Part 5 (1/2)
”What do you say to this act of generosity on the part of Mr
Quatermain, Sir Junius?”
There was no answer, because Sir Junius had gone I never saw hiraced His passion for semi-fraudulent speculations reasserted itself, and he became a bankrupt in conditions which caused him to leave the country for America, where he was killed in a railway accident while travelling as an irant I have heard, however, that he was not asked to shoot at Ragnall any more
The cheque was passed to the credit of the Cottage Hospital, but not, as I had requested, as a subscription from Sir Junius Fortescue A couple of years later, indeed, I learned that this sum of money was used to build a little room in that institution to accommodate sick children, which room was named the Allan Quatermain ward
Now, I have told this story of that Dece and close friendshi+p with Ragnall
When he found that Van Koop had gone aithout saying good-bye, Lord Ragnall made no remark Only he took h, except for the element of competition which entered into it, I enjoyed this day's shooting very lad that I had not been asked to any more such entertainments Here it is, taken fro those not used and given to Charles 4 0 0 Game License 3 0 0 Tip to Red Waistcoat (keeper) 2 0 0 Tip to Charles 0 10 0 Tip to man who helped Charles to find pheasant 0 5 0 Tip to man who collected pheasants behind me 0 10 0 --------- 10 5 0 ---------
Truly pheasant shooting in England is, or was, a sport for the rich!
CHAPTER III
MISS HOLMES
Two and a half hours passed by, et rid of a headache caused by the continual, rapid firing and the roar of the gale, or both; also in rubbing my shoulder with ointuns Then Scroope appeared, as, being unable to find reat old castle, I had asked hi-room
It was a splendid aparthted, I should think, with at least two or three hundred wax candles, which threw a soft glow over the panelled and pictured walls, the priceless antique furniture, and the bejewelled ladies ere gathered there To ht to equal that of wax candles in sufficient quantity The coht, which was given to introduce Lord Ragnall's future wife to the neighbourhood, whereof she was destined to be the leader
Miss Manners, as looking very happy and char in her jewels and fine clothes, joined us at once, and infor; the maid in the cloakroom had told her so
”Is she?” replied Scroope indifferently ”Well, so long as you have come I don't care about anyone else”
Then he told her she was looking beautiful, and stared at her with such affection that I fell back a step or two and conte off the head of Holofernes
Presently the large door at the end of the roo as a kind of master of the cere tones, ”Lady Longden and the Honourable Miss Holmes” I stared, like everybody else, but for a while her ladyshi+p filledperson, clad in black satin--she was a --and very large diamonds Her hair hite, her nose was hooked, her dark eyes were penetrating, and she had a bad cold in her head That was all I found tihter cairl, or rather, young woman, for she must have been two or three-and-twenty Not very tall, her proportions were rounded and exquisite, and her ether she was doe-like, especially in the fineness of her lines and her large and liquid eyes She was a dark beauty, with rich broaving hair, a clear olive complexion, a perfectly shaped mouth and very red lips To lo-Saxon, and I believe that, as a matter of fact, she had some southern blood in her on her father's side She wore a dress of soft rose colour, and her only ornale red camellia I could see but one blemish, if it were a blemish, in her perfect person, and that was a curious white mark upon her breast, which in its shape exactly resembled the crescent moon
The face, however, impressed ht, intelligent, syht itthat her mother said to her, probably about her dress, caused her smile to vanish for a moment, and then, from beneath it as it were, appeared this shadow of innate ain; but I, who aht it, perhaps alone of all that co
What was it? Ah! I knew A look that sometimes I had seen upon the face of a certain Zulu lady named Maic death The thought made me shi+ver a little; I could not tell why, for certainly, I reflected, this high-placed and fortunate English girl had nothing in common with that fate-driven Child of Storm, whose dark and imperial spirit dwelt in the woman called Mameena They were as far apart as Zululand is from Essex Yet it was quite sure that both of thedress, stepped forward to greet his fiancee and her ain to continue ly head of Holofernes Presently I are of a soft voice--a very rich and thrilling voice--asking quite close to me:
”Which is he? Oh! you need not answer, dear I know hinall to Miss Holht I will introduce you to him presently But, love, whom do you wish to take you in to dinner? I can't--your ht, you may yman?”
”No,” she replied, with quiet firmness, ”I know him; he took me in once before I wish Mr Allan Quater, and I want to hear about Africa”
”Very well,” he answered, ”and he _is_ ether But, Luna, why are you always thinking and talking about Africa? Oneto live there”