HNFr- Fa4Ia- IlH 40 N-A,--Aa- 80 -
was the quick reply. He had
marriage. and she was n distant re-
though there were things that shock.
ID me. I did not mention them to my
father. or indeed TO any one"
And Lady AIcombe approved Of
Try cousin Dick"
"she urged me to accept him. de.
c'nrniE that my father would be only
too ready to see me the wife OF n
man who would some day be the
Squire OF Harrow Fell. But I did
not yleld-then."
And arterwards:" asked the cor.
Doral.
"~Aftorwardsr' to his surprise she
broke again into tears. When she
resumed there was a tragic note in
her voice.
IT was very ignorant, and your
cousin and Lady Alcombe presumed
upon my ignorance. I was to stay
with her at Alcombe Manor for the
Christmas season, and towards the
end Of the school term she sent word
thnt she and Dick were gong to
reich me by car. as the rail jour.
ncy was rather an awkward one.
|. But your cousin showed up
alone. explaining that Lady A!combe
had an attack OF influenza. and I set
out on the Journey accompanied only
by your cousin"
A stern look came on tho corpor.
ais face.
I'VE missed the way and went
astray,'' she went on.
Late in the evening we reached
4 little village in Wiltshire when
something went wrong with the en-
CINE. Dick said II was impossible
to proceed further. and there was
M train service SO there was moth,
ing for It but 10 stay the night Of
the little inn that the village afforded
There was a motherly
woman there and I shared n room
with her two daughters. whilst your
cousin was accommodated with n
settle in the kitchen. Next day we
reached h Manor Just before dinner
time. Lady Alcombe was in n
great perturbation. and when I en-
tered the hall. where n number of
to me My dear JOY she cried. where
I,,a, .~-.. Aa-,a 7 R,,r- F.-- .---z-f+l
TO death about you
7 .aughingly explained. ard willis,
I was doing SO, n Of the mon gave
n whistle OF surprise. and a EtrI whGm
I had rever liked begun to gtEgle.
a I went TO my room I knew
thorc was something wrong. Lady
Aloombe came TO me before and said:
Nv car Joy. 80 hnvo behaved mcst
lndiscreetly. To tell a story like that
before all those people not n Of
whom win believe IL It is dreadful
positively dreadful
Her tone and manner told me bet.
ter than her words the vile thing she
was limiting at, and I broke down and
cried.
-. When I did that LADY
Alcombe changed her tone. There's
only n thing TO do she sad. and
TINT is to make the best Of It.
Thank goodnessi Dick is over head
and ears in love with you. and, rs
you know. he is only two anxious
to marry you. You win have to take
him now-to ave your good name,
Joy. II is the only way, for no one
Will believe your story. however true
II may be. and so I advise you TO
up your mind to the inevitable
D.. . Things might DO a great
dcnl worse. Dick VIII be n barouet
some day
In the end I agreed to marry Dick
privately. making up my mind to ex.
pain h matter TO my father, later.