Nell of Shorne Mills

At a place called Short's Cross he caught sight of the Shorne Mills

carrier on his way to the station. But Drake did not guess that Nell

was sitting under the tilt cover, that by just turning his horse and

riding hard for a minute or two he could be beside her. He glanced at

the cart, thought of the day he had first seen it, and of all that had

happened since, and, gently touching his horse with his whip, rode on.

The sun was sinking as he crossed the moor, and the cliffs were dyed a

fiery red as he came in sight of them and The Cottage on the brow of the

hill. His heart beat fast during the few minutes spent in reaching the

garden gate. What would she say? Would she be much startled when she

learned that he was "Lord Selbie"? Would she understand that he had

never really loved Luce; that it was she--Nell--whom he wanted for his

wife, had wanted almost from the first day of his seeing her?

At the sound of the horse's hoofs Dick came out of The Cottage, and down

to the gate.

"Hallo!" he exclaimed. "Why, where on earth have you been?"

Drake explained as he got off the horse.

"I breakfasted at the Grange. I don't think I mentioned it last night,

did I? Then I rode into Shallop with Sir William, and he had a fit of

some sort--apoplexy, I fancy--and I had to come back and fetch Lady

Maltby. Then the poor old chap came to, and--well, he felt like wanting

company, and I couldn't leave him until he fell asleep."

"Poor old chap! I haven't heard a word of it," said Dick. "I say, come

in! Mamma will be delighted to hear news of that kind--no, no; I don't

mean--you know what I mean. Something exciting like that is like a

bottle of champagne to her."

"I'll take the horse in; he's had rather a hard day of it," said Drake.

"I've bucketed him up hill and down dale; obliged to, you know."

As he spoke, he looked beyond Dick and toward the open door of The

Cottage wistfully. Why didn't Nell come out? As a rule, it was she who

first heard the sound of his footsteps or his horse's.

"I'll take it. Oh, I say, Drake, how awfully kind of you

to--to----Bardsley & Bardsley, you know! Upon my word, I don't know how

to thank you! I don't, indeed!"

"That's all right," said Drake. "Hope it's what you want, Dick. If it

isn't, we must find something else. Anyway, you can try it."