"Pretty Penelope,"

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 19 July 1913, Page 2

"Pretty Penelope,"

(OUR SERIAL

By Lffie Adelaide (Rowlands, Author <* "A Girl's Kingdom," "A Splendid Mill," "The Interloper,' A Kimman'B Sin," "Brave Barbara," etc.

CHAPTER Xlll.—Continued. Not all the tonics of Doctor Westall could have been more beneficial to Penelope as this journey into anknown land, as it were, with the necessity of being self-reliant, self-de-pendent, and quick in, thought and action forcing" itself upon her at every turn. . , . ~ Mr Desborough lived in an oltifashioned street in Brompton. She remembered to have heard her mother say he had been there nearly all his life. The dusk had deepened into darkness when the two cabs drew up before the door of an extremely dingy house with not a glimmer of light to be seen throughout its many windows. The arrival of so m'uch luggage at this house attracted considerable attention in the street, and as Penelope emerged from the cab, followed by Kate, she found an observant crowd of nearly a dozen people walking to watch her proceedings with much curiosity.-' The admittance; was a long time coming, but at last. Tli door was opened with a great deal of fuss, the rattling of chains and pulling of bolts, and then there appeared a rjithef in a .setedy suit ofMack, that might once have served as a butler's livery, i This man gassed in awestruck amazement iat the spectacle before him. "Mercy! take us!" he exclaimed, as well as he could speak for horror; then he retreated against the wall, and called in an excited way: "Master! master!" Penelope gave a sigh of relief. "This is not my uncle, at -any rate," she thought swiftly. Quick to act, she stepped into the hall, and gave directions to Kate to carry in some of the smaller things'; and then she turned at the sound of a voice, and found herself face to face with the -master of the house, henceforth to be her guardiflii. Sore at heart as was, with an itching head and a weariness in all her limbs, Pjenelopte could jscircely refrain from smiling at the odd-look-ing individual she beheld. Mr Desborough was a thin, erect man with a clean-shaven fafp; he was dressed in an old-fashioned style, wearing the high black stock of our and the double-breasted coat to match. On his head was a very tall hat, his hands were covered with black gloves, and he stood leaning on an umbrella. "You are my niece, Penelope Desborough, I presume?" he said, in the softest and sweetest voice Penelope e\*er remembered to have heard. Certainly it was not the voice of a curmudgeon, as Doctor Westall termed her uncle; it might have belonged to a woman. "You are my niece. J have been expecting you, but I have not been expecting a circus or a menagerie. This house is not built with Sufficient accommodation for such things." Mr Desborough glanced with a pair of keen, dark eyes at the crowd of boxes and men assembled ii. his doorway. "I think _vou have .made a mistake. You had better go to the ''Pantechnicon,' there is more'room there," lie said. % Penelope knghod outright now. 4 4 shall not mind him," she said quickly to herself. "He has lurnour, and that is a thing." "I don't know where the 'Pantechnicon' is, uncle'," she answered him as gravely as possible, "and Lean assure you there "is not a live animal among my possessions. Of course, if you prefer it I will leave" them outside; but it would be a pity, because I have some odds and ends of valuables in my boxes."

•Mr Desborough made no answer to this, but turned to , his servant with a "See that ,v ny niece's baggage is conveyed up to her apartment. Her wench will tell you where the things should be placed. Niece Penelope, come with me. There is a particularly oold wind to-day, and as it will 'have to run through the passages for the next half hour, We are better away from it." P Penelope followed him at once, and she soon found herself in it, goodsized room, which, though shabbily furnished, was not in the least uncomfortable*; on the contrary, it had an alrnpst cozy and its walls of books from floor to ceiling gave it the look of a study. . ,Mr Desborough politely made way for his niepe* to approach the fire, and while she stood looking about her he fixed his eyes upon her beauty nid scrutinised her well. By and by Penelope, bringing her gaze round, met his, and at the contact they both smiled. ■ "Well," said Mr Desborough, "are you satisfied? Is the picture correct? There are no canvas bags of gold, or a solitary starved cat to mew over a dead hearth, but I can give you plenty of proofs that you are in the homp of a miser if you so desire them!" Penelope coloured sjightly. . "Dear uncle!" she began, in some confusion. But Mr Desborough laughed, with just a touch of bitterness, and then lie grew complacent again. "As if I did not know all that you have been told about, me," he said, in that same care.ssing voice. ■'l have become a, popular legend by this time, and you must prepare your-* self, Penelope, for .a very hard life of it with me, for the legend is not without good foundation." Penelope had taken off her hat, and s J he looked up at him with her sweet eyes full of a sudden tenderness, her beautiful young face wearing a smile to aiatch the eyes. "I believe," she said softly, "that

I shall be very happy with you. At least," she added, and this time she spoke humedly, "it will be my own fault if I am not." j Mr Desborough glanced at her again, keenly, and his eyebrows contracted a little. "You will not be frightened then?" he said. "It is not exactly an ordin!a ry household; for one thing there is ' rarely any food to be found here, and [ for another —as you see—like the miller in the old conundrum, I always wear a hat, though not always a white one." j "I am not easily frightened," she said, in her pretty fashion, and she put out her hand as she spoke; "and I don't mind how many hats you wear so «that I am not obliged to . wear them, too." Mr Desborough looked at her for a moment in silence, while he stroked the little hand lying so confidently in his. I "You were like her when I first saw I you," he said suddenly, abruptly, and with his voice a little harsh now; "but the likeness goes , as soon as I see you in the light." Penelope did not speak, she only left her hand in his. To her illimitable sympathy, to her heart, tuned as it was in such a minor key, a whole life's story was conveyed to'hei- in'this speech.. She seemed to know all, to see back into the past, to understand much that might have been perplexing. This , man had loved her mother—through his hopeless love he had become what he wa.s now—he had shut himself out of life and all .that made life liveable. He had earned for himself hard names; and!, as doubtless she would soon discover, he deserved none of the world's reproach, none of its contempt. "I must try and seem like her," Penelope said very gently, when she spoke, and then she drew a little nearer, "I am sure it would have given her great ha.ppiness to have known of your goodness to me." The old man inside no answer, but the keen, dark eves grew soft, and his touch closed over the small hand. Suddenly he bent forward and kissed the beautiful young face, and then in a swift way ho loosened his held am' became his former self. "I have written out a. set of rules and regulations, Penelope, which I shall be obliged if you will kindly peruse, and then hang up in some prominent place on your wall, so that you may not forget my wishes.' You will find two rooms allotted to you. They'are not devoid of comfort." Your grandmother used them for (many years. Downs, my butler, is at your command, and if \vu like to dispense with the cost of your maid, you can use him instead." j (To be pontlnaed.)