Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-13

rising to 90. Her mind was working
busiiy. Why had Sir George said that
he should be home some time in the
evening, probably to dinner? He 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 hanson, and tod
the man to drive to the Charing Gross
hotel. Arrived there, she entered and
said she expected a 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? 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 coffee-room. It
was an hour at which meals were not
wanted. So much the better, thought
Lady Lynx. She went to an armchair
in an obscure corner of the room and
established herself there, providing
herself with newspaper with which
to screen her face. She was now pre-
pared to wait for what time might
bring forth.
Meantime Mrs. Valery 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 in the coffee-room Mrs.
Valery walked into the hotel and in
quired whether count of an unpro-
nounceablc name had arrived. Aftei
considerable consultation and much
mental effort the waiter informed her
that foreign gentleman, whose name
was like a sneeze, certainly had come
to the hotel, taken 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 no one in the hotel
understood.
ooh, nonsense! he speaks French"
said Mrs. Valery, with & laugh. ''How-
ever, he expects me to interpret for
him. I will write him line on this
card. if you will take it up to him. l
will wait in the coffee-ro0m, 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. 1t was sent up
stairs and she was shown into the cof-
fee-roOm. She went in and sat still a
few moments; then began to walk to
and fro rather restlessly, her eyes on
the ground. She was little nervous
about this meeting with a 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 her
when she was in Russia. That gave
her new courage; but, oh, how long he
kept her waiting. She glanced around
the room. She could just see the top
of q black bonnet over q distant arm
chair; a lady was there reading q pa
per. She felt glad there was no one
to observe pretty woman waiting in
public coffee-room for some one who
did not come.
At last the door opened and a gentle
man entered quickly. Mrs. Valery saw
in 3 single swift glance that he was ex-
tremely handsome, tall and distin-
guished-looking and that he had the
air which one is compelled to ascribe
foreign, " for want of a better word.
That is to say, though he was not very
Russian in appearance, yet he did not
look like an Englishman. Mrs. Valery
called up all her courage and pretty
manners and with an extreme nervous
ness which no one but herself could
perceive, advanced eagerly to meet
him. She held out her hand and began
to talk rapidly in Russian. He did not
answer her; but then she gave him no
time to, for her nervousness made her
talk rather more than she intended.
He held her hand in his and ga2ed adj
miringly into her face, which, with its
slight flush of embarrassment, was
even lovelier than usual. This went on
for two or three minutes, then Mrs.
Valery tried to draw her hand away,
and looked about for chair. But her
new friend held her hand fast, which
discomposed her a great deal, yet it
did not startle her so much as the sight
which greeted her eyes as she looked
around. Lady Lynx had advanced
steaIthily, and stood close beside them.
Her face was awful. Mrs. Valery ut
tered an inarticulate cry Of aston
ishment. This made the gentleman
look around also. He immediately
dropped Mrs. Valery's hand.
Now" said Lady Lynx, before any
one else had time to speak-'now,
Mrs. Valery, | know you for what you