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| CHAPTER XiTt. (Contd) Mrs. Darnley put out her hand, od to offered her cheek to her son. "You are a ta traveller, Der- ,'" she said, with a cold smile. He just touched ler fingers, but mot bend'his head to kiss her A "tardy traveller on'a 'useless urney. 1' suppose you had some Bood reason ' for sending 'me to ransact your imaginary business,' mother; but I confess I-don't ses it = don't understand you, "Der- Mrs. Darnley's, voice was sur- ! prise and hauteur combined. He gave hor a sharp look; then, withony another word, turned aside "1 will sit here for a little while, Dolly,'" he said, wearily, as he saw that he could not, must not, try. to escape indoors yet, if he would preé- vent awakward speculation about him: 'And then, dear, after 1 have been refreshed by the night air, 'and' your sweet company, I think I will go to bed." ""¥ou' shall do exactly as you like,"" Dorothy answered, of course, drawing up 'a tiny chair, and sit- ting close to him. ""But tell me, Derry, what did you mean just now by saying that there was no real business to take you away?' "IT méant that 1 had been made a fool!" He spoke - so hotly, so bitterly, that Dorothy started. She had never seen him in such a mood be- fore, and she was a little frighten: ed; but the youny man seemed to have forgotten Her very presence; he was gazing to his right hand, at that other man who had robbed him of all that made life deaf and sweet; for whose.sake he had been pushed aside, jilted, despised | For whom his whole love had been trampled un- der foot as the dead leaves of au: tumn are crushed into the mise. For an hour He had been wander- ing about the grounds, trying to school himself to meet the others, to grow calm; and act as though this hgirible" Ahing had never been. Had -he but known! Tf she had sent him one' line, one word of warning, he would . never have come back! But now 'he wak here, and he must go through the ordeal, at leasf, this evening.: On the mor- row hd'would go. ut the morrow was not. yet born, and the night was only new. What he had suffered: no-one but himself could ever know. The blow had a double effect; it struck at his heart and at his pride. Love, that levels all things, had erased from his generous mind all question of inequality between him- self. and Nancy. Tt was nothing to him that! she 'had 'passed' yents' of her childhood in a common home, that hee - surroundings' had 'heen vulgar, Der 'connections plebeian. . He. had 'loved her, that was "enough; against «ll the world he would 'have upheld her; she pure, good, a.true gentlew was sufficient for him, a Mer. "It seemed to hi lookin back now, that he had loved: Ker|ija from the very 'first--f{rom. he mo: "ment when she had clung to his arm. that bygone January night, and he had strick her cowardly tormentor to the mud. Had not her sweet |} eyes haunted him, and could he ever forget the quick rush 'of plea-|" sure that, filled him when she 'had startled su am an: I shall not be. able to restrain lt, »? he. muttered, fiercely, "He réashod the Hall | made his way 'to Bir Humphrey's "'den,'" he knew he would be safe here from intrusion; = but, 'nevertheless, he took the precaution of carefully locking the door, and once alone, of he flung' himself in a chair, and buried his face in his folded arms on the table. "He felt faint and sick fiom the violence of the anger he had ex- perienced, and now came the dull} dead 'ache. of despair to take its place. : Btrong man-.as he was, he' trem- bled in 'every limb; love, that had been so sweet, had turned to such bitterness as he had never dreamed of... He recalled the brief ectasy that bad come to. nim, As he sat there alone in the empty room and the gray dusk, he reticmbered with a wild throb at. his heart the inde- scribable joy that: had run through his 'veins as his arms first enfol led her, and he caught hor whispered love on her swéet, fresh lips. Love! no, no, it had never been love. Ha flung out his arms suddenly, and started to his feet. "I can't 'stay here,"' he said to himself, hoarsely. "I must go at once--where? What does it mat- ter where! One place is as good as another now my hope is gone--my ambition dead: Why need I work for the future--why struggle? Ev- erything is base and false and mis: erable!" Then his mood changed. "How white she was," he said, hurriedly; to himself; "her face was drawn as' if .with pain. 'Did she really suffer? or---- Pshaw! it was acting. If she felt anything, it must have been. shame--shame at her wrong, her 'cruel deception." He passed his hand over his brow, it was wet with perspiration "Yet," he mused, as he paced dn, "there is something in the whole affair 1 do not understand. Why should my mother have sent me on that useless'journey Is there some mystery here?' Unconsciously his heart beat quicker. "Can there be any connection between this and--' "He paused; then shook his head. How could his, m ar? have any- thing to 'do with: Nanty's affairs? other Mord, y a away to thelwa house. {alone--she has "HT stay longer 1 shall kill him ag then' she gi Re dear. 3 {Has she' been very lt Dorey' 8:voice wag 'only terested. "Very. T taw her just 'Tuncheon, and she looked awful. I really was alarmed, but she be Detter, or she would not-he : pang pass 'through it as he hea her suffering ; and once again came that curious doubt--a doubt that |: was mingled with strange hope and | pain; bub it was so vagtie, 80 un- |: satisfactory, he dismisse immediately from his mind. "Shall we go fora stroll { " Pere thy said, laughingly. "Merefield will slay = me," Mr. Darnley replied, echoing her laugh, in a hollow, forced way. Her face flushed. "Merefield 'is so foolish.' + 7 '"Take care; he has a title." Despite his efforts, Derrick: could not yet be quite natural, Dorothy looked at him nervously. 'I think, after all, you had bet- ter go to hed ; you seem thoroughly knocked out, Derry" But the man made no answer, fon at that 'moment he saw a slender, white-robed form coming' toward |: them in the moonlight, "It is Nancy,"! cried Dorothy ; "let us go and scold her, naughty girl? She' ran 'away swiftly, and Der: rick. Darnley set his teeth and clinched "his strong hands, Bo she had come to brave Jim, She 'had spdken the' truth with her" own lips; she had voldvhim she did not love ° h |} In his excitement he' forgot red x poor Nancy had neve tte such 'a' falsehood. © ABET be cried; passi . mately. am 'rightly punished. fo for Ashtiing : pride to the dust that Bygoue nigh itr this very room; and en- treating her to forgive me main at the Hall; had' x oo ae would have gone, ve. heen 'spared The vi he the qari; Morn tite fascingtion teal over: hiss 88 his' eyes met the fancied her marvellous blue ones... Ron in imagination: he could hear her. 80 reathing, and see the delicate col or come and go in her face Then; with a gesture of p ate despair and defiance, he start ed upright again. q-will be strong," he. suid {al see that 1 can' josh ud be ; oa he felt agaid Was Toned doy To bled thoughts. 3 "What are you staring Darnley laughed. the + ly ands from below. He looked down, "and his brow darkened ; he had not foticed that any one 'was near, far 'less that Crawshaw was at hand. 'Looks as if he had seh u ghost, don't he?' observed that gentle-, man, without: troubling to remove his cigar from his mouth, € Rots ed in his trousers pockets; he foked ked: j even 'more vulgar and. 'pretentions in 'his spick-and- -span avening « drecs than in his rough ridin Darnley's right. hand veh it- uth 5. For full ® Dufosi s Bennett, General Yonge Street; Toronto; "Ont. self, but he made no reply to this,| Tn though Miss Chester ~~ evidently found 'if so witty that she laughed immoderately. "Oh! but 'thers ate no ghosts here, are there, Mr. Darnley 1! she erie . "There's some one whe looks like one, anyhow.' ; (To, be contivusd. ) of intend using pr rte Bn Coll for thie construetion of some farm ou Contemplate building ---- LL A Agent, 48