The Story of Louie

ot necessarily to be seen by, her father. Captain Cecil Chaffinger

too much for you, Mops?" s

. "No, I'm ever so

r something at the Sta

lk, Chaff. We can t

ht, litt

a few minutes

wasn't a beast, was

. Le

name. I mean, t

least in

. "H'm! Not like you. Ever leave an

he admitted. "But there wasn't a word said. She knew, and I knew she knew

y walked

rs. The keen wind had reddened the Captain's nose, and Louie could not help smiling a

," Chaff grunted, blowing hard. "Makes yo

, old

ould have don

be giving you plenty to do presentl

the Captai

and then wait outside ti

o-dash it all, it's a public-house! You'll

old i

ty. Yes, he'll be fifty.

mber your pr

I'll be mum as the grave

hall come

ken the wrong way with her, but a better way might have been found than

tinued t

Must he necessarily make her so very welcome? Suppose, when she made her announcement, he should shake hands, ask how her mother was, offer her tea (or whatever publicans did offer ladies), say he had been very glad to see her, and let her go again? How, in the face

urged that she was on a wild-goose chase, as likely

use-The Molyneux Arms, near t

, stopping, "what

e red-curtained, lattice-windowed, Christmas-number hostelry of Louie's imaginings. But Chaff, with a "No, not there," drew her round the corner to a quieter door, where small bay-trees stood in green tubs. The step had a brightly

better wait her

ily wishing she had not left her n

iston, the brass-barred d

ick wall was walking a horse over cobbles, and a man's voice muttered, "Come up." There was a light clashing of harness, and the same

est-but th

-(h)ilgrim

pened, and a woman

an to see

at, Susan?" said the m

a top hat," said

metimes have top hats, Susan

's a gentlem

taken and that you were hooked up behi

ices c

ough. She saw a bright little picture. A horse was being put into a gay yel

ia, my B

like Mr. Jeffries' hair; and somebody within the stable was running water into a bucket. Then the man came round the horse, and she saw him-cropped silver hair, long dewlapped chi

ia, my B

pect this man and then to know him or not to know him, as she chose. He had no less right to inspect her. She, not he, stood to gain; card

to say that she had already s

h the half-open d

n her, and she really had had a long walk.... There was a bench by the stable door.... But she pull

ked up, and t

ch the child, grown a man, will return. So perhaps it was for one moment with father and daught

aid. "Now, Judson, the lady's here! H

Louie's look see

fifteen; one-fifteen Allonby, Richards, seven to-n

y at her father. "You've

Judson! W

o's just asked for you. Don't you-do

you from Mrs

thought this would be an easy thing to do. And she would have to do it all herself; he had a handsome, s

. Causton,

er had burst the drum of one of Buck's ears.

the trap and sank half sitting on the step.

wishes to see you

s,

me with

aren't you

you k

Allonby's, one-fif

he gentlema

but his old and instinctive muscular discipline counted for something. Buck had made a remark

tonished Buck, "come and

ntreating eyes. "

Richards,

name-I came wit

sai

ffin

held her, but slowly half a cubic foot of air came from his chest. Probably with

t again, m'm?"

e di

in Chaffin

oked, "don't c

y Captain C

nst the shaft, Louie bega

come-but I wanted-I wanted-I couldn't bear it an

ey eyes. Her voice, as she continued to mutter broken phrases, possibly lost itself in his deaf ear;

seemed to come sluggishly to life

Did you say Pu

live t

utney? Whereab

lake

ntury and more before he had said to the Honourable

ortlak

ppose

live

es

utney was a place you could walk to, and it had streets and houses and a green Tillings' bus. And they rowed the boat race there. Therefore, while it outraged all Order that a Scarisbrick should live there, that fact nevertheless bro

shaft with head back, lips parted, brows e

miling crookedly through th

the stable door. Buck had taken a step towards her. He was murmuring something quite ridiculous-something about "strictly for the gentry." Perhaps

as going to be a Causton and his for once-just for once. In an hour he m

, holding her with as gentle a fear a

s to faint sudden

s in a moment. A word a

description; to them things were as they were. Nurse Meekins made Louie's bed as who should say, "Helpers of people in trouble do not go beyond their proper business"; Nurse Chalmers brought her letters or called her to dinner in the narrowminded spirit of one who leaves the systematics of charity to others. All were reprehensibly incurious and shockingly affectionate, and so far was Louie's case from being peculia

ebody else to fetch and despatch his Mops now. Buck lifted Louie from the trap and rang the bell of one of the two brass-plated doors. A German youth dressed as a waiter appeared,

bricks. Only a wistful look had crossed his face; he had hoped Louie's somebody was a gentleman otherwise than in the top-hat sense of the word; and Louie had reassured him about that

nce more, holding her away fr

ll me 'm'm,' dadd

it looked. "And you really took daddy's name?"

cour

lated the incident of Burnett Minor and the "Lif

cour

derful. He enfolded h

go now," Louie

come in t

And, d

tle

poor old Chaff? H

none other, the tantrums of the Honourable E

accustomed hour. Wet or fine was the same to him, and he cancelled all afternoon orders for the trap; his little girl must have the trap at her disposal for a daily drive. And be

auston would have been poor stuff for the hot gospeller to practise upon. There were things she would have had undone, and that not merely because the consequences pressed upon her; as they could not be undone, she had begun the tune and intended

kept her promise to Chaff; several times he came to see her. Twice he met Buck. At these meetings the shade of the Honourable Emily almost visibly presided.... Chaff tried to talk of "Lives and Battles," Buck of the same-it was not for him to choose topics before his betters. And once, but once only, Buck