Produced by Al Haines [Illustration: Cover art] [Frontispiece: "She was aware instantly that the strangers were speaking of her"] THE LADY EVELYN _A Story of To-day_ By MAX PEMBERTON _Author of "The Hundred Days," "Doctor Xavier," "A Gentleman's Gentleman," "A Puritan's Wife," Etc._ New York CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY Publishers _Copyright 1906 by Max Pemberton_ _Entered at Stationers' Hall_ _All rights reserved_ CONTENTS BOOK I.--THE ESCAPADE. CHAPTER Prologue. The Face in the River I. A Telegram to Bukharest II. Etta Romney is Presented III. Success and Afterwards IV. Two Personalities V. The Letter VI. Strangers in the House VII. The Nonagenarian VIII. Lady Evelyn Returns IX. The Third Earl of Melbourne X. The Accident Upon the Road XI. A Race for Life XII. The Unspoken Accusation XIII. The Interview XIV. Inheritance XV. The Price of Salvation XVI. A Game of Golf BOOK II.--THE ENGLISHMAN. XVII. Gavin Ord Begins His Work XVIII. A Duel over the Teacups XIX. From the Belfry Tower XX. Lovers XXI. Zallony's Son XXII. A Spy from Bukharest BOOK III.--THE LIGHT. XXIII. Bukharest XXIV. The Price Of Wisdom XXV. The House Above the Torrent XXVI. Through a Woman's Heart XXVII. Etta Romney's Return XXVIII. The Impresario's Prayer XXIX. The Prisoners at Setchevo XXX. There is no News of Gavin Ord XXXI. The House at Hampstead XXXII. A Shot in the Hills XXXIII. Djala XXXIV. The Shadow of the River Epilogue. The Doctor Drinks a Toast LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "She was aware instantly that the strangers were speaking of her" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _Frontispiece_ "Oh, please let me go; your hands hurt me" "As you came in folly, so shall you go----" "Evelyn, beloved, I am here as you wish" [Illustration: (Facsimile Page of Manuscript from THE LADY EVELYN)] THE LADY EVELYN PROLOGUE THE FACE IN THE RIVER The porter did not know; the station-master was not sure; but both were agreed that it was a "good step to the 'all"--by which they signified the Derbyshire mansion of the third Earl of Melbourne. "Might be you'd get a cab, might be you wouldn't," said the porter somewhat loftily--for here was a passenger who had spoken of walking over: "that'll depend on Jacob Price and the beer he's drunk this night. Some nights he can drive a man and some nights he can't. I'm not here to speak for him more than any other." The station-master, who had been giving the whole weight of his intelligence to a brown paper parcel with no address upon it, here chimed in to ask a question in that patronizing manner peculiar to station-masters.