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It did not need a very strict scrutiny, for it was perfectly honest and ‘ genuine, and, but for its kindliness of exâ€" pression, commonplace. Mr. Petherick’s gaze relaxed into a persuasive smile. “Let me see, my dear lady," he said. “I think Miss Frere has lived here with you for some years?”- “Yes, sir,” said Mrs. Jordan, “nearly sixteen. She was only four years old when she came and she is now nearly tWenty. Time passes very quickly, sir.” “Yes, 1na'am-, it does,” assented the lawyer. “Nearly Sixteen years.” He looked round the room. “Let me seeâ€"I’ve a bad head for dates. ma'am, although I am a lawyerâ€"her mother, Mrs. Frere, diedâ€"-â€"" he waited. “Little more than a twelvemonth after they came to lodge here." “Yes, yes,” he murmured, making; a rapid calculation; “and'since her mother’s death the young lady has been living in the charge, and under the the care, so to speak, of her mother’s confidential servantâ€"house- keeperâ€"what shall we say?" Mrs. Jordan inclined her head. “Mrs. Hayes; yes, sir. A most adâ€" mirable woman, Mr. I’etherick, andâ€" erâ€"much above her class. She was devoted to Miss Norah; I think she would have laid down her life for her at any moment. Poor woman!” “Yes, yes. And she died a week ago?" “This day Week, sir, assented Mrs. Jordan. "It -was a terrible blow to dear l"lSS Norahâ€"the first, for, of course, she was too young to feel her mother’s very acutely. A terrible blow, and Miss Norah has suffered a great deal, though she hasn’t made muchâ€"--” She hesitated a moment for a better word than “fuss,” but could not find it. "She is not a young lady who gives way to her feelings.” ' .- “Oh, indeed! Happyâ€"cheerful dis- position, eh?" _ “Oh, yes, very, sir. I say she is like a bird abOut the house, and it’s the stopping of her singing and her bright laugh that has made the place seem so dull lately.” “Just so. Ah, yesâ€"ahem,” said .the lawyer. “Now will you tell me, ma’amâ€"I’m afraid you’ll think me very inquisitiveâ€"but have you ever heard the young lady or Mrs. Hayes speak of me?” “Nâ€"o, sir, I think not." “Not once? Not just mentioned the name? Petherick & Grcgson, of Gray's Inn?” , “I never heard your name mention- ed. sir." "Does Miss Frere see much com- pany, ma'am? Young people are the mturkeysâ€"gregarious and fond of chatter, andâ€"and so on." ' 9 “Not much, sir. This is a _very I, a1"1)1"3Vinl3513"'1n it, for her life had been so unâ€" I l who the Earl of Arrowdale might be and why Catherine had written to him. The (lying woman had hinted, in broken sentences, of something which she might tell Norah; had this something any connection with the earl? The question rose in a vague form only, and with little of earnestness eventful, so changeless, that she was not on the lookout for surprises or mysteries, as persons with more acâ€" tive lives are wont to be. For sixteen years she had lived in the little cottage on the cliff, conâ€" tent with her quiet life, happy in the beauty of the place, serene in the protection of the devoted Cathâ€" erine, and for herself “in maiden meditation fancy free.” Life was still a sealed book to her and she was scarcely even curious about it. After a time she left the gulls, and reaching the cottage passed through the tiny hall and entered the parlor. Mr. I’ctherick had been standing looking at one of the etchings and, swinging round as she entered, utterâ€" ed an involuntary exclamation of surprise and admiration. Even to the dry, matter-of-fact old lawyer, she seemed rather an ether- eal vision there in the sunshine than flesh and blood, and he stared at the lovely oval face, with its dark eyes and sweeping lashes, the wealth of auburnâ€"red goldâ€"hair, and the slim, girlish figure with its graceful outlines, in speechless astonishment. "A faint blush rose to Norah’s face, though the dark eyes rested on him with “maiden serenity,” and she was the first to speak. “I beg your pardon," she said, And “Great Heavens, what a sweet. V()ice!"- flashed through the old man’s mind. “I did not know any one was here,” and she turned to go. “Stopâ€"I beg-â€"â€"” he said, with a. little flurried bow, whereas she was perfectly calm and selfâ€"possessed. “You are Missâ€"Frere?” “Yes,” assented Norah, with a faint hesitation. “Iâ€"I thought so,” he said, strug- gling braVely to suppress all further Signs of surprise. “Yes! My name is Petherickâ€"Petherick 8; Gregson, of Gray's Inn, and Iâ€"erâ€"in fact, Miss Frere, I have come down to see you.’ “To see me?” said Norah. “Yesâ€"ahem! Will you not sit down? 011 business.” "It’sâ€"it’s nothing to be alarmed a‘t'll “I am not alarmed.” “Heaven! The most lovely creaâ€" ture!" “I’mâ€"I'm glad to hear it," he said aloud. “Ladies, young ladies especially, are generally frightened at the very sound of the word." “Yes; but I know nothing of busiâ€" ness, and 50â€"" "Just so, just so. You have never heard of me, MiSS Frere?” “I’m afraid not,” said Norah af- ter a moment’s pause. “I thought that you. might have done so; that Mrs. Hayesâ€"â€"â€"" “lâ€"I beg your pardon!” He glanced at the white dress and black sash. “You feel your lossâ€"yes, yes; dear me, yes! Ahem! You were very much attached to her, Miss Frere?” .â€" Norah made no reply and he hurâ€" ried on. “Of course, of course. Yes. Poor woman! Most devoted to you, Mrs. â€"Mrs. Jordan tells me. Sad loss, quiet place, you see. Sometimes the; very, very. rector’s daughter and sometimes the squire’s lady call, and Miss Norah goes up to the rectory or the Manor House to tea, but that is all." “Very good, ma’am," he said. “And now,” he glanced through the open window, "I wonder how long Miss .l“rere will be?" “Not long, 1 hope, sir,’ she said. “Meanwhile, I will get you some tea '-â€"or perhaps a glass of wine?" “Oh, tea, ma'am, tea, thank you, very much." I Norah waited in silence as he finâ€" ished his condolence. “And she neVer mentioned me to you?” "No," said Norah quietly. “Andâ€"ahem,” he eouglied again. It was evident that he experienced some difficulty in proceeding to the busi- ness he had alluded to. “And she (lid not tell you anything else?” “Anything else?” repeated Norah, "I don’t understandâ€"" “I thought that she. might have At that moment. a slim figure in a1 made some communication to you be- white dress was coming with a quick‘ springing step up the path on the edge of the cliff. She Was in a white frock, simply and plainly, made, with a black sash and a little; she told me nothing. I think"â€"she. knot of black on the shoulder, and? wore a straw hat, plain though it? wished to tell me something and. dress and somewhatlthat she tried, but she (lid not." was. like her tanned by the sun, sat upon her heath fore sheâ€"died,” he suggested. “No,” she said; then as she re- dressedlcalledâ€"ah, how vividlylâ€"the dead woman’s last words, she added: "No, paused a momentâ€"“I think that she “Dear me, yes, yes," said Mr. as gracefully as the dress sat upon! Petherick. “And a message now? her figure. Within a couple of hundred yards of the cottage, she stopped, and leanâ€"l ing upon the rail on the very verge Did she give you any message to deâ€" liver toâ€"say any one?” me to post a letter which she had {Of the. cliff looked out to sea, as she. written that was all,” had done time out of number, atl .that’ Very spot, for Sixteen years. ,The face was thoughtful rather than sad, for smile curved her lips at the antics of the gulls which wheeled screechingly grief and youth are soon divorced, and once or twice a. “A letter, yes,” he said, suizing the opening thus afforded and bend- ing forward with a little less em- barrassment. “'A letter toâ€"-â€"” “To the Earl of Arrowdale,” said Norah, seeing that he waited. “Exâ€"actly,” he murmured. “Now, below her. And yet, though she smiled, she was thinking of the dead woman who had been so devoted a servant, so tender a second mother to herâ€"thinking also of her own lonely lot. Thinking, too, of the let- ter which she posted, and wondering] have you any knowledge. any Idea of the contents of that letter?” “No, no idea at all.” “Hem,” he commented. “I think I ought to tell you at once that T lam Lord Arrowdale's solicitor, Miss Frere." r “No,” replied Norah. “She asked: “Yes?” said Norah, quite simply. She was only faintly curious. "Yes. ‘And, may I ask, MiSS Frere, if you have formed any plans for your. future?" will find it a happy one.” But though Mr. Petherick smiled and nodded, his cough and a certain comâ€" pression of the lips were scarcely enâ€" Iand proper one, and Iâ€"erâ€"trust you “Any plans? No, I have formed no couraging. plans; Iâ€"I did not know that any were necessary. I thought that I should go on living here as I have done, andâ€""She stopped. “You are quite happy here?” he asked. " “Oh, yes, yes," she assented,- with a little sigh. “Quite happy.” “Mrs. Jordan is kind and-â€"â€"ahemâ€"- all that?" “Yes,” said Norah. “I have al- ways lived here since I was a child.” “I see, and have grown attached to the place. It is Very quiet." “Yes, and very beautiful.” “I see; attached to Mrs. Jordan and fond of the place. Upon my word, it is a pity." The last sentence was not intended for Norah, but her ears were quick and she turned her eyes upon him with a surprised questioning that made him cough again. “I meanâ€"dear me!â€"-thatâ€"-that per- haps it would be as well to let well enough alone. Certainly for your sakef’ Norah still looked at him, puzzled and uncertain, and he hurried on. “Thisâ€"this life. is a life of change, Miss Frerc, a life of changes and surprises. You would say that you had not found it so, but yours is an exceptional a very exceptional case, believe me. And you do not know the Earl of Arrowdale, to whom your nurse, Mrs. Hayes, wrote?” he asked, with sudden abruptness. “No. Until I saw his name upon the envelope of the letter I did not know such a person existed.” “Dear me," he said aloud. Then he muttered: “Confound it, how shall I tell .her with those eyes of hers fixed on me likeâ€"like gimlets?” which they certainly were not. “Dear me, that is so strange, because, you see, my dear Miss Frere, the earl knows you so well.”- “Knows me? I think you must be mistaken. I am sure that I have never seen him nor heard of him till now.”- "No. I should have said that the earl knew of youâ€"â€"-of you. There is a difference, is there not? Andâ€"and to put it abruptly, which I have been trying not to do this time, it is by his request, I should say command, that I am here to-day. “By the command of the Earl of 'Arrowdale?" said Norah. “Yes; his lordship takes a very great interest in you. In factâ€"ahem, you have no other name than Norah â€"Norah Frerc, I believe?” She shook her head. “Did you ever hear your mother speak of your father, Miss Frere‘?" "No," said Norah in a low voice. “I think he is deac.” “Now we are coming to it," he muttered. “My dear young lady, your father is not dead; in factâ€"- ahcmâ€"he is very much alive. I thought it likely that you may have learned that he and your mother were separatedâ€"from no fault of your mother’s,” he added as the beautiful face grew suddenly pale and the dark eyes became moist; “no fault of hers whatever. Erâ€"incomâ€" patibility of temper. Yes, I may say, with all due respect to my noble client that any woman would have found it difficult to live with him. Your father, the ear1â€"â€"â€"-’..’ “What did you say? the earlâ€"â€"" "Well, I’ve let it out, now, thank Heaven! Yes, my dear young lady, your father is the Earl of Arrowdale. Come. Come, come, it has surprised and upset you, I know, andâ€"and I might have broken it better; though, ’pon my word, I did my best. Will you sit down? I’ray sit down.” Norah sank into the chair and put her hand before her Och. 1101' brain was in a whirl and she almost doubt- ed the evidence of her senses. She the dailghter of an earl! Sureâ€" ly there must be sorne mistake. “You see, Lady N01‘ahâ€"â€"-” Lady Norah! Norah let her hand fall from her eyes and looked at him. She was still pale, but she had mas~ tered her emotion, or, at least, any signs of it, and the dark eyes turned upon the old lawyer Were full of sweet dignity and patience. ., “You see, the secret has been kept so wellâ€"I really don’t think any one knew of your existence or identiâ€" ty excepting the earl and your moth~ er, and the nurse, Mrs.â€"Mrs.-â€"â€"â€"” ‘ ‘ Catherine I-l'ayes , ’ " surmised Norah. “Thank you, yes; and myself, of courseâ€"that is only natural you should be surprised. But I beg you will not distress yourself or feel any alarm. The earl has nothing but the -â€"ahemâ€"kindest intentions, and, in- deed, isâ€"erâ€"â€"anxious to see you. Heaven forgive me,” he added inaud- ibly. “To see me?” said Norah. "He 'has never seen inc." “Noâ€"o, no, he has not. You were aborn a few months after the separaâ€" . tion, andâ€"and circumstancesâ€"in fact, as you say, the earl has not seen you.” 4 ! “Why does he. wish to see me now?” asked Norah, in a low voice, gher lip quivering. “Well, his lordship having become .awarc, by the letter of your nurse, lillrs. llayes. of your lonely condi- "tion, has decided that you should go land live with him.” “(lo and liVe with him?” “Yes. He is your father. my dear Lady Norah, andâ€"and though I hare no doubt you would be quite content to remain here with this extrei‘nclv amiable old lady, Mrs. .Jorran, still â€"-e.râ€"really, I think the arrangement [the earl proposes is only the natural My father, “My father wishes it?” said Norah. “You may be sure of that, Lady Norah. I can assure you that, the earl never did anything he didn't wish toâ€"â€"” He stopped awkwardly. “Oh, yes, certainly.” u “Where does be live?” asked Norah. “At present, indeed for a greater part of the year, at Santleigh Court, a most beautiful place, oh, beauti- ful! an(lâ€"â€"erâ€"” he took out his watch, “I think, if it is not hurry- ing you too much, we must be start- ing, say, in an hour." “In an hour!” exclaimed Norah. Mr. Petherick smiled and nodded encouragineg. “Yes. My instructions were to reâ€" turn as quickly as possible. His lordship’s commands were explicit, andâ€"ahemâ€"one is accustomed to obey them. No need to trouble about packing, Lady Norah; that is, more than you want for the journey. The other things can follow you." Norah rose, her hand resting on the table, her face pale, her eyes fixed on the ne1‘Vously blinking ones of the old lawyer. “I have never heard of my father till now; my mother never spoke of himâ€"he could have been nothing to her; suppose I were to refuse toâ€"to go to him?" “God bless my soul! Refuse! Oh, my dear young lady, such a thing is not to be thought of. Youâ€"it is evident that you do not know, have not heard of your father. Oh, please for my sake, go and get ready, Lady Norah," and he mopped his face with his handkerchief. She stood as if thinking deeply for a moment, then she raised her head. “I will go." “Bless my soul! There'll be trouble betWeen thosfl two. 011, Lord, I'm sorry 1‘01“ her. Yes, there’ll be trouble." (To be Continued.) _____+_.___.. NEW ANAE STHE TI C . This Stuff Will Put You to Sleep For Sure. A new anaesthetic has been disc0Vâ€" cred by Dr. Fourneau, a noted lr‘rench surgeon, which is known to science as “Chlorohydrate of Dime- thylsmincâ€"benzoylpentanol." In order not to unduly alarm his patient, Dr. Foureau has renamed it “Stovaine.” It is injected into the spinal fluid, and within five. minutes produces complete anaesthesia in the body below thepoint of injection. The paâ€" tient,_however, does not lose con- sciousness, Its effects last for an hour and a half, and no unpleasant results have yet been observed, though it has been tried for some time in more than one Paris hospiâ€" tal. __.,, English doctors are reluctant to ex- periment with it. “Once you have injected your ‘Stovaine' into the spine,” said a prominent Flt, 0.8., of London, “you have no more con- trol over it, but with gaseous anaâ€" esthetics it is possible to stop the administration before the danger point is reached. As the quantity needed of any anaesthetic varies with the individual patient, the imporâ€" tance of this control may be easily realized. ,, "In addition, there is always a danger of septic poisoning in hypo- dermic injections, and in this form of injectionâ€"into the spinal fluidsâ€"- the consequences would be most disastrous." W DEATIâ€"IS IN BRITISH BTINES. The Scottish Trade Union Congress which has just concluded its annual sessions at Hawick, adopted several resulutions for the betterment of the working class, the more important being for the increase of Government inspectors in coal mines, and favorâ€" ing eight hours as a day’s work in all trades. Speaking of the inadeâ€" quacy of mine inspection, Mr. Gilâ€" mour, of Hamilton, said the death roll in mines was 1,000 a yezu‘, and this might be reduced to 500 with a system. of proper inspection by prac- tical men. There were 400 mines in Scotland, and only six inspectors. The Congress agreed to call upon all co-operative societies to employ only trade union labor. SOAKED TI-IE PROFESSOR. Prof. Albert Hoffa, an emient Gerâ€" man surgeon, has been ordered to pay heavily for sending his motor car, in the tank of which there was about three gallons of petrol, from Munich to Ocaseneur. Petrol is rockâ€" oned as a dangerous combustible, and the professor was accused of (le- frauding the State railway of the amount due for the carriage of the spirit. As combustiblcs are charged according to their Weight, including that of the receptacle in which they are contained, the railway officials weighed the. motor car with the pe- trol, and the professor has been ask- ed to pay a fine of $5,238.”). â€"-â€"â€"â€"-<> l\l()N.‘-'l"l‘lli SEA I’ll}. A sea pie weighing 240 lbs. was the chief feature of a dinner at (lorleâ€" ston, lllnglond, to which a large numâ€" ber of pcople sat down. The cook was an old North Hca‘ skipper, who built the pie with fhrce decks and cooked it for nine hours. (in each Ideck meat and vegetables were placâ€" led. The pin row, on a large scale. a copy of when is a favorite dish at 'sea among the crews of the North [Sea fishing fleet. | . . Asso‘ofi‘ofio‘ozo‘o}sfiowozosoonVfiegfio‘o} 0;. . ‘:‘ . . f l. The PPIBB 0f leBl‘t .3. .6. y 95. 0:0 ’9 O fiv‘o‘aozcsozv993%.}‘o:¢%o:ovzom:¢%o:o%0:0 The dew was rising from the grass, the silence of the perfect morning was broken by the uneasy cries of the dogs. From their strange whimper- ing Williams felt pretty sure that something was Wrong. At most times he would have called the dogs to him and laid into them with a whip, for Williams knew no fear, and the hounds respected his firm yet kindly rule. But Williams was in an exceptionâ€" ally good temper this morning. Everything had turned out as he had hoped for and anticipated, and the literal kickingâ€"out of Houston the previous evening was still fresh nul sweet in his memory. It would be something to boast of in liisrleclin- ing years. “Drat the dogs,” he exclaimed. “Now, what's the matter? I had better go and see. Got a fox in a hole, perhaps! We shall have to tie ’em up in future." Williams darted into the thicket. Then he came full upon Henson lying on his back with his white, uncon- scious face and staring eyes turned to the». sky, and two dogs fussing uneasily about him. A big pup close by had a large swelling on her head. By Henson's side lay the ash stick he had picked up when pursued by Merritt. Williams bent over the stark, still figure and shuddered as he saw how his clothing was all torn away f-om the body; saw the deep wounds in the chest and throat; he could see that Henson still breathed. Bis loud shout for aSSistance brought Frank Littimer and the lodge-keeper to the spot. Together they carried the body to the lodge and sent for the doctor. “The case is abSolutely hopeless,“ Walker said, after he had made his examination. “The poor fellow may examination. “The poor fellow may linger till the morning, but I doubt if he will recognise any- body again. Does anybody know how the thing came about?"~ Nobody but Merritt could have thrown any light upon the mystery, and he was far away. Williams shook his head as he thought of his parting with Henson the previous night. “I let him out and closed the gate ' behind him," he said. “He must have come back for something later on and gone for the dogs. He cer- tainly hit one of the pups over the head with a stick, and that probaâ€" bly set the others on to him. No- body will ever know the rights of the business."- And nobody ever did, for llenson lingered on through the day and far into the night. At the house Lord Littimer was entertaining a party at dinner. Everything had been exu ' plained; the ring had been produced and generally admired. All was peace and happiness. They were all on the terrace in the darkness when Williams came up from the lodge. “Is there any further news?” Lord Littimer asked. “Yes, my lord,” Williams said, quietly. “Dr. Walker has just come, and would like to see you at once. Mr. Reginald Henson died ten min- utes ago.” A hush came over the hitherto noisy group. It was some little time before Lord Littimer returned. He had only to confirm the news. .llegin-- ald was dead; he. had escaped justice after all. “Well, I’m not‘sorry,” Lady 1.it-. timer said. “It is a rare disgrace saved to the family. And there has been trouble and sorrow enough and to spare.” “But your own good name, my dear?” Lord Littimer said. “And Frank's?” “We can live all that down, my dear husband. Frank will be too happy with Chris to care what gosâ€" sips say. 'And Dr. Dell and Enid will be as happy as the others." “And Ruth and myself, too," David said, quietly. “Later on I shall tell in a book how three sirens got me into a perfect sea of misâ€" chief." “What shall you call the Littimer asked. “What better title cnuld I. have," David said, “than ,The Price of Liberty?” book?" (The End.) __.___+___._.._. PRINCE OF WAL CS’S FEATHERS On the apex of the Prince of Walcs's crown, which he wears on special occasions, is'a curious fea- ther,» or rather a tuft of periwak feathers, the top of which is adorned with a gold "thread. This feather is said to be Worth $50,000, and has the distinction of being the only one of its kind in the world. It took twenty years 10 procure it, and it caused the death of more than a dozen liunie‘i's. The reason the pur- suit of the. piriwak is so dangerous is because it inhabits the. jungles and other haunts of tigers. us A WICAL’l‘llY CONSTABLE. A lludnpesth police constable namâ€" ed l’aul Robaska, has uni-ximctedly inln-rited a fortune of $500,000 from [a wealthy relative. He is still to be seen on his beat in llathery street, as he does not intend to leave the service until his application for [or- Iniss:ion to retire with a pension, af- ter eighteen years’ service, is dealt with in ,the ordinary way.