The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-08

MRS. SMITH OF L0NGMAZNS
AS A RosE S SHE,"e etc
PART II.-SCENE III.

5GENL HI.
hardly aware that it was in my clasp, until heI
face of profound establishment. almost alarm, be-
| trayed the fact to me.
II do not know what you will think of me,
said I, in shaking voice, "but I'm going to make
what am afraid you will think very extraor-
binary request to YOU"
Indeed" said she, with perceptible accent
of distrust, and decided drawing away of the
hand so convulsively clasped by me.
''Yes," said /, going on with feverish haste,
now that the ice was broken, you see it has
! happened so unfortunately, the distance was
greater than l expected. and then the axle-tree
breaking, and the poor fy-norse is so done that
1 am sure he could not crawl another mile; in
short, am afraid l must throw myself upon
your hospitality, and ask you to give me shelter,
to let me stay here for the night"
Out it had come and now it only remained to
be seen how she would take my proposition. At
first she was too dumbfounded to utter. ] saw
at once that the idea of my being deranged
crossed her mind. for she looked hard at and at
the same time backed away from me. Then her
| ciyilty revived.
"Of course" she said, 'of course! I shall
be only too delighted" and then she stopped
again.
l saw that. having gained my point, my next
task was to convince her of my sanity. I, there
fore, with profuse thanks and apologies, and as
composed voice as l could master, asked leave
to send my orders by the lyman, back to my
coachman at Salcote took care that she should
hear me give them myself to the man, so that
she might know that the broken axletree and
disabled brougham were not Pigments of my own
diseased imagination. But do not think that
this measure had much effect in removing the
suspicion of my insanity from my hostess's
mind I had gone out to the hall door to speak
to the lyman, whence we both returned to the
drawing room to begin our sixteen or eighteen
hours tete- atete
| l think that both our hearts sunk to our boots
| at the prospect. / am sure that mine did. In
order, perhaps, to abridge it as much as possible,
Mrs. Smith soon left me with some murmured
| sentence about seeing that my room was com
| Portable, which it certainly was not. twas, on
the contrary as l found on being led to it, un-
comfortable AS hastily got ready bedroom. with
just-lit fire, and sensation of not having been
occupied for some indefinite time past, would
| naturally be biting January night
Having taken off my bonnet, and made myself
as tidy as I could. with the aid of Mrs. Smiths
brush and comb, and told myself repeatedly
1
| and that neither the girls nor my husband would
ever forgive me. l went downstairs, and we
presently betook ourselves to dinner. There we
| sat opposite to each other in tete -a-tete ! had
| family hoped that some female friend, old gov
| erneSS cousin might crop up to make q third
| with u.s. But no; there we were, we two. We
! were waited on by the butler, and by him alone.
By questions. whose impertnence Mrs. Smith
| must have thought only palliated by the unsound
| state of my mind. / ascertained that the Smith
| establishments in if0 normal c0pciSfo1 M
| butler and footman but that the footman had.
| two days ago. been suddenly taken i'll and sent
| home. The butler was, therefore, now, in his
masters absence, the only man in the house
l also ascertained, during one of his absences
| from the room, that the stables at an in.
| conveniently long distance from the house, and
| that there was no cottage nearer than quarter
of mile off, Altogether as lonely spot as you
| would wish to see. My eyes travelled uncomfort
ably and furtively after the man on his return
| into the room, but could see nothing in his ap
pearance to justify my terrors. His face had nc
specially sinister cast 1t was almost as insig
| nifcant as his mstresss. And his fig1re! CoulC
| 1T be possible that the startling resemblance
| had traced in it to my dream figure was only the
| fgment of my Mortified fancy2
But no! no. hundred times no! AS I watched
the butler, in precisely the same furtively APP
| prehensive way was conscious that Mrs Smith
was watching me. Her slow brain had adopted
and chung fast to the belief that was mad; mol
| indeed was that conviction devoid of good deal
| of justification. l think that she would not
have been at all surprised if l had at any mo
ment risen, and playfuliy buried the carving
knife in her breast. l have often thought since
what pleasant dinner she must have had. II
| was over at last. 1t had seemed enormously
long, and yet on our return to the drawing
room it proved to have been dIsastrously short
short as women's dinners always are We had
dined at 8. and it was now only fve-and twenty
minutes to 9. Three hours and five and twenty
minutes until the period indicated in my dream
| We sat down dejectedy each side of the
| fire. l noticed almost with smile. that Mrs
Smith took not to place herself too near
me. We had long exhausted our few poor topics
| of common talk. l had not, even, any more i'm
pertinent questions to ask. 1t is true that after
having run, we both thought, quite dry al
ready, we had had the good fortune to happen
| upon common acquaintance. Very slightly al
| she was known to either of us, with what tenac
ity cid we cleave to that poor woman! How We
| dissected her character; anatomized her clothes
| criticised her actions; enumerated her vices
| speculated on her motives; about none or all o.
| which we either of us knew or cared button
| But at last she picked to the bone, ant
| bare naked silence stared us in the face Wha
dreadful evening 1t was! Saved, to me a.
! least from the sim picity of bottomless tedum
| by alternate rnshes of burning shame and icy
apprehension At 10 o'clock Mrs Smith coult
bear it longer. She rose and rang for can
| dies.
Il daresay that you will not be sorry to go t.
bed" she said, sort of relief coming into he
tone.
believe she nourished secret intention o
locking me into my room when once she had go
me there.
after your long drive you will be glad o
| rest"
And will you too2" asked l. stupidity, for sh
| had had no long drive. 81 mean are you ais
going to bed?" She hesitated.
1T would not be much my going to bed 81
| early; am bad sleeper"
You are not going to bed theng"
mot just yet"
You are going to stay herein this room,
mean9"
mo. am going to my boudoir.'
A cold shiver ran down me- Her boudoir
That was the room we were sitting in in N,
dream. There was moments pause.
Il wonder" said ], with nervous laugh, and
in a voice whose agitation 1 could but partially
control, whether you would let me come with
you. II am not at all sleepy. after all; tit il