The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

'[N THE DEAD 0F NIGHT FLOWN. l The man whom Tk 111 bristow had employed for the construction of the wardrobe Which had proved of so essential service to Lil-nel Dering,‘ was a cabinet maker named Paul W gley, who ‘ kept a small shou in the uenghl) )rhood of Swen ‘ Dials, L .ndun. It, was me Very onscurity of this man. and the pettiness ol his bus ne~s wh ch has tempted 10m ta employ him. It; was not prob- able that a man in his posinon won (1 ass any im ertinent questions as to the purpo~s for whieu 311 h a s range piece of workmanship was intended, so long as he was paid ready money I for his job. And so far Tom was right. Wigley l maue the wardrobe according to instructions, and trea ed lhe whole aflair as though he w- re in 111s hablt of making articles or furniture with false backs to them every day in the week But Tom’s first mislake lay in thinking that, such a man would be less likely than a 1n ,re re- putable and well to do trauesman to conueot 1n his own mind, as law . links 111 a possible chai , the e cape of a prisoner from Duxley jail with the fact of havlng rem to that very town awarurobe so constructed that a man might be hidden away in it with ease Tom's second mistake lay in letting Wigley know the destination of the wardrobe. ‘I ought to have had it sent to the railway station addressed simply to my order,” he said to nimâ€" self, “and aflerwards, when it. was entirely out of Wigley’s hands, have re-addressed it myself to Alger Cuttegefl ... .. ... 1,,s Author (51 East Lynne. The Chunninés,ola11 ' Yorke. e c., etc. Tom was quite aware that on his point he had committed an error of judgement ; but. he never upgrehenued \hat the alightest danger could sprung m . egearouflm. Mr Wiglt y. after working very hard for six days, generally devoted a purtion of the seventh to posing himself up in the news of the week A'ter a. hearty dinner.“ was his delight on u Sunday afternoon to s t at ease and enjoy his newspaper and his pipe. He had taken great interestin the escape of Lionel Daring, as detail- ed in his favorite journal ; and weck after week he carefully culled whatever rcmps of news he could find,tha.t bore the remutest neferencdm that strange occurence. One day he came were» the lollowing hnes, which he read to his wue. “ We understand that up to the present time the pulice have 0! tsined no clue to the where» abouts of Mr Daring, the prisoner whuse (never escape from Duxley jail was duly chronicled in our columns afew weeks ago. It was thought at one mme that the right truck had been hi upon, but. when prompnly followed up. it ended in nothingâ€"or, rather, m the capture and deten- tion of an innocent person for several hours. So long anime has now a apsed since tue escape that the chances of the prisoner being recap tured would seem to be very problematical 1n deed- W ‘ _ “ 1 hope, with all my heart, that he’ll get safe away." said Mr Wigley. “ What a. snrange thing, it was, Paul, at t at quezr wardrobe vshnch you maue for a gentleman a month or two since should be for somebody in Duxleyâ€"the very town thl‘B this Mr Dervng broke out of prison. Whab a capital hiding place that would make for him. Pau1,dea.rl All the police in ganglan would never think of looking for him are ’ "-0-"; ~â€"~- vâ€"vâ€"~ xâ€"â€"â€" ~77»- . h but however Ioolisuly Mrs ngley might talk, the idea orlgmated by her was one which toou such persistent huld on her husband's mind that, three days late ,he found himself at Dusley, and tel ing the tale of the wardrobe in the omce of the superintendent of police. V- ry for- tunately indeed it happened that on this pur- timlar afternoon Mr Draytou was away on business at a neighbming town, aud that S r- geant Tilley was acting as depu y in his stead. ‘inley listene l to the man’s story with dismay. He had pocketed the .six hundred pounds; and now ne f It almost as much iUtel‘rSted in Mr Dering getting away as ’l‘om BI‘ISLOW himself When. was ta be done ? His first thought. we» to pooh pooh Wiglev and his story, and to persuade the little cabinet maker to return to town by the first up train. But Wigley was not a man to let himself he snuffed out in that way. an I he quietly intimated that he would await the return of Mr Drayton himself. Then Tilley’s manner changed, and, while pro- fessing to agree with him in everything, he . er- sumle . Wis.le to take his leave for a couple of hours. by which time, he told him, Mr Draytun would have returned and woull be at liberty to see him. "You talk like a fool, Maria,” growled Mr nglgy benween th‘e': pgtisgt his pipe. , u. ,, ,,:,1,LL«I‘. no sooner was Wig‘ey gone than, leaving the 011109 11 charge of a uubonunate. Tilley hastened by back stream and uufrequeuted ways to Alder Cottage. He asked for Edith and told her his Story 11 a few hurried words. His counsel was that, eat every risk, Mr Deriug must. be got away from the cottage be ore a van 0" lock that even- ing,as there was no doubt that shortly after that 11qu Mr Draytou might be expected to pay a second domiciliary visit. He. Tilley, would take care that the policeman 0n fluty on that partic- ular beat should be withdrawn for a couple of hours on one pretext or another. so that there might be no fear of any interruption from him. TheoI after a Ila’snt W055! oi warning, he‘went. As it fell out, I‘om Bristow was at the cottage at th: very time of Tilley‘s visit. A council 01 war was immediatel I held. That Lionel m wt leave the cottage, and at once, was the one im- perative necessity. Had it been mid-wiLter, instead of summer. he could easily have stolen away In the darkness, but at seven o’clock on 1m August evening every thing is almost; as clemly visible as m. mmfida. .. However. g0 Lionel must ; and the only (may iou wasâ€"whether should he go ‘2 “Name should he hide himnelf for a. few hours ?â€"or till the plan of action already decided upon by the two ffignd~ coulg begaiely garrieq iuto efiecg ? wlil _th13â€" é-xtreihity; TomԤ thoughts seemed to revert naturale to J we CulperB!‘ ; an which flirectiom indeyd, they hag t1 qvelgd very ofgep of lute. WhifiS’o E Hail to her! Why th ask her to shelter lonel ur a night; or two as Pincotle ? He knew. without asking, that Miss Culuepper would be ready and glad to befriend Lionel at every risk. _ _ _ _ _ _ . A few m'nutes past seven o'clock. Tom Brisv tow walked leisurely out through the front door of Alder C t age. A minute or two later Lionel Daring, dressed Lke a carpenter, With a paper cap on his head and a basket of tools slung over his 16 t shoulder, walked leisurely out through the back door, and keeping Tom Well in view, followed h m at a distance of thirty or Iorty yards. Avoiding as much as possible the main thoroughfares of the lit le town, Tom dive l throughone back street after another, till after several twist ngs and turnings, he reac‘ ed a lonely lane 18 iding into some ’ fields tnrough which ran a footpath in the di- rection of Pincote. Step for step, Lionel fol lowed, smoking a short black pipe, and having the gait and manner of a man who is pretty well worn out with a long day's work. 'l‘hrough the fields they went thus in sing e file, without de- cre.sing the distance between each other or speaking a word, till at length the path brought them to the outskirts of a tiny wood at one corner of the Piucote estate. There was n t a soul to be seen, and the two men overleaping the hedge, were soon buried among the tangled undergrowth of the plantation. hove they held a. h Irried consultation. it would not do for , Lionel to venture any nearer to Pincote till after dark, and Tom had yet to cont ive some means of seeing Miss ulpe per alone. and of explaining to her the punition of Lionel and himself‘ The squire, when at home, genera ly dined between six and seven, and the best t me for seeing Jane would be while her father was taking his post prandial nap belore he joined her in the drawing room. 80, leaving the wood, Tom went slowly toward Pincote, wishing that the shades of Os en- ing would deepen twice as fast as thev were doing just then : while Lionel, left alone, clambered up into the sen recesses of a. sturdy che~tnut, and there, sa cly hidden lrom any chance passers by, awaited, with what patience was possible to him, the signal which would announce to him the re turn of his friend. Once again Mr Drayton's imperative summons echoed through Alder Cottage, but this time he was ex; eaten, and had not to nait so long for admission. As before, Martha Vince ed uitted hum and, as bef re Edith came out of the little parlor at the first sound of his yoice. A- _L.... 1....... ‘ Is the la, )7 Qvuhmflmhmn I ralw whenIWas here nature ?” asked the supeuintendeut of Man tha. ea,'I am here, an you see. Mr Drnyton," an swered h dish. “ To What circum~tance doI ow» the hunor ut_a secund visit frgu) y._u ‘3" . “ sorry to have to cuness it. ma‘am, but, the e was one part of the house which we seem to have qmte overlooked when we were he a last. You won't. perhaps, object to our having a. look at n; no av ?" “ My obje 'tions Iam afm‘d, would be of little va. I e. I have no option but to subu it." “ I must, d 1 my duty, you know, mafiam. Ve~}{_disa.greeable It is to do at times,1 assure yqu:n P... " Doubtless, very. Martha, show these gentle- men w Mover part of the house they may wish to see." With these words, Edith went back into the parlor, bun this time she did not shut 9 the doc r. ufifififiyton ' was followed into the house by Wigley.the cab net. maker and the rear was brought by a. cousfabe in plain clobhrs. :1 Yr A _ : N. __ mu... 2: -n:,1 .11 A n..nnv:h+nnn. w‘, _.___ W. Eigtgirrs, if you pleusé,” séid L-hn superintend- ent .0 Martha. “ I am quite satisfied with the downs: its partpf the_h9use.” S upetalrs they all trumped, and without ausing, Drayteu led the Way into Edith’a drrES- mg room. ngley’ first. we lion 0: the wardrobe ha. brought no hlB recoliec ion the men of there being such a. pi-ce 0| furnixure as the one de- suyibed in on_e of the upstailrs rooms. Now that the moment. f )1' making the grand‘ discovery was at baud. it, would have been difli ‘ cult. to -8.y whether the excitement of Drayton‘ or of Wigley was the more intense. The latte) was lured on by the prospect, of the glitterin. reward that would become his, if, through hi> instr mentality, the escaped prlsoner should be r c-IpLured. Druyton was led on by a purely rote-Bional ard ur, To 511 ceed, where the great Wuiflius from Scotland Yard had fa led, even thoughsuccess were won bya. fluke, and by no brilliautstroke or his own genius, was in itself somethingto e pruudmfâ€"something than woulu bring his name prominently bezore the notice of his guperiayp _..-....,V - This 13 E69 article that I’ve been speaking to you about," said Wigley, strikingjhe polished smfgce 01 the wurdg‘opajvith hi1 openupalpg. I “Open it,MrW1gley, if you pleuse," Snid the superintendent. " This is a. very curious pi--cw of furniture indeed, andI should like to examine it jhozoughly.” â€"_ éEWiggyihroceeded to open it slowly am lovingly, 8.5 a. mun having a ueep admiration £01 the work of his own hands. Firs: the cute: BY MRS. HENRY WOOD, CHAPTmR XX; doors were flung wide open, revealing a few empty garments dvooping drearin from the pegs. But. when Mr Wigley. with asmemu finger much. u d the secret spying and the fa1~e buck swung slowly open on its s cret hinges, the three men press Ad -orward Wi h ‘beating pulses and staring eyr a feeling nu\ e that in another moment \he great rize w- uld be in their: gresp . u, A °.V.._ Drayi‘x'm aufingers cfisrédr ifi'sfin‘ctively on the hundcufis in his pocket, While Martha. Vince noked on f‘om whe background with a. cynical smile. V _ > _ ‘ The; false back swung slowly open and revealed ms? 131de 9.1M. 9.9hi9d- 1.3.1.“ it.“ as myth ., .A “‘7 flipij F’Eraiiid ngley with u. w!) éigh,hll his gold en visions vanishing like the shadow of a ream. . “ Sol 1 I most infernally sold I" exclaimed Dray- rton. his face a. picture of blank discomflture " It’s no good waiting here any longer,” he added, as he m-rned on his heel. “ He’s got clem‘ away, never fear.” Downstairs the three men trumped, without another Word, and, marching out, banged the from uoor behind them with a. force that made every window in the liLtle cottage rattle in its fmm'a ‘- Gone at last, thank Heaven 1' exclaimed Edith. as the echo of the rrtreating footaneps dicd awuv. ‘ If unlyI had tidings that my er- uing is safe. then I alm st think that 1 would be quite happy ” Uubidden tears were in her eyPs as she stood f ~r a. moment with clasped handa and upturned face, while from her heart a silent prayer oithuukfuihess Winge‘d its way 011 high. ALA A“ ____ .. V Tom Bristow lingered about the grnlvinds ; till the dusky evening was deepening into night, and the lamps in the drawing-room were alighfi Then, with cautious footsteps, he stole nearer the house, and at last. found himself ensconced behind a. clump of holly, and close to one of the three French windows Which opened from the irnwmg-room on to the lawn. The venetians were down, but between the interstices he could ibtain a clear View of lhe room and its minutes. The inmates Were only two in numberâ€"Miss Gulpepper and another young lady Whom Tom hwd never seen before The squire, if at home, hind not left the dining roour How pretty Jane looked as she set theze in the lumplight, in her soft flowmg dress of white and mauve, plying her 11‘ edle swifty-for June‘s fingers were rarely unemployed iwhile her companion read to her a. oudl Her everylook, her every gesture. went direct to Tom’s heart He \ras caught in the toils at lastâ€"this cold. selfâ€" willed, unimaginative man i the worldâ€"and he began tofind that. gvefl for such as he, such bonds are not easily 0 en. “ ruis is either love or something very much lxke it,”he Whispered to himself. ‘ I find that I am just as great an ass as my fellow-men What is it in this girl that fascinates me so strangely ‘2 ~he is not particularly clever, or handsome, or witty, or accomplished I have been in the society uf women who could outshine herin every way; and yet, for meshe is the one woman whom the world holdbâ€"the one woman whom I ever felt that I could love. It is easy to talk ab nut dying for a Woman, anu not very diificult to do so, I deresay The grand test of love. as it seems 10 me, is to live With a. woman and to love her at the end of twenty years as well as you loved heron your wedding day. Now, of all the women I have ever met, yonder mi: y is the only one with whom I should care to try the experiment. Her I fancy Icould love as well at the end of a hun- dred years as of twenty;a.ud Lf yet What the charm consrsts that draws me to herâ€"whence it omes, and hnW she exerciéee itâ€"I know no more than the met} in t e moohg: ‘ But Tom’s love reveries did not absorb him to the extent of making him oblivious ol the par- Licularohject Which had brought him to Pincote It was requisite that he should see June alone. and nothing could be done so long as Jane’s com- panion was in the room with her. Besides which the Squire might come in at any moment. and then his last chance would be over. Should the worst come to the worst. he was ‘pvepmed to go boldly up 0 we front door, knock ~like any ordiâ€" nary isitor, and ask to see Miss Culpepper upenlv and boldly. But it was only as a last resource that he would ado t a mea. me which, should it come to the Squire’s ears could only lead to in» quiry ; and inq iry on the Squire’s port was what Tom was particularly wishlul to avoid. Not th Lt the old mun would not have been as staunch as steel in such a. case, and would have done anything anll everything to assist Lionel. But, unlortunetely, he had a garrulom tongue, which could not always be trusted to keep a. ser:ret»which olten betrayed secrets without knowing that it had done so and in a matter so gave as the one in which he was now engaged, Tom was careful to avoi the slightest unnecessary work I ‘wou d be far better for eve yone that the Squire should rest in happy ignorance. mm the future shou d b ing its own proper time for revealing ythin wuwmrwrv- -~â€" â€"~~ in r 7,7 u Whenever any particular question pressed itself st!“ meg on Tom's mind for smut on. he had ehnbit of looking at it, not from one or two point-x of view only, but from several; and i1 nineteen ways out of a. ditficulty proved, from one cause or another, to be unavailable he gen- erally found the twentieth to be the very mode of egress for which he had been seeking no it was an the present case. After considerable cndgelling of his brains, he hit on a simple ex- pedient; which seemed to him to be wortn trying but which might or might not prnve successlul In the result. On the ocuasion of Tom’s first visit to Pincote, among other pieces played by June in the draw ing room after djnuer, was a plaintive little waltz,enti'1ed " Vetez a. Moi," which took his fancy m_ore than‘anylhing hp had1h‘ear1d for a , ,L,,1 ‘ ng time. Later on in ma evening he had asked June to play it; again am] for days afterward the aiv clung to his memory, and seemed in some strange wayvto mix itself up in his musings whe eyer he_thou;.;];t of. Jane. 1 As if Jane had - me mint divmanion that suah was the ens“, the next time Tom was at Pincote she played the :waltz again-this time without being asked; and SJ on the third and last time he spent an evening with her. It was on this thirdoccasion.as the final bars of the waltz were dying away in slow breathed sweet- ness, that the eyes of Tom and Jaue met acrosv~ the pianoâ€"met fora moment only; but that one moment sufficed to reveal a. secret which as yet, they had hardl ventured to 'Whiuper to themselves. From t at day forth, never so long as they lived, could that simple FrencJ melody be forgotten y either qt. them: . . , ,,,,-,, A 3;; L“â€" Tom thought of Blondin, and determinedto try the effect of “new a Moi in attracting Jane’s attention. Only, as he happened to live in this unromu mm m eteeLh century, and to be pos- se sed neither of u harp nor of skill so pley n-ne, there was nothing lext for him but to whistle it. Retiring from the Window a. dozen yards or more but still keeping well within the shelter of the shrubbery, Tom accordingly began to "flute the darkness with his low swVet note," In other Words, he began 10 Whistle Venez a. Moi. At the end of five minutes, whi ‘h to him se med more like an hour, the Venetiuns Wcl‘e lifted, and some one could be seen_ peering into the durkne 3 there. Afew quick strides carried Tom to the window. Although startled when the first notes of the familiar air fell on her ear, Jane was notlong in div ning who in was that was there Inveming an errand for her companion which took that. young lady out . f the room for a few minut» 5, she hurried to the window and looked out. A tam fr to Tom, and the Window was opened. Although surprised bu see him, .‘nd at being .so summoned, he frankly Offered 1361‘ bend . --._ , ,,,,, ,1 ‘.,-__ n,.‘ .. _, V- _ “ When yov have heard my errand, Miss Cul- pepper, you will, I am sure, pardon the liberty I have taken,” sai u Tom. Her thoughts reverted in an instant to her father hut he was snoring peacefully in the din- ing loom. “ I hope Mr Bfisww, that you are the bearer of no ill news,” the said with simple ear- nestness. " My news is either good orbad, as people may choose to take it," answered Tom “ Miss Cu] pepperâ€"my friendLionel Dering,is hiding with- in a miie of this house; “ The place where he has been hiding since his escape from prison is safe no longer," resumed Tum. " Another hiding~place mu ~12 be fbund for him, and at 0 ea. In this gr. at. strait I have venrlureq here to ask your Essisfiance." ‘“ 0h, Mr‘lâ€"Bflvsutbt; 1"? His words took her breath away. She turned giddy. and had to clutch at; the Windqw to keep berg 1f fromfzg‘lling. _ -v- “nv w .w,» , “ And have made ma your debtor for ever so (1 iug,"said Jane, wlth fervour. " My help is yours in anyway and every way that. you can make in uset’ Al.” “ What I 1m hereto ask youto do is, to give my friend f rod an shelte f r three days and nights, by which time a. plan, now in preparation, [or ge ting him away to some dismnt‘, place, will be real.d_y count. into operation ” Jan“. " IJ {1115(3me owniooms got ready for 1311' Dating without a. moment’s delay," said “ Pardon me," said Tom. “ but the verv kidd- ness of your offer would defeac the object we have mosnin View. Dari g’d safety depen son the absolute secrecy which must enshruud this night’s transactions. What you havejusn sug- .ested could not) be carried out wuhuut. exci iug the suspicions of one or more of your senauls. From suspicion to inquiry is only one step, uni in m inquiry to discovery is often only another" 7 V V ,_ Mn} are right, Mr Bristow.v But you nomithpet a mm 0 .Y0 in“, I “1939991. " What I would venture to suggest is”. is,” said Tom: “ that Denna be looked up in one or another of the disused and empty rooms of which I kn >w thee are severalat Pincote No tome tic must have access to the room While he is there, nor even gleam the mintpst suspicion thatihe ruomis occupxed at all. The secret of the hiding place mum be your secret and mine absolutely. If I am asking too much, or more than you can see your way to carry out Without impel-filling the safety of my friend, you will tell me so frauxly I am sure, and Will aid. -me in devusing some other and more possible mode 01 escqpe." " You are not asking too much, Mr Bristow, In such a. case you cannut ask too much. Your plan is better than mine. This old house is big enough to hide half-a-dozen pecule away in. Tuere i: a. suite of four roomq in the left Wing, which room: have never been use 1 since mammals death. an” \Vhlch are never enve ed by the servunh except for cleaning purposes. and then only by my instructmn . Those rooms [ place unreservedh at MrDering’s disposal. There he will be per fectly safe f ,r us long a time as he mev choose t my. I will wait on him myself. No one else lama gene“ 1.12m? W‘; ifélt sine that my appeal to you would not be in van.” “ It will make me happier than I can tell you, i1 1 may be allowed 17 ) assis , in however humble a deguee, m helping Mr Dering to escane We all liked him so much, and we were all be thorough!) convinced 01 hm inn :cenc‘, than when the news was brought next morning! of how he and got out If L8; 1 overni ht I could not help crying, I felt so glad; and I never saw papa so pleased and excited before. Since then, in has always been my task at luncheon to run carefully through the m rning papers and see whether there was any news of Mr Daring. From our near a we Wished him God Bpeed whe ever he might be ; and as day pas-ed after day. and there came no new« of his recu‘ptu e.we vheereu each other with the hope that he had got safely away to some far distant land. And yet all this time from what on say, he must have been hiding close at and!” “ Y a, ver close at handâ€"within half a. mile of \the priegn nom whi hhe escuyeqfl'i AA A A , . . . _ m .m, p ..v..‘ .V_. ~_- "fir," “ And 1 was you wh0_helg ed him to escape I” said June. " I know now that it could have been no one but vou " she laid her fingers lightly on his arm as shâ€" said these words, and looked up full fintppiseyes.“ ‘They both stood in the soft g'ow of the lamplight close to the open window. In Jane’s eyes and lane at this moment there an expressionâ€"an indefinane something. en r-r and yen patheuicâ€"that thnlled Tom as he had never been thrilled before, and told him. in lanâ€" guage Which could not be mistaken, that he was fqve‘d Hone] Dering and I are friends. He saved my ?life. What could I do less than try to save his ” “ I wish that I had been born a. mau.”mid Jane inpqnseqyenfilyh with a. )iftp‘g-igu. , _.,_A AL...‘ n.‘ ‘ {1-1 09117} that 3'61;ka cilia}; gone about the worjgl magistng p»_iao_n§rs up gag-ape ‘2” , 4-,, WW, 0â€" (girdoer Eu i. imiigfifitr H); t I wil} for my- self such a. i-iend as you are to Mr Dermg, or as My: paring is to. ,\ qu ."_ ML ,, __,_ u. __ “AA; yuan ._ -- v “'7‘ But. your mlssiari is a. sweeter one film that. pf fri__enuship : you were sent into the world to love " " That is what men always say of women. Bufi to me, friendship always seems so much purrr and nobler than love. Loveâ€"as I have rem 8.114 heardâ€"is so selfish and exacting, and â€"â€"â€"" " Jone, dear, Whel‘o are you ‘1" Jane gave a start, and Tom sunk back into the shade. “ Coming. dear. in one moment,” cried Juiue. Theu _sh_e_ whispered hurrie_d!v tq’l‘om ~ Juli-granigr't; figlâ€"f-bhgiifelei’en tonight with Mr Daring.” She gave him her fingers for amoment. 3mg qu goge. . .- A . . Tswdu nun-H4 For four days and four nights Lionel Daring lay in hiding at Pine '19. Jane wmi ed upon him here It, and so carefully was the secret kept that no vne under that roofâ€"inmane, guest or servant; vhad the 51 ghteat su-picion of anything out of thfaâ€"ordinpry course. Two days later Lionel bade farewell to Pincote and. its youthful mistress. and set out on his journey to the north. Tom and he started to- gether one evening near midnight, and walked across country 0a little road side 5 ation Born:- fifteen miles away, on a line different fr :m that which ran th ough Duxley. Here they were in iime to catch the early parliamen tary train, and here the two friends bade each other goodbye for a little while. Lionel traveled under the name of the Rev Horace Brown, and that was the name on the one small portmunteau which form (1 his solitary article of luggage. He had injured his health by over-study. and he was g ring down in t4 Cumberland to recruit. He was clcsely shaven, his complexion was dark, and his hair jet black ‘ being some ~hat weak-sighted, he wore a pair of large blue spectacws. His hat, far from new, rather broad in the brim, was set well back on his head, giving him asrmple countrytied ex- pres ~ion. He wore a white cravat, and a collar that was rather limp, and a long cleric .1 coat th t reached below his knees; whiie his black. aid gloves were baegy and too long in the fin- gers. In one hand he carried an alpaca um- brella badly rolled up, and in the otherâ€"the weather being moist and muddyâ€"a pair of huge goloshes, of which he seemed to take especial care. Such, in outward semblance, was the Rev Horace Brown. Meanwhile. Tom bristow had paid a flying visit down into the wilds of Cumberland, among wh ch, as Incumbent of a tiny pari>h buried among the hills. was settled an old chum of Lionelâ€"George Graulon by name. To- him, at Lionel’s request, 'l‘om told everything and then asked him whether he would take Derlng as a guest under his roof for two or three months to a me. In the warmest manner possibl ~Granton agreed to do this, and Tom and he became fast friendspn the spgt. .. ‘ .. 1“,“v",AL_ An Crewe station he had to alight wait a gym- ter of an hour. and tuen change ginto {mu her main. As he was slowly pacing the platform, whom should he see coming towards him but Kester St George, who, on his side, was waiting 101' the express to London. The two men passed each ocher once. and then again, for Li -n=l wm during in the mnt er ; but not the slightest look of recugnition fla. hed into Kester’s eyes as they rested for & moment on the lace of the Rev doraee Brown. A few minutes later their different trains name up, and each went hm seflumng way. WV .. ,. Kester St George’s way was London wards. He drove st: aight to his chsmbers ; and, flex dressing. str. lled out westwar I, and presently found himself at his . lub There weie a number of men there whom he had not seen for some time, who came up to him in ones and tW s and shuok hands Wflih hi 1;, and said, “ How are you, Old fellow ? Glad [0 see you back 2" or, “ Ah, here you are, dear boy Quite missed you for ever so long," and then passed on Kester's monosyllabiu answers were auythiug but prob-i- tiatory. and by and by he was left to eat his din- ner iu aulky solitude Truth to say, he was fag.ed a. la worn, and was, in addition seriously uneasy with regard to the state of his health. For the last two months he he! bern tell my, him‘ ~elf day after day that he would consult his physician, but he hai not get found courage to do so. It was an ordeal from which he shrank as a young girl might shrink at the sight of blood. So long as he had not consulted his doctor, and. did not know the worst, he flattered himsell that there could not be anything very serious the matter with him. " Once get into those vain. pires’ hands," he said, “and they will often keep a fellow ling ring on for ye rs.” So he went on from day to day, and put 03 (big what he felt in his seclet heart he ought to have done previ ously. “I believe ib’fi us that more nor less tuan Indigestion,” he would mutter to h.m~e1f. “ I believe that half them that flesh is heir to,springs hom nothing but mdigtsdon": _ He was sitting moodin over his claret, and the club room was almost deserted, when who should acme st; ppiug chin fly in but. Boulus, the Well known fashionable d qbor. _ The averting ww rather chilly and Dr Bolus Walked up ’0 . the fire an ( begun to air hm palms, before sitting down to the evening firmer. Glanc- mg round, afner a. minute or two. a saw Kester s ttiug alone no grant distance 11.th . “Evening Sb Ge :rge. Ruveuona boujours, eh ?’ he mid with a nod and a. Smilax Su George “rose languidly and croseed t wards the fireplace “ Why not; tell Bolus '1" he mud to himself. “Capital opportunity for getting his opinion unprofessionuuy as between one friend and another. If anybody can p115 me on my pins ugnin, Bolugvcan." my...” -Vflw v.._ Between Kester St George and the fashionable doctor Lhere Were not many points in commun. Their orbins of movement were diumetricalvly Opposed to each other, and, as a rule, were far apart One bond of symuathy there was, how- ever, between them; they were thh splendid Whish players. At the club table they had sat in upposition, or as parlners, many a, time and ft, and each respected the mher‘s prowess, \vhxle thinking his own style of play incompara- bly pyperxor. ‘ a , ,,,,,, Lx,_r-..__.~;u.- .M, -“rvu -. Not. seen you here for some time,” said the Do torLus Keswrfiely Igut 1435 hapd. F “ No, I only got back the other day from Baden and Hamburg. Went. for three months, bun came back at the eud of six weeks. One gets weary of the perpemal g1 tn: 1' and frivoliby of those p aces; as learsc I do. Beside . which, I was a. little hippedâ€"a. little bit out of sorts. I supposeâ€" uud so I seemed naturally no gravitate towards hgpqe agqin.” mu. “ 0 .t of sorts, eh ?" said Bolus, fixing him with his keen profeSaional look. “ What's amiss with you? Been punting too much, or backed the favorite too heavi y f0? the Sn Leger ‘2" and 136 took St George’s wrist between hi§ thumb and finger. “ ei her one nor the other,” said Kestnr. withalittle ho low laugh. “Iseem to he get- ting out of repair generally. Some little cog or wheel inside won't act properly, I suppose, and Po the Whole machme is genting out of gqar.” aw... ‘380 long as we keep the mainspring right there‘s not much to be afraid of,” said Bonus w1th his expansive professional smile. which was as stereotyped and ficbimous as professional Emiles, whether of ballet. girls or doctors, always " Your pu‘sq is certainly not what it ought to be.”went on Bolus in his pity, graceful “fly, as thou‘h he were unparting a. piece of information of the pleasautesb kind; ‘ bun Iheu huW seldom )ue’s pulse is whwn in ought to be. Do you ever experience any little irregularlby iu the action of allege“; ‘2" 77"??er quenfly. Somet‘r beef-Eng for a sepopd ogtwqi’ Yenâ€"yesâ€" Just so” mid Bolus, sonthinglv. “ And you find yourself getting out of breath mure quickly than you used to do, especiu 1y when you walk a little faster than ordinary, or have to 011mb a. number of bfiairs '2" I “fiYes, a. little thing novfa-dtfié puts me out of W _-j' . ‘vv , , ,1 W, -A Â¥__._AA_ “ Precisely so We are none of us so young as we were twenty yams ago. And you s Jmetimes feel as 1f you Wanted an exem pillow under your mead at nighfi ?” “ HEW the deuce do you know that ‘1’” said Kes- tez. Win11. a 1,922.19? 1991*.- "fidifirsjtih‘izlriéd ms iiiiie dry laugh, and began to air pisyalms agmin.‘ "And you Lave a troublesome little cough, and now and than ) our head aches without; your being able to asdgn a cause Why it BLIOuld do so mud frequemly in the night you start up in your s.eep from Home feeling of agitation or alarm wanselers, of course, but very real just hr the moment '2” ' By jove, doctor, you read me like a book i" “ Did you think of going down to Doiicaster this year ‘2" a Red Bolus, as he wheeled suddenly round on Kester. _ did think so. I’ve not missed a. Leger for many ye rs. “ Then I wouldn’t go if I were you.” St George stared at him with a. sort of sullen surprism “And why would you not, go if you ~ere me _?” he askedfih‘ar; 1y. “ Simply because What you want is not excite- ment, but; rest And. in your case, Ht, George, I would live as quiet a. life an possible for some 0 me to come Down in the country, you knowâ€"- fa: ming and t11_g.t._ sort gl_thing." “And by‘the-way, that’s another thing you must give upâ€"tmmping ftcr tne partridgesâ€"f 1' this ane season at leaat. As I said before, what you want is quietude. Half a. guinea on the odd trick is the only form (if excxtemem on which you may venture 101' some time to come, And harkye 1: word in your ear ; not quite so many club cigm‘s, my dear friend ” fffuw notfiifig' 70f farmi'fig. and I hate the cquptry, exgept durjglg £116 ah? 415mg season." v-3 V. ., Two ailéx: Viinénr,rk1irown both to Bolus and St George, came up at the moment, and the tete-uâ€" tete was at an end. Sometimes it seems to stop 1 c i It was late that night when St George gnt home He let himself in With his latch key. Groping his wav into the sitting room, he strule a. mat ch, and turned on the gas. 1-1 ‘ was in the act of blowing o it the match when suddenlv a h ml was laid on his sl-ouuier, and a. voi(e whjep pered iu bl: ear: Come. Simply that me «and, and nothi g more Kerter shixered from head to foot, and glanced involuntarily round. He knew he should See no the that there “as no one l0 be seen: but all the sum“ he couldnot help looking. Twice before he uad felt the same ghostly hand laid on his shoulder ; twice before he had heard the same ghostly whisper in his ear. Was it a. summons from the other world. or what was it ‘2 Tneue was so looking glass on the chimney piece, and, as he staggered forward a. step Or Lwo,'his eyes glancing into i saw there the reflection of a white and haggard face Strangely unlike his own - the brow moist with sweat, the eyes f1 led with a furtive horrur. Mr St George iamlgfiinto a chair and buried his face in his all u CHAPTER 'XXI. GENERAL ST. GEORGE. General St George’s departure from India. had been accelerated by a. sight attack or fener, wuich Bu fer prostrated bun that. he v‘ as unum e to write, or communicate in any way to his friqus in England the men that he was starting for home two months before the date previously fixed on by himself. As a consequcnce, the 1et~ ters and newspapers addressed to him, whxch contained the account. or his ne hew Lionel Der- ing’s arrest and c.>mmitmont for wilful murder, crossed him on the voyage, and he landed at Mur- seill_es iu happy‘iguomnce of tne‘whole afiu' His heal h mid bmefinted greatly by the voy- a‘ge,a.ud ne detexmmud to strengthen it still furth r by lingering for a. few weeks n the south of France below venturing to encounter the more vuxiable and Lr.ing climate of his ovm country. it WES while thus enj yiughimseh thut welebcers and papeis rent; back I’xom India. reached him. It was a. terribly ShOGK to the old suluier to read the news told therein. In h.s secret heart. he had 0 ,me to look upon Lionel With all the affection and yearning which he mighqhaye besyuwed on a. son. "A 1,, ALA,LU1 5... But by the time be reached Pails he was so ill again sham tue doctor whom he called in ordered hlm a". once to Dad, aua unterly forbade hlm even to think of venturing any further on hls journey for at least a. feutnighn to come. In this uilemma he telegraphed no MrPerrins, the Iamlly lawyer. That gentlcman was by the 01d soldier's bedgade in less than twenty-four hours after- war 3. “WE-{hunt the léâ€"é'o? Iiéfiiant he stmted for Paris, en {outs} for_ Lonuop. .“w. ,A:‘. Mr Perriugs brought wirh him the startling news of L=onei’s escape from prison ; but beyenu the bare facts of the alfair as detailed in the newspayers he knew nothing. With those bare facts we general was obliged to content himsell for some time to come. He watched the neWs- apers from day to day with fevers]: anxxely, dreading each morn rig to find in them the nUWe ofL.one1’e recapture. But When a mouth had passed away, and the subject had begun to die out of peepie's minds in the rush of newer in ex- ests. he took heart uf grace and wrore to Perrms again, begging of him to go dowu to Duxkey, and there ascertain, by cautious inquiries and Lhe free use of his purse. Whether in were not possible to obtain some clue. however faint, to Lionel’s whereabouts. Mr Hoskyns was the first person on Whom Mr Perriua called When he lound himx'eif at Duxley ; but that gent eman prufesnea to know very little more than was known to the public at large. Nor, in fact, did he. The annoyance he had felt at the time at having been so cleverly impersonated and the trouble he had been put to to prove his noncomplicity in the escauade, had soon been forgotten. He had learned to like and esteem Lionel as much as it was possible tor him to like and esteem anyone and he was genuinely glad that he had escaped from prison but it ma» no .art OI his busmess to ply int ) the details of the atfa1r,nor uid he ever attempt to do so ;neituer did Lionel nor ‘1 0111 see any adequate motive for ayiug Ou hie shoulders the burden of a secret vslrluich he could in no Wise help to lighten for t em. Tnu iHeIl out that he had nothing to tell Per- rins But he am the W.sesbtning thutc u|d be dune under the circumstances , he took him straight to Tom Bristow. mtrouuced him to that geppgnyn, and 1: 9n 19ft. vhu twg'toge mar. .__ “U1 3.“. w .. u. . 'lhis firat interview between Mr reruns and Tom took place duv ing the Lime that Lionel was lying perdu mt Pincote. Not‘till he had lqu smbisfled himself an to the lawyer‘s i. entity. and had consulned with Lionel, would Tom say a word either une Way or another. So Mr Peri-ins stayed a luight in Duxley, and sew Tom the f0.- lomiug morning ; but, even than, the informa- tion which he took bank with him for the beh of of General Sc George was of the reuntiest. still as far as it Went, it was eminently satisfactory. Lionel was well wul safe. H: sent his love and regards to his uncle, and begged of him 0 wait a little while longer and then everything should be told him. The General had not long to wait. Within a. fortn:ght uf the tune that M;- Perrms had com municated to him the result of his mission, Mr Tom bristow was ushered into the sitting room of his hotel in Pan is. J om was the bearer uf a. letter of introduction from Lionel, which spone of him and his serv can in such terms that the old soi- dier’s heart warmed to him in a moment. Then Tom told. him eVorything ; the st iry of the mur- der; the impr soniuent ; the marriage ; the mini and the escare; and finished by telling him how Lionel un er the name 0 the Rev Horace Brown was at that moment safely hidden away among the Cumberland hii s 'lhe ‘ soldier listened 'to the narrative in open mouthed wond 1'. To him in was ike a story out; of the Arabian Nightsâ€"«a. veritable ohgptqro romjuce. ‘ I V H; mania}? '1‘me Bg‘istow over and ovu- again 1n hua warm heated 1 npulsive way, for the ser- vices he had rend Ire I his dear bgy. "But. ‘70: have waiib cbnsidér the future,” 22113 Tom when he had brought his narrative up 0 ate. " Av 5 just so. But What about the future ?" : askgd Garneliall 5p George, W113} a puzlzled 100111.. ‘ .” answered T m. " As matters stand at pre nt, Uen‘ns‘s life is one of per- petuel dre d and uncertaity. He never tea 3 sure from day to day that before nightfal his hixing place may not be discovered, or his «is- guise penetrated, and he huuselt‘ taken into custody as an escaped murde.er. Such a life in time, would become utterly unbearableâ€" would, in fact, be enough to drive a. man in- sane, orto give himself up to the police in utter despair." “ I see it all. Poor boy! poor boy I" “It would, therefore, seem that, in order to escape so wntched a. f.te.omy one course is left Open to Daring: and than; is to put the w1dtb of the ocean between himself and his‘puzsuers. The Width of half a. world if pos- " I shuu‘d go with him Wherever he went.”smid the General Will] a team in the cum 1‘ of his eyeL “ 1 could not‘bear to leb‘him go again.” A u Ah. “1M4: aiblé. “In some remote nuok of the New World whkre the nearest city is a. hundred mhes away, with his Wile on one hand and you on the other to lave and care for him, Lionel Daring, like u. storm tossed ship that; has reached u. happy haven a. -last,-mighs live out the remainder of his dm 5 in quiet happiness ; withouu any haunting dread. that his szb life would ever became known. or that he would ever be touched on fthe sEouMer by any othar hand than that of a men ." esâ€"yes ; living out in the bush. or something of that kind, is what'you mean," stud the old soldier excitedly. “ I’ve camped out drum; jun- gle many a. time. and know what in is. It’s not such a bum son of life when you gen used to it. Why not get Li to 38.11 nexa week ? I’m an old campaigner, and could. have my rattletmps ready in a. few hours. -‘ Bur. LO go away thus" resumed Tom, “ with the red stain of murder clinging to his name: with the foul consiirscy to destrey him stir] unravelled ; with his wrongs unsvenged ; is what Liinel Dering will never consens to do. Ann I confess that, where I in his place. my feel- ings in the math 1' would be very sisuilar to his He has set before himself one great object in life, and he will never rest till he has accomplisuei it. And that; is to track out and bring to punishm m the real muiderer of Percy Osmond.” " Bunâ€"but What can he do ‘2” {altered the Gen eral. " It seems to me that; his predicamnet is such that he is quite powerless to help him self, or to take any acuiun whutuver in his own interests.” ‘ At tha first glance it would naturallv 896111 80," mid Tom. “ But some of the uifii zultles which surround his case, as in stands at p esent, may, perh ips, be got ova with a little ingenuity. I am going to put bef re you a. certain scheme which may, or may not, meet With your approba- Ii ,2]. Should you not approve of it it will hme to be as once abandoned, as in will be impossible to carry i out withouu your active help and co- oge_ gtion." WW, 1”," LJ; 0.; “ My dear Mr Bristow, you have told me enough this morning to induce me to promise be- torehand that any scheme you may put befou e me, whivh has for its buais tue welfare of Lionel will meet with my heartlest supuo-t. No man cauld have pruved himself abutter fnend to my dear boy than you have done. Your Wishes are my law." Au ALA; LI.A.‘A _,.._ a” JAfter satisfying himself that there were no eavesdroppeu about, 10m proceeded to lay be fore General St. George the uemils of a scheme which he had been elaborating in his brain tor several days, and which. in outline, had been al ready agreed to by hionel.‘ ‘ __. n ‘1 , ‘s:,,, MN“... “D.-v.. ,, V When Tom ceased speaking. the 01d soldier mogped his forehead wiah his handkerchief. He wan: hot and nervous with exci ement, “ Your schvme is certuimy a most extraordinary v-ne," he said; “ but I have great; faith in your ability to carry it 0115. I need hardly say that you may depend upun my doing my best in every way to sgcon 1 you? dysigus.” , -n, .L, A“, "A1 “.3 Tom stay (1 and dined with the General, and went back to London by the night mail. Oue res nlt of the interview was that the Gen. eval declded on not returning to England f 1- some timr to come. Linnel and his wife were to joxn him in a little While at some place on the Continent, not yet flXcd upon. Meantime he would rest qui tly in Pan is, and there await fur the): instructions from Tom. The Gr neral had ohhfined Keatcâ€"r St Geor e's address from Mr Perrins, and snout a week a ter Tom’s visit he wrote to his nephew, trllinsz him Where he was, and asking him to go over and sew hum in Paris. The iuviiation was one which Kester obeyed with alacrity. He had always held firmly to the belief that his Uncle Arthu was noumpumtively rinh man. Now that Lionel was out. 01' the way, and with so terrible an ac- cusation still hanging over him. what more nutu ml or likelv than‘ that he should re place Linnel in his uncle’s affections : and have his own name substituted in place or that of his cousin in his uncle‘s W111. Kester flung black care to the winds as he climbed tha staircase that; 1e (1 1:) his uncle’s apartments in Paris. He put on his most Winmn; smile, his most genial man- ne , rs another man might pull on a. pair cf ewy fittingg‘oves. Asprvaut opened_b_ue door: imp}; Hie-'8 wins his uncle Aseated in an invalid chair M the far end of the room: water sprang forwaad. ' my dear uncle â€"» " he began ; and than he stopped. There was s manhin in the eyes of the Old soldier that chille : his enthusiasm in a. moment. The general extendedtwo lean, frigid fingers, and mo'luned to him to sit down “ Pray be :eated.”he said “I am not well, and I ha e so nes.” Kr'swr 88.6 down With nut a. wI-rd. General ~t Gemge after deli emtely rubbing his spectacles with his hundkvrchief, pm on them nor. ss his nose, and. proceeded to take a. stand y sunryey of‘hispephew Mkéiei’i‘idéérbh}. 71863 finder the ordeal, but smilgd apd {gripd fio appear pleaaefi. You’rtiidrn;{IbuliisoAy‘ouxig‘ 8.5 fihén I saw you 121$th .sgigl his unclg “"V'Ei ht yearsifiiarke a. difference in the appear ance of mosA men,” said Kester, "and London 11f? is v? yweming" . “ No éofibt‘ln 1;]? said the veteran. drfly. “But that any ups lute necessity exists for you to live in London 13 more man I was gwarer {before1 f' _ “ Nu absolute necessity, perhaps. does exist. Yet I uontesa that, except by way or a brief change now and again. life to me anywhere tlse would SOuIl become unendumbl‘." “ YOII louk prematurrlv old. sirâ€"premature‘y old," said the General severely. H s s ectae‘les were across his nose again by this time, and he was again 10 king Keener sneadily in the face And now 1:» spoke in a. Voice than was low, stern and impregnive. “ You look as if you had a burden on \ovrr mind ; you look as if you had some secret car a man was 6 .tlng away your very life, l"Kester St George you are an unhappy man Krster's color came and went. A shiver mn through him from head to foot. He pressed one hand f.1~ a moment aéross his eyes. Then he laygheq a. forced, hollow laugh. “ Really s r, you are rather hard on me," he said. “ After not seeing yen for eight: years, this IS scarcely the greeting 1 anticipmed frog ypu. You have calle n me an unhappy mun. Grantlug thI am one, am I any exception to the or dinary xun of my fellow mortals? Stuw me she man who is really happyâ€"who has no ikelrt‘lvg lockedup in the secret closet. of his earn ' Kester started to his eet, his eyes staring. his haudb trembling A spasm, thnbwas gone almost buxore it; had come, coumrted his face for a. mo- ment gtrangely. - “ Keister St George. w‘ at have you done with 3'03.“ 901181.11- LiqnelPeKins I)". . “ Before heaven, Gvneral St George, I don't know when yJu are driving at l" he cried. in tones that, W re husky from exmtement. "I am not In cousin’s keeper, that you should ask me What have done with him.” “ Then it was not you who assisted him to es- cape from prison ‘2” “ I! No â€"- eutuinlv not.” " And yetI said it could be no one but you," said the general half »a.dly. “And you don't know what has ba-ome of hi u ? You cauhot. tell me where to find him now ‘2" "Ihane no more ‘lin'nowledge of my cousin's whqgeabguts than y uhgwe‘squ’ “ How I have been mistaken! When I read the account of Lionel‘a extraordinary eacaae, I mid to myself, This is Kestex’s doing Kosher knew that his cousin was innocent, and. it is he whq_has_helped_him the o scapel” ‘ Yo; honored me in your thoughts far more highly than Iues rved. {stated 211' along my beli f in my cousin’s innocence, but I had cep- tailxlly no lung in pl nning his escape.'_’ Bu', at all events, ~\ou saw him frequently while he was in pns -n? Yen were there as his niend. helper, and adviser? How did he year his imprisonment ? Did he speak of me?" Again Kester’s color came and went. “I never saw my cousin while he was in prison ” he said in a. low voice "I was sufieziug severely from illness during the whole time. mea canfined to my own rooms, and fut 'dden tu sliryut of d« ors on may gccuunt." “ You were well en .ugh, air, to find your way to your club within a. week of the date of your cousin’s trial. You were no to.» ill to pluv whisn wit-h Cu one] L xingt. n, and wm fifty guineaa from that gentleman bv betting uu we add trick. Yo A were 1105 afraid of walking home ufverwa (13 through the cold means with a cig .r in \ uur mouth ” All this had been told General St George by Col nel Lexington h'un~eltâ€"au old mummy friend, who had. cal‘ed upun him LWO or thgpe «Iuy§ prfleviously. . ... ‘,,,-p~.,, Kescer St; George glared at his uncle as if he would gla le have unnxhilmed him. But the old soldler gave him back look for look, and the younger man's eyes quickly fell. Wuh 8. mm- tered curse ue p11 1191 aside his chair, and strude to the wiude. The .l he (came 1. , r ‘ _ “ General So George. I wnll be frank With \ ou." he said. “ There was never any love 1 at, betweeu Lionel D ring and myrelf. However deeply shocked I might be that such afoul cnme snoqld be lend to ms charge however strun‘ might be my he let in his innocence, I could not no, I could nOLâ€"go near him as he lav in prison. He \vauq‘d no he p or advice frum me. He would not ha» 9 thanked me for prof- fering them. I would not play the hypocrite plul‘Ev and I did nog go near him."‘ ' , .. , ,,,,,,,,~. Keste‘ came a. step or two nearer and held out hm hands appenlingly. “Uncle â€"ure we to pan 'm tuis way 7’" he said, not wmhout a. ring of pathos m his voice. r._v .0 _._ g-.. _._ “ Yuur condom is really rcfreshing," answered the General. " Lines you have no tidmgs to give me of my nephew, I am sorry to have brought, you so far from 11 me. If you will accept this Jimmie cheque in payment of your expenses, I shall esteem 1t 11. tumor.” ' “ An 1 why should we not part in this way, Mr St George ?" “ 1 know, sir, that I was never a. favorite wi‘h you," answered Kester, bitterly. “ Iknow that I (mu never hope to stand as high in your regards as my cousm Lionel stood; out I did not know till this moment than; I should ever be msulv. d by an offer such as the one you have just made me. I did not know till now th At I should be dis- missed lxke the veriess stranger that ever crossed yogr threshold!” _ Not a. muscle of General St George’s face stir- red in answer to this appeal ;tbe hard, cold light in his eyes nevur wavered form moment. He “is trusuad his nephew th moughly. and be dealt Xiyhfh m as he would have dealt with a wily sm 1c. “ If you feel that my offer of a check is an in- sult,” . 6 said, “ Iret‘ act the insu t by replacing the cherk in my p0 ket. ‘As negards treating you like a stranger, I have no intention of doing that. although I might jus remind you that you and I are, in fact, very litbte more than strangers to eacn other ; still, I do not forget that you are my nephew. I asked you to come and see me, in the expectation hunt you would be a '16 to give me some tidings of Lion 1Dering, just as I S‘IOUId have sent for Lion-+1 Deriug 1n the expectation that he should have been abie to give me some tidings of you, had your posxtion and his been re versed. You have not been able to give me the news I wan ed, why need I retain you here ‘2 A: e you anxious to become a. hanger-on t u a queru- l mu invalid? No, Kester St George, this is not the kind of life that would ruit youâ€"or me either. Stay in Paris or go back to London as may please you best. When I want you again. I Will send tor you Meanwhile you may rest fully Mali 8 x that I. shalilnot forget you." ""71 éu’p’fiékfiac 15511365 ' a; "you wish, sir,” said Kester, humbly. " MayI ask whether it _is {3011! intention to make any very long stay m an: ?" ' If my strength increases as i6 has done during the last few dug a, I shall not stay here more than a. turtnighc 8.6 the mags." ‘ “ When we get you back again in England. sir, I trust th re will be no objection to my calling on Yul) rather oft‘ner than I shall be able to do “719139 )qu gtay aibroad."‘ " My doctur tells me that I must not think of crorsing the Channel before next sun mer. I shall winter either in the soulr of France or in Italy. Probably n the letter, if I can find a place to suit me. I shall not be al 116. Richard Der- ing, Lionel’s brother is ordered to F'urope for his heal h, and will join me through the winter. He has been with me 1n I die. and understands my crgtchelgy‘ways en“! queer te‘m‘pey.”l Not without a. bitte} pan- id Kester St George hear this announcement. Hardly was one bro- ther di~posed of when another sprung up in his place. But he hi; his disappointment Lnder an admirable assumptxon of mingled aflecaion and Ire-poet, ‘Afieast, sir, there can be no objection to my haang your address," he said, “ when you are finufly settled for the winter}: one w a everâ€"noiflérvirhatever," answered the General. ' " And should my vagrant footsteps lead me unywh~rr into your neighhomondâ€" although I don’t, think in at all likely that they will do 5 ~â€" and shuu d I chance to drop in upon you about luncheon time,I presumu I should not be looked upon as gnjmrulder ‘1" “ Certainly not as an intruder. In fact it was my intention to send for you before oug, and mk you to stay with me. But not while my healtu is so bad At present I am too nervou~ and cm of sorts for coumany of any kind.” This was said with m we kinduem of tone than the general had yet used in speaking to his nephew, but at the mime t me it was aplain int- mation that thtir interview was at an end. Kester ruse at once and took his leave. " That fellow’s an armht Scamp, although he is my nephew,” mutten d the gr neml to hxm- elf. as the door closed l euind Kester. “ He’s no real St George There’s a. dxnp of riuister blood some- where in his veins that has proved )oul enough to poison the whole. of course, I knew when I sent for him that he had nothing to Ken me about L|011e1, but I wanted to see him and talk With him1 I wanted to ascerta. 11 whether the impres- sion thatI formed of him when I was in England several years ago would be born-s out by the im‘ pression I should form of hi now It has been borne out In at fully. The Kester St George 0? to-d ey, with his scheming brain and shalluw heart. is preci ely the Kester Ht George of ten years ago. only with more experience and lino“- ledee of the world’s hard waysl Could we but «ring the truth out of that crafty heart of hi«, I wonder whether one would find there the secret of a certain teariole crime ? But 1 have no right to accu~e him even in th ughc; and Heaven, 1 {tagwn good time, will surely bring the truth to ig t.” CHAPTER XXII. ovrm AT pmoo'm. With the departure of Lionel Daring from Pin- cote in disguise, and the subsequent removal of Edith aud Mrs Gurnide to London. it would nut uralh have been thought that Mr Tom Bristow’ busmesa in Duxley was at an end, that he would have hidden the quiet little coun‘ry town a. long farewell. and have buswned back gladly to the busier haunts of men. But such was nos the case He still kept on his lodgings iu Duxley. X lthough he had given them In tice three or four imes, when the day came for him to go he has a:ways renewed his tenancy tor another short term; and he still lingered on in uvague,pur- poseless sort; of wa , ulmgether unusual 1n one who rather pride himself on his decisive and nu ines~~like m do of conducting ullthe afiqirs 0t_hia qvujy day. li‘re‘ un uluvvrA’ uulv um Truth to tell, he could not make up his mind to sever th ‘thread of connection which bound him to Miss Culpepper; which, frail though it might be, still continued to hold together. and would. in all probability, so hold as long as he chose to remain at Duxley, but which must in evitably be broken for ever \he moment he and his pontmunwxu blue :1 final farewell to the pleasant lit le town. And yet. What fully, whut wild infatuetxon, it was as he said to himself a ‘ score of times a day. Thrre was not the remot- est prospect of his being able to win J2me Cu‘pepper fur his wifeâ€"at least not during the lifetime of her father. He had read his own heart and feel has by this time, and he knew that he loved her. He kuew that he, the cool, ca cu- lutins man of business, the shrewd speculutor whnhad never been overmuch inclined to he- vieve in the romauce of love : who had often declared that if he ever “ ere to marry it would be for money and money 0mg: he who h~l.d walked unscathed under the sshing fire of a. thousand feminine eyes. had succumbed at last, like the most Weak minded of m -rta.ls,tu the charms of u. country bred squire’s daughter, WM 0 was neither \ ery beautifulyery Wise, very witty, nor, as he believed, yery rich. w , "A: n.-L uux, an uv ul’lllvvuu, nu, .u... Yes, he certainly luved her. He owned that to himeelf now He knew too that he couldn’t help himself, and that, however foolish his pus- 310.. mi-ht be, he could not) bear to b euk him- self uwav fr~m it entirely, as he ought to have done, and put two hundred miles of distance be- Lween himself and her. He pr» feire l to still lipger oq in lgve’s pleaspnt paradise. Not with _ __A. L,‘ -L“¢ AMA v; Vu “u Av... u ,l-vw-.._ -n. _ his own hands would hevcfns 11(th islrmt the g0] ‘en gains that would bar him forever frum my; guppy prgcinct. ,, A A“: b‘ "M..." J .â€" Tuat Miss Culpepper was engaged to young Cope he knew quite well. But Tum Bristow was notaman to set much store by such an en- gagement. He felt. instinctively as it were, thut Jane had drifted into her present position almost unconsciously an I Without being sure of her own feelings in the matter. That Edward rope was quiie unworthy of being her husband he had no manner of doubt; who. indeed,was worthy of holding that position ? Not much less doubt had he as to the real state of Jane’s feel» ings toward the banker’s son; and holding, as he did,thst all is fair in lave and wanhe Wuu‘d have seen Mr Edward Cope jilted, and he him- selt installed in his place. without the slightest jleelilig of compnnction. 1 .. , , - 1 mu“ 4.» L4.“ . VUAAus u. vvu‘y ........ “ He’s an unmitigamed cad," said Tom to himâ€" sulf; “ altogether incapable of apprecfiiting a. girl like Jane." Which, reversing the point. of view, was exactly Ed BJd Copesown Opiui m. In his belief it .wm he who was the unappreciated one. Butafar more serious impediment than any oflered by Jane’s engagemrnt to young (lope 18.. before Torn like a rock ahead. from which there- wus noeecupe. He k. ew quita well th tunlees some ~peuimmimcle should be worke i in Lie b haltit was altogether hopeless to expect that the Squire would eier consent to a mexr age netween himsevf and Jane ; and that any special miracle would be so wouked he had very little faith indeed. He knew how full of prejudices the Squire was: and notwithstanding hie bouhum e and rough frankness of manner how securely wrapped round he was with the train- meie of caste. He knew, too, that had the Squire not owed his life in years gone by to Mr Gene’s oravery, from which not had sprung their wurm friendhhip of many years, not even to a. son of a. rich banker would Titus Culpepper. the proudcommoner who could trace back me family for ten hundred years, hme ever consented to give his dough er \While as for hi self,- he, To n liristow, however ‘ rich he maght one day perhaps become. would never be anything more in Mr Culpeppe ’s e) es than the son of a poor country (1 Actor, and, con- sequently, to a. man of old family, a mere nobouy â€"a. . e.son who by no etretch of imaginut on could 0 er be looked upon in the light of efemily connection And yet, being in possession of all this hitter knowledge, Tom Blistow made no re. 11y deserâ€" miued efiorn to break awn.) . and to my the cure which is said to be often Wrought by time and absence even in vases ms desperate as his. Meta,â€" phorically speaking he hugged the shackles (h t bound him, and glori -d in tue lass of his free dum; a. very sad couditmn indeed fur any reason- ahle being m f 111 int-o. It was curious what a. number of opportunities Tom and Jane seemed to find for seeing each other. and how often they lound themselvus tug that, quite fortuitou 1y as it were, and without any apparent volition of their own in the;mattcr. Sometimes Tom would be moor-in; about tue High street. in the middle 0: ' the fore noon at the verv tame that the Pine te pony carri .ge drew up against one or another of the shops. and then what more natural than that Jane and he should have three minute " converâ€" 5a.: ion together on the pavement? Sometimes June wound W941i into Merton’s libm y at the very moment that Tom was critically chasing u novel which, when borrowed, he would carefully omit to read. How quickly half an houranuy an hourâ€"would pass at such times, and that in conversation of the mi st commonme kiu_d._ Sorrelimes June, wondering alnsently “ibh a book in her hands through the Piucote woods and meadows, would find herself. nfter a. time, on the bums of the cmefully pres rved streamâ€" river 11; could hurdty be called~which wandered of its own sweet will through Squile Culpepper’s demesue. There, Mm ge to relate, she woul I find Mr Bristow Whippi g the stream; very in- urtnsticallv it must. be admitted ; but trying hi5 best to make believe that he was a. very skxlful angler indeed. angler indeed. What wings those sunny minutes but them selves on at such tunes 1 How quickly the yellow afternoons faded and waned, and June womd look round at last. quite sturtl d to find that twi- light bud come already Then Tom would no companv her part of the way back to wards the house, his fishing-ha]; t empty indeed, but hi heart overbrlmming with the happiness of per- fect love Once every now and again the, squire, meeting iom casually in the street, would as“ him to d nner at Pincote. Memorable occasions those, never to be forgotten by eiLher Tom or June, when, with t e uruwing- r0041 all to themselves, while the rquire snowed tor an hour in nis easy chair in the dining roam, they could sit end talk or pretend to play chess, or make believe t J be deeply inter- ested in some p :rtfulio of engravings, or to be altogether immersed 1n 9.- selection from the last new opera, turning over the leaves and szrumm ing afew bars experimentally here and there ; while, in reulity,ra.pt up in and caring for noth- ing and nobody but themeelyes. “.0 _._..._ _.,...-..‘, ~_v V." Yet never once was a single word of love whis- pered between them, Wuate er mutual tal -s their eyes might tell Jane still held herself as engaged to Edward Cope but she had made up her mind that as soon as that young gentleman should return from America she wouidree him. and tell him that she had discovexed her error~ that she 11 I longer cared for him as a “oman ought to care for the man she is about to marry, and she would appeal to his generositv to relieve her from an engagement. that had now become utterl (listasteful to her. Her lexters f ow abroa ;were so infrequ :nt,so brief, and so utterly unlov: I like, that she did not anticipate much uifiicultg in ubtuiniug her request. But, as she WuB well aware, the;e was a certain amount of mule like okstinacy in the character of Edward Um e, uni it was quite possible that he found she no lodger cared fur him, he might cling to hrr all the more firmly. What if he snou d refuse to release her ‘2 The contemplation of such a pos- simlity was not a pleasant one. What she should do in such a case she could not even imagine. But it would be time enough to think of that when 1 the necessity for thinking hi it sh.uld have unsen. But. even if released from her engagement to Edward Cope, Jane knew that she would still be as far in ever from the haven of her sewer. hopes and that without; running entirely counter to her f uher’e Wishes and prejudices, the haven in question could never be reached by her. But although in 111 gm never be possible for her to marry the man Whom she sacred 10 ed she W ‘5 fu-Jy determined in her own min never to marry anyone e 59, however str 11eg the world might, consider her 10 be bound by the fetters of her udious engagement. Edwun d Cupr‘, a. tnnugh he might. reruse to relewe her from her promise, shouldrnever fore. her into beculrdgg his wife. 'l he that of having been a. wpeeled to by Tom Bristow to find a. shelter for IS Liend when that friend was in dire troub e, s- eme i to draw him closer to Jane than anytuing else. Fromthat hour her feelings towards him. took a. warmer tinge than they had ever assumed befo e. There was something almost heroic in her eyes in the friendsuip b-tweeh Lionel and l‘om, and that he shnula have been cilled upon to assist, in however humble a. way, in the escape of the former was to her a, proof of coofidence such as she con :1 never possibly forget. Sre never met Toni without inquiring tor the last news as 10 the movements of Lionel and his wife; and Tom, on his side, took care to kee . her duly posted up in everything that con- erned them. A week or so after t e de- parture of Lionel for Cumberland, June had been taken by Tom to Alder Cott ge and 111er- duced to Edith. How warmly the letter thanked her for what she ha. 1 done need not be told he: 6. In that hour of their meeting was laid the foun detion (-f one of those friendships, mre between two women, which death alone has power to sever. However deeply Tom Bristow might be in love. however infatuated he might be on one partic- ular point, he in no wise neglected his ordin l-l’y business avocations, nor did he by any means spend the whole of his time in Duxlev and its neighborhood. He was frequently in London, ior was either Liverpo l or Manchester un .c' quainted with his face, nor TOui’s speculative proclivrtes expended themselves in In any and various channels. The project to b ing Duxley. by means oia branch railway from one of th» great trunk lines. into closer connection with some of the chief centres of in ustry in that part of the country, was one which had always engag- ed hi-I warmest sympathies. But the project, afte having been safely incubated, and launched in glowing terms before the public, had been quietly all «wed to collapse, its promoters having taken alarm at certain formidable engineering ‘ diflicwlties which had not presented themselvw dur ng the preliminary survey of the route This put Tom bristow on his mettle He had been familiar tram boy 1 hood with the count -y for twenty miles ruunl Duxley. and he tell: sure that a much more favorabae route than the one just abandoned might readily be found if pronerly lo ,ked for } Faking a practicals irvesor with him. a dthe ordnance mnp of the district. Tom went care- .tully over the ground in person, trudging mile after mile on foot‘n all sorts of weather.see- ing his way after a time, 1 We by little, to the elabo mien of a. yroject much holder in idea. and wi 1er in scope mum any which had ever entered into the thoughts of the original pro. jeqturs. ” ~_u -u-_-1.-.: r A month later Tom found himself closeted with one of the heads of a. certain well known financial firm, who were celebra ed for their at so. ing Views and their boldness in floating large schemes of public importance. With thi-a firm was also u,lxed up another well known firm of engineers and contractors; but how and in what Way they were mixed up, and Where one firm began and the other en hâ€"d, was more than any outside person could ever ascertain, and was popularly supposed to be a mythical point even with the pnrlies chiefly c ncerned. But be that as it may, Tom Bristow’s sche . e met with a very favorable reception bath from a financial and an ‘ engineering point 01 view. While still kept a prufound secret from the public at large its de- tails were laid before some five or six well known members of the House, whose opinions carried much we ght n such matters and were a toler- ably safe criteru n as to wh ether any particular bill would be likely to pass unslaughtered through the terrible ordeal of commit ee. 80 favorable were the opinions thus asked for. that Mr Bristo ~ Went up at once to a certain mexro- politan land agent and i‘ structed him to buy up and hol 9 over forhi.n certs. 11 fields and pl ts of land, which happened-lo be for sale just then at different points ex ctly on or contiguo s lo the plop sea line of railway. Such property would rise immensely in value from the moment the prospectus of the line was made public. and b the time the first sod was turned Tom calculate that he Ough‘ to be in a position to clear centper cent by his bola speculation. AT '13!) VILLA PAMPHILI. The month of October had half run its Bourse, Continental Meccas was nearly deserted, the pilgrims were returning in shoals day by day, anu the London club houses were no longer the temples of desolation that they had been for the last two months. In the smoke room of his club, in the easiest of easy chairs, sat Kester St. George, cigar in mouth, his hat tilted over his eyes, musing bittrrly over the hopes. follies, and prospects of his broken 11fe.’ And ‘his life was, in tr th, a broken one. With what 1 fair prospects had he started from port, and now, at thirtyâ€"thn 9 years of age, to what a bankrupt ending he had come 1 One way or another he had contrived until now to surmount his diificul- ties,ur, at least, to tide them over for the time being ; but, at last, the net seemed to be finally clOsing around him. Of ready money he had next to none. His credit was at an' end. Tailor, bootmaker, and glover had alike shut theird era in his face. A three months’ bill for two hunâ€" dred and fifty pounds would fall due in about a Week's time, and he ha I absl lutely no assets with wh ch to meet it ; i or Vi as there the remoxest possibility of his being able to ob'ain a renewal or it. He had made sure of W I ning heavily on certain races. butthe horses he [led bucked had invariably come tJ g1 ief; and it was only by mas 11;; a desperate effort that he had been able to meet his engagemean and save his credit on the turf. When he should have pawned or sold his watch and the sew rings and trinkets tuat still remained to him. and should have spent the poor pounds re mlized tue eby, begging, the most complete and abs lute, would stare in in the lace But two courses were left open for him: flight and out awry, or an appeal to the generos- itv of his uncle, General St George. Bitter alternatives both. Besides which, it was by no men. In certain that his uncle would resp nd to any such appeal, and he shrunk unaccountably, he could he rdly have told hi self why, from the task of asking relief of the stein ‘ 1d soldier. He questioned himself again and again whether suicide woul 4 not so far preferable to the pan- iner's 1i e, which was all that he now saw before himâ€" whether it would not be better by one bold stroke, to out at once and forever through the tangled web of difficulties that bound-him Over his dead body the men to whom he owed monev might wrangle as much as they chose; a com- fortable nouk in the family vault woul I doubtless be found fur i im, and be) 0nd thatha would need nothing more. Unspeakably bitter to-night were the musings of Kester_ St_George “ A bullet: Lhrou h the bra. n, or a. dose of prus- sic maulâ€"w hlch sh Ill it be '2” he asked himsel- “ It matters little which. They are both speedy, and both sure. Thea the voice shall whxsper )n' my ear n vain . ‘hen I shall no 1: nger feel the hand laid on my shoulder; than the black sha- dow than broods over my l‘ue will be swalloweLf up fog fiver in the. blacker shadows‘of death I” ' Lu”. .._ A- __-w. -..|.. :.. vuv vulva...“ mun”. - v‘or tull two miu has he held it be- tween his thumb and finger without opening in. “Why need I trouble myself with what. it contains ? ” he muttemd. " One more a rake of ill fortune can matter noth ng and I’m pass all hope of any good fortune. To a. man “ho is being stoned to death one stnne the more is not worth complaining about. Perhaps it’s Nytell me that Aurora has fallen lame or dead, Serve tue jade r ght! I backed Ler for tmotbou- gun ‘ at Doucaslrergtnd lost.Perhupe it’s only one of Dimmuck‘s ‘straighn 1ips,’imp1uring me to invest a ‘lutle spare casu’ on some mysterious fluorite that is sure to be scratched betore the race comes 01f [\ever again, 0 Mrntor, shell thy fingers wuch gold bf mine! All the spare cash I have WU_1_)6 needed t9 pgv for‘my wiqdinsz-eheeb " A “.4; “r “-7 .h- __ .w “MW, ,m, , Suddenly a. waiter glided up to him salve: in hand. On Ihe ha ver lnya telegram‘ “H you lease, sir," said them 11, in his mwst deferenxial voxce. Mr St Geo: go started,looked up, and took the telegrgan mecha. i_cu.lly. L, Ln: :1. L- . W MW..-“ n. r... -w _., ..__w,,fl W," With a. sneer, he flicked open the envelox e that held the he eg-am, opened it, and read the one line that was ritten therein. “ Lionel Dering is den .. Come here at once I" The telegram dropped from his fingersâ€"the cigar fell from his lips. A strange, death-like pulor ovorspread his face. He pressed both his uauds to his left. side, an i sunk back in his chair lfike a man suddenly stricken by some invisible oe. The Waiter, who had been hovering near. was by h 5 side in a moment. “ Are you 111, sir? " he said. “ What can I geu you? Would you like a glass of water ‘? ” Mr St George did not answer in words, but his eyes said yes Witu a Heep gasp that. was half a. sub, he seemed to recover himself. His hands (hopped from his breast, and the color began to come slowly back into hi. name. He drank tho water, thanked the man, and was left alone to co rnalizujho imolligencg he hag juat recejved. Liomsl Deriug deidl Impo ble l Such news could onlv be the lying invention of some jug- gsin mend whose object it was to give him, for one l‘ief moment, a glimnse of Paradise. and then cast him headlong into still deeper caverns of despu. 1' than any in which 11.3 soul had ever lost itself before: lonelDering dead! What did not such news meen'tlo him, in ouly~if only it were true I It was like urenrieve at the the lad; moment to some poor wreteh condemned to die. The news is whispered 1n his ear. the chords are unloosen- ed, he stares round like a men suddenly roused from some hideous u1.htmure. and cannot f r a. little time. believe that the blissful words he has just heard me really true. So it. was with st George. His brain was in a. mazeâ€" his mind in a. whirl. Again and again he repeated to himself, " It cannub be tgue 1" Then he did what. under ordinary circumstan- ces, he would have done as first-he picked up he nelegram in order to ascermn whence it came, mm by whom it, had barn sens ;two points which he had altogether overlooked up to now, his eyes having been fl-st cuugx t by the one si .{nin'cunt line of themessage. The telegram trem- bled iu his fingers like an uspen last, as he turned it; t I the_ Light, and {gm Exese ‘ Wprdsâ€" From General St George. Villa Pamphi i,nea.r "01310, Italy, to Kester St Ge rge‘ 34 Great Carrmgbon atre 2;, London, England.’ And then out 6 more his eyefi took in the brief, pregnant message, “Lionel Daring is dead. Come here at once.” It was all true, thenâ€"all blissfully true â€"- and note, wild hallucination of his own disordered mint! htil he seemed as though he cou d not possibly realize it. He glanced roun i. No one was regarding him. he presse l the teleg am to his lip twice, passionately. Then he folded it up carefully and accurately, and put it away in the bra at pocket of his frock coat. Then. pull ng 11.5 but over his brow, and burying his ban is deep in his packers, he lounged slowly out of the cm 1, greeung no . ne. looking neither to the right hand nor to the left ; and so, going 510 wly through the streess with eyes fixed 'rfralght be- fore nim. he at; length reacned his rooms in Great Cyringtou spreet I -â€"George Holland, 3 son of the late come- dian of ihat name, has been an actor for years. and nobody who has seen hin only on the stage would guess that he had not all his l'senses fully developed, and yet he is so deal that he does not ordinarily understand a word that is said by the others in the play. He manages to get along without ones by care- fully smdyinn the lines which are to be spoken in connection with his own, and then Watches the lips of the speaker to learn when so strike in. DV-_ “is, Twen )7 min utvs sufiiced for the packing of his porhmauseau. Kester St; Georée was his own v net now. He had been ob ige t to dispense with the new ces of Pierre Janvud months ago. hav- ing no longer the means of keeping him. Winn bis portmauteau wan lucked and strapped, he scribbled on a piece of paper, “Shall not be back for a, week," ufiixed the paper outside the (1101‘, Look alast glance mum}, pul ed 1'. the door, car- ried his luggage doenstairs. h fled the first empty hunsm: that passed him and was diiven [0 the terminus at Leiden Bridge. But: before reaching the smtiou, he stopped the cab an a tavern [16:1th a sporting publican to whom he was well known. From this man he obtained a. 1. an of thi.ty pounds on his watch an x chain and diamond pin. After drinking one small vup of blecs coffee and cognac. he paceu th ~ flags uf the station till the train was ready. smoung one strong eigar nicer another. and seeing and heading nothing of the bury scene around him. And so, will like a. man in a dream. be started 0-. nisjourney. He changed mechanically Irom railway to steamer, and from steamer to railway. he dazed he smoked, he drank coffee and cognac, he waited tor a. train here and a. convayanoo there, but otherwise he did not break the contin- uity of hisjourney ; and, um 15%, he found nim- aelf by tha share of Como, inquiling his way to the Vine. Pmnphili. r -â€"A large private garden in a. suburb 01 San Francisco is to be made a labyrinth, by means of thick foliage and winding paths, so that; a person might wander in it for an hour winhout finding his way out. CHAPTER XXIII. fro BE CONTINUED]