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[PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ABBANGEMENT.]…

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[PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ABBANGEMENT.] PAYING THE PENALTY BY FLORENCE HOPE, Author of "Tho Trials of Madge Moberley," "Against The Wind," "A Merciless Woman." "The Lordship of Love," &c., &c. [COPYRIGHT.] CHAPTER VI. A PROPHETIC SIGN. Claude, it's absurd You must be mad to suggest such a thing; treat Farmer Biamleigh s niece as an equal, call upon her as I would call upon the Chosorrs at The Towers, or the Max- wells at The Court, ilie idea is meposterous. It was "mv lady" who was speaking, and "my lady," as by courtesy she was ca'led. was Claude P-lbam's oniy sister Constance, who since the ck:e¡,th of Lady Pelhani i-Li led the house- bold at thü Hall, and up to the present time had made her father and biotbers subservient to her will. She was tall for a woman, thin, and fair, with that chilly fairness thwt always looks calm and cold even under annoyance. as it did now, for though Constance Pelham's temper was de- cidedly ruffled, hor cheek did net flush, nor her lips quiver under their straight thin line. "My dear. I don't see why you should not. when you aie passing, give a look in at the farm, and a kindly word to old Bramleigh's nieoe. I've no doubt she's a doc-exit young woman," said Sir John, as he laiscd his glass 01. after-dinner port to his lif)6. It ww during dessert that Claude had started speaking 01 his little adventure of the after- noon, and had asked his sister to call upon Joan Keppel at the farm. His fair face flushed as he loaned across the table and spoke to his father with some boat in his tone. "You do not undeistand. sit this niece of Bramleigh's is a lady; she is a Keppel, her father was captain in tlie 10th Dragoon Guards; he married olLI Btamleigh's sister, educated her, I believe; at arty rate, she diopped into the position all right, and this girl is as thor- ough a lit,"k-, lady as you would wish to meet. Constance need not imagiri-L- she is stooping to make her acquaintance. Why, father, you used to know some of the Keppels; it's the same family, of course." "Yes; I knew ol.d Sir Gerald; he was a soldier, too; might be her grandfather; died from a bullet that could not be extracted. I recollect; so this girl comes from that stock, does "On the- father's side only, put in Constance, as she carefully peeled a luscious peach with a silver knife. "How comes she to bo living at the farm?" I enquired Sir John. "Her parents are both dead she has no money, and this is to bo hor home. The Kep- pele never acknowledged the marriage, and refused to know their son's wife—a confounded shame! explained Clauds. "I consider that this young persons holds a most awkward position. She will consider her- self above her surroundings, will find her uncle and cousin uncongenial, and will have abso- lutely no w6ety wha.tE"er. A great mistake to come here at all," said Constance. "Deeidcdiy. my dear, decidedly, you always hit tho mark." said Sir John, holding his glass up to the light. "But as she is here, wouldn't it be a kind act to make her welcome? Surely the very fact of her lonely position should draw you to her. Con- stance," said Claude as he pushed his plate away and loaned his arm, on the table. "1 am never etiawn to people of that class, Claude; I have no desire to increase my visit- ing list and really no time to make furtiher acquaintances/' was his sister's reply, then turning to her father and dismissing the sub- ject she said, "Oh. by-the-bye, Glyn cannot get away so soon as ha expected. father. I had a abort note to day. he will not be home for another month, dear Glyn! It will be delight- ful to see him again. I wish his visit was not defen,e. "Ah, that reminds me, Glyn knows Miss Kep- pel she said she had met him at balls and things in Malta," cried Claude, returning to the subject that was absorbing his thoughts. "GJyn wi!l know better than to renew an ob- jectionable acquaintance here," answered Con- stance. "Glyn is not a cod," exo'aimed Claude, hotly. "Really, Claude, I don't understand you to- night. the thunder perhaps has upset you "It is your intolerable prido your insuffer- able dignity that has upset me. Constance, if you want the ti ut-h. I ask you to do a kind and womanly act, which you refuse in the most dis- agreeable way. I am surpiised and hurt, will you excuse roe, pJ 1" As The spoke Claude rose from the (able and stepped out of one of the long French windows on to the terrace, where a couple of peacocks wom, prancing with stately step and outspread tails, and the last deep glow of the setting sun was easting a ruby light through the copper beeches that looked black against the eve-ning sky. Constance had failed him; what could he do for the lonely girl down at the farm? He was so soi ry for her, he was deeply in- terested in her, and-ym. he certain!y admired her immensely. What would Glyn do about her? But perhaps he had forgotten her existence, theirs had been but a passing acquaintance, hardly even that, from what Miss Ke-ppel had 8&id. She had declared that she would scarcely know him again, and yet—yet—yes that was certainly an odd thing that in her half-uncon- eoiousness she had called his brother by his Christian name. Glyn, she had calkd--Glyn- Olaude frit his face- grow hot. She must have known him better than she had said, perhaps there bad been a flirtation between them. Glyn was a beggar to flirt; perli-aps tlkev had qu&r- relled, perhaps— but how disappointed she had looked when she had made the (tiscovery that be was not Glyn. "Haing it alL I hate things tbab are not understandable. I wisfc I knew what it all meant," muttered the young man. He stepped down fiom the broad stone ter- race into the garden that was scented with the fragrance of many rosea and the perfume of tobaoco flowers that were opening their petals to too evening dusk. Although the storm had cleared the air, it was still very warm, and no breeze stirred the leaves into motion. The sun sank lower, the crimson deepened into purple that passed into grey, and twilight like a silver cloud lay over the landscape. Claude was re.-1 lees and wandered across the lawn to the walled-in garden that once had been bis mother's delight and pride, where the old sun dial and the beehive summer-house wore the admired features of the place that now was gorgeous in a wealth of blossom; for it was a memory of the late Lady Pelham, and so loved and m-vc-zenced by her family in remembrance of her. There was a door in the wall on the other eide tbat led out into the lane near the wood where Claude had met Joan that afternoon, and it was through this door that he passed now, omssiog tbo lane and stepping through a gap in the hedge into a tangled path, that k'd up to the tower, Gypsy Jane s abode. The old woman was saated on tOO moss-grown steps smokitg a hlack, dirty-looking pipe, and 90 but led in thought that she did not hoar young Pelham's approach until he was close upon her. He wore his evening clothes, and his shirt front gleamed white in the gathering darknœs; be bad come just as he was from the dinner- table and was hattess. He was a great favour- ite of Gypsy Jane's, and he liked to com-, and obat with the strange old creature and listen to her queer stories and her weird prophecies. "What, back again. Master Claude, and how's the lass down at Hollow Farm?" said Gypsy Jane, taking her pipe from her mouth and knocking out the ash against the stone step. "I left her in the care of her uncle and ox-, peoting ths doctor," replied Claude, as he seated himself beside the old woman. "Don't sit on these stones., Master Claude, you ain't used to 'em, and tho gentry catch cedd quicker 'an we do," said Gypsy Jane. "I never oatoh cold, Janey, I never oatob anything—not even the trout that abound in the stream, I get thinking of something else you 600 and dreaming dreams. I say, old woman, you ahouldilt have told that young lady's fortune* this afternoon, you might have frightened her, you know," said Claude pick- ing up the old woman's pipe and filling it for her from a tin box full of tobacco that he him- self had purchased the previous week. "There, smoke your pipe and give a look at my hand why, Janey, you've neVill told my fortune. I'm jealous, ao go ahead." He opened his hands palms upwards for Gypsy Jane's inspection. But sh e shook her head. "No, no, Master Claude, I don't want to see into your future, let the clouda gather as they will I won't lift 'em to see what's behind," said the old wom-an giving a vigorous puff at her pipe which sent out a strong rather thaji sweet odour. But Claude was persistent. "Nonsense! Why not? I'm in the mood. 1 want to know what you see that's coming into my placid life. A dreamer's life, isn't it, Janey? I'm one of the lazy drifting sort, a stay at home chap to whom nothing will come, no Tipple on the smooth waters, nothing to atir the calm surface, ye4, you know, Janey, 'smooth waters run deep,' and eare less happy-go-lucky chap though I am I can feel t hings, aye feel 'em devilishly hard. Come finish your pipe amd tell me what these 1 ins mean," said the young man with a careless downward glance at his smooth brown hands, which had been kissod by the sun am! tanned like he face. "When' ts Master Glyn oC'in.i:n<g- back ques- tioncd the old woman without a glance at the hands that Claude was begging her to regard. "Next month. I say, Janey, he and that young lady who was hero to-day know each i ot-he • that's funny, isn't it?" The old woman looked up sharply. "What did I tell her? Two fair men and a dark, aye, aye, aye, the two o-f 'em and t'other, sorrow and sin, and the pity of it, the Pu> æ h' Cnoc t,'hL? was silent puHmg at the p'p0 and lost in dreams and vsions, and when her pipe we-nt CUL and Claude took it from her, ho laid his hands across her thin old knee for he was bent on getting -his way, and Gypsy Jane's shrivelled fore-finger touched the brown clear palm and followed a line with its tiny seams acrovj and aCt oss that suddenly came to a stop, a blank, and there- was nothing more. The keen eyes oi the old creature searched and searched bit there was no join further cn, the line erf life was ended suddenly, abruptly, and soon, very soon. Cold beads of sweat stood on Gyptsy Jane's wrinkled brow, and little drops gathered round her mouth with its shaking lips. She had known Claude Pelham and his brother GJyn since they were babies, one with the pink "tie-ups" the other with the blue, to distinguish the one from the other, and she believed in what she read in the hands she examined, and knew that that sudden break off of the line of life meant a sharp, quick death, cut off without warning, but how—in what way? With fast-beating heart the old woman held the. young mail's hand nearer to her eyes, and as she looked ahe saw something that mado her drop it with a low cry of anguished fear. No, no! it could not be that! "What is it, Jajiey? What do you see? What is the master" exclaimed Claude, won- dering at the old gypsy's ashen face and ter- rible agitation. "It—it's nothin', my dear lad, nothin', only one o' them opasim as catch me now and again. I'm break in' up, that be it, Master Claude. r'm an old woman, and pains and aches come to me and warn me that my time ain't long for this world. I'm no good at for- tune tellin' tocnight. Go home, lad, don't think no more about Gypsy Jane's nonsense stuff." 'But if yo 1 are ill, Janey, something must be done for you. Will you let me send the doctor TO see you?" said Claude, kindly. "The medicine man? No, thank you, Mas- ter Claude; no doctor for me. I don't want to be kilt before my time. You let me be, my dear; that's all as I wcunt, to be let be, 80 none ;d the o4d woman o' your doctors for me," said the old woman tremulously. Then «he rose shakily, picked up hCl;" pipe and tobacco tin, and shivered as she turned in- to the tower. "Good-night, Master Claude, you go home, and my lad, don't linger about after dark; be in your house betimes, safe from all danger. It's a wa.:nin' I give you, a warn-in', re- member. The young man laughed. He thought Gypsy Jare was in one of 'her queer moods, and perhaps better left alone, eo with a word of advice to her to keep indoors and not get rheumatism after the rain sitting on the etepe, he left her with a cheery goodtnight, and swung along the dark path that wound through tho wood, whistling as he went the refrain of one of Tceti's love songs that died away softly in the dim distance. The old gypsy woman stood cm the threshold of her dwelling-place, that queer, hilf-miirci tower, listening to the sound of hie light footstep and tho melodious music of his song, until the silence fell heavily upon her, for he had gone out of sight and sound, and then she lifted up her aged voice in a low wail of distress that ended in a sobbing moan as she dropped down on the step, rooking herself to and flo-to and fro. (To be continued.)

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