Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-15

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moments, adding that she would like to
wait Ill the coffee-room. Her heart beat
high with excitement rs she went in.
Was she about to discover something
| Was the amateur detective abont to be
rewarded by great success2 She glor-
led III 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 cofiee-room. 1t was
an hour at which meals were not wanted.
80 much the better thought Lady Lynx.
she went to an armchair in an obscure
corner OF the room and established her.
self there providing herself with n news
J paper with which to screen her face. She
was now prepared to wait for what time
might bring forth.
Meantime Mrs. Valery had 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 enquired
whether a count of an unpronounceable
nomo had arrived After considerable
consultation and much mental effort the
waiter informed her that foreign gen.
tleman, whose name was like n sneeze,
certainly had come to the hotel, taken
room and gone to it. But he had said
that he expected 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.
"Oh. nonsense he speaks French, "
said Mrs. valery with laugh. "How-
ever, he expects me to interpret for him.
l will write him a line on this card, if
you will take it up to him. l will wait
in the cofee-room, and when he comes
down show him in there
Mrs. Valery wrote n 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 coffee-room.
She 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 wonld have refused
| Probably her sudden dislike of her
task merely arose from the depressing
effect of being stranded alone in the midst
of n great hotel cotfee-room and having
to remain there. At all events she re-
solved that she would be cordial, if the
man looked Mt all nice she would not let
him be chilled, as most foreigners are,
IN the first hour he spent in England
And then she begun 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 black bonnet over Il
distant armchair; she felt glad there
was no one to observe q pretty woman
waiting in public coffee-room for some
one who did not come.
AT last the door opened and gentle
man entered quickly. Mrs. Nalery saw
in single swift glance that he was ex-
tremely handsome tall and distinguished
looking and that he had that air which
one is compelled TO describe as foreign, "
for want of better word That is to
say he was not very Russian in appear
ance, yet he did not look like an Eng
lishman. Mrs. Valery called up all her
courage and her pretty manners and with
an extreme nervousness which no one but
herself could perceive, advanced eagerly
to meet him. She held ont 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 i'll his and gazed ad-
miringly into her face, which, with its
slight flash OF embarrassment, was even
lovlier than usual. This went on for two
or three minutes then Mrs. Nalery tried
to draw her hand away, and looked about
her for chair. But her new friend helC
her hand fast, which discomposed her {
great deal, yet it did not startle her sc
much MS the sight which greeted her eyes
as she looked around. Lady Lynx hat
advanced steathily, and stood close be
; side them. Her face was awful. Mrs
valery uttered an inarticulate cry of as
tonishment. This made the gentleman
t dropped Mrs. Valery's hand
t "Now," said Lady Lynx, before an,
, one else had time to speak--"now, Mrs
y Valery / know you for what you are !
This speech produced different effec
A from which she intended. Certainly
: startled Mrs. Valery MS much as sh
0 hoped it would; but, before that lad
r had time to speak, the handsome gen
tleman said in an easy manner, and wit
| a knowing twinkle in his eye:
: "Then my dear Kate, 1 wish you'd tel
me. / took her for an amiable and yer
. pretty lunatic. Was / right? Perhap
{ you can tell me also if she speaks an
: language but Hindoostandee, or whateve
; the unknown tongue is that she's bee
y talking"
That frivolous tone is useless now
n Sir George" said Lady Lynx, with iro
= dignity it has been tried too often. Pei
:. haps you will kindly tell the waiter t
n call me a cab"
r. Certainly, my dear" said Sir Georg'
70 with an exaggerated good humor.
in that moment a waiter came in, carryin
.. salver on which was a goblet of brand
Ie and soda.
le m That's right said Sir George
!, "perhaps this will clear my brain, fc
10 I'm beginning to believe I'm dreaming
a. Waiter call cab for this lady"
Waiter cried Mrs. Valery, "wLc
+" is the Russian gentleman you took n
rv card to ?"
" He is here, madam" said the waite
-. al at that moment the door opened aG
to n swarthy, yellow skinned man, evident
as with Jewish blood in his veins, enter,
p the room, BE looked enquiringly at Il
two ladies. Mrs, Valery reused hersel
" she advanced toward him, and witho,
to holding out her hand, asked him in Ru
Ill sian if lre was Count So-and-so. He sa
10 ''yes," and Mrs. Valery moved away
,e. few PAGES to speak to him more Mt h
nj ease, But she found it more difficult
nv re-enact the warm welcome which h
n: been wrongly given. She was shak
re and unnerved too, by Lady Lynx's fa
m and words.
"What docs this meant" asked .
ly. George in low voice, of his wife
re-. "How can I tell?" she asked. "Y
m know better than ] do This is sol
furfbar 1auc1 ,E -,