Bridgeton pioneer., 1884-01-24

| that she was fain to rise and open her cham
Der door to listen. But that was a common
experience. Not knock had come to the
door of Mrs. Barnley's establishment, since
the unhappy lady had entered it, without
shaking her heart and fluttering her nerves
in this way. She heard the door flung open.
and then came the murmur of a male voice.
indistinct and low. The maids voice
cackled skrill and clear in answer.
"NIrs Tregarthen, sir? Yes, sir. Walk
in, sir What name shall I say, sir?"
It had been in Mrs. Tregarthen's mind
from the first, or almost from the first. that
Arthur might love her so well that, in spite
of her wickedness, he would seek her out
and forgive her, and her knees were so
weakened that she could scarce let 90 the
door and creep back to her chair to be in
readiness for the servants coming. Lodg-
ing-house males are not more observant or
sympathetic than their neighbors, as a rule.
but even by the light Of the one pale candle
on the table Mrs. Tregarthen's face had SO
much trouble and terror in it that the girl,
when she entered with Lorrimer's card.
caught fright, and begged to know what
was the matter.
Nothing" said the poor creature, with
her eyes wide open, and her face as white
as the lace about her throat " Is that for
me?n
She stretched out her hand for the card.
and when she had read the name upon it
she dropped it with little moan of escape
and disappointment, and one or two half
| hysterical tears ran down her cheeks. The
servant hustled about the room and got a
| glass of water after much unnecessary
clatter Lorrimer, waiting in the room be-
low, had underlined notions of a cavalry
skirmish floating though his mind A mo-
ment later, the servant, a petticoated ava
lanche, precipitated herself down stairs
The lady can't see you, sir. She's took
quite ILL
"Indeed!" said Lorrimer, politely regret
ful. " Nothing serious, trust?"
! 81 amt so sure O that returned the
maid. "She's like a ghost, and she can't
scarcely sit in her chair sir
| Lorrimer opened his eyes with unfeigned
fear. He saw thousand of pounds in Mrs.
Tregarthen, and, being sanguine man, as
theatrical managers nearly always are, he
| had already arranged terms with the lady,
and had her enthusiastically trumpeted.
and conducted her first performance with
| prodigious ectGt. At the very moment
when the cavalry skirmish began overhead
he had been returning thanks for a piece of
| plate publicly presented to him in recogni-
| tion of his having made a fortune out of
herr by the celebrated actress herself. The
servant was really frightened, and looked
/ SO, and LOrrimer himself caught the infec-
! tion.
= Back as soon as possible, " he murmured.
"Gone for a doctor.n And he shot from
the room to save his thousands and the lady
who was to make them.
He had noticed, in the course of his pere-
CARNATIONS to and fro before the house, that
doctor lived next door, and he rang q
startling peal at the medico's bell The pro-
fesslonal gentleman ran wildly into the
boardlng-h0use without his hat, and was
usnered into the presence of lady who re-
celYed him With perfect self-possession, and
assured him that she had no need for his
services. He was not to be got rid of how
ever, until he had felt her pulse, and asked
question or two, and prescribed tonic.
| Before Lorrimer called next day the SER
want had told Mrs. Tregarthen of the inter
est he had displayed. The actress remem-
bered the manager kindly, but she had ne
mind to renew their old acquaintance. She
sent word down to him, in answer to his in
qlllrles, that she was very much better, and
was very much obliged to him for his kind
inquiries. Somepeople would have accepted
ehls as an 1ntlmation of polite dismissal,
but Lorrlmer was not one of them
That's right" he said cheerfully. "I'm
glad to hear it. just say 1 should like to
see her-will you?-if it's quite convenient
to her. If it isn't, ask when l shall call
again"
'Show Mr.. Lorrimer into the visitors
room," she said, in answer to this message.
1t might be as well, she thought to get Mr.
Lorr1mer over at once. If it We're impossible
to avoid recognition, it was still possible to
let those who recognized her know that she
desired privacy, and it was not likely that
all who had known her would care to make
pursuit of her. She touched her hair and
the lace about her throat and wrists with
delicate fingers as she stood before her
mirror, with no result perceptible to man,
and having thus made herself fit to be seen,
she descended the stairs and found Lor-
rlmer awaiting her in the visitors room
carpeted box, with an odor of dry-rot.
q stage manager who could feel anv
sense OF 9aucherie in approaching an actress
must have had the practice of his profess
sion wasted upon him. With Lorrimer any
sign OF dlgnitied reserve which expressed
Itself without the pronounced standoffishness
OF stage attitude and gesture was lost
lie had played many parts in his time, and
---.A SAAS
was literal-all the world was stage. He
took out the confidential-family adviser
stop, and addressed Mrs. Tregarthen in tones
Of genial sympathy.
You left us, madam, in somewhat
sudden and unconventional way, but it was
impossible for that or anything else to nit
lgate the pleasure and advantage of having
known you. You have our profoundest sym
pathy i'll the calamity which has brought
you back to us, but that is tempered by the
hope that you may ultimately discover that
the profession, of which you might have been
the brightest ornament, has still an attrac-
tion for you, and that its triumphs offer
consolation not to be despised"
This was spoken with the air natural to a
master of the art of conversation. Lorrimer
was one of those people who take their the
ories SO to heart that they make facts of
them. His theory was that Mrs. Tregarthen
was a widow, and in reduced circumstances.
He was quite certain that she left the stage
to be married, and was equally sure that she
would now return to it.
"Do you mean,n she asked, "that shall
go back to the stage, Mr.. Lorrimer?" He
spread his hands abroad and bowed, with a
sweeping gesture of assent. "No, I shall