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Merrick's present interest in life centered in his three nieces, and because Louise was happily married and had now an establishment of her own including a rather new but very remarkable baby Uncle John was drawn closer to the two younger nieces and devoted himself wholly to their welfare. The girls had not been rich when their fairy godfather first found them.
Merrick's name and mine, being together on the roll, we were frequently on guard at the same time, and, to while away the tedious hours of the night, would seek each other's company. Our turn came while in this camp one dark, chilly night; the rain falling fast and the wind moaning through the leafless woods.
There was a moment's silence, and then McCabe, with Merrick's aid, forced in the door, and as it yielded there came from within the sharp report of a revolver, followed by a heavy groan. The case of Mainwaring versus Mainwaring had been set for the opening of the December term of court, being the first case on the docket.
"Didn't you say to-day in the presence of of " "Merrick's red-eyed nigger," Tom exclaimed, when the man paused and looked about as if afraid that he might have said more than he ought. "Why don't you speak it right out? What did I tell you, Mr. Truman? Didn't I say that boy would bear watching? Now, what I want to know of you is, are you going to take that darkey's word in preference to mine?"
"It isn't worth while for you to waste your breath, and besides this is a dangerous place to stay, with Price's men scouting around through the neighborhood," said the leader, who now showed a disposition to resume the management of affairs. "It won't take more than two or three days to ride back to Merrick's and from there to Pilot Knob, and straighten everything out in good shape."
It brought the color back into her own pale cheek to think any man should deem he was performing an act of chivalrous self-devotion in marrying Herminia Barton's unlawful daughter. Alan Merrick's child! The child of so many hopes! The baby that was born to regenerate humanity! At last, in a dogged way, Dolly rose once more. She put on her hat and jacket.
Young Weldon, under an assumed name, followed and attached himself to the party; but John Merrick's suspicions were presently aroused and on discovering the identity of the youth he forbade him or Louise to "make love" or even speak of such a thing during the remainder of the trip. The young fellow, by manly acts on some occasions and grave weaknesses on others, won Uncle John's kindly interest.
It was half-past nine o'clock next morning when the man-servant at Sir Anthony Merrick's in Harley Street brought up to his master's room a plain hand-written card on which he read the name, "Dolores Barton." "Does the girl want to blackmail me?" Sir Anthony thought testily. The great doctor's old age was a lonely and a sordid one.
"In that case, I'll pack her back again and choose between these two. But you must fetch her, Silas, that I may know just what I am doing. And you must fetch her at once!" "I'll do the best I can, Jane," repeated the old lawyer. In the harness-room above the stable sat Duncan Muir, the coachman and most important servant, with the exception of the head gardener, in Miss Merrick's establishment.
"If you did, it can't be that Merrick's boy told you." "Of course he didn't. He would have kept it from us if he could, but all the same the information came from him in the first place.
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