shoes of dead people, a person of Miss Harding's great age mustexpect to very shortly pay the debt of nature.
Two days later, Jack received a telegram which seemed to give a certainair of prophecy to the young woman's forebodings. It was dispatched tohim from his aunt's home in Cheshire by the local doctor, who hadattended her for years. It informed him that she was seriously ill andrequested his immediate attendance.
He sought the Colonel at once and obtained leave. There was no time tocall at Rosemount, but he scribbled a hasty note to Miss Burtonexplaining matters. On his arrival, he found his aged relative very badindeed. She had had a severe stroke, the second in two years, andDoctor Jephson was very doubtful as to whether her vitality would enableher to recover. He added that she had a marvellous constitution, and insuch a case one could not absolutely say there was no hope. Of afeebler woman he would have said at once a few hours would see the end.
Pomfret stayed there as long as the result was in doubt. At the end ofthree days the brave old lady rallied in the most wonderful way, and wasable to hold a little conversation with her beloved nephew. He did notleave till the doctor assured him that she was out of danger.
"It's a wonderful recovery," said Doctor Jephson as he shook hands atparting with the young man. "But it's the beginning of the end. Idon't give her very long now, a few months at the most. Well, she hashad a wonderful life, hardly an ache or a pain till the last few years,and then nothing very severe. But, of course, the machinery is wornout."
All the way back to Blankfield those words kept repeating themselves inhis ears: "I don't give her very long now, a few months at the most."
And then an idea began to form in his mind. He was not so callous thathe wanted his poor old aunt to die quickly, but it was obvious the timecould not be long delayed when he would find himself possessed of herfortune, the master of his own destinies. Was there any reason why heshould not forestall that period by the rather daring expedient of asecret marriage? They were both young. Even if the doctor was wrong,and they had to wait four or five years, it was not a great sacrifice oftheir youth. At least that was his way of looking at it. Of course hedid not know how she would take the suggestion.
She appeared to listen to him with deep interest and attention when heunfolded his plans.
He explained that he had a very handsome allowance, which up to thepresent he had generally exceeded. Now that could all be altered. Hewould declare that he was sick of the army, and send in his papers.Through his family influence, he would get some Government appointmentwhich necessitated his living in London. He would take inexpensivechambers for himself, rent a small house for her in some pleasant andnot too remote suburb, and spend as much of his time as possible withher.
"You don't think your aunt would reduce your allowance if you left thearmy?" was the one pertinent question she put to him when he hadfinished.
"On the contrary, she would be more likely to increase it," was theconfident rejoinder. "She would always have preferred that I should goin for something that meant real work. She thinks the army is an idlelife."
Miss Burton, no doubt, rapidly calculated the pros and cons of such adaring step. Jack had named a very handsome sum for her maintenance.If she could put up with the clandestine nature of the connection, tillsuch time as a certain event happened, she would be better off than atRosemount. She begged for time to think it over, and of course shewould have to consult her brother before taking such an unusual step.
That was only natural; it was impossible for Jack to insist that sheshould settle the matter herself without reference to the one personwho, whatever his social defects, had behaved to her with unexampledkindness and generosity.
Brother and sister no doubt talked it over very thoroughly, for it wasthree days before she told her lover that, although George would havepreferred a longer period of waiting, he trusted him sufficiently toentrust Norah to his keeping, on the terms proposed.
She did suggest that they should wait till Jack had left the army andsettled himself in London. But he fought this idea stubbornly. He wasmad to tie her to himself, for fear that somebody else with moreimmediate prospects might step in and carry her off. A littlecommon-sense, of course, might have told him that if she was as fatallyattractive to others as to himself, she would have been carried offbefore this.
He was so terribly jealous of her, that he had never made the slightesteffort to bring any of his brother officers round to Rosemount. He evenkept Hugh away as much as he could.
The lovers worked out their little plot very nicely. Miss Burton wouldleave Blankfield for a couple of weeks, ostensibly to pay a visit to arelative. Her destination would be London. Jack would take a few days'leave of absence in due course, and procure a special licence. Theywould return on separate days and resume their normal life, until suchtime as they perfected their after arrangements.
CHAPTER SIX.
Miss Burton arrived home on a Monday by a mid-day train; her attentivebrother met her at the station. She was one of those girls who looksmart and neat under the most trying circumstances. Although it was along journey, she bore no signs or stains of travel.
"When does Jack arrive, not too soon, I hope?" commented George, as heassisted her into a cab, and sat down beside her.
"He wanted to come down to-night, but I vetoed that," responded thegirl. "I told him people might put two and two together. He will gethere mid-day to-morrow. I shall meet him casually in the High Street.He is going to bring Murchison along with him. And I shall give them animpromptu invitation to dinner."
"I don't know that I am very keen on having Murchison to dinner,"remarked Mr Burton in rather a growling tone.
Miss Burton shrugged her shoulders. "And, perhaps, of the two, I amless keen than you are. But we have got to play it pretty quiet downhere, till the whole lot of us clear out. Better to let Murchison come.He is pretty suspicious, as it is, but if we shut him out, he'll bemore suspicious still."
Mr Burton chuckled in a grim fashion.
"Well, our inquisitive friend, the whole lot of them as a matter offact, can't do you much harm now. You've got him tight enough. AndI'll say this for him, he's a bit soft and all that sort of thing, buthe'll always play the game."
The girl did not reply for a moment, then she spoke in a voice that waslow and soft:
"Yes, he's a dear little chap, he'll always play the game."
"He can afford to," was the rather ungracious comment. Clearly MrBurton was not in one of his best moods to-day.
Mr Pomfret returned from his short leave on the following day, and atonce sought his friend.
"Glad to be back, old man, got fed-up with London," he cried cheerfully.His excuse for his visit was that he had to go up to see his aunt'ssolicitors, on some pressing affairs which the old lady had entrusted tohim, after her temporary recovery from her dangerous illness.
Now Murchison was pretty quick. He already had a shrewd suspicion thatJack had been making a great many surreptitious visits to Rosemount,that Hugh had been asked there now and again as a blind. And when hehappened to be present, he had noticed that Jack and Norah had takenvery little notice of each other. Jack had cultivated the brother, andleft his friend to entertain the attractive young woman. In itself,this rather obvious attitude was suspicious. It confirmed hisimpression that there was a private understanding between the youngpeople, and that they were throwing dust in his eyes.
He had already put two and two together, with regard to the concurrentabsences. Mr Burton, meeting him in the High Street two days afterNorah's departure, had told him his sister was paying a visit to amarried relative who lived at Brighton. He would have not believed MrBurton on his oath.
And Jack had taken his few days' leave, with the ostensible object ofattending to his aunt's affairs.
Hugh was pretty certain that the silly young ass, as he affectionatelydesignated Jack in his own mind, had arranged to meet Miss Burton for aday or two in London, in order to en
joy her society, free frominterruption or espionage. Of course, he was far from guessing thetruth. He would not have thought Pomfret capable of any such daringaction.
Jack had just expressed himself fed-up with London, and yet hisdemeanour was jubilant and hilarious. Of course, Hugh could not dreamhis attitude was that of the exultant bridegroom, almost intoxicatedwith the knowledge of having gained his heart's desire. There had beena couple of lunches, perhaps a couple of dinners with a theatre thrownin. The buoyant Jack was living on these blissful memories.
Later in the day, the two men walked down the High Street, of course inaccordance with a pre-arranged plan decided upon by the artful lovers.The first person they met was Miss Burton, sauntering along slowly; MissBurton, now Mrs Pomfret, as fast as the ecclesiastical law of Englandcould make her.
She welcomed them with