A Damsel in Distress

en seated not a hundredyards away--in a very special haunt of her own, a cracked stuccotemple set up in th

he samespirit as the prisoner in his dungeon cell tames and pets theconventional mouse. To educate Albert, to raise him above h

o one who saw his deep blue eyesand their sweet, pensive expression as they searched the middledistance he seemed like a young angel. How was the watcher to knowthat the thought behind that far-off gaze was simply a specu

th. Hisreception of the poem she was reading could scarcely have beencalled encouraging. Maud finished it in a hushed voice,

beautiful, Alb

parted eagerly,"That's the first horne

lt a litt

'Very good, m'lady'. It's like--like--"She paused. She had been about to say that it was like a butler,but, she reflected regretfully, it was probably Alber

he could to a medievalpage, one of those silk-and-satined little treasures she had readabout in the Ingoldsby Legends. And, of course, they presumablysaid 'my lady'.

ses. He ran away with her from this very castle in theseventeenth century.""

n she married the pleeceman.""Who was Susan?""Red-'eaded gel that used to be cook 'ere. Mr. Keggs says to 'er,'e says, 'You're marrying beneath you, Susan', 'e says. I 'eard

like a cold shower.

saidperseveringly, "and become a great poet and write wonde

luck. You cannot leapinto strange cabs in Piccadilly unless

e book cautiously. He was getting a little fed upwith all this sort of thing. True, 'er ladyship gave him chocolatesto eat

egan. He had a husky voice, due, it is to be feared,to precocious ciga

ere-crusted one and orl;Ther rusted niles fell fro

nely moated gringe,She only said 'Me life is dreary,'E cometh not,' she said."Albert rather liked this part. He was never happ

a composer with an over-sensitiveear would suffer on hearing his pet opus assassinated by aschoolgirl. Albert, who was a willing lad and prepared, if suchsho

hing likethat, Albert?""Not me, m'lady.""You wouldn't like

when I grow up, m'lady."

esubject. "You've got to 'ave meat, yer see, m'lady. It ain't likepoetry, m'lady, which no one wants.""But, Albert," cried Maud faint

'e'll let me watch 'im kill a pigToosday."He gazed out over the water-lilies, his thought

d, m'lady."Albert rose, not unwilling to call it a day. He was conscious ofthe need for

ting treasure to Maud's stock of general knowledge. "Oo! 'Ear'em a mile

imental depression whichcame to vary her normal cheerfulness, it seemed to her that thepoem might have been

much as one flower-pot of his even thinly crusted with any foreignsubstance, Lord Marshmoreton would have gone through the place likean

'I am awe

linkspicking them off the turf with a midiron or engaged in one of thoseother health

the kind of letter she wishedto write to any mode of delivery so public--especially now, whenher movements were watched. To open and read another's letters is alow and dastardly act, but she believed that Lady Caroline would d

leasant thing that had happened almost as far back as she couldremember. And then, for the first time, her mind condescended to

here wassignificant, and his words even more so. H

waited in ambush outside the castle, and not apleasant but negligible stranger? Whether, deep down in herconsciousness, she was aware of a fleeting

eans of knowingwhere she could find him? Situated as she was, she could not wanderat will about the countryside, loo

r her if he were willing. He could receive,despatch and deliver letters. If only s

little winds had begun to stir the lily-pads, giving a depressin

hollow tree in which lovers dump letters, to beextracted later; she did not consider George's feelings at all. Hehad offered to help her,

a shortcut the more rapidly to accomplish his errand, burst u

s to give yer!"Maud read the not

ttage they call 'theone down by Platt's

be waiting there if you wantme."

alled 'the one down by Pla

. Do you know, m'lady, after a chicken's 'eadis cut orf, it goes running licketty-spl

f your friends."In Lord Marshmoreton's study a council of three was sitting indebate. The subject under discussion was that other note whichGeorge had written and so ill-advisedly entrusted to one whom

was saying in a determi

be allowed out of our sigh

thenote. I only mentioned it because I thought you might think

t want to get Maudinto trouble.""You are criminally weak," said Lady Caroline severely. "I reallyhonestly believ

anybody but this man Platt whowas giving him shelter I should insist on his being turned out. Butthat

I couldn't!" pleaded the earl. "I don't know the fellow. He'dthrow me out.""Nonsense. Go at the very earliest opportunity.""Oh, all right, all right, all right. Well, I think I'll beslip

togo over these notes with me, the ones about the Essex branch--"Th

Lord Marshmoreton will be delighted to work on yournotes, Miss Faraday," said Lady Caroline crisply.

th a sigh, and felt f