THE WEIRD SISTERS

A ROMANCE. By RICHARD DOWLING, Author ob1 " The Mystery of Killard."

PART III: HUSBAND AND WIFE.

CHAPTER I.

THE SECRKT OP THE SALE,

GREY had taken all precautions in bis power to prevent a report of his illness spreading, because he did not wish anything to get abroad which mighi make his ap proaches to Maud seem unreasonable. That was an important consideration. Bnt it sank into insignificance beside the enormous danger likely to arise from the concentration of public attention upon him ut this time. Here was his own mother, the one owner of remaining claims upon his better nature, imperilling his fortune, his neck By advertising this sale, the eyes of all Daneford would be drawn to his mother, and the tongues of Daneford would ba busy with his name. He himse)f did not know why his mother had resolved upon con verting all she had ia the world Id to cash, though he had an uneasy suspicion he could guess if he tried. His great dread was that his mother might do some incautious thing, take some incautious measure, in Carrying out her design. Suppose her action did not suggest exa mination of anything in connection with him, he would still be in a very uncom fortable positioc Surely people would speak to him of the step his mother was about to take. What answer should he make 1 What explanation should he give ? If anyone asked him why his mother was selling, he could not say, for he did not know. It would soon be found out that, under the _eimple conditions of his father's will, his authority would be neces sary to the sale. How could ho justify so unwise an act on the part of his mother ? How could he tell the people he approved >ofit? And yet he must say he sanctioned it, otherwise people would think there was something .wrong. Bnt even if be sanctioned it, would they not think: there was something wrong? People would look first with amazement and then with suspicion at the sale of the old womau's annuity, house, and furniture, when he, her childless and only son. was reported to be enormously rich. What could induce a woman like Mrs Grey to sell her house in her native town, and the chairs her husband had used, the table at which he had sat, the back drawing-room furniture given her by him as a birthday present, after the coming of their only boy '> Clearly nothiug but want of money. It would be known his mother and he had been on most affectionate terms all their lives. Wby did not an affectionate son spare nn affectionate mother the unpleasantness of a sale by giving her the paltry few thousands ? Even if he was mean enough not to make her a present of them, he migut advance them upou the security she had to offer. It could not be that mother and son had quarrelled ; if that were so, he would clearly refuse his assent. It could not, be she was iv difficulties while her eon had money. The clear deduction, the only pos sible deduction, lef c to the people of Dane ford would be that the selling was with his, Wat's, full consent, and (that the money ■was for him - for the Daneford Bank. All this was quite clear to Grey ; beyond it he durst not go. No, he would not allow bis mind to look behind the curtain drawn across the remote future. What should he do ? All night he lav awake, trying to solve that question. Morning came and found him without a solution. He had recovered wonderfully. His mind ■was now clear and vigorous. He resolved not to go to the office this day. He could not face the people without some answer to inquiries sure to be made, and Ue had uot yet resolved upon the course he should pur sue, He spent the forenoon reading and writ ing letters, tine he wrote to the Castle to Miss Midharst, announcing his return, and that he should call upon her next day. A Bscond he addressed to his mother in the following terms:— " Mothke, "One last word. If you persist in attracting attention to my alTair.*, by selling out, the chances are I shall be ruined ; and such ruin >vill be mine that I shall not face it, but leave people to discuss my conduct over my corpse." He did not sign this note. He sent it by James, the stupid, purblind, dis charged soldier, and bade him wait for an answer. In an hour James returned with the außwer. It was in a large envelope, a very large envelope. The reply must have been ptepared in anticipation of the appeal. A reply so bulky must be a favourable one. If an adverse answer had to be given, it would be brief. With trembling hands he broke the seal as soon as he was alone. He drew forth several documents. But the first that caught his eye was the smallest of all- his own letter returned unopened 1 Upon the envelope was written, in the unsteady hand of his mother, these words : " Sign the enclosed piper 3. 'I he sig natures must be witnessed. Mhcy uiust bu signed and with me before, the sale. I have not opened your letter. 1 daresay it does not Ho, but how could I ho sure ?" ■ His hand ceased to tremble. He rait the unopened letter into his pocket with a firm deliberate baud, calmly took up the legal papers, perused them carefully, critically, and paused now and then to extract the sense from the legal jargon. When he had finished reading he rang the bell. James answered it. "James, is there any other man who can read and write about the place besides you ?" " une of the clerks has ju3t come with a message for you, sir." "Ask him to stop this way, please, and come yourself." In a few minutes the entered, followed by the servant. " Glad to see you, Doughty, Got a message for me? Take a seat." " Yeß, sir. A message from Mr Aldridge. This is it." •• Thank you. 1 -want you, now that you have come so opportunely, to witness my signature to documents of importance. They concern the sale of my mother's annuity and property. I am sole surviving trustee to my father's will, and 1 am now about to sign these documents, autho rising those sales. Stand up, Doughty, and look at me as I sign. Jnmes, come near. You are near-sighted. Closer still. Now t" Ho signed, and they after him,

'• That wjll.'do, James. It is excvediugly unlikely theremay be any dispute. la case taere should, all you have to r. member is tbat 1 signed these papers in your presence, and you in mine, and in the presence of one another, lam not sure thelast i 9 neceisary, but never mint!. 'You need not trouble yourselves to remember all I have said about the matter contained in the papers. You may go now, James." When the servant had retired he said to the clerk: '• Thank you, Dougnty. You came very luckily. I will ask you to take these documents back to Mrs Grey's. Usually such matters reach one through an attorney, but I am sorry to say this is not a very ordinary or pleasant transaction. Leave the documents with Mrs Grey. There is no answer. Then go back to the Bank, and ask Mr Aldriuge to come (onu here this afternoon or evening. I bLuiII not be in town to-morrow, and have sornethiag to communicate to him. This is tke reply to the note you brought from him." When the manager of the Daneford Bank arrived at the. Manor House, he was shown into the presence of the banker. Grey received him with more of the old grave blandness than he had displayed for a long time. " Aldridge," he said, "lam sorry I have a little bad news. It does not concern the Bank. It is worse than that. I wish to Heaven it did concern the Bank. We can bear reverses in business better than home troubles." He paused, 'with his eyes fixed on the ground, in deep thoughr. Aldridge moved his chair closer to Grey's, to show that he was giving his best atten tion. He did not speak. '•' You can meet a business difficulty face to face ; but you sTirink from difficult iea or unpleasantnesses which bring the names of those you love and honour into the public moutb," It was plain to Aldridge Grey wa9 weighing hig words with the nicest care. The manager considered it better to preserve his silence still. "I am now going," pursued Grey, "to place myself upon your honour- " " I am sure you may do that," inter rupted Aldridge with respectful emphasis. The respect in the emphasis was not tbat of employed to employer, but of sym pathiser for a fellow-man, an esteemed fellow-man in trouble. Something in Aldridge's tone struck Grey. He stood up, stretched out his hand to Aldridge, took the manager's hand in his, and said impressively : " Aldridge, I am sure of that." " Thank you. Now you may go on. I will not interrupt again." "You know my mother has advertised her house and furniture for sale ?" "Yes." "And that she is about to sell her annuity ?" "So I have heard." "I, aa trustee, have jnst signed the documents. There is talk about this affair in town ?" "Thoreis; a good deal. People cannot understand it." " It came as agreat shock and surprise to me when I heard it. It wa3 that shock knocked me up in London." " I thought it must have had something to do with it." "It was the cause of it. Well, I am placed in a horribly awkward position. My mother is called upon to pay a large sum of mosey, say eight to ten thou sand. Of course, we could easily manage that." "JKasily, I should think." said Aldridge, thinking with pride of the gallant stand the Bank had made in the Jate ruinous times. " But,''continued Grey, "if I paid the money now, I might be called upon to pay a similar or even a larger sum in six months and again six months later, and I could not stand that kind of thing." Aldridge shook his head and looked grave in confirmation of Grey's decision. "The things must be sold," continued the banker. " When she has no property to pledge, no annuity to pawn, I can make a suitable allowance to her. The fact is, Akiridge, my poor mother has lost all her money in gambling on the Stock Kxchange. Her name does not appear. She did it through tome fellow in Loadon. Now you see how there is nothing for it but to sell oat. You see that clearly ?" "Nothing in the world could be plainer. A woman of her age !" "Isn't it extraordinary in a woman of her years ?" "Wonderful !" " Now I told you I threw myself on your honour, and what I want you to do is to keep the matter rigidly to yourself, except in such cases as you in your judg ment think silence would injure the Bank, and then you must not reveal the facts ex cept upon a pledge of strict, the strictest secrecy. No earthly CDnaideratiou would induce me to allow my poor mother's name to become abyword in Daneford, where she has been respected for so many years. Ald ridge, Aldridge, my friend, I count on you to do this for me." This time it was the manager who stood up. He went to the banker, caught his hand, and said : " You may count upon me in this, Mr Grey, as upon yourself. 1 should be the la3t in the world to make idle talk about the name of Grey, and you may rely upon my keeping the secret from everyone, except when the interest of the Bank is at stake." " Thank you, my dear Aldridge. It is a great relief to me to have opened my mind 10 you. You are the only man whose dis cretion I could trust in so delicate a mat ter." In a little while Aldridge took his leave, and Grey was left alone, " By Jove," he mused, " that returned letter was a splendid tonic. It pulled me together like magic. 1 feel a new man now —a new niau. Now I have only one person to take care of—myself. She would not hear me. Because I tiied to save her the misery I myself endured, because I repre !-eute<i things to her as flourishing wheu all was gone, she turns on me, throws me off, draws attention to my credit and my repu tation when I should have neither if the truth were known, if the lessur truth were kaown ; and by opening up inquiry leading to the discovery of the lesser truth, the dis closure of the greater was risked. "By Jove, that returned letter was my salvation I She thought she was treating me as I deserved, severely ; all the time she was only nerving me to lace my armour and prepare for the great fight. I can easily provido now against acy coiuse she may take short of denunciation, and I don'c think she will go so far as that. "Thank you. Now lam going to try and induce you to let me get even further into your debt " " Sir William, it is quite unnecessary for you to say a word with such a view. I told you to draw for any moderate sum you might require, and your cheque would be honoured —" " I am much obliged to you; but it is not money this time." Grey bowed. Be wondered : " Has he already proposed, and is he going to talk to me about the will? Xhis looks bad." " You know what rogues there are ia the world?"

" I should think I do. I have excellent cause to know of some kinds of rogues,'

Grey said. He thought: "This iB becom ing exciting—diverting." The banker was in the most excellent spirits this morning. He frit like an un ruly schoolboy when the holidays come. He was beyond the arm of physical punish ment still, and the phase of mental torture in which he had existed for some time had yielded to his present jovial bravado. His old sense of the ridiculous had returned upon him and expelled self-consideration. While he felt profoundly the necessity for precautions, he was careless as to the weans he used and, inclined to estimate nothing as more than a grim joke.

" You see," continued Sir William, " now that I am leaving, I am going to throw my self on your indulgence and good-nature. You and I have a lot of waiting upon legal forms before we can act officially or author itatively in the new position's we find our selves,"

" A lot of waiting upon legal forms," as sented Gtey ; and added mentally, "Thank God Il'

"But I suppose no one is going to say I am not the right man.1' •• You may build on that, I daresay" - with a bland humorous smile -" I daresay few have greater interest in disputing your identity (there can be no dspute of your descent) than the representatives of Miss Midharst; and I" —with a biw and depre cating wave of the long arms and white hands " have no such intention,"

"That is all right. Well, now I want to spend the most of that money you were so kind as to advance me on this place" with a comprehensive sweep of the hand taking in the Castle and all the Island.

"Quite so. I understood that from you before. Ido uot think you could do better with the money, Sir William."

"1 am glad you approve. I not only want your approval, but your co-operatiun also. Will you help me J" " To the utmost of my ability."

" 1 do not intend beginning for a month or so ; but as I shall then be away, I sball be unable to ensure the carrying out of my plans unless I can count on the friendly supervision, however slight, of someone who would take an interest in the work of renovation and improvement " " And," interrupted the banker with a cordial smile, '-you wish to know if I would undertake to see your wishes carried out. Nothing in the world could nive me greater pleasure. Ido not think you could suggest anything I would more gladly undertake." " Allow me to explain a little." "I assure you ne explanation is neces sary." " Excuse me, I think it is. It would'be the height of impertinence in me to ask you to do anything of tbe kind, but-" "But that you Know 1 shall always be only too glad to be of any service to Sir William Midharst." " You really overwhelm me with your goodness. I feel very much at taking such favours from one who has known me so short a time." | " When people are well met, good feeling ripens very quickly. Do you, Sir William, believe in love at first sight J" "Yes," said the baronet, looking up with an expression of surprise and curiosity. " Why ?" he asked, in a tone of perplexity. "Because,1' answered the banker, "I believe in friendship at first sight; and, if you will allow me to say so, I took a most friendly interest in you from the first moment I saw you and knew who you were." " indeed I" murmured the young man, in a tone of reverie. Then, with a faint smile, he added : " I certainly thought we waited a little time to understand oce another." "Ihave no doubt it. appealed so to you; but I was impressed at the very beginning. You must remember the circumstances under which we met. I had no idea who you were, and I was then under the im pression the full responsibility of Miss Mid harat's guardianship lay on me. In her in terest I was bound to be cautious. Believe me, my theory of friendship at first sight is quite as true as that of love at first sight." "It may be—you may be right. I have never considered the question before, I was about to explain a few moments ago that I could not think of asking you to take any trouble ia this matter, only I know you will otten be here to see Mies Midharst on business, or through kindness; and I thought perhaps you would not con sider it too much trouble to watch how these men get on now and then, once a fortnight or so." " Rely upon it I shall look after them much oftener than that. You may put your mind perfectly at rest, Sir William. I have some knowledge of things of thia kind ; a banker meets all sorts of men as customers, and picks up all sorts of odds and ends of knowledge, so that there is scarcely a trade or profession I am not familiar with the roguish side of." " I must extract one promise from you" "What is it?" " That you will not put yourself to any inconvenience in this matter." '■ I promise you most unhesitatingly. A ! little change will do me good, and it will be a most salutary change to corse down here now and then and see how things are going on." " But you really need never come unless you want to see Miss Midharst," *' Quite so." They separated soon afterwards. " What luck I have had 1" thought Grey, as he drove towards home. "To think of how that young man played into my hands is moat! amusing, quite comic. He seemed to divine that I wanted an ex cuse for being a3 much at the Castle as possible. What more ample pleas for going than that I have to confer witn Miss Midliarjt over matters connected with her father's will, and have undertaken to over look the works about to be started by Sir William at the Island? Stop! The thought is worth consideration." .for a few minutes he lay back in tbe fly perfectly still, profoundly absorbed in thought. "It's worth doing, aud 111 do it," was the concluding link in his thoughts, " .Driver i" " Ye?, sir," " Back tc the Ferry again. I have for gotten something." "All right, Bit." When he arrived at the Castle he asked for the batonet, and fuund him at once. "By the way, Sir William, a matter of no absolute importance, but still of some sentimental value to me, escaped my memory when 1 was a while ago saying good-bye to you, as I thought, for some months." " And what was that!" " You know there is no hurry about Sir Alexander's will 2" " How do you mean 3" " Well, nothing need be done about it for months." "What then?" "The reason for the sale, as Aldridge has heard it, will be known under pledges of secrecy to-morrow to half-a-dozen of the most important men in Daneford. That will be more than enough to counteract any sinister rumours. The pledge of secrecy extracted from the men whom Aldridge tells will not operate at ail, save in making those to whom they give the news very care.

ful as to whom they in turn tell it. Thus it will never come to her eais, even if she stays in Daneford, which I doubt; and thus she will never have an opportunity, of denying it." He got op and walked about. His elation was great. He swelled out his cnest, threw back his shoulders, and allowed his arms to swing at bis sides. Bis thoughts ran on":

" I have been fencing with death, and for the moment I have disarmed my fos. That sale might have ruined me, given me over to the hangman} 1 have averted the danger, and turned the attacfc into a source of secntity. In a moment of weak ness I told her, in a moment ef strength I turned the feeble act into % fresh rampart; for how can I tell, if things went on smoothly, as they had been going (bad she not shown the danger-aigual at the Consols), I might not, ia the weak and pitifal state I then was in, have told her all ? Mow a gulf lies between her and me. It is unlikely we shall ever meet again. She had the power of exercising an influence over me which might not be to my safety. 1 have ensured my future safety by getting away from the influence of the only person who could make me indiscreetly talkative." He paused in his walk an ■ drew him self up before the gl&ss. Much, of the haggard expression had left his face. He was flushed and handsome lookiog as of old. His_ eyes shone with excitement and tne anticipation of triumph. Once more he strode up and down the room.

" I feel five-aad-twenty to-day. Five and-twenty; not a month older. -And though ia spirits ami health and strength I feel no more than half my age, I am con scious I carry the experience of a second quarter of a century on the shoulders of the first, I could command an army or make love to a echoolgirl. I shall win yet. I shall win in spite of that lanky nigger, Sir William. I shall win 1 know, I feel. These muscles are more than a match for his; this head ia more than a match for hia ; and in spirits I ara a long way his junior. I shall win now, for all obstacles are out of my way. She is gone for ever, aud she was the last link with Bah 1 the old time i* dead. Earth to earth. I am a new man, I say." In all this he never thonght of her as his mother. He always looked upon her as she or her ; never aa mother. He treated her as if the spirit of his mother had left the body, and the spirit of another, a stranger, had entered in.

That night he slept well, and started early for the Castle the next day.

CHAPTER II

"SIB WILLIAM " "NO; MIDHAKST." "The day after to-morrow I mnst leave, Maad. I shall have to spend a day or two in JLondon, and then I sail."

He was looking down very gravely at her. She looked up gravely at him. " I wish you had not to go away." "80do I, bat there is no help for it. I would much rather 3tay in England and look after affairs here. You never can trust anyone to carry out your plans. You must see the men at work, or they must know you may at any moment ace them. I have planned my own designs and decora tions, and tradesmen consider it a point of honour to rob an amateur. They will not do what an amateur tells them, and they are sure to cheat him most libeially. The lather of a friend of mine determined upon doing up bin house himself. He was not a good man of business like me, but, like me, he knew what he wanted done. tie made a rougli estimate of what the job would Co3t him, and when it was finished he found the bilk canie to about three time* his estimate. He got an accountant to look through the bills. The first item the ac countant called the attention of my friend's father to was six white marble chimney pieces for bedrooms at two hundred pounds each. He had told the builder to get three chimney-pieces; there were places in the house for only three of a sort. On ' investigation the builder stated six had been got, three having been broken after arrival, 'But,' said tbe ac" countant, ' you have not allowed anything for the old ones. What did they tetch ?' ' Oh.' said the builder, ' they fell to pieces and I broke them np,' Subsequently, when going over the newly-baiU house of a friend, ne found two chimney-pieces, one like his old and one like his new ones. 'Where did you get these V ' Bought them for a dead bargain. Some man, who heard I was building, sold me the old one. for thirty-five, and the new one for seventy.' The visitor asked for a description of the seller. It ex actly corresponded with the builder. Sub sequently it came out that the new chim ney-pieces had been kept buried in sand until they could be removed iv a cart under a load of straw, and that the old ones had gone out covered with a layer of rubbish 1" "Do you not think, William, that if Mr Grey would consent to look after the men, such things might be prevented ?" " Yes; I have thought of asking Mr Grey. But he ia such, a busy man. He will have, I daresay, a great deal to do on account of your father's will. It would be too much to expect him to spare time tor coming down here and looking after a lot of lazy workmen. In fact, it would be out of the question. As to a clerk of works, or any thing of that kind, I would not dream of such a thin;. They wink at scamped work for a consideration, and order things they do not want. Dear Maud, I weary yon with lime-and-mortar matters." " No, no, no ; 1 like to hear you talk in this way. It is as if—as if " She paused, unable for the moment to mould her thoughts into words. " As if what, Maud ?" "As if you liked to talk to me in this way." Her eyes were fixed on his, his on hers. For a moment neither spoke. Then he said : "Yes, I do like to talk to you in this familiar business way. You kaow we are alone now in the world ; and if I don't talk freely to you, to whom else on eaith am I?" "I had a note from Mr Grey this morn ing, saying he has returned, and will be here to-day. Had you not better speak to him ?" "I will. That is settled. If 113 hesi tates, I shall not allow him to do it; but I shall try what he will say. Even if he refuses he may be able to suggest some trustworthy person he knows, You see, I have been so short a time in England, and am such an utter stranger here, I know no one." When Grey came he found the cousins together. Some routine matters having been disposed of, Sir "William asked the banker if he would take a stroll with him across the Island, as he wished to speak to him about business. The banker would be niost happy. Arm-in-arm the two left the Castle yard, gained the grass, and walked towards the Ferry. " Mr Grey," bpgau tie young man, " I leave this neighbourhood the day after to morrow," " I am sincerely sorry to hoar you say so." "You will be back in a few months, less . than six ?" 1 " I*et ns hope so." • « Well, I shall do nothing about the will

until you come back. We can ihen pat our heads together and see what is best for Mias Midharat's interest." " I do not folly undeistand you. Mr - Grey." " What I intend doing is ihis," Grey ex- - plained : " I am not bound to do anything • immediately about the will. 1 know the will is all right. I will pay the small legacies myself and get rid of them, and when you come back you and I shall go over the whole matter. I shall prove the will and administer to the estate, and then you and I will consult as to what had best be (lone for Miss Midbarst's interests with the money." "But what is your object in delay f ''Just a whim." " I hope, Mr Grey," said the young man,, with warm indignation, "you have not for a moment fancied I do not think you fully capable in every way of acting iv this matter ? n "The shadow of such a suspicion never crossed my mind, I assure you, sir William. But cannot you understand that the position I occupy of common friend to the two who now compose the house of Midharst would make me desirous of having the advice of the head of the house on important matters, such as the disposal of Sir Alexander's fortune t" The young man looked fixedly, search ingly, at the banker's face for a moment before he auswered. When he spoke, he replied with yreat deliberntenesß : " There may be a good deal in what you say." "You give me youc confidence. You leave me to act aa your deputy while you are away. You, in a manner, place yourself ia my haud?; and you are content with me as the guaidian of jour cousin's fortune. You rely upon my integrity, upon my hooour. 1 feel the burden I lie under. I should feel less weighed down it you will accept my proposal as a email sign of the esteem I hold you in, and of iiuy simple faith with regatd to your cousin's affairs." Tne banker held out his band. He had made his speech in his old and best manner. The young man caught his band swiftly, eagerly. "Grey, I did not hope to find_ a man like you in you when we met first. 1 know what stuff you are made of now. We shall be close friends while I*o. live." " Sir William " "No; Midharst." "Midharst, we shall," They parted. When Grey found himself alontr once more, he whispered to the leailesS' trees : "JNow, Mr Prompter, ring down the drop. That's a very pretty end of the fourth act."

CHAPTER 111,

THE PAKTING,

Sir William dived with his cousin that day. He was to say good-bye to her that evening; for although he did not intend leaving the neighbourhood before the day after next, he had pat off some business until the last hour, anJ had been compelled to give up his remaining d,ay to dry detail andhumdium affairs.

It was only latterly, -within the pa9tfew days-in fact, since he had come into the neighbourhood ot Danefhrd—he had dis covered dry detail and humdrum affairs. Of old, details ha<i been to him fascinating, and affairs a passion. When anew subject cime to his hand he devoured it. "When a novel situation presented itself, he dashed at it as impetuously as a brave soldier at a breach.

Now all was chanced. When he caw the Castle first his impulse was to set men at work on it instantly. He wished to have it put in order at once ; and nothing but the appearance of iiidecent haste deferred him from doing so. To-morrow he had to meet, among others, the people to whom he had entrusted the woik, and ho wished them all at the bottom of the Weeslade.

" I ne?er knew until now I had tuch a taste for rural scenery. W hen I was away I used to rhink that if I got back to Eng land I should spend all my time in London. Now the Waifineer Hotel, overlooking the broad placid Weeslade, seems to me aU I could desire, with now ard then a visit to the Island—a stroll through its grounds and halls alone, or with Cousin Maud.

" How cool and fresh the air is around; here ! Coming into a place like this out of the great cities of the world, is like escaping from a riotous street into a cathedral where a choir is practising hymns.

" I wonder does she sine? I know she loves pansies best of all flowers.

" But, as I was saying, it is strange how one's most settled ideas change as one grows older. Of course, that is but natural. "When I got that pony first I thought all living creatures must admire and envy me. There was only one thing I envied of those around me, and that was their privilege of standing and seeing such a splendid eight as I and my pony going past. I would freely have given aU my possessions, except ray pony, for the power of admiring on foot at the roadside the fine spectacle I and rcy mount made riding by.

"Fancy Sir Alexander not keeping a horse and groom for Maud ! He didn't ride of late years, but that is no reason, why she should not. She can ride ; she told me so. It is too bad to think of the dark seclusion the poor girl has been kept in. I wonder how she lived. Uponmysoul it wasashamcl There all day long, all the yeir round, in thia gloomy relic of the cold past, with no other change than a few hours in this sleepy place — this humdrum city of Danefoid, I am surprised she did Dot die. It was enough to kill anyone. Fancy passing a whole lifetime away m that old place and this dull town I Monstrous !

" Of course I shouldn't mind if, aa I was saying a moment ago, for I have been in the world and seen as much as I want to see. I should feel quite content to live here always, I shoud not care for anything better than a bed at the Warfinger Hotel, and a stroll now and then about the Midttarsta' old place where the Fleureys once lived, apower in the state, But Maud living here! Monstiousl

"I know what I'll do when I come back —I never thought of that before—l'll get the house ia St. James's Square put in order, and she and Mrs Grant shall go up there, and someone will bring out Maud, and she shall be the beauty of the year. All the town will talk of tho lovely Miss Midharst. Then I cango and stay at Warfinger and — and see to improvements, and so on; and then if Maud wants mo she can write or telegraph. I can fill up a telegraph-form with only the word ' Come,' and she can keep it in her purse and send it off the moment she wishes to see me. I'll leave word at the telegraph-office in Daneford that anyone bringing mo that telegram in half an hour shall have a sovereign'

I daresay I could have a wire to the la. land, so there need be do delay. But it would look strange. I'll make the messen ger's foe five pounds, that wiU be better. " I slinll keep a portmanteau always ready packed, so thalilkere will be no delay after getting the telegram. JSveu supposing tho telegram does not come for a week or a

STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT, AUGUST 4, IBBS.

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