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k.,'?},‘wuk”- «(73 VA/V/W/ “A vr‘.-“,. s’é’é’é’ ’ «1’ e ‘1 a. ~.fi~7/I.Yl'cv/ 5,4,1 OR, MW. CHAPTER LV. Reginald Henson had had more than one unpleasant surprise lately, but none so painful as the sight of Lord Littimer seated in the Long- dcan Grange drawing-room with the air of a man who is very much at home indeed. The place was strangely changed, too. There was an air of neatness and order about the roonrthat Henâ€" son had never seen before. The dust A MlDNIGHT CALL t-g-r-rrr WWWrâ€"m'l‘ . .‘LJ.LLLLLJ-L1J.LJ_LD.LLL.LJ_LJ_LLLLLJJJ.Jâ€"fl “It will be a terrible scandal for the family, my lord," he Whined. Littimer rose to his feet. ‘A sudâ€" den anger flared into his eyes. He was a smaller man than Henson, but the latter cowed before him. ‘ ‘You dog! ' ' he cried. ' ‘What greater scandal than that of the past few years? Does not all the world know that there is, or has been, some heavy cloud over the familv honor? Lord and Lady Lit- and dirt had absolutely vanished; it timer have parted, and her ladyship might have been the home of any ordinary wealthy and refined people. 'And all Lady Littimer's rags and patches had disappeared. She dressed. style, but handsomely and well. She sat beside Littimer with a smile on her face. But the cloud seemed to have rolled from her mind; her eyesI She were clear, if a little frightened. From the glance that passed be- tween Littimer and herself it was easy to see that the misuuderstand- ing was no more. “You are surprised to see me here?” said" Littimer. Henson stammered something and shrank towards the door. Littimer ordered him back again. He came, with a slinking, dogged air; he avoided the smiling contempt in Enid’s eyes. “My presence appears to be super- fluous,” he said, bitterly. “'And mine appears to be a Sur- prise," Littimer replied. “Come, are you not glad to see me, my heir and successor? What has beome of the old fawning, cringing smile? .Why, if some of your future consti- tuents could see you now they might be justified in imagining that you had done something wronrr. Look at yourself.” Littimcr indicated a long gilt mir~ ror on the opposite wall. Henson glanced at it' involuntarily and dropped his eyes. Could that abject, whiteâ€"faced sneak be himself? Was that the man whose fine presence and tender smile had charmed thou- sands? It seemed impossible. ' “What have I done?” he asked. "What have on not done?" Litti- mer thundere . “In the first place ’you did your best to ruin Hatherley Bell’s life. You robbed me of a picâ€" ture to do so, and your friend Mer- ritt tried to rob me again. But I have both those pictures now. You (lid that because you Were afraid of Bellâ€"afraid lest he should see through your base motives. 'And you succeeded for a time, for the coast was clear. 'And then you proâ€" ceeded to rob me of my son by one of .the most contemptable tricks ever played by one man on another. It was you who stole the money and the ring; you who brought about all that sorrow and trouble by means of a forgery. But there are other peoâ€" ple on your track as well as myself. You were at your last gasp. You were coming to see me to sell the ring for a large sum to take you out of the country, and then you discovered that you hadn’t really got the ring.'5 “Whatâ€"what are you talking about?" Henson asked, feebly. "Scoundrel!" Littimer cried. “In- nocent and pure to the last. I know all about Van Sneck and those for- g‘eries of Prince Rupert’s ring. And I know how .Van Sneck was nearly. done to death in Mr. Steel’s house; and I know whyâ€"good heavens! It seems impossible that I could have been deceived all these years by such a. slimy, treacherous scoundrel. ’And I might have gone on still but for a womanâ€""- "A lady detectivei” Henson sneer- ed. "Miss Lee." Littimer smiled; It was good, afâ€" ter all, to defeat and hookwink the rascal. . “Misa Chris Henson,” he said. “It never occurred to you that Miss Chris and Miss Lee were one and the same person. You never guessed. 'And she played with you as if you had been a child. Iâ€"Iow beautifully she exposed you over those pictures. All. yon should have seen your face when you saw the stolen Rembrandt back again in its place. that you were mad enough to think that I trusted you. My dear, what shall we do with this pretty felâ€" low?" Lady Littimer shook her head doubtfully. It was plain that the presence of Henson disturbed her. There was just a suggestion of the old madness in her eyes. “Send him away," she said. him go." “Send him away by “Let all means, ’-’- Litlimer went on. “But letting him go is another matter. If we do the police will pick him up on other charges. There is a certain consolaâ€" tion in knowing that his evil career is likely to be shortened by some years. But I shall have no mercy. Scotland Yard shall know everyâ€" thing."- There was a cold ring in Littimer’s voice that told Henson of his deter- mination to carry out his threat. The other troubles he might wriggle {‘rut of, but this one was terribly real. It was time to try conciliaâ€" tion. 'And after ‘ I l l was; always the in somewhat oldâ€"fashioned Everybody I I I l l i l l i has gone away. That is only part of what the gossips have said. And in these domestics differences it is woman who suffers. always says that the Woman has done some- thing wrong. For years my Wife has been under this stigma. If had chose (to keep before the world after she left me most people Would have ignored her. And you talk to me of a familyscandal!" “You will only make bad worse, my lord." ‘ “No,” Littimer cried. "I am go- ing to make bad infinitely better. We come together again, but we say nothing of the past. 'And the World sneers and says the past is ignored for politic considerations. And so the public is going to know the truth, you dog. The whole facts of the case have gone to my soliciâ€" tor, and by this time toâ€"morrow a warrant will be iSsued against you. AndI shall stand in open court and tell the whole world my story.” "In fairness to Lady Littimer," said Enid, speaking for the first time, “you could‘do no less.” “You were always against Henson snarled. “Because I always knew you," said Enid. "And the more I knew of you the greater was my contempt. And you came here eVer on the same errandâ€"money, money, money. From first to last you have robbed my aunt of something like £70,000. 'And always by threats or the promise that you would some day restore the ring to the family." “As to the ring,” cd, “I swear ” “I suppose a lie more or less makes no difference to an expert like yourself," Enid went on, with cold contempt. “You took advantage of my aunt’s misfortunes. All, she is a different woman since Lord Littiâ€" mer came here. But her sorrow has crushed. her down, and that forgery of the ring you dangled before her eyes deceiVed her.” "I. never showed her the Henson said, brazenly. “'And you can look me in the face and say that? One night Lady Litti~ mer snatched it from you and ran into the garden. You followed and struggled for the ring. 'And Mr. David Steel, who stood close by, felled you to the earth with a blow on the side of your head. I wonder he didn’t kill you. I should have done. so in his place. And yet it would be a pity to hang anyone for your death. See here!" Enid produced the ring from her pocket. Lord Littimer looked at it intently. “HaVe you seen this before, my dear?” he asked his wife. “Many a time,” Lady Littimer said, sadly. “Take it away, it re- minds me of too many bitter mem- ories. Take it out of my sight.” “An excellent forgery," Littimcr murmured. “A forgery calculated to me," Henson protest:â€" ring,” deceive many experts even. I will compare it with the original by-andâ€" by.!l Henson listened with.a sinking feeling at his heart. Was it possible, he wondered, that Lord Littimer had really recovered the original? He had had hopes of getting it back even now, and making it the basis of terms of surrender. Lady Litti- mer snatched the ring from Littlâ€" me'r's grasp and threw it through the open window into the garden. She stood up facing Henson, her head thrown back, her eyes flaming with a new resolution. It seemed hardly possible to believe that this fine, handsome woman with the white hair could be the poor dementâ€" ed creature that the others once had known. "Reginald Henson, listen to me,” she cried. “For your own purpose you cruelly and deliberately, set out to wreck the happiness of several lives. For mere money you did this; for sheer love of dissipation you committed this crime. You nearly deprived me of my reason. I say nothing about the money, because that is nothing by comparison. But the years that are lost can never come back to me again. When think of my past the past of my poor, unhappy boy I feel that I have no forgivmmss for you. If you â€"â€"â€"â€"Oh, go away; don’t stay hereâ€"â€" go. If I had known you were comâ€" ing I should have forbidden you the house. Your mere presence unnerVes me. Littimer, send him away.” Littimer rose to his feet and rang the hell. “You will be good enough to rid me of your hateful presence," he said, “at once; now go. But Henson still stood irresolute. he could find no ex- pression for. ‘ “I want to go aWay,” he murmurâ€" ed. “I want to But at the present practically penniless. advance meâ€"-â€"-" Littimer laughed aloud. “Upon my word,” he said, “your coolness is colossal. I am going to prosecute you. I am doing my best to bring you into the dock. 'And you ask mchme, of all menâ€"to find you money so that you can evade Have you not had enoughâ€" never satisfied? Williams, Henson off the leave the country. moment I am If you would justice! are you will you see Mr. premises?" The smiling Williams bowed low. “With the greatest possible pleas- ure, mv lord,” he said. “'Any furth- er orders, my lord?" “'And he is not to come here again, you uderstand." ' Williams seemed, to understand per- fectly. With one backward sullen glance Henson quittcd the room and passed. into the night-with his comâ€" punion. Williams was whistling cheerfully, with his hands thrust deep into his pockets. “Is that how you treat a. gentle- man?" ill‘enson demanded. “I ain’t a gentleman," Williams said. “Never set up to be. 'And I ain't a dirty rascal who has just been kicked out of a nobleman's house. Here, stop that. Try that game on again and I’ll call the dogs. And don't Show any of your airs, please. . I'm only a servant, but I am an honest man." Henson stifled his anger as best he could. He was too miserable and downcast to think of much besides himself at present. Once the lodge« gates were open Williams stood aside for him to pass. The temptation was irresistible. And Henson’s back was turned. With a. kick of concen- trated contempt and fury Williams shot Henson into the road, where he landed full on his face. His cup of humiliation was complete. ' (To be Continued.) __....._+_ â€" VlRfUES (it THE fliiiflliii DESCRIBED BY ONE OF THIS SUBJECTS. â€"â€"â€" Secrets of the Emperor of Japan’s Popularity Among His Subjects. Newspaper readers may very like- ly have been greatly amused, rather than deeply impressed, by one of the sentences in the official despatch of Marshal Oyama to ’l‘okio announcing his great victory in the battle: of Mukden. wherein he ascribed the "great virtues" of the Emperor as one 01' the chief causes of his vic- tory. But when Admiral Togo sank the Russian ships: he cabled to the same effect, and there is considerably more in the sentiment than appears at first sight. 'l‘lm following statement has been fur iished to the writer by a. Japanâ€" ese gci'itlemnn of position, who has been considerably concerned in Jaâ€" panese politics, and who has the most intimate knowledge of all that pertains to the Royal House of Ja~ pan. of the l‘l‘ikarlo's intense popularity among his subjects, and of their rcal belief that all the good that in those to the country comes i n-st ru ll’lC‘nlt'al l'ty . life I 1 days accrues through his says:â€" The glorious triumphal progress of modern is entirely due to the genius ilEmperor, Mutsuhit‘o, who is now fiftyâ€"two years of age. When he ascended the throne the country Was in a most d‘airgorous state. but by a series of master-strokes he himself got. rid of all the bad and backward elements in Japan and set the new movement on its feet. When he had banished the Shogun and established the new order of things he scnt Prince Sanjo all over uurope to, investigate the different forms of government and the social conditions of’ THE D'Ill‘li‘lGRl-ENT COUNTRIES, in order that he might adopt a, sysâ€" tem that would be suitable to Jaâ€" re.‘1uireznents and progress. From that day to this there has scarcely been an item in the forâ€" ward movement which has not been assisted by the awakening and the Japan of our panese instigated or Emperor. We regard him as the saviour and maker of modern Japan. He came to our assistance when we were on. the edge of a terrible chasm. There was on the one hand a feuid‘al baronâ€" age with a despotic. government, like that of our present enemy lussia. which was crushing: the life out of the people, and on the other hand libero was fierce revolution which it was posâ€" sible might end in the. extinctimt of a, nation, so that, like Poland, Ja- pan would exist only in name. From these Mutsuhi‘to, our Emperor, s-avml lus'nnd has led us on. Now can. anyâ€" body be‘ surprised that with such an .Emperor and {as he has traim-d Japan is n'iarching' 'on Victoriously? lie is an ideal man, from our point of view. and an ideal Emperor. lle rises curly, and at five o’clock every morning may be seen on horseback outside his palace. l-lo make: a. plain breakfast and than proceeds to the (.‘akuimmio, the place for study and inquiry, whom 11".; 0:;â€" umines the reyorls from his Minisâ€" ters and the committees of the two Houses of Parliament, the foreign: It explains some of the secrets the dark spectre of al with such lieutenants- I l lIe 'fldgetcd from one foot to the icablegrams, including lhe despatches other. He seemed to have somelfmm the seat of trouble that war, agricultural reports, and hundreds of other docu- ments affecting the Welfare of the country in one 'respect or another. Scarccly a paper passes him withâ€" out his making some note or comâ€" ment upon it. He is master of de- tail, and l‘ZXTRED‘IELY- THOROUGIâ€"l. After all this he will attc-md State functions,'visit the schools, list-em to addresses by the most distinguâ€" ished students. and generally do everything in his power to show his deep interest in the continuation of the process of Japan's enlighten- ment. It is not enough, he says, that at present Japan is showing herself to be the equal of European nations. ’l‘h'e Empress assists him in all his work. and he constantly expresses his obligations to her. line says: “I am the committee of poliâ€" tics; she is the committee of educaâ€" tion.” He is constantlv th'in-.-:ing of his country and what he may do for it. Even in the depths of night, when the stars are shining and nearly all Japan is fast asleep, he may be seen clothed in a simple Costume of army serge, to emerge from his palace and stride up and down the. battlemen-ts. He is then. deep in thought. He dreams dreams and scars among the spirits of the departed, listening inâ€" tently to their wise advice and in~ struction. Thus he sees the dim out- line of a great 'iuture. Sometimes his Wife. clad as simply as he, walks by his side. but she never speaks lest. she should disturb the workings of his mind. ‘ I Particularly he is constantly S‘OliCil‘OUS of the. welfare of his brave soldiers who have done so much for the glory of Japan. When. a new pattern of rifle was introduced the Emperor ordered one to be sent to the palace for his own use. Then he MY."PERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED. taking the rifle with him. He did not return for twenty-four hours, and during the whole of the inter- vening period he had been marching along the roadsâ€"clone, and with the rifle on his shoulder or in his hands. He did this simply to satisfy himâ€" self that it was not too heavy for the soldiers to carry. In the same way he has marched with the heavy “kit” on his back and the service shoes on his feet until his shoulders have been swollen arid his feet sore and blistercd. So he knows exactly what his soldiers have to go through. He. sent his sons to fight with Togo and ()yama. lie brought them up in the best way. At the sports clay in one of the public schools the CroWn Prince once took part in some wrestling matches aml defeated all. comers until a. farmer’s- sOn appeared in- the ring, Many people thought that the farmer's son would feel himsrlf obliged to let the Prince win but he did not do so. The Prince Was defeated after every short bout. Then the Emperor summoned the. victor to his presence, and the boy Went in fear lest he had been too bold. But the Emperor only said to him. “Will you become one of the connmnions of my son, and live and stud)r with him while he remains in the school, for he needs many a man like you?" Hare not the virtues of such' a, man. and the acts which result from them. S(_illlC'tllill!g to do with the sucâ€" cesses of the country? -â€"-â€"â€"-â€"--+ WILL PRESERVE VOICES. British Museum to Treasur Gramophone Records. At a recent meeting of the trustees of the British Museum it was decid- ed that the records of voices of the most eminent. singers and pu‘blicists of the tunesâ€"men and women whose voices will interest future generaâ€" tionsâ€"should be collected and stored with. other of the nation’s treasures. A difficulty confronted the Museum trusteesâ€"the difficulty of obtaining in'iperislinble records. But no soon- er was it raised than 'it was over- come. Mr. S. W. Dixon, manager of the Gramophone Company, at once offered to make irnperis‘hable records of the voices of such persons as a committee approved by the. British Museum trustees shall select, and supply them free of charge. This offer the trustees have decided to accept. and before hmg the first of the. records should be lodged in the archives at Bloomsbury. The records are intend-ed solely for posterity. They will not be used, for instance, for the purpose of givâ€" ing Saturday afternoon concerts at the British Museum to theprcsent gon'e‘niion. Their value will be in years to come, when grandchildren and grcat~grantdchildren of persons living 10-day will be able to listen to the great statesmen. singers, and actors of the present day. +___-__ RE CORD PHI CE . Mr. Walter Jefi‘eries, the Irer'id'cnt of the Lon-don llullvdog Society, has just sold one of his bulldogs, by name Royal Stone, for the record priceâ€"for an uushown «logâ€"of $4,- 000. 'lhe dog is a grandson of 1hr: famous Champion Rodney Htons, who was unbeaten in l'lngluml. :‘zl'r. Jei‘l‘eries has only been repeating his past successes, for Champion l-lcgal Stone, :1 son of lin‘il‘l‘my Stong, was sold for $2,509 before he was exâ€" hibited “" ' . 1-; __ . . . _.,-__’ . ‘___,' .‘ ,_,;,';,,. . . .7 )Odf.) of the man who in his own rom Bright's disease is milk, Ewewvwwwwi‘wnrww ' EAtlil mammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwm Ill'llGIl’i‘S DISEASE. A person suffering from chronic kidney disease is the. victim of a seriâ€" ous malacy, and of course should not attempt “to manage his own case if he would avoid the proverbial rc- ewe-M44- b ‘ «2.000000 doctor or lawyer. Yet in a disease of such long continuance the physiâ€"~ cian cannot ordinarily be in such constant attendance as in cases of acute disease, and in the intervals of his visits the patient can often. aid very materially in the treatment if he. is familiar with the general prinâ€" ciples upon which it is based. The main object of treatment is to guard the crippled kidney from any- thing that will further injure it or tax its enfeebled powers of eliminaâ€" tion. To this end the diet wh'ould be very Carefully regulated. Eggs, meat, rich or highly season-ed dishes, or alcoholic never-ages, should be per- mitted only in the smallest quantiâ€" ties. The ideal food for a sufferer since it meets nearly all the requirements of a food which can be digested and leaves the smallest amount of waste material, and at the same time flushes the kidneys, was-hing out the poisons. that will injure. still more, the already damaged tissues: if not quickly removed. Most persons can take mzilk readily and digest it easily, but some either do not like the taste of it or can- not (or think they cannot) digest it. If it is the palate that rebels, the milk may be flavored with a little tea or coffee, or it may be made in- to a soup with oysters or clams or onions, or it may be Jelliesd, or butâ€" term'ilk may be substituted. When milk is not digested it is usually because it is taken in too large amount or.in.- too concentrated form. It may be diluted with Vichy or limeâ€"water, or distilled water con- taining a. little salt or bicarbonate of sodium. l t should never be gulped down, but should be sipped and held in the mouth a. moment to secure its admixture with saliva before swallowing. Air exclusive milk diet can seldom be kept up for a long period, but the 'occas'iorrel resort to it for‘a week or ten days at a time is often of the greatest service in. seâ€" curinvg a rest for the kidneys, and in washing them'free from .all the acâ€" cumulated debris of the neat-and- vegetaiil eâ€"ea t-i fig pcri o (is. A sufferer from Bright's disease should also be warmly clad, and should, so far as possible, avoid all exposure to cold and Wet, shunning high, and especially east wivnids. For the ow who can pick their climate to suit their needs, a removal to a tropical or semi-tropical country is of the greatest ad‘vanltagge.â€"1You-th's- Companion. ’ 110T WA’f‘ER CURE. The best toilet preparation in the world is plain hot water. Here are some of the uses to which you may put it. Drink a bowl of it every night if you want a good digestion, a good sleep, and a clear complexâ€" ion. Put a bag of it to your feet when you have a cold, to your back when you have a backache, or at the nape of your neck when you have a headache or feel sleepless. Bathe the eyes with it when they are in- flamed. Soak the feet in it when they are tired. Soak the hands in. it before manicuring. Steam the face with it once a. week for your complexion. Bathe the checks in it when you want them to be rosy. Bathe cold sores, fever blisters, and pimples in very hot Water in order to dry them up. Like a, patent mediâ€" cine. a single dose of “hot water bag" will often cure toothache, n'eue rslgia, rheumatism, and pain. of all kinds. Try a free sample from the family tea-kettle. HOW TO KEEP YOUNG. Someone once asked a woman how it was she kept lier youth' so won- derfully. Her hair was snowy white, she Was eighty years old, and her energy was wan’inlg'; but she never ini- presscd one with the idea of age, for her heart was still young in sympaâ€" thy and interest." And this was her answer: "I know how to for-get dis- agreeable things. I tried to master the art of saying pleasant things. I much of my I kept my nerves well in hand, and did not allow .them. to bore other people. I tried to find‘ any work that came to my hand congenial. 1' did my best to relieve the misery I came. in contact with‘, and sympathized with the sufl'vring. did not }In fact, I tried to do to others as I f ‘ri and s . expect too would be done by, and you see me, in consequence, reaping the fruits of happiness in a peaceful old age." PURE All). I. SICK noon“. To purify the air of sick rooms put a smell lump of camizhor on an old ‘plniu. Make the poker Very hot and (with it rub the cannplior; the fumes iol' camphor will rise rapidly and ‘1.)1rril'y the whole room. Move about uliile you are doing tlris, so as to spread the caniphor wrll. In lea minutes ib'cre will 'he no .‘arncll of canfihor and the atmosphere Will be pleasant and fresh. . . «(w “.5â€"W “‘“‘ ' ‘ w .. -_._ 5‘ f7.