The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-10-03
A DOUBLE TREACHERY.
CHAPTER VI.
(cosTrsuED.l

talking earnestly on business matters
s'You must look out" said Speed. ssor we
shall find the Barclays dangerous rivals
Florence had no fears; for he knew his
strength, and had had vast experience
sThen. too" he added-ssbnt this is con-
fdential: am on the track of new in
vention that will be fortune in itself"
By this time they had crossed the care
fully kept garden, with its acacias almost
as old as the house itself, and its heavy
walls yelled with dark ivy.
By Georges side Florence looked like a
clerk rendering an account Of the days
transactions. He stopped every few steps
to finish sentence, for his words came
slowly. He had no idea that a pretty
face was looking at him through the
curtains of an upper window.
Mrs Florence was,waiting for her hus-
band to come to luncheon. and was very
impatient at his delay. She beckoned to
him, but Florence did not see her. He was
occupied with the Speed baby, who was
taking the air in the arms Of her nurse, a
mass Of lace and ribbons. How pretty the
little creature was! ~ sF.
"Your very image, Mrs George!s
sDo you think sol And yet almost
everyone thinks her more like her father"
'sShe resembles him, of course; but
And all of them-father, mother, Flor
ence, and the nurse-gravely examined
the atom of humanity, who looked at
them, in turn, with wide-open, wonder
ing eyes. Sylvia leant from her open
window to see what they were all doing,
and why her husband did not come up
Florence had just taken the infant in
to his own arms, and stood, envcl-
oped in the floating robes and blue rib
bons trying to win smile or coo 3as de-
light from the child. He looked like his
grandfather.
"ilow old the poor man is growingP
thought Sylvia; sand how absurd he
looks playing with that baby"
At last, tired of waiting, she sent her
maid to say that lunch was waiting. Flor,
renee consigned the infant to its nurse
with evident regret, and ran up the STAR
q case, Laughing like schoolboy. He
laughed still as he entered the dining
room, but one look at his wife checked his
merTimc1it. She was seated at the table,
and he knew that she was thoroughly
out OF temper by her martyr like air.
s'fou made up your mind to come in at
last, then. How fortunatew
Florence seated himself, somewhat
abashed
Il could moi help it. my dear; that
child is so---~"
"How often am to beg you not TO call
me my dear'f
"But if we are alonef
'sYou can never understand anything"
answered his wife impatiently; 'and the
result is that no one here pays me the
least respect. Even Tom, the gardener,
hardly touches his hat when | pass him.
70 be sure, am not a Speed, and have
no carriage
"But, my dear-l beg your pardon-I
mean you can always use Mrs. Georges
brougham. She has told you that il il at
your service whenever you like"
..And how often am to tell you that !
will not place myself under any obligation
To that womanp +r# tN$4 E
'-Oh, Sylvan
.Oh, yes; i understand l must not
breathe a word against this doll. must
allow her always to tread me under footw
My childW
And poor Florence tried to soothe his
wife, and TO say a few words in favor Of
his dear Mrs. George. His success was
not great for suddenly Sylvia burst into
voluble torrent of Indignation.
II tell you, in spite of her quiet look
and sanity expression. that woman il
naughty and malicious. She detests me,
and know it, When l was little Sylvia.
TO whom she could give her broken play
things and st-of clothes, l was all very
WtIl. I)uE HOW tIldL L UdNt u kDDd DO-
sition, and need no assistance from her,
she would like to humiliate me at every
turn. She presumes to volunteer her adj
vice and to criticise everything do. She
was kind enough to express her astonish
ment at my engaging u maid-had l not
always been accustomed to waiting upon
myself She seeks every opportunity to
wound and annoy me. When ! present
myself ON her exceptionally. you should
hear the condescending tone in which she
asks after dear Mrs. ChippH All, well,
Yes; l am a Chipp, and she is Speed.
My grandfather was a chemist, and hers
was money lending tradesman shall
tell her so one fine day, and shall also
take occasion to mention that the little
girl of whom they are so proud is the
living image Of old Gray, and heaven
knows that he is no beauty"
"Sylviaw gasped Florence, who could
find no words to answer such TRADE.
.Yes; admire that baby if you choosef
1t is always i'll, and cried half the night,
and keeps me awake. In the morning the
mothers piano begins"
Florence adopted the wisest course; he
said not one syllable in reply But after
while when he saw that his wife was
calIner, and looked a little ashamed of her
outbreak, he began to say few comph-
mentary words to her.
THAT is very pretty dress. Are you
going to pay some calls to-dayf"
mo; / am not going out" answered
Sylvia. On the contrary | receive. This
is my day" Seeing her husbands look
of utter establishment she continued
'Yes; it is my day. Why should l not
have day as well as Mrs. Speedf'
"0h, of course. certainly" muttered
poor Florence. looking about him anxious
l.. l..t e tla,, tI.f
are so many flowers in the roomsl"
"Yes. This morning. when l sent Jane
into the garden l am wrong again,
then. am II You do not say so, but can
see that you think had no right to send
Jane for flowers. thought the garden be-
longed to us as well as to the speeds2"
.It does, certainly: hut it would have
been better"
ITO ask for them, suppose. of course!
Pile on the humiliations, l beg of you A
few miserable chrysanthemuins, and some
green leaves, are worth asking for are
they not At all events took them open
", and when she comes up by-and-by /
will show them to her.
~She is coming them How::good ofherf"
Sylvia started up in rage.
..Good of her! And why, pray2 Do I
not go every Wednesday to her rooms,
where am bored to death by her atiecta-
ton and Ialbbish3 n
Mrs. Florence omitted to state that
these same Wednesdays had been of inn
mense service to her; that they We're like
weekly fashion book, where she had
been taught how to enter and leave
room, how TO receive and dismiss guest,
where to place her flowers. Nor did Sy,-
via say that Annie's friends, Of whom
she had spoken so disdainfully, were the
people whom she had begged to come to
her on her '.at home" day.
But would they GOMEZ That remained
to be proved. And would young Mrs.
Speed herself make her appearancef Syl-
via grew more and more disturbed and
anxious ~ the time went on. M "a
MAKE hastew she cried impatiently;
show long you are to-day over your
lunch'
One of Florence's old-fashioned habits
was to eat slowly, and take few whiffs of