th ivy, and square towers of modern build; there were deep
oriel windows, stately old rooms that told of the ancient race, and
cheerful modern apartments replete with modern comfort.

One of the great beauties of Earlescourt was the broad terrace that ran
along one side of the house; the view from it was unequaled for quiet
loveliness. The lake shone in the distance from between the trees; the
perfume from the hawthorn hedges filled the air, the fountains rippled
merrily in the sunshine, and the flowers bloomed in sweet summer beauty.

Lord Earle loved his beautiful home; he spared no expense in
improvements, and the time came when Earlescourt was known as a model
estate.

One thing he did of which he repented till the hour of his death. On
the western side of the park he built a new lodge, and installed
therein Stephen Thorne and his wife, little dreaming as he did so that
the first link in what was to be a fatal tragedy was forged.

Ronald was nineteen, and Lord Earle thought, his son's college career
ended, he should travel for two or three years. He could not go with
him, but he hoped that surveillance would not be needed, that his boy
would be wise enough and manly enough to take his first steps in life
alone. At college he won the highest honors; great things were
prophesied for Ronald Earle. They might have been accomplished but for
the unfortunate event that darkened Earlescourt with a cloud of shame
and sorrow.

Lord and Lady Earle had gone to pay a visit to an old friend, Sir Hugh
Charteris, of Greenoke. Thinking Ronald would not reach home until the
third week in June, they accepted Sir Hugh's invitation, and promised
to spend the first two weeks in June with him. But Ronald altered his
plans; the visit he was making did not prove to be a very pleasant one,
and he returned to Earlescourt two days after Lord and Lady Earle had
left it. His father wrote immediately, pressing him to join the party
at Greenoke. He declined, saying that after the hard study of the few
last months he longed for quiet and rest.

Knowing that every attention would be paid to his son's comfort, Lord
Earle thought but little of the matter. In after years he bitterly
regretted that he had not insisted upon his son's going to Greenoke.
So it happened that Ronald Earle, his college career ended, his future
lying like a bright, unruffled dream before him, had two weeks to spend
alone in Earlescourt.

The first day was pleas