A Life's Hatred.

several small villages they passed through during their journey . Upon rolled ion Ihe propriety of his doing so appeared useless . What could he say r He had ran away from his mother and had been recaptured . It was true he had been cruelly beaten and badly fed before he left her guardianship , but at the present time he was well clothed and physically in good condition . Who would believe

the romantic story of his adoption by Mr . Mordaunt ? None . About four o'clock in Ihe afternoon , Lee was left , alone . Before leaving , his mother gave him to understand that , she would not be long absent . She , however , took the precaution of locking the door . Eor a little time Ihe lad amused himself by turning over the pages of a dog cared and otherwise dilapidated copy of Defoe ' s fascinating romance ,

" Robinson Crusoe , " which formed his sole literary treasure . Wearied at last , he ( dosed the volume and went to the inner room that constituted the sleeping apartment of his mother . It was in perfect darkness , but the youth mechanically opened the shutter of the narrow window and looked forth into the fast gathering gloom . The wind was moaning mournfully amongst the bare branches of the gaunt looking trees , and the general features of the landscape were

black and forbidding . Lee was about to close the shutter when the sound of low voices fell upon his ear . He could not see the speakers as they were beyond the rays of a lantern which was hanging to a free , but . he could p lainl y distinguish the tones of his mother and Hugh . Urged by an unaccountable feeling of curiosity he cautiousl y undid a pane of glass that , did occasional duty as a ventilator , and overheard the conversation which will bo narrated in the next chapter .

CHAPTER VII . " Hid ye meet with him ? " Ruth was saying . "No , ho was away , " answered Ralph . "J left word that ye wished to see him here to-nig ht , Hist ! 1 hear a rustic in the thicket yonder . "

In a few moments a firm tread was heard on flic frosty ground , and Lee saw a tall shadowy form emerge from the copse and approach to the liu'ht of the lantern , and a voice , whose accents sounded clear and sharp , said , " flood evening . Ruth . " The woman merely replied , " Speak low , unless ye wish to be heard by those who may blab . "

¦ ' You have been successful , T suppose r was the next remark of ( he new comer . " Ave , we have him safely caged yonder , " was ( he answer . "Is " he well ?" " Oh , yes . but as stubborn as ever . I have'had to keep a sharp eye on him , or he would have shown us a clean pair of heels . "

A Life's Hatred.

"lhat must not bo , said the interrogator . " You must keep him for the present in close confinement , my scheme is not yet mature 1 I have recently made a surprising discovery , " he continued . " | ] ' accidentally come across one whom I thought was some thousands of miles distant . You havo not yet told me whore you found the bov " " It is a long story , " said Ruth . > '

" Keep yourself to the plain facts , and make tho communication as short as possible , " remarked the other , curtly .

" \ e have to thank my brother for the trouble ho took in the matter . For some weeks ho tramped through the nom-hboni'inrr villages and towns making enquiries as he went , but without success ' One evening on his way to Ripley—near where our camp was pitched —he passed through Chertsey , and at a short distance from that place he saw a gentleman and a , lad some few yards in front of him Their backs were towards him , but it struck him that the lad was

Dick . To make sure of it he scrambled through the high hcd" -e that skirled ( ho turnpike , and keeping well within the shadow " of tho bushes he overtook them and found that , the boy was indeed our runaway , lie dogged their steps and saw them enter a I a lye oldfashioned house . Me hung about the neighbourhood for iWT- * .,.,, 1

weeks 111 the hope of catching Dick alone , but the lad never went out unattended . The gentleman had evidently taken a , likino- to the youngster , for he appeared to treat him as a son . The hoTise they occupied is called the Limes . "

" The Limes ! " ejaculated her hearer . " Did your brother ascertain the owner ' s name ? Was it , Mordaunt ? " " Aye , " assented the woman . " Do ye know him ? " " How strange , " murmured the man , not heeding the query . " HG little thought who it was he was protecting . Well " , go on with your story . "

" Hugh at last found out , " resumed Ruth , " that Dick was to be sent to a large school some distance away . One morning tho lad in company with Mr . Mordaunt , left the house and waited at the fop of the lane for the coach . Dick started off alone . My brother follow .. !

, but as he knew the name of the place whither the boy was bound , he did not exert himself to keep up with the coach . After spyino- aliout the neighbourhood of the school for several weeks he was lucky enough to waylay the youngster two days ago on his return from some boyish sports . "

"You must not allow him to escape again ; use ^ vevy precaution , " said the man , " but treat him kindly . Poor lad , he has had a hard time of it . I have often thought of him , and it has grieved me to think of the stern necessity that led to his being placed under your charge . " ( To be continued in our next ) .

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COOPERATIVEEDUCATIONALTRAVEL ORGANIZED BY HENRY S . LUNN , M . D ., Ch ., F . R . G . S . ( Fellow of th > . Mctlical Sockltj of London ) , A XI ) J . T . WOOLRYCH PEROWJSE , M . A . ( Lain Classical Scholar Corpus Christl College , Cmuhriihjc ) . ASPECIALMASONICCRUISE TO EGYPTANDTHEHOLYLAND. Ghaplain:JHEVENERABLEARCHDEACONSTEVENS,P.6.C. The cost of the Cruise will lie 25 Guineas , including second-class return Ticket—London-Marseilles , fin Dover and Calais—and a 25 days' cruise . Land-excursions extra . The party will leave London on Jan . 2 lsl , returning on Pcb . ItilII . Oilier cruises leave London , Dec . 22 nd , Feb . 18 th , and April 12 th . The Lecturers are Sir Arfliur Arnold , the Vice-Chancellor ol' Cambridge- University , the Head Master ol : Wellington College , the Head Master ol' Cheltenham College , Sir Lambert PI ay fair , Rev . Canon Moore ( LL . D . ) , Dean Korresf , Canon Tristram , Professor ttayew , Professor Ramsay , and the Rvv . \ V . K . II . Bedford ( Chap lain of the Order of St . John of Jerusalem ) . pull particulars with a p lan of the steamer from the ISHOHKTAKV , 5 ENnSbKiGH O AKDBNS , LONDON , N . W .