Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-05-13
CHAPTER XVI


BARGAINS, GREAT AND SMALL
Lord Ventnor was no fool. Whilst
Iris was Transforming herself from
semi-savage condition into SEM
blance of an ultra chic Parisienne-
the Orients dramatic costumier went
in for strong stage effects in feminine
attire-Sir Arthur Deane told the Earl
something of the state of affairs on
the island.
His lordship-a handsome, saturnine
man, cool, insolently polite, and plen-
tifully endowed with the judgmatlcal
daring that is the necessary equip
ment of society libertine-counseled
patience, federation, even silent rec
ognition of Anstruther's, claims for
services rendered.
"She is an enthusiastic. high-spirited
girl" he urged upon his surprised
nearer, who expected a very different
expression of opinion. "This fellow
Anstruther is a plausible sort of ras-
cal, a good man in tight place too
Just the sort of fire-eating blackguard
who would fill the heroic bill where
q fight is concerned. Damn him, he
licked me twice.
Further amazement for the ship
owner
eyes, it's quite true. / interfered
with his little games, and he gave me
the usual reward of the DEVILS apoth-
ecary. Leave Iris alone. At present
she is strung up to an intense pitch OF
gratitude, having barely escaped ter
rible fate. Let her come back to nor
NAL. Anstruther's shady record must
gradually leak out. That will disgust
her. In a week she will appeal to you
to buy him off. He is hard up-cut OH
by his people and that sort of thing.
There you probably have the measure
of his scheming. He knows quite well
that he can never marry your daugh-
ter. 1t is all a matter of price.
Sir Arthur willingly allowed himself
to be persuaded. At the back of his
head there was an uneasy conscious
ness that it was not call matter OF
price" If it were he would never trust
a mans face again. But Ventnor's we'll
balanced arguments swayed him. The
course indicated was the only decent
one 1t was humanity impossible for
man to chide his daughter and f1out
her rescuer within an hour of finding
them.
Lord Ventnor played his cards with
a deeper design. He bowed to the in
evitable. Iris said she loved his rival.
Very well. To attempt to dissuade her
was to throw her more closely into
that rivals arms. The right course was
to appear resigned, saddened, COM
PEELED against his will to reveal the
distressing truth Further, he counted
on Anstruther's quick temper as an
q
the first to rebel against an assump-
ton of plying tolerance. He would
bring bitter charges of conspiracy, OF
unbelievable compact to secure his
ruin. All this must recoil on his own
head when the facts were laid bare.
Not even the hero of the island could
prevail against the terrible indictment
of the court-martialed. Finally at
Singapore, three days distant, Colonel
Costobell and his wife were staying.
Lord Ventnor, alone of those on board,
knew this. Indeed, he accompanied Sir
Arthur Deane largely in order to
break off somewhat trying entangle-
ment. He smiled complacently as he
thought of the effect on Iris of Mrs.
Costobell's indignant circumstances
when the baronet asked that injured
lady to tell the girl all that had hap
pened at Hong Kong.
In a word, Lord Ventnor was most
profoundly annoyed, and he cursed
Anstruther from the depths of his
heart. But he could see way out. The
more desperate the emergency the
more need to display finesse. Above
all, he must avoid an immediate rup
ture
He came ashore with Iris and her
father; the captain of the Orient also
joined the party. The three men
watched Robert and the girl walking
towards them from the group of Off
GERS.
Anstruther is a smart-looking fell
low" commented Captain F'itzroy.
who is he?"
Truth TO tell, the gallant COM
mander of the Orient was secretly
amazed by the metamorphosis effected
IN Roberts appearance since he scrut-
lnlzed him through his glasses. Iris,
too, unaccustomed to the constraint of
hlgh-heeled shoes, chung to the nom
descrlptS arm in manner that shook
the sailors faith in Lord Ventnor's
pretensions as her favored sutton.
Poor Sir Arthur said not a word.
but his lordship was quite at ease
From his name. and from what
Deane tells me, 1 believe he is an ex-
onlcer OF the Indian Army
"Ah. He has left the service?"