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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1911)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 1, 1911 r ! i CHAPTER I Brethren of the Road - " I5MAL In appearance, the painted s t g,n over the mean doorway almost ob- ' lfterated by t i ra and weather, there was hot h fhg attractive about the "Punch-BoWl" tavern In Clerkenwell. It was hid den away at'th end of a narrow' alley, making no effort to vaunt Its exist ence to the world at large, ' and to many persons, even in the neat neigh borhood, It was entirely unknown. Like a gentle man to whom debauchery has brought shame and the desire to conceal him self front his fellows, so the "Punch-Bowl" seemed an outcast among taverns. Chaace visitors were few, ' were neither expected nor welcomed, and ran the risk of being told by the landlady, to term which "there" was no possibility of misunderstanding. 'tnac the pluue was tiot-for tUem. It was natural, there toie, that ; certain air of mystery should sur- round the house, for, although the alley was a cul 1 de-Sac, there were stories of rharvelou escapes from this trap even when the entrance was closed by troop of soldiers, and It wag whispered that there was a secret way out from the "Punch-Bowl" known only to the" layered few. Not was an element of romance . wanting. The dweller tn this alley were of the poor ' est sort, dirty and unkempt picking up a precarious livelihood, pickpocket and cutpurses-"fyster" and "nyppers" as their thieves' slang named them; yet , i through all this wretched ahabbiness thsra would k flash at Intervals Some fine gentleman, richly dressed, ' and with the Swagger of 8t James In hU alt Con scious ef the sensation he occasioned, ha passed through the alley looking strangely out of plaoe, yet with no' ascertain step. He waa a hero, not only to these ragged worshipers, but In a far wider ctrcM ' where wit and beauty moved; he knew it, gloried In it, ' and recked tittle of the" price- which must soma day be paid for auch popularity, The destination of these ' grentlemtn w always the "Punch-Bowl" tavern. Neitfter of a man, nor of a tavern, ts It safe to Judge Only by the exterior. A grim and forbidding Countenance may conceal a warm heart, even as the unprepossessing "Punch-Bowl" contained a cosy and comfortable parlor, Tonight, halt a doien fine gentle- men were enjoying their wins, and It we evUent - .th'at the landlady waa rather proud of her guests. Buxom, and not to old to forget thai she had once . been accounted pretty, she still loved smartness and V bright colors, Was not averse to kiss' upon occasion. and Had a jest coarse, perhaps, but with om wit In , It for each' of her customers. She knew them Well their secrets, their love episodes, their danger; some, times she gave advice, had often rendered them valu ' able help, but she had' also a keen tys for business Her favors bad to be paid for, and even from the handsomest ef her customers a kiss had never ,been f known to settle a score. The "Punch-Bowl' was no f tlace for empty pockets, and bad luck wa rather a . crime than an-excuse. When it pleased her the land ' lady could tell many tales of other One gentlemen . she -Jiad knows and Would never see again, and shs L always gave theNtmpresaion that she considered her former . customers lar superior to her- present pes. Perhaps she found the comparison good for her Trai nees since she spoke to vain men. She had become , reminiscent this evening. , "Tne very night before he wa taken he sat Wher you're "kitting,' she said, pointing to one of her - customers, who was Seated by the hearth. "Ah I Me maie a ood end Of it did Jim o' the Green Coat; kicked on his boots as If they were an old pair ha ' hal done with, and threw the ordinary out of the cat t. aaying he had no time to waste on him Just then. 1 was there and saw it all.' There was silenee as she concluded her glowing t talc. Depression may take hold of the most careless and liKht hearted for a moment, and even the attrac tion of making a good end with an opportunity of '' spurning a worthless ordinary cannot always appeal. Too landlady had contrived to make her story vivid, and furtive glances were cast at the Individual who " occupied the scat she had indicated. There suddenly - appeared to be something fatal in it snd ample reason why a man might congratulate himself for being seated elsewhere. The occupant was the least con cerned. He had taken the most comfortable place Jn the room; it seemed to he rightly his by virtue of his dress and bearing. He had the grand air as - having mixed In high society, his Superiority was tacitly admitted by his companions, and the landlady ' had addressed herstlf especially to him, as though She knew him for a man of consequence. "When the time comes you Shall see me die game, , too, I warrant," he laughed, draining his glass and passing it to be refilled. "One. death is as good as another, and at Tyburn it coraeg qatcker than to those Who It?' s waiting It In bed"." ' "That's true." said the landlady. "I should hate to die in a bed," the man went on. v ' "The optn road for me and a quick finish. It's the best life If It isn't always as long as It might be. 3 wouldn't forsake it for anything- the king could offvr me. it's a merry time, with romance, love and adventure tn It, with plenty to get and plenty to epeiid, with seasoning of danger to give it piquancy : a gentleman's life from cock-crow to cock-crow, and not worthy of a passing thought Is he who cannot make a good end of it. I'd sooner have the hangman tor a bosom friend than a man who Is likely to whimper on the day of reckoning. Did I tell you that a reverend bishop offered me fifty guineas lor my male the other day?" "You sold her?" came the question in chorus. ".Sold her! No! 1 told him that Bhe would be of little use to him, since no one but myself could gt her up to it coach." "Your Impudence will be the death of you, John," laughed the landlady. "That, seems a fairly sbfe prophecy," answered Gentleman Jack for so his companions named him still, heard of one bishop who took to the road in My leisure hours. He died of a sudden fever, it was iRiil, butt for all that, he returned one night, from a loiiely ride arross Houtislow Heath, and was most anxious to conceal the fact that somebody had put a ; huU' t mto him. My bishop may have become ambl flo.Vs indeed, 1 think he had. for he had intellect " em ispli to understand my meaning and was not in the 1 lo.ut scandaMeerl."-- j "Then w" rnj- yet welcome him at the 'Punch- Bowt. " said one man. "So fur, this house has enter tained no one hip nor In the church than a Fleet parson, 3 see no sin .in drh'kins i ie biahop'g good, health and wi-sl ing him the speedy possession of a horse to match his umhltion." "Any one may servt as a toast," said another; "but r.ouVl a bishop be nm ' company under any circum stances, think you?" "(Sad! "why not?" asked (lentleman Jack. "He'd ape rid his time trying to square his profession Wlitta v his conscience na !. and when a man is reduced to that, bishop ti no bishop, there's humor enough, I warrant." The health was drunk with laughter, snd the air of depression whih had followed the landlady's recital disappeared like clouds from an April sky. Each one had some story to tell, some item to add to tho accumulated glory of the road. "Aye. it's a merry life," said the' man who had , " had doubts about tho bishop's company, "and the ' ' only drawback Is that It cornes to an end when vou'r at the top of'jour fu-. cose. The dealers in blood money never .hunt a man down until he"s worth his full orlee.' . "And Isn't that iiie host time to take the last ride?" claimed Oentlniin .lack. "Who would choose to srrow old and be forgotten? What should we do Bitting utility In n armchair, wearing -slippers because boots hurt our poor swollen feet? What should we be with out a pair of legs etrong enough to grip the saddle or with eyes too dim to iwogntze a pretty woman, lack ing Are .to rail In love, and with lips which had lost their seat for kissing?" "But we come to.that last ride before we lack any thlng thnt'a the trouble," waa the answer. (.i ';,Notalway,' said. another man. "Galloping Hermit was feared on all the roads before ijiad stoppod my first coach, and he.Js still feared today." Th speaker was young. ad he mentioned the name of the notori ous highwayman with a kltid a reverence. . "Thry say bo's tho jdevtl himself, afld thaf why he's never been taken," said another. "Dld.-s.nr of you ever ae himf" t "One,". And they all turned ouicWr . toward ttMwnrt "who rffilte.''--M?-rftar haOone lameTind i no oismoHntea in : cwpue to texsmme her, when ihero , w tit quick, rhythmic ibeat of hoofs at a rallemcroa th turf.:: jf.waa alert on my own c t oont In a tnon;ut, irouohlne; iowp among the vnder--growth, for ' witl a lama anttfial I could hav mad .- .t : i ''If . , V CUPVUlCHTtWn.BYTHt fCi.. -ICM CO. , . ( - He found himself a prisoner, bound hand and foot." -t hut a poor show. There flashed past me a splendid horseman, man and beast one perfect piece of harmony. The moon wa near the full. I saw the neat, strong lines of the horse, the easy movement of the rider, and 1 could see that the mask which the man wore was brown. This happened two years ago, out beyond Barnet" "And without that brown mask no one knows htm,'' Said the man who had first spoken of him. "He haa bean met on all the roads, north) couth, east and wet never In company, always alone. He never fails, yet the blood-feasters have watched for him In vain. Truly, he disappears as mysteriously as the devil tnlffht He mav so to court. . He may be a well-known figure there, gaming with the best, a favored suitor . where beauty smiles. He may . n have been here among ua at the 'Punch-Bowl' -wL..jut ur knowing It". "It Is not impossible," Gentleman Jack admitted, smiling a little at the other's enthusiasm. "I envy him," was the answer. "'o seem mean beside such a man as Galloping Hermit." "I do not cry 'Yes' to that," said Gentleman Jack, Just In time to prevent an outburst from the land lady, who appeared to fancy that the quality of her entertainment wis being called In question. "The brown mask conceals a personality, no doubt but before we can Judge between man and man we must know something of their" various opportunities. Were he caraful and lucky, such a man as my bishop would be hard to run to earth. Galloping Hermit is careful, for only at considerable Intervals do we hear of him. The road would seem to be a pastime with him, rather than a life be loved. For me, the night never comes that I do not long to be In the saddle, that I do not crave the excitement, even if there be no stoil worth the trouble of taClng. Thia man Is different He la only abroad when the quarry Is certain. True, success ha been his, but for all that the fear of Tyburn may spoil his rest at night, and When he gets there we may find that the brown mask con cealed a coward after all." "Had you seen him that night a I did you would not say so," was the answer." "I like speech with a man before I Judge his merits," said Gentleman Jack, rising from hlto chair and flicking some dust from his sleeve. He appeared to resent such slavish admiration of Galloping Hermit perhaps because he felt that his own pre-eminence was challenged. It pleased him to think that his nam must b,e in every one's mouth, that his price In the crime-market must for months past have been higher than any other man's, and he was suddenly out of humor with the frequenters of the "Punch Bowl." Ho threw a guinea to Uie landlady, told her to buy a keepsake with the change, and passed out With a careless nod, much as though he Intended never to come' bvk Into such low company. The landlady stood lingering the guinea, turning It between her finger and thumb, rather helping her reflections by the action than satisfying herself that the coin was a good one. "1 believe we've -had Galloping Hermit here to night," she said suddenly. "It was unlike Gentleman Jack to talk as he did Just now Mark my words, he wears a brown mask - on special occasions, and thought by sneering to throw dust in our eyes. Ifs not the first time I have considered the possibility, and 1 m not Sure that I won't buy a brown silk mask for keepsake and slip it on when next I see him coming In at the door. That would settle the ques tion." ' She had many arguments to support her opinion, reminded her customers of many little Incidents which had occurred In the past, recalling Gentleman Jack's peculiar behaylor on various occasions. Her . argu ments sounded convincing, and for an hour or more they discussed the question. The opportunity to test her belief by wearing a brown silk mask never came, however, for that same night Gentleman Jack was taken on Hounslow Heath. A stumbling horse put him at the mercy of the man he sought to .rob, who struck him on the head with a henvV Tlding-whip, -aiid when the highwayman recovered consciousness he found himself a prisoner, bound hand and foot. He endeavored to bargain with his captor, and made an attempt to outwit him. but, falling In both efforts, he acoepted his position with a good grace, determined to make the best of it. Newgate should be . proud of its latest- resident. For a little space, at any rate, he would be the hero of fashionable circles, and go to his death with aTl The glamour of romance. He would leave a memory behind him that the turnkeys might presently make stirring tales of as they drank their purl at night round the fire in the prison lobby. The highwayman's story concerning the bishop, quickly went the round of the town, and a wit- declared that at Jeast half the reverend gentlemen went trembling in their shoes for fear of their name being mentioned. The story, and the wit's comment, served to raise the curiosity of the fashionable, and more than one coach stopped by Newgate to set down beauty and its escort on a visit to the highwayman. But a greater sensation was pending. Who first spread the report no one knew, but It was suddenly whispered that this man was in reality no other than the notorious wearer of the"brown mask. When questioned he did not deny It, and- his evident pleasure at the mystery which surrounded him went far to establish the story, for every person Interested In Gentleman Jack, a dozen were anxious to see and speak to Galloping Hermit. Every tale concerning him was recalled and retold, losing 'nothing 1n the retelling. Men had rather Mivled his adventurous career, many Women's hearts had beat faster at "the mention of hi name, and now the most' absurd tfeeorlei i regarding his real personality were seriously discussed In coffee houses, In boudoirs, and even at court. It was Whispered that the king himself would intervene to save htm from the fallows. For a long time, no trial- had caused such a sensa tion, and Judge Marriott, whose ambition it was to be likened to Ns learned and famous brother. Judge Jet-, freys, rose to the occasion' and succeeded in giving an excellent imitation of the bullying methods of his Idol, This was -an opportunity to win fame, he argued, and he gave full play to the little wit he possessed and ample license to his undeniable powers of Vituperation and blasphemy. , Newgate was thronged, anfl (he prisoner bore him- sen ananiir as a man mignt in nis ttour or triumph It was a great thing to b. an ob3.ot of Interest to states- Hw-fmrN -wnwass -w-ttw. vnnn ang tears from beauty. His eves traveled toriv mm r fsjjes, and rested for a little whll upon a young girl. Her eye wer downcast, but he thought there must be tear in them, and for a moment he wa moe inter ested In her than is. any one else." Why had. eh omeT She waa different from all the ether women about her, 1 . Beside her sat an elderly woman who seemed to be en Joying herself exceedingly and appeared to. find especial relish In Judge" Marriott's remarks. The more brutal they were the more witty she , seemed to thihk them. As sentence was pronounced the girl rose to her feet and turned to go. In truth. It had been no wish of hers to come. The Judge, the people, the whole atmosphere sickened her. Bhe longed to get away, to feel the fresh air, upon her cheek, and in her anxiety to depart she took no particular trouble to make sure that her com panion was following her. There was a hasty crushing . on all sides of her; as she was earried forward she be came conscious that she was alone, that she was being stared at and commented upon by some of those. Who were about her. She ought not to be there, she felt 1J rather than knew It, and was painfully aware that people we're Judging her accordingly. One man apoke to her, and in her effort to escape his attentions she con trived to thrust herself Into a corner of an outer lobby, and waited. , '" "Can I be of servicer' ' For a moment she thought that the man she had escaped from had found her, and she turned Indignantly. The steady gray eyes that met hers were eyes to trust she felt that at onoe. This was quite a different person. He was young, with a face grave beyond hi years, and a sense of strength about him likely to appeal ,to a - woman, "I am waiting for my aunt Lady Boisover," She aid, the color mounting to her cheeks under hi steady gaze, and then, auddenly anxious that he should not think evil of her. she added;. "I did not want to come. It was horrible." "Tour aunt must have missed you," he said, glanc ing round the almost empty lobby, f'or -the crowd had poured out Into the street by this time. "It you have a coach waiting, may I take you to it?" "Oh, please thank you." The crowd was dense in the street, and their prog ress was slow, but the man forced a way for her. His face gave evidence that It would. 'be dangerous for any one to throw a Jest at his companion. There was a general inclination to give him the wall as he went "I am glad you did not come here willingly," he said suddenly, as though no other thought had been In his mind all this time. "This is no place for a woman." "Indeed, no. I am wdnderlng why a man should be here either." "Galloping Hermit once did me a ' klndnesa J woUld like to repay the debt." "But how? What could you do?" "I could not tell. Something might have hap pened to give me an opportunity. it did not; still. snail see mm presently, remaps, l mar yet be able to do him some small service "Oh, I hope so, poor man," she answered. "There Is the coach, and my aunt. .She will thank you." l.ndV UnlROVPt- WhO W tnlklnir tn T nr,mmnr did not appear agitated, but she hurried forward when sne caugnt mignt of her niece. "My child, I have been consumed with anxiety, and" "This gentleman" the girl began, and then 'stopped. The man had not followed her as she went to meet her aunt. He had disappeared. . There came no intervention on the prisoner's be half In the days that followed, nor did he set up any plea for his life on the ground of knowing of plots against the king's majesty. This would be to shirk the day of reckoning, and he had boasted to his com panions at the "Punch-Bowl" tha they should see him play the game to the end. He would fulfill this promise to the letter. H had ridden up Holborn Hill scores of times, seeking spoil and adventure on Hounslow Heath or elsewhere; he would Journey up it once more, and pay the price like a gentleman. It would be no lonely Journey; there would be excite ment and triumph in it. He had lived his life-and enjoyed it; ho had allowed nothing to stand la. the way of his desires; he had pressed into a' few short years far more satisfaction than any other career could have 'given him. Tvhy should. he Whimper be cause the end came early? 4t woull b a good end to make, full of movement and color. He knew, for he had been a spectator when others had taken that Journey, and he was of more Importance than they were. The whole town Was ringing with his fame. Why should he have regrets? Beauty and fashion came to visit him, and one man came to thank him for some former kindness, a trivial matter that the highwayman had thought nothing of and had for gotten. It came that last mrfrnlnfr, a fine morning flushed with the new life of the world that trembles hesitate Ingly in the spring of the year.i and steeps the hearts of men and women with stronger hope and wider ambition, Such a morning as draws a. veil over paet failures and disappointments, and floods .the future with suecess and achievement it seemed a pity to have to die on such a morning, and for one moment there was regret in the highwayman's soul as he took his place In the cart. The next he braced himself to play his part, for there wre great crowds In tho streets, waiting and making holiday. All "eyes were turned, watching for the procession, for wee U hot Galloping Hermit who i-arne. tha notorious Wearer of the brown mask, the hero of wealth and squalor alike, the man whose deed had already passed into legend No one thought of him as Gentleman Jack, not even his companions of the "Punch-Bowl," Who1 were in ,the crowd to see him pass; not the landlady, who had come to see the last of him, and stood at the end of thojourney, waiting and wetchlng. . By the steps of St. Sepulchre's church there was a pause. A woman, bne of a frail sisterhood, ret strangely preUy end innocent to look upon, held up a great-nosegay to the-hero of the hour, and as he took It he bent down and kissed her. "Don't let anotheVB kiss make you forget this one too soon," he said gayly, and her Jtps smiled whtl there Wa a sob tn hor throat r" The cart loggtd on again, and at Interval - the mah buried his face rn the flowers. This wa his hour, and If he bad any fear or regret, there were no eyes keen enough to note tho fact, " Tyburn and its fatal tree were In sight cross a surging crowd. Even at the lest mom&nt the klna . some who lookea for l.ltkCZJL might Intervene, It waa-whispered, and there were srer. But the cart caine nearer altiwlv artd auralvt the space round the fallows was kent clear with itiffl. culty, and ther was Jfo sign of hurrying repriovsj., This was the end of the game! Now was the great test of courage. He was too .great a man to indulge In small things to prove It . . Tre been Used to ridlng i the slgrht a moraine. ' -s - or I shall bo getting hungry, as all these folks must , be. There's a good pair of boots for any one who ha the courage to wear them. I'm ready, Make an end of it." . And the landlady at the "Punch-Bowl" that night drank to his memory, declaring that he had died game, f - wa 1ttln for a gentleman of the road CHAPTER II Barbara Lanison A S THE coach rolled heavily homeward toward St James' Square, Lady BolsoMfer speedily recovered from her anxiety concerning her niece; she did not even reprimand her for getting lost In the crowd, and seemed to take no interest whatever In the gentleman who had come to the rescue and had not watted to be thanked. He could have been no person of consequence, or he would pot have neglected the op portunity of bowing over her hand. She talked Of nothing but th'e trial and the excellent manner lh .which her friend Judge Marriott had conducted it Some of his witticisms she remembered and repeated with such excellent point that her niece shuddered again as she had done when they fell fpom the judge's lips. "It was altogether horrible," said the girl. "I won der why you made me go." "Judge Marriott's wit horrible!" exclaimed Lady Boisover. "Pray do not say so In company, or yot will be taken for a fool'." . "I meant the - trial-the wholeN" thing. Why" die we go?" ' Would you be altogether out of fashion, Barbara?" "Such fashion, yes, I think, so. "Ah, tht' the drawback Of living In the country," was the answer. "All one's morals' and manners smell of the soil, knd a woman's attainment are limited to the making of gooseberry wine and piecrust. I was of that pattern myself once, but, thank hefcvenl I married wisely and escaped from it. You must do the same, Barbara." -.v . - ' : . "indeed, I am not euro that t want to. and yet-", ' "I m grateful . for. the reservation aiS lady Boisover, "or I should be compelled to think That all my care of you during these last few month had been wasted." . "Oh, b; I nve learnt many- things-many things Miif "t must confess t enjoyed Judge Marriott hugely,- was me answvr, un-me prpauuqr was k-iiibiii ii wj that for him; I almost regret not raring had the honor "My dear,'' ana Lady ' Boisover touched the" girr arm, "did I not know your, ancestry I ehouH imagine your father 4 Sc.Urvy Puritan and your mother a kitchen wench given to long hymn and cent of a Sunday. Are you euro this cavalier of yours was not some miserable nlveler who found time to favor you with a sermon? l"Hoappeared s 4iaattty "that- It- would veenr-ti Wis ashamed of himself - - ' The girl did not answer, and If tha rolor came inte her cheeks at the memory of what the men had swtd to her. Lady Boisover -was too amused at her own conjec ture to notice It -'i " ' : '. i.v-'.: . - -', There are those ( who are e Intwt upon llvlmf that they have little time td think. Lady Bolvr was of PHRCY JAMES BnEEJER.:" Author op, AixoYAt waud," theao. This hour that did not hold some excitement la It wearied .her and made her petulant Her husband, : dead these ten years, had been among the enthualaatl : welcomers of Charles at hla restoration, and his wlft i had. from firat to'Uat been a -well-known figure in the court of the merry, monarch. That aha was no beauty, rather than because aha possessed any great strength ol character, probably . accounted for the fact ; that eh' an joyed no peculiar, tain In v that dissolute company. A aha could not be the heroin lot r an' intrigue, f it ' pleased, her. to consider herself .too great a dam for auch affairs, and she waa fully persuaded thai he might count her lover by the eore, ' even how, had she e desired, A ah ha4 no tery 'deflnlt oharacter. so ah f ha4 do ral ooaTlctiona; ' Chart wa dead, and Jama - Boisover wa waiting to see In which direction the.wln blew. Per nature, perhaps, whs to hate Purltana and .. all their way, but. If necessary to her own. well-being, , ahe would, easily be able to love them and curse all Catholic. Bhe was hot really bad at heart, but ahe waa n juuige companion ior narowra umison. - v. Bomt few month ago Sir John Lanlson of AyUng. . ford Abbey, 1a Hampshire, Lady Boisover brother atfd Barbara' unci and sole guardian alnce the death of her parents, had suggested that hi alster should take charge of his ward for a little while. Practically ahe ? knew nothing of London, he ald, and It waa time- ahe Old- Sir John, declared that did not. want It to be said that he had hidden hi niece away at the Abbey so . that iio man should have a chance of seeing her. He had known prettier, women, but ahe wm well enough, and -where- her face failed to attract her ample fortune WOuld. . .-' . . :- "She'' got more learning than I needful for a girl, t my mind," he told hi sister; "but that kind of nonsense will be knocked out of her aa aoon a ah understands her value a a woman. Bend her back with all the corner rounded, my dear Peggy-that 1 what I Want" . Lady Boisover had done her best, but the result wa , not very satisfactory. Barbara had convictions which her aunt was powerless to undermine, and seemed to set such value upon herself that no man was able to make the slightest Impression 'en her. She had barely refrained from laughing outright at the compliments of recognised wits, and half a dosen gallants with amor ous Intentions had been baffled and put to shame. Lord Rosmore, whose, way with a woman waa pronounced tr resistible, had declared her adorable, but Impossible, and Judge- Marriott had promised Lady Boisover a very handsome gratuity If she could persuad her nleo t - lnor him and become hla wife. Barbara Lantsoa could not he unconscious of . the . sensation she caused a woman never is but the some-4 times studied the reflection in her mirror, and tried to discover the reason. Quite honestly she failed. She was not dissatisfied with the reflection; In it way it was . "passed out with a careless nod, much as though he intended never to come back into inch low company." ride tires ono," he said carelessly. "Let's get It over, , pleasing, she admitted, hut h ha not guppoMd that it was of the kind that would appeal to men, and to such variety of men. The women who usually pleased them were so different It even occurred to her that there might be something in herelf, In her behavior, which wa not quite nice, and that th real attraction lay in this, an idea which proved that her estimate of, the men who came to her aunt's house waa not a very; hlf h on. Born and bred in. the country, and with an amount of learning which her uncle oonaldered unnecessary, aha had prejudice, no doubt, and possibly had a standard of female beauty In her mind which her own reCeotlon did hot satisfy. . That ah wa mistaken In her own eati- mat of herself wa certain or the men would" not hare been so assiduous in their attentions. Perhapl he ad mired dark woman, and the reflection which smiled at her out of the depth of th mirror was fair, Th eye war blue-that blue which tha sky show In tha early morning of a cloudless day, and ther was 'a sug gestion of tears in them the tear which nay oome rrom nuich laughter rather than those which speak o sorrow. There wa a touch, of told1 In th fair hair, which was. Inclined to be rebellious and eurl Into Uttlo lovelocks about -her neck and forehead. The skin was fair, with the bloom of perfect health upon It, and the little mouth waa Ann," thlTllp fresh a from th his of a rose. There was grace la all her movement,' that unstudied grace which tell of life in the epa air and freedom from restraint and in thought and word and deed conventionality had email Interest for her. It wa hardly wonderful that Lord Rosmore should pronounce her adorable, or that Judge Marriott should forgot tbat hi youth was a thing of the past. Indeed, eh had com as a revelation to thmen who live were made up .of court intrigue and artlflclallty. . Perhaps another reason why Barbara , Lanlson found it difficult to understand the sensation she created jay in the fact that her heart and affeotlons remained entirely untouehed. Those blue eyes, under neath their long lashes, saw very keenly, and gave her . a quick insight Into character. She was not to be - easily led, and If she did a good many things in her Sunt' house, where ehe wa a guest which did not com naturally to her, and which did not please her, there was a point , beyond which no persuasion on tady Boisover'e part cbuld make her go, Muph against bet will she had been taken to th trial of the highwayman, and that she was ashamed nt h.ine there was shown by her eager desire to explain hor presence to the man Who bad come to her rescue' In if in on sense Ladv Boisover had to admit nn. With regard Lto her plans concerning her niece, In another direction she had achieved considerable suo- him vw u iui .us w huvtt. , " ", in viuwu. i wouiu proD&Diy nave. - annoyed LAdV and women who seem to live -In, another world to the Boisover consllerably had she known "that Ther niioe one have knowledge of, atarge and moat Interesting thought more of thli man during the next few davi world truly, yet not altogether to my taste. la it not than of all the eligible-gallant wbo had beln hT2! etranere woria that can enjoy what we have witnessed to he? tStieS ' 0, Jianw w BM hronght of beihf stopped by him. I erant ijou he was Interest- raTOr had been courted on U eldes, iff? house i" ing and played hie part aaflantly." . . ' k t Jamee" Square had bcom a little sburt In ltaair l.."P,"??: t?Jie 1 tallow! Do you call that j0 hf doJen men Who had flattered k er auftloiflntiv PXfff .1 'Kl-i ' J,.AJ. .JLXli u. .a .first step, toward her good graces. . ah. e had promised to do her best With her niece on tholr behalf and at intervals she dispensed encouragement for which no action or private, word of Barbara's rave any foundation. Lady -Boisover found her present entourage very pleasant and wa hot inclined to spoil 1 1, Jyt .bel.ntf.joo deflnltely.ioaML-. It we-therefore, wit IT considerable, chagrin lhat, a few day after the trial, she received a message from her brother that Barbara was to return toAylingtord. Abbey without delay; and Mne Judge Marriott was about to pay him a visit, nothing could be better than that Barbara Should travel In hi company, i . : - . i COimKtJfi KKXT StmtJAT.) .'it.