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v-‘nMW‘ I ‘s ‘~..--_ “'m,“ -«c ,ms‘pm M»~w . mm «(’3' « camp/m / _ WA 'A‘ _, pg. vv .7,,« v 1:, v;o m~/\_A( ox‘r p ONLYA CHAPTER III.â€"(Cont’d) “No, no, not at all,” he said] eomposedly. “I- believe in a good providence, but with so much I am quite satisfied, you see. What does one need with more? To us men religion, church going, isâ€"isâ€"how do you call it in English? I think you say ‘an awful bore.’ Is it not so?!) I The slang in foreign accent was irresistible. She was a little shock- ed, but she could not help laugh- mg. “How you Norwegians speak out!” she exclaimed. “Many Eng- lishmen feel that, but few would say it so plainly.” “So! I thought an Englishman was nothing if not candid. But for. me I feel no shame. What more would one have than to make the most of life? That is my religion. I hear that in England there is a book to ask whether life is’worth living? For me I can’t understand that would never have occurred to me. Only to live is happiness enough. Life is such a very good thing. Do you not agree ’2” “Sometimes,” she said, rather wistfully. | “Only sometimes? No, no, al- ways, to the last breath!” cried Frit-hiof. “You say that because things are as you like; because you are hap- py,” said Blanche. “It is true, I am very happy,” he replied. “Who would not be hannv walking with you 2” Something in his manner fright- ened her a little. She went on breathlessly and incoherently. “You wouldn’t say that life is a very good thing if you were like our poor people in East London, for in- stance.” . “Indeed, no,” he said, gravely. “That must be a great blot Jon Eng- lish life. Here in Norway we have no extremes. No one is very poor, and our richest men have onl what would be counted in Eng and a moderate income.” . “Perhaps that is why you are such a happy people.” “Perhaps,” said Frithiof, but he felt a little inclined to consider the problem of the distribution of wealth just then, and the talk drift- ed round once more to that absorb- ing personal talk which was much more familiar to them. At length the top of the moun- tain was reached, and a merry lit- tle picnic ensued. “Come!” said Sigrid to Cecil Boniface, “you and I must add a stone to the cairn. Let us drag up this great one and put it on the top together in memory of our friend- ship.” . They stood laughing and panting under the shelter of the cairn when the stone was deposited, the merry voices of the rest of the party float- ing back to them. “Do you not think we are dread- ful chatterers, we Norwegians?” said Sigrid. “I think you said Cecil, simply. Something in her manner touched and pleased Sigrid. She had quiet English are delightful,” grown to like this girl. Once more Frithiof and Blanche were left alone. ' “And you must really go on Mon- day?” asked Frithiof, with a sigh. “Well.” she said, glancing up at him quickly, “I have been very troublesome to you, I’m sure; al- ways needing help in climbing! You will be glad to get rid of me though you would be too polite to tell me so.’ ’ “How can you say such things ’1” he exclaimed. “You knowâ€"you must know what these days have been to me.” , “After all, I believe I should do better if I trusted to my alpen- stock!” And laughingly she began to spring down the rough descent, a little proud of her own grace and agility. and a little glad‘to baffle and tease him for a few minutes. “Take care! take care!” cried Frithiof, hurrying after her. Then, with a stifled cry, he sprung for- ward to rescue her, for the alpen- stock had slipped on a stone, and she was rolling down the steep in- cline. How he managed it he never realized, but love seemed to lend him wings, and the next thing he knew was that he was kneeling on the grass only two or three feet from the 'sheer cliff-like side with Blanche in his arms. “Are you hurt?” he questioned, breathlessly. OR, A CURIOUS MYSTERY EXPLAINED. MONTH; replied, trembling “No,” she “Not hurt at with excitement. .all, only shaken and startled.” He lifted her a little further from the edge. “How strong you are,” she said, “and how cleverly you caught me! Yet now that it is over you look quite haggard and white. I am really not hurt at all. It punished me well for thinking I could get on without you. You see I couldn’t!” She sat up and took off her hat, smoothing back her disordered hair. “If only I might always serve you!” he cried. “Oh, Blanche, I love you! I love you ! Will you not trust yourself to me?” All in a moment she was con- quered; she could not even make a feint of resistance, ‘but just put her hand in his. “I will always trust you,” she faltered. Then, as she felt his strong arm round her and his kisses on her check, there flashed through her mind a description she had once read ofâ€" “a strong man from the North, Light-locked, With eyes of danger- ous gray.” It was a love worth having, she thought to herself; a love to be proud of! “But, Frithiof,” she began, af- ter a timeless pause, “we must keep our secret just for a little while. You see, my father is not here, andâ€"” , “Let me write to him and ask his consent,” exclaimed Frithiof. “No, no, do not write. Come over to England in October and see him yourself, that will be so much better.” , - “Mu-st we wait so long?” said Frithiof, his face clouding. “It is only a:.few weeks; papa will not be at home till then. Every one is away from London, you knowaDon’t look so anxious; I do not know your face; it isn’t happy; you were never meant to be grave. As for. papa. I can make him do ex- actly what I like; you need not be afraid that he will not consent. Come! I have promised to trust to you and yet you doubt me.” “Doubt you 2” he cried. “Never! I trust you before all the world; and if you tell me to wait, why, then I must obey.” ' “How I love you for saying that!” cried Blanche, clinging to him. “To think that you who are so strong should say that to me! It seems wonderful. But indeed, indeed, you need not doubt me. [ loveyou with my whole heart. I love you as I never thought it pos- sible to love.” CHAPTER 1V. “We were beginning to think some accident had happened to you,” said Sigrid, who stood wait- ing at the door of the hotel. “And so it, did,” said Blanche, laughing. “I think I should have broken my neck if it hadn’t been for your brother._ It was all the fault of this treacherous alpenstock which played me false.” And then, with a sympathetic little group of listeners, Blanche gave a full account of her narrow escape. “And you are really not hurt at __ _â€"â€"â€"â€".._____.._-. Are you one of those to whom every meal is another source of suffering P Na-Dru-Co Dyspepsia Tablets will help your disordered stomach to digest any reasonable meals, and will soon restore it to such perfect con- dition that you'll never feel that you have a stomach. Take one after each meal. 50¢. a Box at your Druggist's. Made by the National Drug and Chemical Co. of Canada, Limllcd. 150 I [all? Not too much shaken to carel ll) J i to dance “to-night “Not a bit,” said Blanche, mer- rily. “And you promised to put on your peasant costume and show us the spring dans, you know,” “So I did. .I must make haste and dress, then,” and Sigrid ran upstairs, appearing again before long in a simply made dark skirt, white sleeves and chemisctte, and red bodice, richly embroidered in gold. Her beautiful hair was worn in two long plaits down her back, and the costume suited her to per- fection. There followed a merry supper in the dependence where all- meals were served, then every one adjourned to the hotel salon, the chairs were hastily pushed aside, and dancing began. Herr Falck’s eyes rested content- edly on the slim little figure in the maize-colored dress who so often danced with his son; and indeed, Blanche looked more lovely than ever that evening, for happiness and excitement had brightened her dark eyes, and deepened the glow of color in her checks. The father felt proud, too, of his children, when, in response to the general entreaty. Frithiof and Sigrid danced the spring dans together with its graceful evolutions and quaint ges- tures. Then nothing would do but Frithiof must plav to them on the violin, after which Blanche volun- teered to teach every one Sir Roger de Cove-rley, and old and young joined merrily in the country dance and so the evening passed on all too rapidly to its close. It was a scene which somehow lived on in Cecil’s memory; the merry dancers. the kindly landlord, Ole Kvikne sit- ting" near the door and watching them, the expression of :ontcnt visible in Herr Falck’s face as he sat besidchim, the! pretty faces and picturesque attire , of Sigrid and Swanhild, the radiant beauty of Blanche Morgan, the unclouded happiness of Frithiof. ‘ The evening had done her good. its informality, its hearty. unaffect- ed happiness and merrimcnt made it a strange contrast to any other dance she could recollect; yet even here there was a slight shadow. She could not forget those words which she had overheard on board the steamer, could not get rid of the feeling that some trouble hung over the Falck family, and that hidden away, even in this Norwegian para- dise, there lurked somewhere the inevitable serpent. .Even as'she mused over it, Fritliiof crossed the room and made his bow before her. and in another minute had whirled her off. Happiness shone in his eyes, lurked in the tones of his voice, added fresh spirit to his dancing; she thought she had never before seen such an incarnation of perfect content. They talked of Norwegian books, and her interestI in his country seemed to please him. ' “You can easily get English translations of our best novelists,” he said. “You should read Alex- ander Kielland’s books, and Bjorn- sen’s ringing all day in my head, we will make Sigrid. say it to us, for I only know the chorus.” Then as the waltz came to an end he led her toward his sister, who was standing with Roy near the piano. ' Just then a polka was struck up and. he hastily made his bow to Blanche. “May I have the pleasure of this dance “I” he said, in his condescend ing tone. , “Thank you', but I am so tired,” she replied. “Too tired for any more “coâ€"night.” “Yes,” said Sigrid, glancing at her. “You look worn out. Mun- keggen is a tiring climb. Let 'us come upstairs, it is high time that naughty little sister of mine was in bed.” I “The rewar of virtue.” said Cyril Morgan, rejoining his cousin Florence. “I have been polite to the little bourgeoise and it has cost me nothing. It is always best in a place like this to be on good terms with every one. We shall never be likely to come across these peoâ€" ple again; the acquaintance is not likely to bore us.” His words were perfectly true. That curiously assorted gathering of different nationalities would nev- er again meet, and yet these days of close intimacy were destined to influence forever, either for good or‘ for evil, the lives of each one. All through the Sunday Blanche had kept in bed. for' though the excitement had kept her up on the previous night, she inevitably suf- fered from the effects of her fall. It was not till the Monday morn- ing, just before the arrival of the steamer, that Frithiof could find the encortunity for which he had impatiently waited. 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LAWRENCE SUGAR REFINING CO” LIMITED, [MONTREAL ute, glancing anxiously down the fjord where in the distance could be seen the unwelcome black speck. On the further side of the mound, down among the trees and bushes, was a little sheltered seat. It was there that they spent their last-mo- ments, there that Blanche listened to his eager words of love, there that she again bade him wait till October, at the, same time giving him such hope and encouragement as must surely have satisfied the most exigcant lover. ' ' All too soon the bustle of depar- ture reached them, and the steam- whistleâ€"most hateful and discord- ant of soundsâ€"-rang and resounde among the mountains. “I must go,” she exclaimed. “or they will becoming to look for me. This is our real good-bye. On the steamer it will be just a handâ€"shake, but nowâ€"” » And she lifted a lovely, glowilig face to his. ‘ (To be continued.) >1. THE KING’S GARDENER. Responsibilities of ii. M.’s Chief Floriculfural Expert. Between $1,500 and $2,500 are spent every year on plants for forc- ing purposes. The head-gardener has, of course, to make his plans of cultivation for each year very much in advance. These plans are submit-ted to their Majesties for ap- proval. It frequently may happen that the King or Queen Mary de- sire to lay out some of the gardens In a particular manner, and, of course, any such suggestions are made part of the general scheme of cultivation for the coming year, says London Answers. , The head-gardener has a staff of fortyâ€"six assistants under him. Several of them are specialists. For example, there is a “bulb” special- ist, who has devoted years to vari- ous methods of bulb cultivation; and there is, of course, a rose spe- cialisnt, and there are half a dozen untouched by human can ‘ supply you. . 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These cases are made of polished oak, and lined with silver paper. The name and address of each person to whom a case of flowers is sent is entered up in a book, and sometimes five hundred cases of flowers are despartched in a day. The gardeners at Windsor Castle are provided with a thoroughly com- fortable, well-built set of dwellings, which were built by the late King. Before his Majesty came to the throne the gardeners had to find houses for themselves about Wind- sor, and in several instances had to liven. long way from their work. In addition to the dwelling-houses there has been erected a sort of club-house for the gardeners. There is a large experimental gar- den at Windsor where new methods of. cultivation are constantly being Itried, and any that prove conspicu- ously successful are adopted; but the general system in the Royal gar- dens is more or leSS conservative in , character. 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