A Damsel in Distress

bysome notes on the history of the Earls of Marshmoreton, who haveowned it since the fifteenth century. Unfortunately, in these daysof rush and hurry, a novelist works at a disadvantage. He must

row him aside and go o

and a daughter, Lady Patricia Maud Marsh,who is just twenty: that the chatelaine of the castle is LadyCaroline Byng, Lord Marshmoreton's sister, who married the verywealthy colliery owner, Clifford Byng, a few yea

g-room, you may see them foryourself any Thursday, when Belpher is thrown open to the public onpayment of a fee of one shilling a head. The money is collected byKeggs the butler, and goes to a worthy local charity. At least,that is the idea. But the voice of calumny is never silent, andthere

Keggs looks far too muchlike a particularly s

bert knows Keggs. We mu

hadbeen standing outside the front entrance of the castle at eleve

anding near the rose-garden, talking to the gardener and watchingthe young couple strolling on the terrace below, was the mother of

e excellentappearance of that rose-garden, there would be an answering smileon the face of the gardener. But, as you see, he looks morose andgloomy."As a matter of fact, the gardener--that is to say, the stocky,brown-faced man in shirt sleeves and corduroy trousers who wasfrowning into a can of whale-oil solution--

ub without excitingremark, was a correctly dressed gentleman whom no one would havesuspected of covering his sturdy legs in anything but the finestcloth. But if you will glance at your copy of Who's Who, and turnup the "M's", yo

ic amateur gardener in aland of enthusiasti

nister acharacter that it goes through life with an alias--being sometimescalled a rose-hopper and sometimes a thrips. A simple soul, LordMarshmoreton--mild and pleasant. Yet put him among the thrips, andhe became a dealer-out of death and slaughter, a destroyer in theclass of Attila the Hun and Genghis

atter--he would retire to his private study and work on hisHistory of the Family, assisted by his able secretary, AliceFaraday. His progress on that massive work was, however, slow. Tenhours

d animated, and even from a distanceit was possible to see how the girl's eyes lit up at what h

fto Maud--in spite of the fact that never, not even on the publicplatform which she adorned so well, had his step-mother reasonedmore clearly than she did when pointing out to him the advantagesof the match. It was not that Reggie disliked Maud. He admittedthat she was a "topper", on several occasions go

proposing to her."Lord Marshmoreton grunted, and continued to peer with

l brooding on that. I hope you will admitnow, John, that I was right in keeping her practically a prisonerhere and never allowing her a chance of meeting the man againeither by accident or design. They say absence makes the hea

nothing except that he is an American and hasn'ta penny--Maud admitted that. And all you say is 'Oh, yes'!""But it's all over now, isn't it? I understood the dashed affairwas all over.""We hope so. But I should feel safer if Maud were engaged toReggie. I do think you might take the trouble to speak to Maud.""Spe

s!" cried his lordship with sudden fury, spraying his canover the nearest bush, and addressing his remark to the invisiblethrips. He had forgotten Lady Caroline completely. "Don't stintyourselves! There's lots more!"A girl came down the steps of the castle and made her way towardsthem. She was a good-looking g

of Alice Faraday alway

. Theirviews on the relative importance of gardening and family historiesdid not coincide. To him the history of the Marshmoreton family wasthe occupation of the idle hour: she seemed to think that he oughtto regard it as a life-work. She was always coming and digging himout of the garden and dragging him back to what should have

for he laboured under apathetic delusion, of which no amount of failures could rid him,that if she did not see his face she would withdraw. "You rememberlast night you promised you would attend to them this morning." Shepaused lo

ention which her recent utterances hadreceived, and welcomed the chance of administering dis

d thepower at times to make him feel like a small boy. She h

cPherson. Why you should pay him liberal wages and then do hiswork for him, I cannot see. You know the publishers are waiting forthe His

ng man. None knew better than he that theseinterviews, especially when Caroline was p

d to them this morning," said Alice,gently persistent. It really perturbed this girl to feel that shewas not doing work enough to me

oughout therose-garden hundreds of spared thrips went

ed to LadyCaroline. "I have been looking up the trains, Lady Caroline. Thebest is the twelve-fifteen. It has a d

s League atLewisham. I shall return tomorrow.""Oh

eas you pass, and tell him I wish to speak to him."Maud had left Reggie by the time Alice Faraday reached him, andthat ardent youth was sitting on a stone seat, smoking a cigaretteand

as in love, and hehad developed a bad slice with

u that she wishes to speak toyou, Mr

nd ofelephantiasis seemed to have attacked his hands and feet, swellingthem to enormous proportions. He wished profoundly that he couldget rid of his habit of yelping wit

ldn't care to come for a stroll, after I've seen the mater, or arow on the lake, or any rot like that, would you?""Thank you very much, but I must go in and help Lord Marshmoretonwith his book.""What a rotten--I mean, what a dam' shame!"The pi

'm sure Lord Marshmoreton wouldn'tdream of it."She passed on with a pleasant smile. When he had r

ant to see meabout?""Well, Reggie, what is the news?""Eh

I didn't notice anything else much. There's anew musical comedy at the Regal. Opened las

."Lady Caroline frowned. This slowness in the uptake, comi

long time, and she seemed very interested in what youwere saying. I hoped you

I was explaining how I landed dead on the pin with my spoon out ofa sand-trap at the eleventh hole yesterday. It certainly was apretty ripe shot, considering. I

that, with such an excellentopportunity, you did not ask Maud to marry you?""I see what you mean

said Reggie, "I forgot

nother. Always raining in Wales, what! Good fishing, though,here and there. Well, what I mean is, this cove was so deucedlycivil, and all that, that now she won't look at anybody else. He'sthe blue-eyed boy, and everybody else is an also-ran, with about asmuch chance as a blind man with o

usly annoyed if you neglect this opportunity. There is noexcuse for the way you are behaving. Maud is a charming girl--""Oh, absolutely! One of the best.""Very well, then!""But, mater, what I mean to s

Maud for a long ridein your car?"Reggie grew m

, why couldn't you--?""I say, mater, dear old soul," said Reggie hastily, "I think you'dbetter tear yourself away and what not. If you're catching thetwelve-fifteen, you ought to be staggeri

emember what I said?""Oh, absolutely!""Good-bye, then. I shall be back tomorrow."Reggie returned slowly to

down the longavenue of elms. She crossed the terrace

e!"Reggi

n beside him. There was a flush on her pretty face, andwh

"We're friends,aren't we?"Reggie patted her back pater

me, Reggie. You'll have tokeep it a dead secret of course.""The strong, silent man. That's me. What is it?""You're driving into town in your car

of what I was telling you about.""The chappie?""Yes. So there would be terrible scenes if anybody found out.""Never mind, dear old soul. I'll risk it. None sh

red her voice, though

come back, too. He has to go everywhere his uncle goes.""And everywhere the uncle went, the chappie was sure to go!"murmured Reggie. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt.""I must see him. I haven't seen him since

e up in the car about half a mile down theroad. You can drop me somewhere in Piccadilly. That will be nearenough to where I want to go. But the most important thing is aboutPercy. You must persuade him to stay and dine in town and come backhere after dinner. Then I shall be able to get back by an afternoontrain, and no one will kno

d,old thing, do you find love puts you off your stroke? What I m

game so far. I went round ineighty-six

ng down the road andwait for me."* * *When he had gone Maud pulled a small newspaper clipping from herpocket.

that paragraph hadsent the blood tingling through every vein in her body. For as shehad indicated to Reggie, when the Wilbur Raymonds of this worldreturn to their town re