THE RURAL HEW-YORKER 
77 
FES. 4 
fifcrarij 'Pisrcllam 
WEAKER THAN A WOMAN, 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
(Continued from page 62.) 
“ I will, Felix; I will do my best,” lie replied. 
Eve Lester came and talked to him; Katie 
cheered liim; and between them the sorrow- 
stricken man took courage, and resolved to go 
amongst hl 3 triends again. Friends or toes, no 
matter which, he would go amongst them. 
Kate will never forget how she helped him to 
dress, liow she quieted the trembling nerves, 
while Eve cheered him with brave words. 
“ I shall remain here until you return,” she said, 
“ for I am quite certain you will bring good news 
with you, though I cannot think what the good 
news will be." 
“ I am quite at a loss to Imagine why both Eve 
yer; “ there shall be no mistake about it. I wll 1 
not sit at his table under false pretences.” 
“ you shall do as you will, father; where you 
lead I will follow,” was Follx s reply. 
Darcy Lonsdale walked up to the EarL hut, be¬ 
fore he had time to speak to him. Lord Arlington 
held out his hand and shook his with a hearty 
grasp. 
“ I am delighted to see you, Mr. Lonsdale,” he 
said warmly- 
But Darcy Lonsdale, looking Into the Earl’s face, 
said— 
“ My lord, before I take advantage of your kind¬ 
ness, let me ask you if you have heard that 1 have 
hoen charged with influencing one of my clients 
to leave me money?" 
“ Yes, I have heard It,” repUed the Earl. 
“ Have you heard that a Jury of my own coun¬ 
trymen found me guilty, and that my feUow- 
townsmen—the old friends and neighbors whom 
I have spent all my life amongst-ln their own 
minds found me guilty too, and have shown their 
opinion, most of them, by withdrawing their busl- 
Wonderlng at this, Darcy Lonsdale took his seat. 
“ Your son will sit, next to you,” said Lord Ar¬ 
lington ; “T shall want him as well.” 
Mr. Lonsdale saw the looks of wonder from all 
the gentlemen assembled. 
“They ore not accustomed to see me so honor¬ 
ed," he said to himself bitterly. 
Then the grand banquet began, and It was one 
long remembered In Lllford, because of its grandeur 
and costliness: those who partook of It described 
It In few words—It was worthy of the Earl who 
gave It. It came to a close at last, and the Earl 
ordered some more wine. 
“ I shall have a toast to propose presently, gen¬ 
tlemen,” he said, “ tor which I shall want brim¬ 
ming glasses. Before giving it, however, I nave a 
few words to say to you.” 
Silence deep and Impressive fell over them; when 
the Earl spoke la the tone that he did, he meant 
something. There was not the faintest sound when 
he began. 
“ Gentlemen, old friends and neighbors I may 
say, there has been an injustice done amongst you 
spoken a false word or done a mean deed. He has 
always been Industrious, honest and generous—a 
loyal subject, a spirited townsman, a true friend, a 
devoted husband, a kind father. He has spent his 
life amongst you, and not one of you can say that 
you have ever known him to do wrong, If you 
can, speak." 
There was a dead silence which lasted for 3ome 
moments, and then a voice said— 
*■ You are right, my lord. Not one amongst us 
has ever known him to do wrong." 
“ I am sure not.” declared the Earl. “Now mind 
what I say. With the Jury and the Judge who 
thought James Hardman entitled to Elizabeth 
Hardman’s money, and who really believed that 
Darcy Lonsdale had wrongfully used his great In¬ 
fluence with her, I have nothing to do. They did 
their duty, honestly, even If mistakenly. To you 
who constituted yourself Judge and Jury—to you 
who, knowing the man and his character, judged 
him yourselves as guilty—to you I wish to speak. 
1 believe him Innocent. 1 have read carefully since 
my return every word of the trial; and I aay before 
w- 
^$5 
and you, Felix, should think good fortune lies In 
store for me," observed Darcy Lonsdale. “ I have 
been under a shudow too long." 
But Felix would not listen to one desponding 
word. 
They had engaged a fly to carry them to the 
“Bramber Arms.” and both father and son were 
surprised at the decorations, the flags, the ever¬ 
greens, the arches of welcome.. 
“ People show great respect to Lord Arlington,” 
said Darcy Lonsdale—*’ and well they may, for ho 
Isa Just man.” 
Then, together, father and son entered the as¬ 
sembly-room, where the grand banquet was laid. 
They saw the Earl at the top of the loom, sur¬ 
rounded by a group of gentlemen. 
“ i shall go straight to him, Felix,” said the law- 
A MIDSUMMER’ 
ness from me—the old friends I loved and served, 
my lord?" 
The Earl took his hand again. 
“ I have heard it, Mr. Lonsdale, and regret it. 
I am glad to have this chance of saying publicly 
that I disbelieve all that has been said about your 
guilt, and am proud to take the hand of an hon¬ 
est injured man.” 
“ I thank you, my lord,” returned Darcy Lons¬ 
dale. 
His wonder Increased when the Earl, turning to 
him, said— 
“ Your place, Mr. Lonsdale. Is at my right hand.” 
The lawyer looked at him In amazement. Lord 
Arlington smiled. 
“ Yes, at my right hand,” he said; “ and after 
dinner you will know the reason why.” 
S DAY DREAM. 
which I have naked you here to-day to set straight, 
rnderstand mo plainly, as an Englishman I up¬ 
hold the legal institutions of my country. I bow 
my head to the decision of a Judge; I listen with 
respect to the verdict of a Jury. But, gentle¬ 
men. human laws, Just because they are human 
and not divine, must at times err; and I say they 
erred when they pronounced a man as honest. In¬ 
dustrious and honorable as ray friend Darcy Lons¬ 
dale capable of Influencing a woman to leave him 
her money. Gentleman, the judge who gave sen¬ 
tence against him was a stranger to him, and the 
Jury who decided lu favor of the heir-at-law did 
not know him. But you know him; he has lived 
amongst you all his life, he has served you to the 
best of his knowledge, and not one amongst you, 
man, woman or child, can Bay that he has ever 
you all, In the most emphatic words that I can use. 
that I believe him to be Innocent, and, what Is 
more, to he a deeply Injured man.” 
He was obliged to stop, for there rose from the 
lips of the men who had misjudged Darcy Lons¬ 
dale, who had shunned him, who had withdrawn 
their business from him, who had half broken his 
honest heart by their conduct, a cheer such as had 
never been heard In Lllford. Perhaps lu their 
hearts they had never quite believed him guilty. 
Perhaps the Earl’s noble words touched them with 
compunction and regret. Something appealed to 
them, and they cheered until the walls of the 
**Bramber Arms ” shook again. 
“ Vve are agreed then, gentlemen," said the Earl. 
“ our old friend and fellow-townsman Is an honest, 
honorable gentleman." 
