The Red Cloud chief., 1879-07-03

Downes's carriage returned, the same
gentleman put her carefully into It, and
she must have driven at once home, for
when Marx passed the house she was
sitting in her plain merino dress At the
window, nursing his namesake. She
ran TO the door and begged him to come
in, but Mark was full Of his discovery,
and answered, gruffly, "Ask George 70
come to me after dinner; | have some
thing to tell him."
George heard what his godfather had
to say. with a face half angry ard bali
i~Dcredulous. alt must have been my
wife's sister," be said.
Mark laughed scornfully at such . de-
tense, and, moreover, stoutly asserted
that il was Mrs. Downes, and not Mrs.
Downes's sister. "Come on Thursday,
and see for yourself, George"
"If I do, godfather, it will not be be-
cause / suspect my wife, but because l
am sure TO prove You wrong"
Still George thought it singular that
he could not by the most adroit ques-
tioH;pg get from his wife any allusion
to these mysterious visits. At length
be said, /" Emma, l will ask for Thurs
Day afternoon, and we will go out to
Aldborough Woods, and get the holly
and mistletoe for Christmas. What do
yousay?"
81 can't go Thursday, George, dear;
| have so much TO do"
"What have you TO dof"
"More than l can tell you. Is it not
near Christmas, and does not that i'm
ply all sorts of housekeeping duties?
But l will 60 with you Friday, dear"
George was a little cross at the re-
fusal, and answered, gloomily, "No;
be had lost the wish to 60 now" Then
both were silent, and the evening was
not a pleasant one. All the mex day he
told himself that he would not go and
watch his wife Thursday; yet when the
day came he was sitting with his god
father at the window. At the usual
hour the carriage arrived, and Mrs.
DowEes, with her hair as deliberately
dressed as if she was going to a state
dinner at the bishops palace, ran down
the steps, and was DON driven rapidly
away.
SWELL, godfather" he said, pleasant
ly, "that is Emma, certainly, and she
is very remarkably dressed; but, for all
that, l am sure she has some good reas-
on for what she is doing. l believe /
will wait until she tells me-"
"Don't be such a fool, George; 60
and question the servants"
After q little reflection, George cross
ed to his own house and rang the bell.
The house-maid seemed astonished at
his appearance, and when he asked
where her mistress was, said she had not
seen her since she had taken her orders
for dinner. Then George went up to
the nursery. "Where is your mistress,
Amp"
t" Is she not in the parlnr. sirp"
"You know she is not. Where did
she 90 in the carriagep"
"Indeed, sir, it is my business to
mind the children; the mistress knows
her own affairs, without the likes of me
meddling in them"
He turned round impatiently, went
back to Mark Ripon, and got an accu-
rate description of the house to which
he had traced Mrs. George; and in half
an hour the ha~lf-curiOus and half-angry
husband stopped at the pretty cottage.
All was quiet about it, there was no ap-
pearance of company, it looked almost
deserted in its wintry garden.
An exceedingly lovely woman, though
evidently in frail and failing health,
opened the door for him, saying in an
inquiring voice, "YOu want the signor,
sar?"
"No, 1 wish to see Mrs. Downes; she
is here, l believer"
"Ah, yes; she is here. If you will
please to go up n stair. lam so weak
and tired always"
She pointed to the stairs, and George
went thOughtfully up them. Half way
there was a little landing and a door,
and here he heard a strange musical
voice, and then his wife's merry laugh to
its observation. 1t nettled George; he
knocked sharply, and before an answer
could be given opened the door and
went into the room.
"Oh, George, how provoking! What
made you come, dear?"
His wife was sitting in all her bridal
finery on a little elevated platform, and
SignOr Sarti was putting the last touch
es to a lovely portrait of her.
81 meant it for your Christmas gift,
George, and you have peeped before
hand. Is not that too bad?"
"Ipdeed it is, Emma" But Emma
was almost satisfied with his peeping,
SO proudly and lovingly did he take her
home.
SHOW did you find me out, George?"
"Oh, you are easy to find out. Emma.
OF course l knew if you went out in a
carriage, that you got the carriage at
MOrel's. But how do you come to
know this Frenchman?
"You think all foreigners are French
men, George. He is an Italian, and so
is his beautiful wife. He came from
London to paint my Lord Bishop and
the cathedral, and the signora vas so
much better here that he resolved to
spend the winter in Yorkshire, and try
and make enough to take hor home to
Italy in the spring. My lord asked me
to have my picture done, and papa paid
for it in order to surprise you. l think,
George dear, you had better not let papa
know you have spoiled his surprise"
George felt more and more sorry and
Inundated as he looked in the pretty,
frank face, and thought how cheerfully,
after all, she had taken the forestall.
ment of her Christmas secret.
81 will do as you say, Emma. Has
the signor plenty of work."
"He is painting many of the primer.
pal ladies in the city. The Bishop
thinks very highly Of him. Indeed, 1
have g his lordship there at nearly
all my visits"
George let the subject drop now as
quickly as possible to Emma; but he
talked . good deal about it-and in no
very good temper-to his godfather.
For onco Mark had M ovcnso for III.