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PARI lowland ee
straint of strangers’ presence.”’ :
ah
‘fancied: he had found out the cause of
her previous depression and her present
nt:
“content.
A young fellow named Farrington, the
son of a friend of Sir _Geoffrey’s youth,
had been among the Christmas visitors at
’Mallingford, and it was. soon apparent
that: he had fallen desperately in love with
sweet-faced Ethel. He was a most esti-
mable young man, with .a substantial rent-
roll, and, knowing himself to be a desira-
ble parti, he went to Sir Geoffrey and
asked his consent, feeling quite satis-
fied as to what would be the result.
Then Sir Geoffrey spoke to Ethel, and
was astonished on receiving an emphatic
refusal, coupled with the declaration that
her heart was not her own to_ bestow.
So, Sir Geoffrey, bearing in* mind the
girl’s happy excitement over Pelling’s let-
ters, which contained. nothing but ac-
counts of Dorton’s industry, talent, and
success, put two-.and two- together, and
decided that she was still true to her first
love. He was a little disappointed that it
should be so; but he had married for love
himself; and he was not going to attempt
to influence his daughter in the selection
of_her husband. , .
So a warm invitation was sent to the
roaming artists, and Ethel settled down
into a beatific state of anticipation, and
one soft spring day toward the end of April
they arrived. . a
Nearly all Sir Geoffrey’s neighbors were
in London by this time, and Ethel had been
rather puzzled as to how she should pro-
vide a party to meet the two men; but her
father put an end, to her perplexity “by
desiring her to entertain them strictly en
famille. - \ : .
. “We can have one or two dinners, if you
like, during. their stay,” he said; “but I
should prefer you not to fill the house with
ordinary society visitors. You see, they
both knew us in our poverty, and I should
like to enjoy their society without the re-
Sir~-Geoffrey actually drove over. himself
to meet them, and Ethel put on her pretti-
est hat and accompanied him. She did not
' go on the platform with her father, but sat
waiting inthe carriage. Her heart flut-
tered a good deal as she sat there. watch-
ing .the few passengers. pass by ones and
twos through the little station door. She
wondered what could be keeping them,
At last her father came out, and with
him a handsome’ sunburned, broad-soul-
dered, bearded giant, whom Ethel regarded
with no little surprise. Could this self-pos-
sessed, courteous creature be Jack—her
Jack, whom she used to chide sometimes
for his little mistakes, who had often con-
fessed that he owed what little polish he
had to his intercourse with her and her
father? She was so astonished at the
change in the-man and his manners that
some of her feeling found its way into her
ace. ‘
An_ amused look stole into his‘eyes as he
stood. bareheaded waiting until she should
offer her hand. Ethel caught the twinkle
and_its meaning, and blushed,
“How changed you are!’ she had almost
said “improved.” “You look as if. you had
enjoyed your winter very much.’’ :
‘T have; but I hope to enjoy my. spring
/. bettter,’
Something in the words jarred on Ethel’s
nice sense of tact. She glanced quickly at
A BITTER RECKONING. | . 61
=
him, blushed again and changed the sub-_
e
ct.
“Where’s Captain Pelling, papa?’’
That gentleman stepped forward from
behind the pillar of the portico, where, with
a strange longing, he-had stood watching
the eloquent little pantomime of blushes
and glances that had just taken place.
The girl looked at him for a moment in
even greater surprise than she had at Jack.
She grew very pale, then extended both
hands quickly.
“JT am so glad to see you again,” she said,
“though I am sorry to see you looking so
tired. I don’t think traveling agrees with
you. You must stay at Mallingford, and
be nursed until you are quite weil.”
dusky red—called up perhaps by the
warmth of her greeting—suddenly spread
over his face, then left it again as colorless:
as before. .
“T am all right,’’ he returned, smiling at
the anxious look in her eyes.. “I’m as hard
as nails; nothing ever ails me.” .
“We won’t argue the question now,” she
said, with her usual brightness. ‘‘Are all.
your belongings right? Let us_get home,
then, and have some luncheon; I am abso-
lutely famished. Come, papa.’’ : :
The three men took their seats in the
roomy barouche, and the talk became gen-
eral. Ethel,
and, taking mental note of the trouble and.
suffering written so unmistakably on Peli-
ing’s face, did not notice that she in turn
was being watched as closely by some one
else, who, by the end of the five-mile drive,
had. come to the conclusion that he had
been decoyed to Mallingford under false
pretenses, and had made up his mind to
take the first opportunity of ascertaining’
the truth from her own lips. But the op-
portunity did not present itself so readily
as he had hoped, and three days passed
without 4 chance of a tete-a-tete, n the
fourth, however, things changed. It was_
the day of the private view at the Acad-
emy. .Of course Sir Geoffrey; by the right
of his old associations, had the entree; so
equally, of course, had Jack as an exhib-
itor.
The rooms were, as usual, crowded to ex-
cess. Jack and Sir Geoffrey were in front,
and Ethel was with Pelling. Jack turned °
suddenly, with his face aglow and his eyes
shining, and said, in a proud whisper:
“By Jove, Pelling, it’s on the line!” .
Pelling pressed forward and shook him
stealthily by the hand. Ethel snow the
movement, and for the moment wished she
was a man to inspire such a friendship
as existed between these two; then she of-
corey et congratulations warmly and sin-
The other two passed on, leaving Ethel
with Jack to take note of the points of the.
opportunity, |
picture. Jack, seizing the
bent his head and whispered:
“Do you remember my. water-color of:
last year?” .
“To be sure,” she answered, without any
sign beyond a slight increase of color that.
the memory was a disquieting one.
“How much has happened since then that
I could wish undone!”
“And J, also.” ee
“Do you mean that?’’. .
‘Why should I say_it unless I dia?”
. Jack looked excited. It was an awkward
place to make an avowal of love, *certainly,
but he would not lose the opportunity she
had given. him, He leaned forward .and
leaning back in her corner, _
ts Nin
By
~
_