The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-03-01

|
mo, not quite that" said Mrs. Val
cry with another laugh. HE will 90
to the Charing Cross hotel for tonight.
| will ask for him there, bring him
home to dinner if he looks nice; in any
case, give him some little information
about this wilderness of n London. MIR.
Valery has found me some addresses
for him; one or two hotels where the
people are French, It's a pity Frank
cant 90 with me. y
1T is indeedr' said Lady Lynx
dryly. 49,
II really must run away" said Mrs.
Valery, again consulting her watch.
"lm very sorry to seem rude.
"Oh! not at all, said Lady Lynx,
rising to 90. Her mind was working
busily. Why had Sir George said that
he should be home some time in the
evening, probably to dinner? lie had
mentioned Charing Cross. 1t is absurd
to suppose that he did not know what
train he would come by. The thing
seemed more ridiculous the more she
thought of it, Of course he knew when
he would arrive-but he did not want
| her to. That seemed clear.
She walked up to the top OF Wilton
Place, took a hanson, and tod
the man to drive to the Charing Cross
hotel. Arrived there, she entered and
said she expected gentleman to meet
her in few moments, adding that she
| would like to wait in the coffee room.
Her heart beat with excitement as she
went in. Was she about TO discover
something's Was the amateur detect
i've about to be rewarded by great
success? She gloried in the thought
of how instantly she had seen through
Mrs. Valery's absurd story, which she
concluded had been told her in case by
any mischance she should come to
meet her own husband.
No one was in the cotfee-room. 1t
was an hour at which meals were not
wanted. So much the better, thought
Lady LYNX. She went TO an armchair
in an obscure cor ner of the room and
established herself there, providing
herself with a newspaper with which
TO screen her face. She was now pre-
pared to wait for what time might
bring forth.
Meantime Mrs. Yalery mad put on
her bonnet and driven down to the
| same place in her little brougham. A
very short time after Lady Lynx had
settled herself n the cotfee-room Mrs.
Yalery walked into the hotel and H.
ouired whether count of an unpro-
nounceable name had arrived. After
considerable consultation and much
mental effort the waiter informed her
that foreign gentleman, whose name
was like sneeze, certainly had come
to the hotel, taken a room and gone to
| it. But he had not said that he expect
ed lady to see him, for the very good
reason that he could speak no language
but his own. which NJ one in the hotel
understood.
"Oh. nonsense, he speaks French, "
said Mrs. Valery, with laugh. How
ever, he expects me to interpret for
him. | will write him line on this
card, if you will take it up 10 him. l
will wait in the coffee-roOm, and when
he comes down show him in there.
Mrs. Valery wrote line in Russian
beneath her name, and then gave the
card to the waiter. II was sent up
stairs and she was shown into the cot
fee-room. Sac went in and sat still
few moments; then began to walk to
and fro rather restlessly, her eyes on
the ground. She was little nervous
about this meeting with man she had
never seen. 1t would be quite easy If
he were nice; if he were not, it would
be horrid. She thought to herself, as
she waited, that if one Of her dearest
friends had not asked her to do this,
she would have refused.
| Probably her sudden dislike OF her
task merely arose from the depressing
effect OF being stranded alone in the
midst Of great hotel coffee-room and
having to remain there. At all events
she resolved that she would be cordial,
if the man looked at all nice; she would
not let him be chilled, as most foreign
ers are, in the first hour he spent in
England. And then she began to think
how kind his friends had been to hel
when she was in Russia. That gave
her new courage; but, oh, how long hC
kept her waiting. She glanced arounC
the room. She could just see the tor
of black bonnet over distant arm
chair; a lady was there reading pa
per. She felt glad there was no ont
TO observe pretty woman waiting il
apublic coffee-room for some one wit
l did not come.
At last the door opened and gentle
| man entered quickly. Mrs. Valery saw
t in single swift glance that he was ex
4 lremely handsome. tai and distin
guished-looking and that he had tn
air which one is compelled to ascrib
foreign" for want of better word
That is to say, though he was not yer,
Russian in appearance, yet he did no
p, look like an Englishman. Mrs. Valer
d called up all her courage and prett
It manners and with an extreme nervous
r ness which no one but herself coul
perceive, advanced eagerly to NEE
y him. She held out her hand and bega
to talk rapidly in Russian. He did nc
h answer her; but then she gave him n
a time to, for her nervousness made he
O talk rather more than she intended
@ He held her hand in his and gazed a,
. miringly into her face, which, with i
d slight flush of embarrassment, W;
i even lovelier than usual. This went c
O. for two or three minutes, then Mr.