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A-4...... ....... ,.;uuuauyuu;auy. LDC (:l1St'i ance was'only about seventy miles, although -Thrdckton Bassett might] have been a thousand miles from London for all the life that stirred in .it one sleepy street. We went to the cottage where Margarethad stay- yed a yegr ag_o,_but.nobody answering , u._yy\.vv:u.C1. . "0, `please don t,5 Mr. Standish! Il pleaded. `-`I am punished quite en- : ough; and all the time we are for- - getting the main thing. Where is my I. cousin? , : Where is she? What do youi ixmean? he stammered. I Don t you see by that letter that she_ should have arrived yesterday?l -[I pointed out. - ` rf He did see then with a vengeance.` `.`The explanationiwduld, `of course, be i, simple enough, but there must be no` nwre suspense. He was for dispat-I ichinyg a sheafof telegrams, commun-i icating with the police, sending a,' paragraph to the Press. Harry s com-l mon sense saved us from a series of! blunders. He urged that, for every- oue s sake, publicity must be avoid- .ed. The sifriplest `course was for him` to take the earliest train to,Throck-. ton Bassett and make a few inquiri'es.] -_-`I-(Ive invited, Mr. Standish -t_o accomp`-I an-y him, a proposal eagerly accept-l .e' The lattereimprovcd- upon the plan, however, `by chartering the, swiftest motor-car that the local gar- I I ! I 4 I age could provide, and he pressed.x_ne to go _with'them.' l _ e " .- _ I. was grateful. for his insistence,. forrto sit `alone through more weary [hours of"_.waitin`g was more than `I }could bear philosophically. The dist- al1(`P `"2: H f`II1I\I Okruqb nn--A--l--- 4-- 3` _ ,- _---... ....u u.n.u1.c.a1- L- WUUJU5 be standing still, a thing to worship,l to learn from, to be uplifted by-and what is therein its place? -W'hat, have you got for your folly? Thatlu that! and he pointed witheringly at: [my Brjnsmead and`at Harry s new 1 . ouyau. ' 1 Of course, it s a terrible position` you're in, he murmured. If you'd! only taken n1y ad\'rice, [how different` things would have been! That ven-' erable pile, that poet s dream, that idyll in stone and mortar-it- would! thing to_ Yvorshipzg in Inn.- 5...... A- `L~ - cried; rv but` what" are we "to say` to` her? How "can we explain-? Frogles-l ham does not exist--- Our visitor anged his _st on the table. . ` ` " I had forgotten that, `he shouted. 4B1:tters eyesore. That shoddy mon- umente,of a sordid mind! And Lady Awdry; that female hippopotamus. with her fripperies and faldalalsl It will kill her, and you`--he hissed out the word as though it s_corched his tongue. 1 Harry drew him hastily aside and whisperedrsomething in his ear. It had` a subduing effect` upon him in- stantly, for the little man had the kindest heart in the world Hisang- er changed to stertorous sighs as he' fumbled the rim`of hiswide-awake I hat; he turned Job_ s comforter in.-! stead. 6I\'F ` ` Always, everywheer 1! ` e T Matches. %: a l'1oo'i:_.0if Se_m~.i, : ff And, ibes`ides.. many other Exclusive Features are"yours.itoo}, if you Positively Persist in getting Eddy s. J i e in Canada. ` Ask f orEddy's '4 Toikecp a zinc pan fre from-rust, rub all over the; outside and bottom .when' new with shoe oil "(which any ;bb._otmaker will supply), repeat, th_e -Qilig about fbur. timgs a .ye_a.r; andmt . `v ' ' ,.`;_. - :-,_`_ _ . _ 3`, ` - ;;gjjI1jke'ep..thV pan qui t_e_ Vbirighx ta :laves as Va'.`.,'means_- of !dstroyirzs- <.=okras:1ze;s.-Inst;.S9u9ez= ?these__im't Lthi; -v vvv-v vvo-un\rIII. \.lllIl\p|aIlI-Jo Instead of putting pieces of potato into bottles to .clean them and experi- ence diiulty in taking out the par- ticles, pour the .water of? boiled s_oak,'t_hen wash inehot `suds. _ Wash gaspr electrip light shades in warm water, adding a` few. drops toAf-ammonia; Don .t tnveglectthe bum- -ers, .Rjemove' the dust frorne the_m ,.vV.;i1;_h4-a..`.`i),i:'<:e_ of. ne ware. You wt}! .;be-,fqqa_aazed.vat=- the Increase` of murm- .:1_". " . t '-.f I- y potatoes into the botles; let them_ The fancy vests which are being womyare often made with no back-4 the fronts are connected by a strap `of elastic at the waist line. This ,m'a`kes -it possible to remove them with -the-coat without diiculty. Tonal-nu.` -1 --_A.L2',- , A9 7 An excellent way to avoid staining theengers when `paring vegetables and fruit, particularly apples, is to .1 wind the thumb and first" nger of the. right hand with strips of clean {white cloth. . --va- vunv lard is *nea1_'ly dohe drbp in. a potato about the sxze of an egg to each gal- lon of lard. % yer, `it will keep its lacqur indenite- ilvg ` -To keep your lard nice and white and prevent it from becoming strong use a few Irish potatoes. When the Yard is nearly done drop in size to - - } To remove a glass st. the head of the stopper" in space of the doorway, 1 door suiciently to make vstopper rmly. Careful} o bottle. . vvllpll Ulu uc_VVa'papI'S. g Rolled oats and similar foods can be freed from hulls by covering two inches in cold 'water, stir well, then __allow a minute to settle and pour: off `the bulls with the surplus water. Should machine oil mark any gar- ment in the making, rub it briskly with a cloth wet with strong am- monia before washing it with soap; This will remove all trace of the 1 spot. >1 Shelves for small supplies and a -`box ottoman for remnants and bund- -,les of lining, as well as knee board, .,'will be found very useful in the sew- I I ing room. I A Japanese patterned crepe is a dainty material from which to make a kimona. The edges can be bound with satin in a harmonizing color, or I with wash ribbon. ` ,_monia_ instead of soapsuds for clean- [mg windows. Smear `them well with a cloth; then polish them with a. I chamois. * _ Picture wire may be used instead of tape to gather curtains on. Dog. _ble back the end and the wire will run smoothly. Curtains run on wire do not sag in the middle. I ` To brighten a" mirror rub with a `clean cloth dipped in a cream made 0 f whiting and cold water to which." a. few drops of ammonia are added; polish well with old newspapers. 1\ cu - (dipped in salt. `with a soft .c_I0th. the piano wnth a with alcohol. Corn husks torn into stripes make` ;good lling for sofa pillows. -Japanese or_ Chinese matting _may be materially imp_roved by going over ,it with a cloth dipped In strong salt 1 Some cooks prefer lard instead of [butter for piecrust, not because it is gcheaper, but because they believe it `makes a much tenderer crust. ' When cleaning/lcettles after veget- ables have become scorched in them, iafterwas-hing try rubbing with sand- paper. The re_sult--a clean kettle. Never keep biscuits and cake in. the same tin, as the cake loses its avor, and the biscuits become soft and ltaste faintly of the cake. r~---( - - { Co di_pp ed -- uunsv. ppexj is best cl_eaned R1)_x_17se, t v1 .vicl.l5dfCl- \_V1[n THC. He.is now our. constant friend, and has trasferred some of his`boundless devotion to another Margaret, who is his.ged,-daughter. This Margaret i now `four years old, and I do not sbuL;?_ai1d;ma;de peace, solacing the litt;le`m'.an W-ith "several relics of gle.<.h_2i1'n-. Shortly. afterwards he sold Ins house,-and 'cari1e`* to London, so as to be; abfIe,t'o'*t:il_k' over the perfections Of Margaret. with `LL. :. ..---- -T l I a.` stopper catch '3 in -the hinged closing the IV to rnnlns .+ ........... ..:__ 1 ipped made" 1 water ammonia ith :s ecrust, It 15 :h ter}derer o mifce R';:.1es p Carefully. turn the 4 3' reasonable. doubt upon it. 16 _tm1e for her return drew xiously for a Iurther but none -came, one morningl was fe'd,i_;1g; th of a fatal railway acid'nt`f .9 W0St_ of England, ,a_nd` a'mong_`g of lulled came uponV.th_e'na`,1'i'|e garet Slade-Claverley.' ,?.I"_w`a`s horrible intell-igeqge; % Margaret! So proud .a3`gd~_:;jgs"<)_;` tel . and how she must have been! a `ed by th_e thought ofA`_-retui'1/1jV1'.'f1g}?' - 1101` cherished 'possess1ons. ': '5 Was her home-commg! V _ from my _sarro_. u` by the ap pearancef 1 Of . _ ` a who dashed '5'I?I1'n."h.'. with lemon *I1o -\`:" at . dys pleased gzeieefoifeher tht? Old homc, but I ex.ned ac. Frog only so long as I remal I . ' . ram esham. The ldea of her tggggstfruck One strange house to 8110 centric. . bordering on the However dence` `O . nt, and there `"35 nobtevtipon cast any reasonable. (1011 h _l!'`,`. As the f0," hfr fr;f1?uart!further- near I wanted anxnous Y - meseaom ` ' `ate V . there was 1137 own st slid ,g a newspa `ts false, fals r PE{s ..... uuc LU supernatural agencies. I Harry was my great comfort. He had a buoyant, modern temperament. He would have been really pleased to meet a ghost could he have been per- suaded to believe in the existence of` such things. Then the role of coun- try gentleman rather appea'l-e ._to him. Whe one of the ancient villag- ers addressed him as Squire 'the'l silly boy positively radiated with gratication. To please him, Christ-L mas was held in quite the *good Old style, and a sinfully large portion of the past four months` savings was fasted in lavish hospitality to grin-l nmg rustics and unmusieal waifs. But` on, as Harry insisted, the two first _ ts acts of the play were nished. . By the beginning of February,tI felt I was sinking into a state of thronic melancholia. The drip, drip of those dreadful yews had got On to my nerves. I hated Froglesham. with adeadly enmity, and nothing but loy- ed tomb. relief came to me like an eleventh- llgur r alty to my cousin would have made l me D855 another week in that sodden- ` Then the promise of early 1 -..... cu C P home-c0mm}8 <' was stirred my _5'.7 ghts pearance 0. { dashed iI1 t?'s'ty1`.`V ?vA.9i'-. . newspaper wildlxih `Peg? S fal se, f_a_1se, .he shouted -`7 uAL\JHV\.HlLllLC cu1pJlaSlS(l the ta.Ct. Still, 1 was glad even of Mr. Stand- ish s society on the days when Harry had to go to London to interview editors and publishers. Otherwise the loneliness would have been insupport- able. And on those dreadful nights`, when I wzls obliged to be alone, I` made the two country girls, who waited upon us, sleep in the adjoining ` room, but they were_ more_ nervous than I was. and believed [imp-licxtly that all the noises of the dark hours! were due to supernatural agencies. U_,_ people, he had no interest in hisibastr struggle _ _ brought him independence. The hist; ory of the Slade-C1aver_leys was the subject that absorbed him most, and on his numerous visits he would in-. variably hold forth to me on the do- ings of remote ancestors, for whose memories I did not 'care'a'g. Then he was ivord-perfect in `every silly legend and village superstition that had `been woven round the building._ For in. stance, there was the giant yew _- that made my bedroom a vault, and a can. die a perpetual necessity to my toilet, To have cut down its hollow trunk would mean the `nal extinction of the Slzide-Claverleys. I would cheer- fully have tziken the. risk, and when Itold him so he looked genuinely shocked. He outdid the most. con- servative of my ancestors in his hat- red of change. He glowed with r ected pride when he pointed out that nothing had been added topthe househukl furniture since the days of the Regency. As if I needed to be told tliut! Every hour some fresh inconvenience emphasised the fact l urn: n-'...,l n....__ -1 `A! n s or in the business that hadfl I l l l A Legacy and Barrie Branch, The Books and Statements of. ' a strictly indepeqdgdt _a`L?idit_,;~ -61`: _ I - Capital $3.000-000 Gem` "w=r'- _, - _.-- . -._, I aumncu Wlt ion. Christ-` the-good 1 ) ICE and unmncinal ..,..::.. D-I o W. . one c`1-o1-1aVrTopens anti!` aWc:cout_'1 :A.'a.tA1d_`-i`rx.`t;i,fe'st' isV-`lid; d W*1 AV' "F-`*5 PE no l'\l \lAO\ not Ann...-.. 4...! 9., .,-.... v wu .uup-uuuy | l)(;);-S_`.S l_1oursl agencies. 3 rn\7 (T!'t3')f nrx-u-u:A..4. 77 . .\,u:A_y y`1Cd.3CU [U (1 n ther appeil-eq E ancien_t -~coaP9*BA?#=b $932`-% Continued from Page Six cacauxrsnmnt, can: We?" - * ' I H f`I`I_fdlY.- ~51; . qury. pts,e__i1 t" _ V 'e_.~:-;-g ,lie1d;*sati:xal ,..-Y9u.. y_uvuoJIoIIo,_ U! y . . ,, r. vefiy long. . . , _ hg announc.e_ mentV%-w`a.s `nbt d1s-. `pleasing. Our lxttle at had become? .mvested with` countless attra`ctioys. !...._u ; uu.c._u `:9 pe rnaclc `there before The distant" hum` qfthe e_lectric_.trarn'-.. cars would. be'_ music 1:0 my. Vstarved` soul. A ;.fW" ?.theatr.es 'had J/*b;9ome~' imperatiyefly ;ess`entia1-'.toj,,c,ggegtg the} 3 bal'ance_..ofj my-.n!"voM1_1s.' y ` I'B.'-x. % s -I h eld_ o_ut' lbyally. _ 1 : I ~`..,`Th en_`.if vyej I-_li\_r,e'i\=~i'n .Lb_ndex;,:`:wha t' 5 l are`! w> V;',?.`A`.;id9 `WW . {as1;ed,,.-.despe;ate_1;jr aft ~1h'.. 2 ,1E-`3`T$1 `ii<* 3% '- %Iestab1rsh:;;::c ' " vvpsit _ _ _ Chintzes' and white paint won t. keep the roof up, I remarked, sev- erely; "and _that brings us to the principal\point. . 'Struct'i1ral repairs will cost us as many thousands--as we . have hundreds. ,.It*s no-use tinkering `at theplace. But how 1am to live here as it is; I can tfjthink_! . __ _ That s another `question to be `~eon' sidered,'he said, in-.a toneo n-ia"s_c`u- ` {line au't_h`or~ity_ "Ledt`=mee`:__;el1 y<`2u,.,1,.it-T le woman;*tj;hat y'o_ti_E are. _ihg9:Z1to,_l_ live here`; -It `is all "very `we `lj*f0r" a` while but our home.._;is` in London. ` and f :inte_n___l..tq_ be,,-.baf.c-l& *there'.b_ef ore? 1 Vrv lnntr "';-ii " ' " ""W ' " * vl ud LU nut. But, my dear girl, he.u'rged,`you' must keep the house in reasonablene- pair. We shall have , the roof down on us in a short time if you have yqur ___J vs: at "That's just it,, :Ha(-r7x;j'; I rcsfpd'nd-' ed, wearily. I don t- want anything changed; It would amount to treach- cry to the dead to alter anything. I am, in a /way, honour-bound, you see. I am ,a ,.S.la,d-Claverley,wand she [trusted me. ' 6|D.-'; --_ V 1 ' `V ` ,-....,--- n\ll JAVUIULIC ."Somc nice chintzes and plenty of white paint will make a world of dif- ference,'he. averted. Then we will chop down all those beastly trees and root up all those` jsopping bushes. Yo}1ywon t know` the place. wl1e`n_ we have laid out a bit of money on-it_. _ That's Harry, rcspond anythiqg If .II`Il\Il`4` -nA-----LA lection of quaint old trinkets. The [situation was not altogether an en- viable one. The manor was some- what like the proverbial white ele- phant to me. I could not endure the place as it-`was, and to make it habit- able would require far more money than we could command. Am: ........ All that was left_forus to do was to return "to Froglesham with poor Margaret s `remains and to inter them .with all local honours in the family mausoleum. Mr. `Standish refused to attend, still holding to his`infatuat'ed conviction. .I'nstea' , he started off` on within its scope. He would bring `my cousin home, if he spent his "life in finding her, he declared. `We were very sorry for the little man, but, as ;we could not shake his determination .and cou_ld not lock him` up, we had Ito let him go. I A- T ,__..-v..v\.o vun IIIVCSKJ gations. Our inquries only went to show that she had stayed there one day and night at a neat. cottage, and I had Jeft to meet her tragic fate. Not ; a soul knew who; she was or why she` had come. ' ` A`n address had been found in the` retic- ule she was wearing; otherwise her body had been mutilated beyond re- cognition._ But the clothes and lug- gage were unmistakably hers and convinced everyone except her bere- aved lover... He stoutly maintained that it`wa_s `a case of mistaken identi- ty-that some woman had stolen her things and was impersonating her, What, he demanded, could have tak- en `Miss Slade-Claverleygto such an obscure corner of the country? That was, indeed, a mystery. eHer' ticket was from Throckton Bassett, a still more forlorn bit of rustic England, `to which we transferred our investi- .gations. [day at'a neat. ._cot_tage, and hat`! `A59 in --A"* ` ..... U1 _uic munons not .useless.lives [that travel every day. Nothing but my own eyes will convince me, and I lfln going there now to` see for my: Se .9. V . . _ _ . _ And he tore out otthe house. like one demented, Harry arrived -back from ' "town ' shortly afterwards, brought hurriedly back by the news, and, before the morning was over, we ,were following Mr.` Standish to- the little wayside junction where the ac- cident had occurred. There we learnt thefew gruesome details that were [to Abe gleaned. Margaret s name and .. ..-. Luu. preposterous," cried the little man In`.-hysterical excitement; such a woman could not_be_ singled out of the millions of useless lilres .that travel pvm-v (Ian `M.-.n..`.-_ `some Vevidenc as to `identity. .55, ;g `n \ `.-.'.......'_L_.,,_ Reserv Fu %nd.` -.-_-..py ua DU `luclllllyi _` It is too p`reposte_rous, c_ried they lttle man 1n-l1ve+m-.....1 ...-------~- ... -- v-I-Ila? IL`U W53 IIOI 3.` neurotnc scnttments; cc dif- :. averrpd Ilfrhnn _____ ____'Ic :.a'nnua11y sub_m.ittea :6 IAN V `V ' a. to. Miller .'MANAER] ualuqll hll-_|B LU] uun BS1 VCBI` I 7 \ 5 . . . . - ;fe!_l. in with the st'1g'gest'ion.'. . c'q3qld_ -help ?f}ngg11na_sy,% in Vspit .9 c j_:'?.}ef 7 ex_a.g'g.e1 ;"ation * A- . ,Ah, very` likely! a'gr"ee`dv Harry`: - `7a,;nd Butters ,is great on -orid `walls papers." And perhaps he has built a mbtor-house and laid down` a m'a cad'-, a1'n_.dri~ve.y .But','_I _'say,. how` terribl-3? g:_u_t up the: old h3P.wa. j Something `s\ta1`tl1ng xp1.1_st_ .hp,ve ` -l1app ened * to btijag ~-dowlzi` we-I1 ; Rentateuha'I > denun: ciafion,, }..0 n c)_t1fx,`j1;`l;1n;ad's; ;`Myh cu;-ibsitjr "iS-f"T',,9 nSum'ing.- am. What? do: " on ' say`- i3tjo`j;>_j.?'g uj: 1i_1in"gi.j: down-i gin .S"atLui1 `ax ar_;q1:< T`nd1;n vomitafbr~;0ufslizes2*"~ V -::=.~tn 1. .;.-:-mt: :_:- .~-.~;....x += Vii. must `be Something {to ._do `with Fro'gleSham;"'"I .. exclaimed; the hum-V orous side of th'e_;,interview striking. me. ``Perhaps Lady: Awdry ,what .s`- Ahename has adopted `your choice ideas and `had .the=ov_ver-beds trims` fmeaxr ~ 1011.: _--;.-_ ..`:'A'_I,J:I9 3 L` we ,.....uu_ u_vc| Luc u xen traditions of | my family. .Our circumstances were I comparatively aiuent with such a windfall as the sale of the Manor re- _i presented. Then a big theatrical syn- dicate had Harry's play under con-l sideration. `How could I be expected to mope? . So nearly a year passed, and -Frog-1 ' lesham was falling away` into the lim- ` be of old memories. It was, how- ever, brought vividly back` to us by our general servant: announcing Mr. Standish. He looked a little mad; his `face was purple, and he shook with suppressed` emotion. He did not stop to greet us, but commenced at once . to anathematise us-with unmeasured I scorn. , ` " A judgment will come upon you for what you have done! he thund-_ j ered. It .is a 'sin--a crime! How '. .ct;u,ld you do it? How could you do 1 It. __ ' i -A 1 We watched him in silent amaze- ment. '- - ` ' f`That saintly soul! he stormed on ; -you have betrayed her faith in you. If sheis still alive you-havei broken her heart! ` But you. will .live to re- pent---bitflrly rep_ent! , . _ _Please explain Mr. Standish, I_ , expostulated, mildly. i V` n ` ' F.Yl\`9;!1 `Ilfhfg .A .I....--.._;2_..I I I 1 5 _1 I \v I I could reaiise what had happened,` we were back at" Chiswick `taking up` our former normal` existence. And life was too full `of in`tei'ests~foi me to _brood_ o_ver the Vbygoken traditions of HIV fam1lv_ .0111 rir:-11n1+annm_- ....s.... [an-uuu on quite tau-. terms; and, befora uu tut: camp l0g'S.` - 1 The next morning he too me at! my word. Before I: `could, change my mind, he `had driven off in the gover-d ness cart to Nitherby. The negotia- tions were completed witlpmdecent haste. Butters nwas faithful to his word; he`: bought Froglesham as it {stood on quite fair. terms; and, before; I Dnlllrl 1-nuldan ...|-".5 1...! L---- I-.-yuu Any uHbCI'_Y- , . O. I You had bettepcommunlcate With your friend Butters,. I said dramati- cally, after we had been sitting, for centuries_ it seemed, in . the dimly lighted` drawing-room, Iistening to` the main pat-terijng `down the chimney ,on the damp logs._` - " ` flaw` `ova nnnn a... `-- A--' ` upon my misery.` .....m...5 mu weu mat the odds were all in his favour. Each day weaken- ed my opposi,tion.;`The spring was wet and cold. '1`he-garden became a series of muddy" pools. The log res smouldered. Rheumatism claimed" my left shoulder. Harry s spirits rose as the barometer, went down. -At last my wavering resolution snapped. Margaret herself must have been` pitying me if shecould look down Vn1 I-an.-I k.-.La..... L--.--M-~ unuoouuu. uuu it CUUHIY magnate." *My faith in Harry was -temporarily shaken by this preldious proposition. And he had been steadily working up to it allthe time! I refused emphat- ically to entertain it; but what was the good? He simplysettled himself down with ostentatious cheerfulness, .knowing full well that the odds were all in 111': fnunnr 'lTn..L .1... _..J 'v1u .uuu.C{S UH U18 l`lnKS"" < ~ `fBut_ter! That vulgar old money- lender at? Nitherby? _ . Banker, dearest. _-`Only the interest` `he charges can justify your descrip- tion of him. He has been investing a pot of money` inland round here, and is ready to givea fair price for You see, he is going to marry Lady `Awdry Carthuse andi blossom into a county magnate. _ k 11 I-Tar:-u -urns L n x A - - - -7` T`On-ly one `other ' alternativie ,`n`A1ains-sell it,_ lock, stock, and rel!-` - - 1 Sell it? _ My eyeswere wide ' aconstetnatxon. ' ` [171.-- ,_ - . Mu `.. M.-.-:nu.uauuIl. , ' Why not? the t`e`mpter contim `"1_`here_-will ot1ly..hbe'ya heap of 1'1 left in a very Short time, or else District-Council will`make us rebu If you. agree, I can `nd you a ; chaser in tWl`lt} .'fO|1l' hours. I 1 Ole!` Butters on the li`ks---':- _ I1u4..-.;I mu-` .5 guucu, ratncr 13-nxinaly. _ "`Of course, '1fjyoq,cannot be sen-V s_`ible,* there is. nothing more to be ,said;;_; `and I assumedegan air of inur- ` . ed dignity-. He'drew "me on to the 'armf*`of`-his chair. ~ ';=Let rne"have my litle_ joke, darl- iing, - -_he pleaded; then he adopted his 'n'iost,.-jud_1cial, manner; But, seriously, I dear, ';don t you honestly think the place isimpossible? You cannot sac.- rice yourself altogether to a se_nti.- ment. `You, won t alter the place,- _and.you detest it as it is. No one. but an impossible crank would think of renting it in its. present condition. What, then, is to be done? ` I--_I l`r\I1`6 I ; _ A . -_`> `I F I. I nu`"Jf.l:rry, ` . 7 . ' . . ' 4 en~ . 0; V f I. 4 4 quired, rather unkindly. ` u `Of PGIIFEP I; irruc A n g _ -4 `L, I 3ii1'.: A ., the continued.` t1ly..`b`3 ruins the ;I I|rI.`l`nnn1:n --- --k--3` ` V. van 5510 us rebuild. pi; met v"viith ` IV bar- ro_of 1c" in- 11+ aa._uu_V; gxuulguty, I_a.c_:s. V . ,' V `,;.~':v0_u., dart: `to; tell` m._. ..9ur !' she; .15 al-1ve~?.:. he`. de'mand`e .l\JDL uc-1 nucnuty. ' . ~ 4 V . I-Ie-psh;z'w'ed and pooh-f>oohed, but did not o'er.any'better `solution. For the first `time in.our marrie_d.life he was thorQughly_,_.:'norose; and t-l_1e`n.V when7I 'br.oVke_d owx 1 ix_1;`t_ears,. he re` A membered that 7a` coming event yyhich was to .-`crown our `union `magic: -xt,_%ir.n- 'pe`rativ* that __I shonfdv riot-bbej o\fr;r_-- <~_ xqitd; ~an'd, h fcain1`e`*`to hc'qxr;1`9rtjn`xe. xiii ; j h_i'i Qgar .9151 [nmnn_r; `f.1_<,*. ,. .7 , ' {-.,,;,.. gr T"`::1:iot oh her, I_ u.rgd; they were _on the body of the woman whorwas Impersonating her, and whose. body is buried .at {Fto,gIs-ham.7 She must Lljosft/her, identity.` - . uh ;'\clnn'an}`A.-I '....I -A-'.L' i- -l`- V ' have ben. robbed _of her clqthes jamd ...... avulc uageuy naas occurred. Harry tried to be doing something. By the aid of Bradshaw and a motor- ing`. map he located -Burnbracken: as a village adjoining Throckton Bassett. the last place at which .Margare-t `had .been heard of.` VVhat cot'1ld she have [been doin`g;in that neighbourhood for ta.` whole-year? Visions of kidnapping or an asylum for the insane swept_ across. my mind. Perhaps she had lost her -memory and been detained `as mentally irresponsible. Harry scouted these-. theories as too: far- 'fetched, p _` . 1 ' . ` .`.-`Mad she must undoubtedly have b;en;-~ he growled;-;.bi1ther name: vtand} add-r.es`s-were yon herf `all. the time: ' V` - l - -xv ` .u-Liv . '- -- - ..., --... .. uancluuy guarded tele-' granrto the afaithful` little henchman and sat down in abysmal misery to wait his answer. I was too dazed to suffer much. There are some situa- tions too appalling'for the mind" to `grasp. Two hours later his reply ar- rived: _ No news; coming at once. Then what had becomeof Margaret? Was she lying stark and stiff in -some hiddeuspot at Froglesham? Hadshe been driven mad` and s.ought'a watery grave in the river? I was positive that some tragedy had, occurred. :3? `II ..-L_-_;I ' My dear Winifred,-.-Expect rne on the 14th. Perhaps your husband will -be_gVood, enough` to meet the . 6.15 train.` Have `much to tell "you.--Af- ffectionately yours,. 6` new uucs. Lney ran :- V ` I _ _ Margaret Slade--Clvav erley. 'There was neither heading nor date} to the letter`, omissions characteristic- ..of my cousin. But the postmark on the envelope was plain enough. The letter -had been sent from Burnbrac- ken D.S.O. on the Iztlw` of the pres- lent month, three days _ago,; and had V ben- forwarded `on to us from `Frog- lesham. - ' . - A t IIIIIL, A - `'~" '` ` ...., up auu uuwn m.g1ddy,circles. _ Wm, Wm, what in heaven s name` '15 the matter? came Ha_rry s voice lfrom far away. and thenhe, too; sat with glazed eyes staring back at me. Margaret!`we `both groaned at last. ` Yes, thare was ~-n o9mistaking the: handwriting or t_he purport of those [few lines. They. '- .. [. I __.... ....,,,.....u.u LU1 LWU years. But these were pinpricks to the blow that was to fall upon me". I re- member every detail of that awful. breakfast. .Harry was pouring out his` second cup of tea when I`took my place at the table. `My eyes fell on the solitary envelope that occupi- ed my plate. I glanced at the hand-.' writing, and then everything in the} :room commenced _swimr'ning round` me, up and down in.giddy,circles. pWin, name is the matter? .--mm U----- - - -' ."\.Ne sent a careful] a ' ram thP\fnI.fla`I1u'6-Ag? _ ,_ __ ..... II\L u|.. DCILCU. Inc. I was quite prepared forsome pun- ishment to fall upon us. And sure, enough things did begin to go awry with us. The play was returned by the syndicate with formal regret at `not. being able to make use of it. Harry s new novel was cut up by the critics, and he actually had several manuscripts declined, an event that `had not happened for two years. Rlif fkacn --~----. -:' ` ' ._,. . l .I daresayit is- comfortable en~l ough inside, was Harry s cold consol~ ration, and, after all, the manor re- stored a la Butters might have been still more frightful. But, I say, how they must have put their backs into the job! The house has literally been thrown up! . e i Well, poor Margaret has been `spared this outrage,' was all I could _think to say. " i i \V'e walked dejectedly bacl_< to the station, and trieddp put Butters and all his works out of our minds. Har- ry succeeded "quickly enough, but I lcould not help brooding over our ex- perxence. -A morbid t. seized me. I \U2Q ilifa I'\1'A\natt\I' CA A-'** ;t'i1: 1. ,....,.. V. uuuuur un 21 newly-laid lawn. The whole effect of the garden re- minded me of the Broad Walk, Re- ger`xt s Park. ..And~the house--- \ Harrv. thin :5 c....... :_:`_:..e, '- - } ;t1on- we -`received wasua View of la; ` -'ed=1..i't>? 5ilie`4 =realify.e-~` iThe sl`rst;.~intim- __st'aring' red4l3}fick,, wall;;.whe'r._e`, once `?'stood _;a r,agg"e.d` hawthor`1t`;lfedge;_ We ` - thought ; `wej1xr;u'stl L;l1avc.."inis,sed. ;o_1,_1.r way. We walked lalog the length of ..this wall and 'came_toa-pair off ornatciron -gates, with` lions; _ve'ry" -rampant on .the. top of" each. We peered~through,`l'1eld spellbound by the" reckless vandalism of-what we saw. All the yews, including the ho!- low` giant, had been`. swept away. A e huge `white fountain occupied the" j place of honour on a newly-laid lawn.`f {The whole eecr mr +1.- ....-A- Il_l@'_lI JIC VV_rD.' - u, ,- o ' . 1th `-0 We were compelled to continue our journey to Burnbracken, an even more desolaterlittle place. We fort- unately went straight to the one lit- the shop which served as post ofce also, and there the mystery was ex- plained to us. Burnbracken, it ap peared, had only been granted the privilege of collecting and delivering its own letters within the past three dayse But the village had -been anti- cipating this a_dvantage for a whole year, and on "the strength of certain assurances had erected a smart pil- lar-box in the most prominent spot.[ Certain officials at l!_e.".(l'.]!1.'-:l te'l`S, however, had been debating whether Burnbracken or an equally insignic- ing of a postal service, and all this time the pillar-box had stood there `waiting-. for the necessary authority tobe used. A notice had been at- _ tached to the effect that it was not in- : fus`e,7 but, 1foi'`~the , .dicovered one letter in the cage, and '.5*!3>W nevertheless, on opening it _-rst time, the postman had b'een_,sent oil` in the usual way. the- envelope of at-sclii e i `ant village near by was most deserv- l V 1 ( i _ . l\/Ia'rgaret s`: `cornmunicat;on,,-h`e `identied it -at : eumlctstn mi ta .....,u_u5u -.a.unuuuuu passer: might] its street. 'Margaret had .ed year ago, butnobody answering to our description of her had been in the village lately. The woman re-' membered her .previous visit perfect- ly. She looked queerlyat us when she grasped the meaning of our in- q'uiries.' `Had not the poor lady been "killed in the accident? No, it would havebeen impossible for my cousin to stay anywhere else without her, knowing it. `- I `I