A Great Success

y at a loss how to extricate either himself or Doris; compelled, indeed, to leave it all to her. Sir Luke and the Under-Secretary had pau

f figure, her black hawk's eyes fixed upon her visitor, might have stood for all her class; for those too powerful and prosperous Barbarians who have ruled and enjoyed England so lon

d an unexpected pleasure! I must quarrel wi

ight pink as she shook hands with Lady D

t, Lady Dunstable. My letter doe

say, they arrive very punctually. Well, so you were tired of L

ic glance at Meadows standing

id Doris quietly, with a

table loo

rought your luggage?" Lady Dunstable looked round h

ag. Arthur too

n't a corner! Mr. Meadows will bear me out-it's absurd, but

behind her. Doris-for all the agitation of her hidden purpose-cou

to have missed me, but naturally we never dreamed of putting you out. Perhaps you wi

nd on his arm-but add

one-for a few min

n every word and look of the great lady. Doris, of course, had done an incredibly foolish thing. What she had come to say to Lady Dunstable he could not conceive; for the first explanat

for she pressed his arm as

rstand." With an odd, and-for the first time-slightly puzzled loo

hall we come to

house. Meadows followed

way Doris found herse

rious unknown gentlemen

s F

ndon? What-is Rachel carrying you off? I shall se

he was ushered into a small sitting-room, Lady Dunstable's particular den, crowded with photographs of half the celebrities of the day-the poets, savants, and artists, of England, Europe, and America. On a

iscuits with which Miss Field pursued her. While she ate and drank, Lady Dunstable sat in a high chair observing her, one long

oris found her voice. As

he bent

should have given you notice. I came entirely on your account, because something was happen

able start

o me?-and Lo

eing your son,

ountenance of that lady. It darkene

know you were ac

hen I saw him-in my uncle's studio-with

table sta

said quickly, with a slight but ha

hook he

I will tell you-if you

heard a

the compulsory discussion which it involved, of her most intimate affairs, with a stranger and her social inferior. All sorts of suspicions, indeed, ran through her mind as to the motives that could have prompted Mrs. Meadows to hurry up to Scotland, without taking even the decently polite trouble to announce herself, bringing this unlikely and trumped-up tale. Most probably, a mean jealousy of her husband, and his greater social success!-a determination to force herself on people who had not paid the same attention

uld not help himself, but he would never live with her. He would marry her at a registry office, provide for her, and leave her. And then he said he would do it at once-that he was going to his lawyers to arrange everything as to money and so on-on condition that she never troubled him again. He was eager to get it done-that he might be delivered from her-from her company-which one could see had become dreadful to him. I implored him not

man opposite, who was now following her ever

Lady Dunstable-whose father ha

nvoluntarily-her eyeli

y. Why do

th about her. She told me she had one or two clues, and I sent her to a cousin of mine-a very clever solicitor-to be advised. That was yesterday morning. Then I got my uncle to find out your son-and bring him to me yesterday afternoon before I

e had risen, and was leaning against the mante

f it all. He was ill in t

time, there was a touch of somethin

d a little

ld me it was

him?" The tone of the robbed lioness at last!-singularly in

ee him. And she really devoted herself to him

dy Dunstable, sternly. "He had only to s

usy," said Doris, droppin

your name-and the family-and the horrible pain he would be giving-any way. Was it kind-was it right towards you, not only to give you no opportunity of helping or advising him-but also to take no steps to find out whether the woman he was going to marry was-not only unsuitable, wholly unsuitable-that, of course, he knows-but a disg

r voice trembling with bitterness. "Really, Mrs. Meadows, it is v

the happy feeling of one applying the scourge, in

ughtn't to keep back anything-Mr. Dunstable said to me: 'My moth

hurried on. "Only this is the important point! At last I

nded it to Lady Dunstable, who at first seemed as if she were going to refuse it. However, af

o not know whether I o

me very kindly-you ha

ng so much trouble.

ld me so at home. B

o back on a woman who

or I may as well be q

However, I see there

week before marrying

ose you will-don't le

for that one reason.

f. I shall make no in

all that. My present

ms I have stated-in a

lly my father-tell th

o them. I got myself

there's really only

ai

grat

T DUNS

n her chair, watching her, conscious of the most strangely mingled feelings, a touch of womanish triumph indeed, a pleasing sense of retributi

nstable

. "You will, of course, tell us all you know. Lord Dunstable mu

't go, please, until we have some more inform

ood stupefied-with

igram-c

to know a lot about her. Of course he may not have been willing to say anything, but I think he probably would-he was so mad with her for a trick she played him in the middle of a big piece of work. And if he was able

er entered, and at the same moment the

don. Don't say anything to him at present, but in ten minutes' time just manage to tell him quietly that I should like to see him here. You un

been built upon himself, as its rock, and he was not going to fail it now. He vanished, with just one lightning turn of the eyes towards the little lady i

e is the

the front entrance of the Lodge instead of the back, and was now-recognising his misdeed-retreating in alarm fr

is, triumphantly-an

ween eight and nine.

a room for me at h

o the room, and hande

who read

is was the Alic

our livings," repeated D

od turn!" Lady Dunstable threw back her head, her challenging look fixed upon her vi

ris, with the same slight emphasis on the "Lord" as before.

le shook her h

you would think, Mrs. Meadows-perhaps most people would think, as

tter? She wants to help-she's sorry for you. You should see that

l her soul in her eyes

stable, whose expression had cha

r why you took a

l woman standing over her. Tears came into her eyes-brimmed-overflowed-in

then to see him ruined like this! No love for him!-no c

ice di

ted Lady Dunstable, wond

and feebly, and wiped away the tears-stil

deeply. She walked over to a sofa on the other side of the

se you will stay here-and Miss Wigram too. It seems-I shall owe you a great deal-and I could not ha

, no less embarrassed than her hostess, and did as she was told. Lady Dunstable m

in some luncheon, a

ease rest til

*

ead ached, whether he would think her a great fool for her pains. Surely he would

indeed wearied out, and in a few minutes, what with the sudden quiet and the soft

sband sitting beside her-pati

time is it? Have I

ou. She-and he-and I-have been talking. Upon my word, Doris, you've been and g

affectionate and admiring eyes. Somehow, Doris bec

y told yo

impresses her ladyship! She knows very well that she would have muffed it. You're the practical woman! Well, you can rest on your la

cheek tenderly against hers, till she turned

le correspondent?"

mina

ou hat

When do you start on

dress, and I'll wire for the rooms this afternoon. I came to the conclus

hastening you?" said

ws no

ed of me. I mark the day, you see, almost the hour. My goodness!-i

mercy. Down you slithe

look s

n arm round the scoffer. "I tell you, she proposes to write my next

e line-"Journeys end in lovers' meeting-" and was smitten with a secret wonder as to how much of her impulse to come north had been due to an altruistic concern for t

e to he

e are

d their solicitor and bring him back to meet Miss Wi

oing to a

aughed im

has been told off to look after you. As I expect you have arrived with

him by the

l be expected to dine to-night! I

u, and she said: 'I see Mrs. Meadows has not brought much luggage. We can lend he

hysterical; then

ere! You know, Lord Dunstable must go to town to-night! And

o take Lord Dunstable and the solicitor

ates like that!-" said Doris, wi

's tone

blow. I though

o him?" asked D

etly. "I heard her say to him-'I'm afraid it's been my

s on her eyes. "If it comes right, it will do t

waylay them, they found Mi

Mrs. Meadows, and if you want anyth

id Doris, rather mysti

Royalties had them last year. They're in a special wing. We keep t

took the smiling

to it! Please let

ious elegant "confections" in the shape of tea-gowns and dressing-gowns littered the bed and the chairs. The toilet-table showed an array of coroneted brushes. As for the

she whispered in Meadows's

ladyship, begged that Mrs. Meadows would change her travelling dress for a comfortable white tea-gown, before tea-time, suggesting another "creation" in black and silver for dinner. Doris, frow

she likes," said Doris, hu

m for her maids, I should think-she never wears them. Well, now I shall leave you till tea-time. Tea will be on the lawn-Mr.

Field described how this prince of Dukes paid a solemn visit every year to Franick Castle, and the

at there is anybody in the whole w

Rachel, metaphorically, sits on a stool and tries to please. To put off 'th

t going away when she was arrest

o down to Pitlochry an

gr

turned in

all ready! She is y

on the other side of a passage, where the Lady Alice or Lady Mary withou

urveying the scene, with her hands in her ja

*

d and Lady Dunstable

olicitor, who was also t

stable looked old and w

ssing her hand with mu

information we can go upon, we shall be all right. At least there's

er her very nose-unrebuked. She had not an epigram to throw at anyone. But her eyes never failed to know where Doris Meadows was, and indeed, though no one but the two or three initiated knew why, Doris was in some mysterious but accepted way the centre of the party. Everybody spoiled her; everybody smiled upon her. The white tea-gown which she wore-miracle of delicate embroidery-had never suited Lady Dunstable; it suited Doris to perfection. Under her own simple hat, her eyes-and they were very fine eyes-shone with a soft and dancing humour. It was all absurd-her being there-her dress-this tongue-tied hostess-and these agr

*

had scattered in twos and threes over the gardens and the moor, while Doris, her host and hostess, and the solicitor, sat and waited for Alice Wigram. She came with the evening train, tired, dusty, and triumphant; and the in

have done for us! Ah, i

old man, he kissed her on the brow. Alice Wigram fl

Dunstable with emotion-"her and Mrs. Meadows? B

ively welcome to everybody. And it did not prevent the passage of some embarrassed but satisfactory words between Herbert Dunstable's mothe

metimes in a brown study, sometimes as brilliant and pugnacious as ever. Doris slipped out of the drawing-room once or twice to go and gossip with Alice Wi

on one occasion, as Doris came stealing in

. It was still the white tea-gown, for she had firmly declined to sample anyth

e said I must always henceforth look upon him as a kind of g

enty of other ways of being nice. Well-here we all are, as happy as larks; and what we've reall

youth with her. Oh, I know, I know! But morals are a great puzzle to me. However, I firmly remind myself of that 'one in the eye,'

*

hey were alone; the night was balmy; and there was a flood of secret joy in Doris's veins which gave her a charm, a beguilement Arthur had never seen in her before. She was more woman, and therefore more divine! He could hardly recall her as the careful housewife, hara

? You little witch!" he murmured in

f away from him. "Did I l

How often am

, Arthur! It's all this tea-gown. If you go o

joyously. "Look there,

to the moo

here they sat, close together, feeling all the goodness and glory of the night, drinking in the scents of heather and fern, the sounds of plashing water and gently

n't the least sentimental-or ashamed-or grateful! Having said what was neces

l about her. All the same, darling, I should like to know w

her again. Leopards don't change their spot

tone arrested Mea

do you

, any more. I'm safe! Why did I do it? Do you really want to know? I did it-because-I was so sorry for her-poor silly woman,-who

ng in your voice-! What

*

nder the moon, let those imagine it who m

E