New Britain herald., 1924-02-26
NOW co ON WITH THE STORY

from head to toe. Conceiving in thi! shabby stranger another witness O his humiliation, his anger seeking : vent, famed out. 1 Whats this'' he rasped. "Dt you presume to touch me. sirrah?"
 '.I touched you once before, I think and you suffered it with better grace. For then it was to serve vol that I touched you"
 "Ha. And it will be to remind mt of it that you touch me now" came our fine gentleman's quick, contemp. tuous answer. Stricken by the brutality of ths words, Holes crimsoned slowly under his tan. what time his steady glance returned the Dukes contempt with ! interest. Then, without answering he swung on his heel to depart. 1 But there was in this something SC odd and so deliberately offensive tc one accustomed to be treated ever with the deepest courtesy that it was now the Duke who caught him by the arm in grip of sudden anger arresting his departure.
 sir. A moment,'
 They were face to face again. and now the arrowgance was entirely on the side of Holes.
 Do you know who I am?" he asked, after another pause.
 "I learnt it five minutes since"
 Put I thought you said that you did me service once.'
 The Colonel laughed a little grim ly. Then shaking the Dukes still detaining grip without ceremony from his arm, he raised his hand. and holding back the light brown curls, revealed his left car and the long ruby that adorned it.
 Buckingham stared an instant, then leaned nearer to obtain a closer view, and he caught his breath in sudden surprise.
 How came you by that jewel ?' he asked, his eyes scanning the sol- dier's face as he spoke.
 And out of his abiding sense of in- jury the Colonel answered him:
 Tt was given me after Worcester as keepsake by an empty fribble whose life I thought worth saving"
 oddly enough there was no answer ing resentment from his grace. Por- haps his wonder overwhelmed and stilled at the moment every other emotion.
 "so! It was you." His eyes con tinued to search that lean counte- nance. 'i,aye." he added after n mos nent, and it sounded like a sigh. The man had just such nose and was of your inches. But In no other respect do you look like the Crom- wellian who bcfricnded me that night. You had no ringlets then. Your hair was sppped to a godly length. and But you're the man. How odd to meet you again thus, How passing odd." His grace seemed sud- denly bemused. "They cannot err,o he muttered. continuing to regard the Colonel from under knitted brows, and his eyes were almost the eyes of visionary. "T have been expecting you" he said, and again he used that cryptic phrase: "They cannot err"
 IL was Holles' turn to be surprised. and out of his surprise he spoke: Your Grace has been expecting me?
 These many years. lt was fore told me that we should meet again aye, and that for a time our lives should run intcrtHfned in their courses.'
 "Eoretoid?' calculated Hollcs. In- stanflH he bethought him Of the s1- perstNious which had made him cling to that jewel through every stress of fortune. llow forctold? By whom ?' he asked.
 The question seemed to arouse the Duke from the brooding into which ho had fallen.
 Sir" Ing said. we cannot stand talking here. And we have not met thus. after all these years. to part again without more.'' His manner resumed it's normal arrogance. of you have business, sir. it must wait upon my pleasure. Come"
 lTolles. unresisting. curious. bewil- dered. a man walking in dream. suffered himself 10 be led whither the other pleased. as a man lets himself drift upon the bosom Of the stream Of Destiny.
 If1Afi Bts MILL
 BucLingbam's Gratitude
 In q room above stairs which his grace had commanded in an inn at the corner of Paternoster Rou. they sat alone. the Duke Of Buckingham and the man 10 whom he owed his life. There was no doubt Of the ex- tent of the debt. as both well knew. For on that night. long years ago. when his grace lay faint and wounded on that stricken field of battle, he had fallen a prey 10 pair of those human iackais who SCOUT the battle ground to strip the living and the dead. And then out of the sur- rounding gloom had sprung young Holes. brought to that spot by merest chance. His heavy cut-and-thrust blade had opened the skull of the lillian whiw-ieided a knife. where Dpon his feIlov had incontinentlv ned. Thereafter. bali supporting. half carrying the lovely wounded boy whom he had rescued. the young officer had assisted him to the safety and shelter of royalist Y oman's cottaee.
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