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CHAPTER XVII.

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CHAPTER XVII. ADELA IN EXCEPTS. Mr. Pickering and hris curate, Mr. Samdford, who. had been asked to dine at the Court that evening, arrived a little before their time, which enabled the former to comply the moire readily with a request, conveyed to him while he was removing his overcoat, that he would "see her ladyship for a minute up- stairs." Periodical problems, relating to d'oanestic or parochial matters, arose with which Lady Constantia did not wish her taus- band to be troubled, so that there was nothing unuaual in such a summons; but, as soon as the Rector was shown into the somewhat bare and severely furnished room which, far want of a more appropriate desig- nation, was called her ladyship's boudoir," he perceived that his old friend, was dis- turbed to a greater extent than she would have been by amy ordinary delinquencies of dependents. A rather shocking thing has happened," she told him at once; "Adela has inveigled that senseless young man into miaiking her an offer of marriage. The Rector pursed up his lips. "Dear me! this is a little sudden, isn't it?" "I shouldn't wonder if he thought so," Lady Cons-tantia answered, with some bitternieios; "Adela probably came to a decision the moment she knew that his position here was secure. There is nothing to be done with Ad'eiia; but you have influence with him. Can't you persmade him to break it off?" I hardly see on what ground I could do that. One must presume that he is attached to her." Lady Constantia shook her head. "I see and hear so little that I can't speak from personal observattiom, but I presumed from what you all told me that he was attached to Mabel Penrose. Adela may have made mischief between them; that wouldn't be unlike her. Anyhow, she has been spreading her net quite openly of liaite, and about am hour ago she and he came in with the 0001 announcement that they were engaged." "What did Sir Martin say?" Not much—to them. H,& confessed to me that he was very sorry about it—amd, of course, surprised." I make the same confession," said the Rector, if there is any use in that. Your sorrow, I gather,, exoeedls your surprise." "Adela exhausted her power of surprising me long ago," answered Lady Oonetontia drily; "but she can bring additional sorrow upon me, end if this shameless marriage takes place she will." Are we justified in describing it ae shame- less?" If you prefer to oadil it etoameifuil, I have no objection. Not that I object to it on account of Adela's effrontery alone, or because one can't help pitying her silly vic- tim. What I foresee is that, if tihey become man and wife, Martim will certainly went bhem. to live a. good many months out of the year in this house; and you know what that would entail. Evem as it is, I am obliged to -resort to all manner of stratagems to kieep him from inviting people to stay, and with a newly-married oo-mpde umder our roof vktbiaA chance .shofUiW. I have?" The Sector piDtshed his lower Up. botwooni bd a flmger ajKl tlnuanb reflectively. "Tee, •there's thai rdiak. lit would have been redoood to a. TnritnaimTBm by Qyril's marrying lllaibcil Peaurtoee." "Exactly so." But human, nature is perverse, and it's a waste of time to lament over what might have bean. Now, what do you expect me to eay to Cyril?" Yiit? might tell Mm what Adela is." "One difficulty is that I d-oai't know. Besides which, he is too good a fellow to listen to backbiting. And, after all, Mrs. Spencer may be im. love with hiim." "ill love with him I" Lady Oomstamtaa ejaooiated soornfuftly. "Adela in love !-amd with him!" "It doesn't seem to me so impossible. How- ever, Sir Martin couild easily find out by for- badKling the marriage and threatening to dis- inherit the bridegroom-elect." A fugitive gleam of hope ligtotied up Lady Constamtia's eyes, but died awo-y imstaratly. AdeJia won It be taken in by-a sham thireat," said she. "I was only wondering whether the threat might not be made in earnest." I fear not. A distdmot promise has been given., and Martin does not break (has pro- mises." She spoke with a sort of regretful pride; for, although she sometimes thought her husband quixotic, she wooiid not hawe had him other than what he was. "WeU," said the Rector. "I accept a watching brief; I can do no more. I famcy this match as little as yon do; bolt. one thing you may depend upon: unless Mrs. Spencer herself cam be induced to bvmk it off, molbodjy else wild. Isn't it tiime for us to go down- stairs?" It speak6 weld for the self-oommamd and good manners of the persoms chiefly con- cerned ttoait dimmer poased off without the least visible discomfort and withocut any allmsdan, open or veiled, to the subject whiah was im a<ll their minds. I»ady Ooneitarutia, it is true, atoned for the unwanted garraltity just recorded by remaliming aJlJl but mute from start to finish; but Sir Martin chatted •good-humonredly to Cyril, whose aoootnit of the aftermoom's aquatic adventures seemed to divert him; the Sector joined in with reminiscences of bygone exploits on the Isie, a.nd Adela annueed bensalf by discuesfcng reoentfc social scandals m am umdertomie with the cfurat^, appearing to take it for granted that he must be comversBmit with all their details. Mir. Samdford, whio had never so much as heard the names of the culprits ion- plicated thereim, was a. good deal horrified, ha.1f irnered-ulous perhaps also unconsciously flattered at being treated as one of the initiated. To him Mrs. Spencer Hadiow Stood for the world, the flesh, and the devil; but he would have conceded that these had an emgogirug representative in her. We must always be on our guard lest fellow-"feeling for the sinner should lead us into condoling the sin," Oyril heard him say. In reply to which strikingly novel admonition Adela, without moving a muscle, drawled out: "Ah, that's so, suibtle! One sees how you would oomfbiine sympathy with severity ilf you were one's confessor. Is it really our duty, do you think, to confess our sine to a priest ?" Not, perhaps, a diuty of universal obliga- tion; yet am inestimable privilege which we can only neglect at our soul's peril. Such, Oyril gathered, was the view of Mr. Samdford, who waxed eager amd eloquent upon the point. Out of ?fhø..t unpromising material Adalia could always extract sport for herself! —-and with what easy dexterity she fitted her conversation to her environment! Even Sir Martin and Lady Constantia, it seemed, were unable to hold out against her. Why had she predicted that they would be furious? They had been nothing of the sort; they were not own actively hostile to an arrange- ment which might not altogether please them, but to which they had the appearance of being resigned, as to a virtually accom- plished fact. Cyril could not but think Adela amazingly clever. Exactly how clever gihe was he was precluded from appreciating by causes which must be obvious to every- body. They were, at 8.111 events, obvious to Sir Martin, who. as soon as the two ladies had left the room, got up amd said: Now, I wamt to smoke a cigarette; but I won't spoil the bouquet of your claret by lighting it in here, Pickering, and I'll be back before you are ready for coffee. Oome a-nd take a turn on the terrace with me, Qyril, if you have had enough wine." Out in the warm night, umder a. staorlit sky, the old man took the young ome by the arm and began, without amy preface: I must ask you a queefciofn which you won't like. Is this your doing or her"s?" Well, I suppose we are jointly respon- sible," answered Oyrll, laughing a little. "Isn't it |usually so in these oases?" My dear feldow. we are discussing yenrr particular case, which is unusual im more ways than ome. I haven't, to start with, the rigthit of veto which I might cJafizn if you were my som, as well as my heitr-" Oh, but I think you hafve," broke in OyriL What would you do if you wanted to pre- vent a son of my age from marking a mar- riage of wfatich you disapproved ? Tell him that he must either give way or be out off with a shilling?" "WeIJ. I might—im the last resort." "All'the more easily, then, cam you bring the saane pressure to bear upon me, a mere collateral. Yoa don't Ike the idea of my marrying your daughter-in-law, do you?" "No; sinoe you aBk me, I don't. Nor does my wife." Oh, I knew Lady Oomstamitia wouldn't like it." "So you see—or don't you see?—why I asked you a. rather impertinent question. I miust be soitdsfled that you know what you are doing. Unless you proposed, as many a man hoe done before now, in a fit of pique because you had been slighted, or had imagined yourself slighted, by some other lady—" Cyril made a vigorous gesture of demiafl. Unless you did that, it stands to reason, I am afraid, that you are simcere. You have nothing to gain by marrying a widow who is considerably your senior and who has no private fortune. Adela, on the other hand, has obvious indmcements to marry you." I underst-an,d what you mean; but you are mistaken. She is a^bsolutely disinterested; I a.m certain of that." Sir Martin was as certain as it is poesiiMe to be witih regard to any feminine amotions or m-otives that she was not; but he wisely refused hinvpolf the luxury of proclaiming his coirviotion. All he said was: "I may take it, then, th13lt you are not to be dis- suaded?" What would you think of me if I were? Supposing I wished to be off my bargain—I don't in the least, but surp.posin.g I dad—how could I go back from my word now? I hope you will believe, though, that I shall not for one moment think myself ill-used if, under the circumstances, you decide to alter your wild." I have no intention of doing that," answered Sir Martin, patting him on the shoulder; "I aliso object to going back from nSy word. I have told you frankly that tJhis marriage doesn't please me, and I ha.ve owned to iouspici-onts which you tell me are mtis- taken. I oalll't insist farther. Let us go back to the dining-room and say no more about it." Cyril would have li-k-ed to say a little more about it. He'would have liked, for. instance, to ask what Adela had done to deserve the animosity of a kind-hearted and liberal father-in-law; but, perhaps, after all, it was best to leave well alone, and he was con- scious of having been very leniently dealt with. He could only hope that his betrothed had fared half as well at the hands of the redoubtable Lady Oomstamtia. Not until an hour and a half later cfculd he make inquiry as to that. He was oa-Qed upon presently to take a hand at whist with Lady Oonsta.wtia for partner, Sir Martin and Root-or making up the rubber, while Adela and the curate talked theology in the background. As usual, he made several glar- ing blunders, and, as usual, -after the rubber had been lost, hde apologies were received with a silence more crushing than ra.niy spoken rebuke. Rather crushing also was Mr. Pickering's pointed abstention from rae felicitations which Cyril gave him am oppor- tunity to offer by following him out into the hall, helping him on with his overcoat, and saying: "I suppose yooi have heard my news?" Oh, yes, I have hea.rd," tlbe Rector briskly replied. I airways thought Mrs. Spencer was the sort of person who would be likely .to marry again. What a lovely night! Now, Sandford, are you ready?" Cyril ralIJ. upsitairs, laughing under his breath, but a little mortified, nevertheless, I He was no adept at oomcealiimg hde thought^. and was soon joined in his studio, as he bad expected to be, by Adefta, who perched toerselj upon the arm of his chair, drew a. long breath, and exclaimed: Well, thank goodness, that's over amd done wiitih!" Was hea- ladyshup very terrible?" Cyril asked. "Terrible was no woaid for her! She didn't caN me an aJbamdkxnied minx, but, of ooturse, she gave me to umderstamd tlhat I was that, and worse. Well, I bear no malice." I don't think you ever' dio, said Cyril admiringly. I Clan't afford it, dear boy, at my time of life; nobbing is so wraaikhng. I needn't tell you that I was raminded of my time of life more than once in the oonoree at) a trenchant monologue." you allowed it to be a xa«noOogue, did YOIIlP" Adela shrugged her shoulders. "What could I say for myself ? Naturally, it is gail and wormwood to her, poor old creature, to ftnd me for the second time in the position, of her successor, amd, naturally, she believes I have schemed to entrap you, with am eye to the succession amd nothing «16e." I don't it ma/tunad to believe anything so uncharitable and untrue," said CyriJ.. wiitih some heat. Sir Martin, at any rate, doesn't; for I toM him we shouidta-'t think of com- plaining if he C'hoee to out me out of hie wild." You spoke without book there, my dear; I should complain very much, indeed. or, rait (her, I should cancel the engageanenA forth- with. It wasn't in order to wreck your pros- poets that I consented to marry you. I wont ask what the. odd mam's reply was, because I know. He didm't fancy me as a dtewighiter-in- latw, and lie'111 famcy me even leas, I daresay, 00 your wife; but he is always a gemittoman." Yes, bat for that very reosom one hates. to take advantage Off his scrupulous good faith." Oh, you're another!" Laughed AdeJa. "It's because you're another, amd because he knows it, tihat you may perpettpate all man- ner of eccentricities with impumity. At the same time, if you feel that you owe him something, you won't be more eccentric than you cam help. Let's make good resolutions, shall we? I've begun already, though I dlon't suppose you have noticed it." Noticed w)hat?" Cyril asked. She dived into his pocket for his cigarette- case, took out a cigarette, which she held up, amd then put it back. Never again!" sadd she: "you don't like to see women smoking." Oh, but, indeed—" Ob, but, indeed, you don't! And if I have any other small vicetf^ which you wish me to abandon, strike now while the iron is hot and say so." He was a good deal touched. He answered as lo'vort^ answer; he could not doubt that Adela loved him, amd before they parted he was able to assure his conscience that he loved her. He even went so far as to quiet that inward marplot with the perfectly absurd assertion thl3lt there are more ways than one of being in love. His young«T brother, who did not prtniemd to his wisdom or experience, could ha.ve told him that there is only one, but might have added that women oomtrive to reconcile it with conduct which would be impossible to the least refined of men. Hubert, however, had no remarks to make about love or about a perplexing sex when he arrived, towards moon the next day, in order, as he briefly explained, to take leave of his friends at Kimgsmorebom Court. Oh, nothing," said be, in answer to the surprised Cyril, who asked him point-plank what was up now; "but one oam't stay with a mom for ever, you know, and I haven't too much time left if I'm to see anything of mother and the garle before I settle down to hard labour. So I'm off to the Isle of Wight to-morrow." As it had been arranged that be should make hda home im Lomdom with his family, this was a somewhat lame excuse; but Cyril, divining that the episode ijf the previous afternoon had brought about a slight mds- uurienstandikig with Mabed, which might be expected to right itself if left alone, was dis- creet enough to put no further questions. The commumicatiom that he had to make respecting his own destiny was hailed with an outburst of facetious applause. "Didm't I say so!" cried Hubert; "didn't I see through yoa all ab=g! Everybody in these; posits tfitore yon were after Miaa Pen- nee; bat. I thou*rht I know ratbrar better." — "I daresay you did," observed Oyril drily. Amd I'll tell yoiu what it ie, old man; I think you're doing a jolly sensible thing for once in your life. From what I've heard since I came down here ab-outt the course you've got to run, I should say you would want a. bit of riding to keep you on the right side of the flags, and Mra. Spencer is just the wewtnam to do that; for you." Mrs. Spencer may have been of the same opinion. She soon joined the brothers, accepted the compliments of the younger with the remark that it Would be her en- deavour to show herself worthy of them, amd professed much regret at the tidings of his abrupt departure. If she could form a Slhrewd guess at its cause, she kept her surmises to herself. Not even to CyTil-least of all, per- haps, to CIYKI-ims she disposed to impart them after luncheon was over and Hubert, who had been persuaded to stay for that meal, had left. I suppose," Cyril remarked, "there has been a tiff between him amd MisB Penrose about something. It seems rather a pity." To which Adela semtenitiously replied: "One never knows what is a pity amid what isn't; the simplest plan is to take things as they come and remember that it will be a.11 the same a few years, hence. At this vetry moment, umleas I am much mistaken, my beloved mother-in-law is calling Heaven to witness what a pity it is that your brother didn't come into the world before you." v"There," observed Cyril, "I heartily con- cur." I'm sure you do! But why do you imagine that she treated him with such marked fa/voter at luncheon and put 001 that tehderly regreitfuil air when she bade him good-bye?" "Because ehe likes him, I suppose; because he is a pleasant, cheery mortal, with no tire- same fads and with the tastes tha,t a country gentleman ought to have. In short, becomes he is a perfect fit, whereas I am a most pal- pable misfit." "Oh, dear, 'no! only because he isn't you. If he were put in your place, eihe -would begin to abhor him and a-ripcreciate your sterling worth from that Yery hour. As for misfits, why treat KingCTnore'icm as the ouiEitomer amd yourself as the .garment? Why not take rap the more di,t.in!g attitud.e of looking at things the other way about?" Oyril shoofr his head. I am afraid tthat I distinction -vVauMxTt make much diffemmee. ILOW can Kta^niozetaa be cut and stitched to my measurements?" I' Ah, that's where I come in! Ycru: ha.ve no idoa how useful I am going to be to yon. People must be made to realise that a main of your artistic talent is a credit and am I OirrameT't to the neigfbbo'nrhocd. They may- have to re~pcct a.nid a.dicpt your fsdis also; I haven't quite decadcd yet. Anyhow, you are going to b3 a success; it is I who promise you that." You don't even draw the line ait miracles!" said Cyril, laughing. I ciraw no lines wh0:Ð ycu ar3 ccmcerraed," the intrepid little woman declared.

| BANKS'S FAIRY. |

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CHAPTER xvirr.

LAUGH & GROW FAT ♦

I'I i— A NOTORIOUS BURGLAR.…

FATHER'S DEATH AVENGED.

t____ " LEASEHOLD MARRIAGES."

CHAPTER XY'I. (Continued.)