Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-04-13
By Rafael Sabafini

! mystifed. Your good name is
blasted" said her aunt, unless sc
! be that Mr.. wilding is proposing to
make you his wife" 1t was a sneer
| the good woman could not, in her
! Indignation, repress.
That is what Mr.. Wilding has
done me the honor to propose, Ruth
I answered bitterly, and left them
gaping. we are to be married this
| day se'night."
! A dead silence followed the calm
| announcement. Then Diana rose. At
| the misery, the anguish that could
| impress SO strange and white u look
| on Ruth's winsome face, she was
smitten with remSrse, her inciplent
| satisfaction dashed. This was her
| work: the fruit of her scheming. But
| it had gone further than she had
! foreseen, and for all that no result
| could better harmonic with her own
ambitions and desires, for the mo-
ment-under the first shock of that
announcement-she felt guilty and
grew afraid.
Ruth" she cried, her voice a
| whisper of stupefaction. "Oh, 1 wish
L had come with your
But you couldn't, you were faint.
! And then-recalling what had passed
her mind was filed with sudden
! concern for Diana. even amid her
yourself again, Diana?" she inquired.
! Diana answered almost fercely, Il
am quite Well" And then. with a
change to usefulness, she added.
on. l would l had come with your
Matters had been no different,
Ruth assured her 1T was a bar
gain Mr.. Wilding drove. 1t was the
price | had to pay for Richards life
! and honor" She swallowed hard
and let her hands fan Imply to her
sides. Where is Richard?" she in
quired.
he went forth half an hour agone
with Mr.. Vallancey and Sir Row
land"
Sir Rowland had returned, them
She looked up quickly.
Yes answered Diana But he
/ had achieved nothing by his visit to
Lord GerVaSe. His lordship would
cub would be flayed alive by Wild
ing. Those were his lordship's words,
as Sir Rowland repeated them. Sir
Rowland is in sore distress for Rich
ard. He has gone with them TO the
meeting"
! for his distress" said Miss Westma-
colt with her bitter smile, and sank
as one exhausted to L chair Lady
Horton moved to comfort her, her
motherliness all aroused for this
motherless girl, usually SO wise and
strong. and seemingly wiser and
| stronger than ever in this thing that
Lady Horton had deemed a weakness
, and . folly.
Meanwhile, Richard and his two
| friends were on their way TO the
moors across the river TO the en-
! counter with Mr.. Wilding. But be-
! fore they had got him TO ride forth
= L tt.l- b. a
Sret that he stood committed to a
! share in this quarrel. for he came
to know Richard as he really was
He had found him in al abject state,
white and trembling, his towards
fancy anticipating a hundred times
a minute the death he was anon to
! tIe.
Nallancey had hailed him cheeriIy.
The day is yours. Dick" he had
cried. when Richard entered the Ii
brary where he awaited him. Wild
Nlldins has ridden to Taunton this
morning and is to be hack by noon.
'Odsbud, Dick!-twenty miles and
more in the saddle before coming on
! the ground. Heard you ever of the
like madness? He'll be stiff as a
broom handle-an easy victim"
Richard listened, stared, and, find
| ing NalIancey's eyes fixed steadily
upon him, attempted a smile and
oShIV fSu a HoIElDIe STlHaCe.
WI hat atls you, man." cried his
second. and caught him by the wrist.
He felt the culver of the others
limb. Stab me-" qgoth he. you are
in no case TO fight. What the plague
ails you?"
Il am none so well this morning -
answered Richard feebly. Lord
Gervase's claret" he added, passing
hand across his brow.
Lord Gervase's claret?" echoed
Nallancey in horror, as at some out
rageous blasphemy. "Frontignac at
ten shillings the bother he ex-
claimed
Still, claret never does lie easy
on my stomach" Richard explained.
intent upon blaming Lord Gervase's
wfne-since he couldn think of moth
ing elSe-for his condition.
Nallancey looked at him shrewdly.
My cock" said he. "if you're to fight
well have to mend your temper" He
took it upon himself to ring the bell,
and TO order up two bottles of Canary
and one of brandy. If he was to get
mis- man to the ground at all-and