The evening world. Newspaper, October 14, 1914, Page 17

(Copyright, 1910, by W, J, Watt Co.) SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, Pitt, a rie you in Charteris wae firi d by Mel fe and atten ese McBacherm lets them go, "Molly enters Just es Jimay iy departing. le . ‘or two with her before ‘her feiber can » A f dates, with Spike £ hie neater tana. house vores. 10 Miouly "amd het th nests, lcKachern, still mist lat, thireatens to ences Mekachera by « ter the 'ex-paliceman's history as © gritter, CHAPTER VI. (Continued.) . Check ahd a Counter Move. Ramee HE appearance of Lady Julla at dinner, wearing the famous rope of diamonds, supplied an obvious motive, The\necklace had an inter- tonal reputation. Probably, there not a prominent thief in England on the Continent who had not d it down gs a possible prey. It already been tried for, once. It big game, just the sort of lure it would draw the type of criminal chern imagined Jimmy to be. From his seat at the far end of the Jimmy looked at the jewels as So pana on thelr wearer's neck. ‘Were almost too ostentatious for ‘was, after all, an informal din- gan It was not a rope of diamonds, $8 was a collar, There was something tal and barbaric in the over- ing display of jewelry. It was for which @ thief would risk conversation, becoming general the fish, was not of @ kind to from his migd the im~-ession by the sight of the gei.s, It d on burglary. Dreever began it. Oh, 1 say,” he sald, “I forgot to you, Aunt Julia, Number Six was joa the other night.” jumber 6a, Baton Square, was the 's London house. jurgied!” cried Sir Thomas, fell broken into,” said bis lord- >, gratified to find that he had got ear of his entire audience. Even Julia was silent and attentive, hap got in through the scullery ‘about 1 e'clock in the morn- ‘And what did you do?” inquired Thomas. it at the time,” ‘But something he went on edly, “and he made a bolt for it Burg mia 8 oung man, Berg said a ye many subsequently discovered to be the drama-loving Charteris (the @an who was getting up the private cals), leaning back and taking of @ pause, the hobby porteman and the life work of cious.” He took a little pen- from his waistcoat pocket and rapid note on his cuff. jespise burglars!" ulated "If I found on coming jewels, and I had a pistol, met McEachern’ e and ly at him. The ex-polic looking at him with the baffled but malignant 4 care no one gets “at ‘your diamonds, my Sir Thomas, without & have had « steel box made ded to the company in pecial lock. A very us arr Quite un- ble, I imagin Ty, ‘with Molly's story fresh in mind, could not check a rapid Mr. McEachern'’s brow dark- esed. During the rest of the meal tense thought rendered him eve! more silent than was his wont at the @inner table, The difficulty of his petition was, he saw, great. Jimmy, be folled, mai Fe watched, and how could wate! m "It was not until the coffee arrived that he found an anawer to the ques- them, With his first cigarette came the idea. That night, in his room, be- fore going to bed, he wrote a letter. Sit was an unusual letter, but, singu- farly enough, almost identical with one Sir Thomas Blunt had written that very morning OF mere oF ate tives ndon, asking 2 be sent to Dreever ostensibly as valet uring the house party. Molach rn’s letter was addressed to the Manager of Dod Private Inquiry Agency Bishopsgate treet, E. C., and ran as follows wy 1s, kindly send down eo ge ag hie at me Instruct to stay at the village inn in char- of American seeing sights tn Ene and anxiou to Inapect Dreever " een then give him further yours “faithtully, Seuction. Found ST HACHERN P, B.—Kindly not send a rub but @ fi! jart man, reich considerable fervor Mr, Me- Wachern congratulated himself on his } astul en Wvith Jimmy above stairs seetapike below. the. sleuth-hound ywould have his hands full. CHAPTER VII. | Me. McEachern Intervenes. F 7° m at the ces, during the first fow dass of his visit filled Jimmy with @ curious blend of emotions, mainly BD unpleasant. Fate, in its _pro-Jimmy capac seamed = to P be taking a rest. In tho firet place, tho part allotted to him was not that of Lord Herbert, the aracter who talked to Molly most the time. The instant Char- is learned from Lord Dreever that ime actually been lonally he de- Herbert offered too The Intrusion of Jimmy A New Yorker's Odd Exploits in the Upper and Under Worlds By P. G. Wodehouse (Author of “The Little Nugget,” 6c.) little scope for the new man’s talents. “Absolutely no good to you, my dear cha! he said. “It’s just a small dude part. He's simply got to be a silly a Jimmy pleaded that he could be a sillier ass than anybody living; but “No,” be said, “You must be Capt. Browne. Fine acting part. The big- gest in the piece. It of fat lines, Spennie was to ha played it, and We were in for th history of the stage. come, it's all right. ideal ‘Lord Herbert. Ho's simply got to be himself. Wo’ it juccess now, my boy. Rehea after lunch. Don't be late.” And he was oft to beat up the rest of the company. From that moment Jimmy's trou- bles began. Charteris was a young man in whom a@ passion for the stage: was Ineradicably implanted. It mat- tered nothing to him during these days that the sun shone, that it was pleasant on the lake, and that Jimmy would have given five pounds a min- ute to be allowed to get Molly to! himself for half an hour every after- noon. All he knew or cared about wns that the local nobility and gentry were due to arrive at the castle with- in m week, and that, as yet, very few of the company even knew their lines. Having hustled Jimmy into the part of Captain Browne he gave his en- ergy free play. He conducted re- hearsals with a vigor that occaston- ally almost welded tho rabble he was | coaching into something approaching coherency, He painted scenery and feft it about—wet, and people sat on; it. He nailed up horseshoes for luck, and they fell on people, But nothing daunted him. He never rested. “Mr. Charter sald Lady Julia, rather frigidl; rehearsal, whirled me about!” It was perhaps his greatest tri- umph, properl* considered, that he induced Lady Julia to take a part in! his piece; but to the born organizer | 10 miracle of | of amateur theatricals this kind is impossible, and Charteris was one of the most inveterate or- ganiaers in the country, There had! at night, in the billiard room—of his being about to role for Sir been some talk—Iati write in @ comic footm: Thomas, but it had len through, not, it was felt, because Charteris could not have hypnotized hie host into undertaking the part, but rather use Sir Thomas was histrionic- ally unfit, Mainly as a result of the producer's energy, Jimmy found himself one of @ crowd, gnd disliked the sensation. He had not experienced much dif. ficulty in mastering the scenes in which he appeared; but unfortun- ately those who appeared with him had. It occurred to Jimmy dally, after he had finished “running through the lines” with a series of agitated amateurs, male and female, that for all practical purposes might just as well have gone to Japan. In this confused welter of rehearsers his opportunities of talk- ing with Molly were infinitesimal. And, worse, she did not appear to 1d appar- engulfed mind. She ‘waa cheerful ently quite content to in @ crowd. Probably, though! with some melancholy, if she met his ‘© and noted in it a distracted gleam, she put It down to the cause that made other eyes in the com- pany gleam distractedly during this week. Jimmy began to take a thoroughly jaundiced view of a: r theatri- cals, and of these eur theatri- cals in particular. felt that in H the electric fame department of the infernal regione there should be a special gridiron, reserved exclusively for the man who Invented these per- formances, so diametrically opposed to the true spirit of civilization. At the close of each day he cursed, Charteris with unfailing veqemeriiy. s- There was another thing that di turbed him. That he should be un- able to talk with Molly was an evil, but a negative evil. It was supple- mented by one that was positive. Even in the midst of the chaos of rehearsals he could not help noticing that Molly and Lord Dreever were very much to- gethor, Also—and this was even more ginister—he observed that both Sir Thomas Blunt and Mr. McEachern were making determined efforta to foster the state of affairs. Of this he had sufficient proof onv eyening when, after scheming and forts ichelleu seem like the work of raw novices, he had cut Molly out from the throng and carried her off forthe alleged purpot of helping him teed the chickens. There were, as he had suspected, chickeps attached to the castle, They lived in a little world of noise and ameils at the back of the stables. Bearing an tron pot full of Poisonous looking mash and accom panied by Moll; haps a minute ful general, is difficult to be romantic when you are laden with chicke: 4 in unwieldy tron pot, but he had resolve: that this poruon oF the proceedings should be brief. birds would din was plenty of time befo: of the sounding of the dr: ing gong. Perhaps even @ row on the lake-—— “What ho!" said a voice. Beuind them, with @ propitiatory stood his lordship of “My uncle told me 1 should find you smile on bis fas Dreever. out here. What have you got in there, Pitt? Is this what you feed them on T say, you know, queer cov hen I wouldn't touch ‘that stuff for a fo would have stopped an avalanche. His lordship twiddied his fingers in pink aid Molly. “There's a poor little chicken out there in the cold, It hasn't had @ morsel. Give em barra ss: "Oh, lool me the apoo: Mr. Pitt. Here, chick, chick! Don’t’ be ally, I'm not going to hurt you, U've brought you your dinner” She moved off In pursult of the soli- tary fowl, which had edged nervously away, Lord Dreever bent toward Jimmy. “Frichtfully sorry he whispered feverishly, “Didn't to come, Couldn't help it. nt dn H me out.” He half-looked over his shoulder, “And,” be added rapidly, “THE TERRIBLE STRAIN!” orst frost in the after one energetic, indefatigable, rete | ‘The Evening World Daily Magazine, wednesday, Uctober 14, 1914 xmtessne, By Robert Minor Next Week's Complete Novel in: THE EVENING WORLD Ashton- Kirk, Special Detective By John T. McIntyre js WI Cost You $1.'6. You Getitfor 6 Cents. This Book on the S dear, and that’s yi 4 maybe I seemed &@ little put out when | came upon ou and him out he jone together. joe as little of him as you can. Ina large party like thia it won't be dif- ficult to avoid him.” Molly sat staring out across tho garden, At first, every word had been a stab. Several times she had been on the point of crying out that she could bear it no longer. But, gradually, a numbness succeeded tho pain. She found heracif listening apathetically, McEachern talked on. He left the subject of Jimmy, comfortably con- acious that, even If there had ever existed in Molly's heart any budding feeling of the kind he had suspected, it must now be dead. He steered the conversation away until it ran easily among commonplaces. Ho talked of New York, of the preparations for the theatricals, Molly answered com- posedly, She waa still pale, and a certain listlessnoss in her manner might have been noticed by a more observant man than Mr. McKachern, Beyond this, there was nothing to show that her heart had been bori and Molly had grown to, woma: in those few minutes, Presently, Lord Dreever's name came up. It caused a momentary pause, and McKachern took advan- tage of it, It was the cue for which he had been waiting. Ho hesitated for a moment, for the conversation ut to enter upon a dificult phase, and he was not quite sure of himeelf, Then, he took the plunge. “I have just been talking to Sir ‘Thomas, my dear," he said. He tried to speak casually, and, as a natural result, infused #0 much meaning into his voice that Molly looked at him in surprise, McEachern coughed con- fusedly, Diplomacy, he concluded, was oot bis forte, He abandoned it in favor of direct “He was telling me that you h refused Lord Dr ver this evening.” “Yes. I did,’ said Molly. “How did Sir Thoman know?" “Lord Dreever told him.” Molly raised her eyebrows. “I thought you might be cold,” he said, breathing quickly. “Oh, thank you,” said Molly. “How He put it round her you been run- there was something sinister and menacing in his attitude, She (und herself longing that Jim- my would come back. She was fright- Why, she could not have said. It was as if some instinct told her that a crisis in her affairs bad been reached, and that she needed him. pe For the firet time in her life she felt nervous in ‘her. father's company. Ever since she was a child she had been accustomed to look upon him as her protector, but now she w alone with Mr, Pitt, dear,” he said, “L was afraid”—— He saw that he must go still fur- It wag more than awk- He wished to hint at the un- desirability of an entanglement with Jimmy without admitting the posal- Not being a man of nimble brain, he found this somewhat he sald, briefly. opened wide. color had gone from her face. “Crooked, father?” McEachern percoived that he had travelled very much too far, almost to longed to denounce Jimmy, but he was gagged. were to ask the question that Jimmy had asked in the bedroom—that fatal, unanswerable question! was too great to pa He spoke cautiously, vaguely, feel- as Molly came back, “the old boy's up at bis bedroom window now, watching us through his opera- kind of you!” ther forward. ‘The return journey to the house was performed in silence—on Jimmy's “I came downstairs rather fast.” “Were you afraid the bugab: would get you?” was thinking of when | was a small 1 was always afraid of them. I used to race downstairs when I had to go to my room In the dark, unless I could persuade some one to hold my band all the way there and thought hard, and he had been think- ing ever sin He had material for thought. That Lord Dreever was as clay in his uncle's hands he was aware. He had not known his lordship long, but he had known him long enough to realize that a backbone had been carelessly omitted from his composition. his uncle directed, that would he do, The situation looked bad to Jimmy, The order, he knew, had gone out that d Dreever was to marry And Molly was an heiress. know how much Mr. McKachern had in his dealings with New York crime, but it must be something Things looked black. Then, Jimmy had a reaction was taking much for granted, Lord Dreever might be hounded into pro- but what earthly ‘ond his power “E don’t like him, “He'a crooked.” Her spirits bad risen with Jimmy's arrival. Things had been happening She had gone out “What are you duing out here?” was tonse and strain out because 1 wanted to think, father, dear. She thought sne knew his moods, but this was. one th . It frightened her. Why did he come ou He brought me a that worried her, on to the terrace to be alone. she heard his footsteps, she had dreaded the advent of some garrulous fellow-guest, Jimmy, somehow, was a comfort. He did not disturb the atmosphere. Little 48 they had sven of each other, some- thing in him—she could not say what ~had drawn her to him. man whom she could trust instinct- she had never conalderable. ‘L couldn't explain to you, my dear, You wouldn't understand, remember, my dear, that out in New “ York 1 wus in a p “What was he saying to you?" The rain of questions gave Molly @ sensation of being battered. posing to Molly, reason was there for supposing tha’ Molly would accept him? He decline: for an instant to Spennie's title in the light of a lure, Molly was not the girl to marry for a He endeavored to examine im- his lordship’s other claims, Pleasant fellow, with—to judge on short acquaintanceship—an undeniably amiable disposition. much must be conceded. But against this must be placed th deniable fact that he was also, as he would have put it himself, a most He was weak. He had no character, Altogether, the ex- Jimmy more cheer- He could not see the even with Sir Thomas Blunt shoving behind, as it were, accomplishing @ never so wisely, Sir Thomas could never make a Romeo out of Spennie Dreever. It was while sitting in the billiard room one night after dinner, watch- ing his rival play a hundred up with the silent Hargate, that Jimmy caine definitely to this conclusion. stopped there to watch, more because he wished to study his man at close we than because the game was anything out of the common as an exposition of billlards. it would have been hand to imagine a worse game. Lord Dree- ver, who was conceding twenty, was poor, and his opponent an obvious 49; Again, as he Jimmy was posseased of an idea that he had met Margate before. once more he searched his memory He did not give the ition to know ‘acters—crook I was working among them.’ t know Mr. Pitt. They walked on in silence, were pouring into Jimmy's he could not frame them. to have lost the power of coherent What had she done that she should be assailed like this? “Ho was saying nothing,” she sald, rather shortly, house you did had to tell you his name.” “Lt didn’t know him—then, “but—but"—he I made inquiries,” he concluded with a rush, “and found What do you mean? What was he say: Molly's voice shook us she replied, ying nothing,” she r ‘Do you think I'm not telling the truth, father? not spoken a word for ever so long. We just walked up and down. was thinking, and I At any rate, he I—I think you might believe me.” She began to cry quietly, father had never been Iike this be- Molly said nothing. It was not a night for conversation. had turned terrace and garden into @ falryland of biack id My @ night to look and Msten and He permitted himself a lon; breath of relief. ‘ney walked slowly up and down, As they turned for the second time, Molly's thoughts formed into @ question, Twice she was on the point of asking it, but each time she checked herself, It was an impossible She had no right to put it, -and he had no right to answer. Y driving her on to ask frightful ass. uppose he was, “Why did you suspect him?" the question might have confused McKachern, but He was equal to it. took It in his stride, “It's hard to say, my dear, who has had as much to do with have recognizes them mination made McEachern’s manner changed in a In_the shock of find! my and Molly together on thi race, he had forgotten him had had reason to be s Bir Thomas Blunt, had just parted, had told him a certain piece of news which had dis- The discovery of Jim- lent an added something w: crovks as I when he sees therp. “Did you think Mr. Pitt looked— looked like that? It came out suddenly, wi 6. ‘Mr. Pitt, what do you think o! Lord Dreever?" x ¥ Jimmy started. No question could have coimed in more aptly with bis Struggling to keep Bitnwelé om ask. ing her toe same thing. “Oh, I know 1 ought not to ask,” “He's your host and ‘ting in a way that had made the ff of Machiavelli and pinched expression on her face. was paler than ever. He could not divine her thought: He could not know whi how they had in @ flash what Jimm and lighted her mind like a flame, re- voaling the secret hidden there. She knew now, The feeling of comradahip, the inatinctive trust, the sense of de- pendence—they no longer perplexed her; they were signa which ehe could my with Molly significance to t He saw that be had been rough. In a moment, he was by her side, his great arm round her shoulder, pet- Ung and comforting her as he had done when she was a child. ileved her word without question; and his relief made him very der, Gradually the sobs ceased, leaned against his arm. 'm tired, father,’ “Poor little girl, A seat at the end of the e. McEachern picked Molly up if she had been a ba’ As a matter she went on, you're his trend. Her voice trailed off. The muscles of Jimmy's back tightened and quiv- |. Hut he could tind no words. “1 wouldn't ask any one e you're—dillerent, somehow, don’ know what | mean, We hardly know she whispered, And he was crooked! McKachern proceeded. Relief made him buoyant. “I did, my dear, Itke a book. and drew blank. on his diagnosis of Lord Dreever, who by @ fluky series of cannons had wobbled into the forties, and was now @ few pointe ahead of h' Presently, having summed his lord- ship up to his satisfaction and grown bored with the game, Jimmy strolled out of the room. He paused outside the door for a moment, what to do. There was bridge in the smoking room, but he did not feel inclined for bridge. From the draw- ing room came sounds of music. turned in that direction, then stopped again. He came to the conclusion that he did not feel wanted to think. A cigar on the ter- race would meet his needs, went up to his room for his The window was ope \ There was almoat a full moon, and it was very light out She stopped again; and atill he I can read them I've met scores of his full of them. Good ant manner don't I've run up she said vy a mean I was too tired to e said, laughing tremulously. ‘How strong you are, fathe I was naughty, you could take me up and shake me till I was good, couldn't clothes and a ple @ a man honest. against a mighty high-toned bunch of crooks In my day, since T gave up thinking that it was only the ones with the low foreheads and the thick ears that needed watch- innocent Willies who if all they could do was to ‘ynie man Pitt's one I'm not guessing, mind I know his line, thing seemed to break His brain suddenly cleared He took a step forward, shadow blackened Jimmy wheeled round. white grass, ck And send you to bed, you be careful, Molly, my dear,” he thought you must have gone to bed. Tle lowered her to the reat, drew the cloak closer round her and !ead the cotillon, dressed him for the first time since their meeting In the bedroom, “Will you excuse us, Mr, Pitt? Jimmy bowed and walked rapidly toward the house, stopped and looked back. were standing where he had left 4 “Cold dear?” “I'm watching him, He's here on “It was nothy ¢. went on quite! will you promk# me something?” At the door he vord Dreever in a London r TUn the commonest trick on If [had not happened to be here when he came, I suppose he'd have made his Why. he came all pre- Have you seen an «ly, grinning, red-headed scoundrel! lanwing about the place? Hin valet “Don't ever be ungry with me like that again, will you? I couldn't bear CHAPTER VIII. A Marriage Arranged. ®ITHER Molly nor her fath- er had moved or spoken while Jimmy wan covering the short strip of turf that ended at the stone stepa of MeFachern stood ing down at her in grim silence. great body against the dark mass of the castle wall seemed larger than over in the uncertain light. Te Melly ove Ww haul by now. Movement at the further end of the per it where the shadow was. girl came out of the shadow, walk- stupid of me, but it hurt, ut, my dear?—— . | Know it's stupid. my darling, It waan’t so. was angry, but it wasn't with you.” ge Jimmy descended stairs with such a | Do you know who that | rare burst of speed. the nasty turn at the end of the first flight at quite a suicidal pace apparently wakened and resumed busines: dia not break his neck. A few mo- was out on tl cloak which he had the hal, He negotiated *-men on the other aide, doenn't know Spike Mullins travelled too far. He hed intended hat Jiminy's existence should be for- gotten for the time bein other things to discuss, too late now. “I dida’e Pitt, old man,” would be enough. What’ round the country with Spike Mullins for, unless they her at some . Pitt ie, my race bearing tohed up em route in He must go forward, Uke te ase you eut are standin, “{ shouldn't have thought it was the sort of thing he would talk about,” she sald. “Sir Thomas 1s his uncie.” 1 “Of course, so he ts," sald Molly, dryly. “L forgot. That would account for it, wouldn't it?" Mr. McEachern looked at her with wome concern. There was @ hard ring in her voice which he did not alto- gether like, His test admirer had never called him an intuitive man, and he was quite at a lous to what was wrong. 4& echemer wus perhaps a little naive. He taken it for granted that Molly wi ignorant of the manoeuvres which had been going on, and which had culminated that afternoon in a stammering proposal of marriage from Lord Dreever in the rose gar- den, ‘This, however, was not the case, The woman incapabie of seeing through the machinations of two men of the mental calibre of Sir Thomas Blunt and Mr. McEachern has yet to For some considerable time ve to the well- Meant plottings of that worthy pair, and had derived Httle pleasure from the fact. It may be that woman loves to be pursued; but she does not love to be pursuod by a crowd. Mr. McEachern cleared his throat hegan again. ou shouldn't decide a question that too hastily, my dear,” didn't—not too hastily for Lord ver, at any rate, poor dear.” “It was in your power,” said Mr. MeEachern portentously, “to make a man happy"—— “ET did, Molly, bitterly. “You should have seen his face light up. He could hardly believe it was true for a moment, and then it came home to hint, and I thought he would have fallen on my neck. He did hin very beat to look heartbroken—out of po- Hteness—but it was no good. He whistled moat of the way back to th house—all flat, but very cheerful: ‘My dea: What do you mean?” Molly made the discovery earlier in their conversation that her father had mooda whose existence she had not expected, It was his turn now to make a similar discovery regarding herself. “I mean nothing, fathe “I'm just telling you w! happened. He came to me looking like a dog thi ing to be washed’ Ww of course, he w. nervou: my “i 4 “Of course. He couldn't know that T was going to refuse him.” She was breathing quickly. He started to speak, but she went on, looking straight befora her. Her face very white in the moonlight. “He took me into the rose garden, ‘Was that Sir Thomas's idea? There couldn't have been a@ better setting, Tm sure. The roses looked lovely. Presently I hi him gulp, and 1 w 9 sorry for him! I would have refused him then, and put him out of his misery, only IT couldn't very woll till he had proposed, could I? So, T turned my back, and aniffed at a rows. And, then, he shut his eyes—I couldn't see him, but I know he shut eyee—and began to say his 3 3 Molly!" She laughed hysterically, “Ho did. He said his lesson, He wabbled it. When he had got so far ‘Well, don't you know, what [ that's what I wanted to say, ow, turned round and ed him. Twald [didn’t love him: ‘No, no, of course not.’ 1 4 paid me a great complt- id, ‘Not at all,’ looking poor darling, as If even afraid of what might come next. But T reassured him, and ha cheered up, and we walke! back to the house together, aa happy as could be.” MeKachern put hia hand round her shoulders, She winced, but let it ‘ay. He attempted gruff concilia- tion. “My dear, you've been imagining things, Of course, he isn't happy. aw the young tellow'— ting that the Inst time he agen the young fellow shortly er-the young fellow } 1 in juggling, with every earn mental poses, two bil Nard batla and a box of matches, he broke off abrupt! Molly looked at him “Father.” “My dear?" ahe sald, ; “Why do you want me to marry Lord Dreever?” Ho inet the attack stoutly. “I think he's a fine young fellow,” avolding her eyes. “He's quite nice,” said Molly quietly. Mcrachern had been trying not te Say it. He did not wish to say It. IE it could have been hinted at, “he would have done it. But he was not good at hinting. A life-time p in surroundings where the suotiedt hint is a drive in the riby with @ truncheon does not leave a man an adept at the art. He had td be blunt or silent. “He's the Earl of Dreever, my doar.” @Ho rushed on, desperately anxious to cover the nakedness of the states ment in a comfortable garment words. “Why, you see, you're youn) It's only natural you shou! on these things sensibly, You ex- pect too much of a man. You expect this young fellow to be like the heroes of the novel: read, When you've 1 a little longer, my dear, you'll seo that there's nothing tn it. It an’t the hero of the novel you want to marry, It's the man who'll make you 4 good husband.” This remark struck Mr, McEachern fan so pithy and profound that he re- peated tt. He went on, Molly was sitting quite still, looking Into the shrubbery. Ho assumed she was listening; but whether she was or not, he must go on talking. The situation was dif- ficult. Silence would make it more au ‘ow, look at Lord Dreeve: “There's a young man withone 4 of the oldest titles in England. He could go anywhere and do what he liked, and be excused for whatever he did because of his name. But he doesn't, He's got the right stuff in him. He doesn’t go racketing around”. “His uncle doesn't allow him enough pocket money,” sald Molly, with @ jarring ttle laugh. “Perhaps that's why." There pause, McEachern re- quired a few moments in which to marshal his arguments once more, He had been thrown out of his stride. Molly turned to him. The hardness had gone from her face. She looked up at him wistfully. “Father, dear, listen,” she said. “We always used to understand each other so well He patted her shoul- der affectionately. “You can't mean what you say? -You know I don’t love Lord Dreever. You know he's only & boy. Don't you want me to marry man? I love this old pl but surely you can’t think that it in a thing like this? You really mean that about the hero of the novel? I'm not stupid, like that. I only want—oh, I can’t put it inte words, but don’t you see?” Her eyes were fixed appealingty on him, It only needed a word from him —perhaps not even a word—to close the gulf that had opened between them. He missed the chance. Ue had had tume to think, and his arguments were ready again, “You mustn't be rash, ted ear. You mustn't act without thin! so th things, Lord Dreever is only a boy, as you say, but he will a You say you don't love him, lon- sense! You like him. You would go on liking him more and more. And why? Because you could make what you pleased of him. You've got char-, acter, my dear, With a girl like you to look after him, he would go @ long way, a very long way. It's all there. It only wants bringing out. And think of it, Molly! Countess of Dreever! There's hardly o better title in England. It would he very happy, my dear, It one hope all these years to see you in the place where you ought to And now the chance has come, M A dear, don't throw it away.” - She had leaned back with closed eyes. A wave of exhaustion had swept over her. She listened in a dull dream, She felt beaten, They were too strong for her. There were too many of them, What did it matter? not give in, and end it all and win pence? That wan all ahe wanted— peace now. What dia it all matter? ry well, father,” she said, list. ly. ol cFachern stopped short. ‘You'll fo it, dear?” he erted, You will?” “Very well, father, He stooped and kissed her. “My own dear little girl,” he eat, he got up. : “I'm rather tired, father,” she said, “1 think I'll go in,” Two minutes later, Mr. McEachern was in ir Thomas Blunt's study, Five minutes Sir Thomas ip." said Sir Thomas “that I wish to see him a moment, He ts in the billiard room, I think.” CHAPTER IX. Jimmy Hearse News. ORD DREEVER obeyed the summons. On his return to the billard room he looked positively ghastly, “What on earth's the matter?" demanded Jimmy. “You went out of here caroling like a eong- bird, and you come back moaning like a lost soul, What's happened ?* “Give n@ & brandy-and-soda, Pitt, old man. There's a good chap. Im in a fearful hole." “Why? What's the matter? “I'nt engaged,” groaned bis lord. ship. “Engaged! 1 wish you'd explain, What on earth's wrong with you? Don't you want to be engaged? What's your?’—— He broke off as a sudden, awful suspicion dawned upon him. “Whe ta sho?" he orled, “What? Why, Miss MoEachern.” Jimmy had known what the answer would be, but it was scarcely lese of a shock for that reason, “Miss McEachern?” he echoed, Lord Dreever nodded a sombre nod,