The Man Between: An International Romance

Rawdon, Ruth and Ethel were driving in lazy, blissful contentment through one of the lovely roads of the West Riding. On eith

om the happy nests in its secret places; while from some unseen steeple the joyful soun

and the careless stillness of physical well-being and of minds at ease needed no speech, but the mutual smiling nod of int

lness of the summer afternoon filling the air with drowsy peace this was the atmosphere into which they entered. Their road through this grand park of three hundred acres was a wide, straight avenue shaded with beech trees. The green turf on either hand was starred with primroses. In the deep undergrowth, ferns waved and fanned each ot

arden, at the bottom of which ran a babbling little river-a cheerful tongue of life in the sweet, silent place. They crossed it by a pretty bridge, and in a few minutes stood at the great door of the mansion. It was wide open, and the

ngth. His stature was still large, his face broad and massive, and an abundance of snow-white hair emphasized the dignity of a countenance which age had made nobler. The

ay, and we remain; and I can tell you every Rawdon born since the House of Hanover came to England. We have had our share in all England's strife and glory, for if there was ever a fight going on anywhere Rawdon was never far off. Yes, we can string the centuries together in the battle flags we have won. See there!" he cried, pointing to two standards interwoven above the central chimney-piece

hidden recesses. Its china had the marks of forgotten makers, its silver was puzzling with half-obliterated names and dates, its sideboard of oak was black with age and full of table accessories, the very names of which were forgotten. For this house had not been built in the ordinary sense,

red, and there were calls to return and courtesies to accept. Among these visitors the Tyrrel-Rawdons were the earliest. The representatives of that family were Nicholas Rawdon and his wife Lydia. Nicholas Rawdon was a large, stout man, very arrogant, very complete, very alert for this world, and not c

her chief topic of conversation. She had two daughters, one of whom had married a baronet

low of pride, "you should see my John Thomas. He's manager of the mill, and he loves the mill, and he knows every pound of warp or weft that comes in or goes out of the mill; and what his

tyn was the Conser

or their rights,' and such like talk. And he walked like Mostyn, and he talked like Mostyn, and spread out his legs, and twirled his walking stick like Mostyn, and asked them 'if they would wish him to go to Parliament in that kind of a shape, as he'd try and do it if they wanted a tailor-made man'; and they laughed him down, and then he spoke reasonable to them. John Thomas knows what Yorks

in New York," said Ethel. "He use

that end. Old Samuel Mostyn never learned to live godly or even manly, but after his death he ceased to do evil, an

must not tell me so much about J

all day, and find nothing to say that a good girl like you might not listen to. I should h

e taking hi

y might as well put Paris in. I wish they hadn't. I don't trust foreigners and foreign ways, and they don't have the same kind of mo

will he

e very looms are calling out for him.' I'll bring him to see you just as soon as he comes home, looms

and Mostyn estates. And as there were no entanglements and no possible reason for disputing, a settlement was quickly arrived at. Then, as Mostyn's return was uncertain, an attorney's messenger, properly accredited, was sent to America to procure his signatures

days' shopping in Regent Street and Piccadilly would be delightful. "We will make out a list of all we need this afternoon," said Ruth, "and we might as well go to-morrow morning as later," and at this moment a se

y. We have be

she will interf

letter from Fred Mostyn. He is coming hom

e coming,

his proposal." Then the breakfast-table, which had been so gay, became silent and depressed,

disappointment or worry of some kind. And I wonder what is the mean

ter that London would be

ointment-or a

arcastically, as if in hostile sur

a fat