Weekly commercial herald., 1885-11-13

BY WALTER BEsAxT.
Continued From sunday. October I'D

here 20 see you into your rights at great per
sonal expense. Paid a substitute. Yes
actually paid a substitute. We only found
the papers the other day, which Is the reason
why we did nog come over before, and | am
going home again directly
"YOu are notrsally going away, Joe, are
your
mo, l am going to stay hera; but shall
pretend to go away. Now remember. we've
got no suspicion ourselves, AMI we don't ex.
pect to meet any. II there is any, we ara
surprised and sorry. We don't come to the
lady with lawyer or a blunder6uss; we
come as friends, and we shall arrange this
little business between ourselves On. never
you fear. we shall arrange it quite comfort
ably, without lawyers"
How much do you think we shall get out
of it. Joer
Listen and open your eyes There's
nearly a hundred and twenty thousand
pounds and small estate in the country.
Don't let us trouble about the estate more
than we can help. Estates mean lawyera
Money doesn't"
He spoke as If small sums like hundred
thousand pounds are carried about in the
pocket
Good graciousl And you've got two
hundred Of it already, haven't your
"Yes, but what is two hundred out Of a
hundred and twenty thousandl A hundred
and twenty thousandl There's spending in
It, isn't there Lottyl Cad, we'll make the
money spin, calculste 1t may be few
weeks before the Old lady transfers the
money! don't quits know where it is, but
in stocks or somethilg--5o your name. As
soon as it is in your name I've got plan.
Wen remember that you've got sweet.
heart or something in America, and you'll
break your heart for wanting to see him.
And then nothing will do but you must run
across for a trip Oh, I'll manage, and
we'll make the money Ay."
He was always adding new details to his
story, finding something to embellish it and
heighten the effect. and now having sue
ceeded in getting the false Iris into the
house, he began already to devise schemes to
get her out again.
"a hundred thousand pounds Why, Joe
it is terrible great sum Of money. Good
gracious What shall we do with it when
we get itr
I'm show you what to do with it, my
girl"
"And you said. Joe-you declared that it
is your own by rights"
Certainly it is my own. 1t would have
been bequeathed to me by my own cousin.
But she didn't know it. And she died With
out knowing it, and am her heir"
Lofty wondered vaguely and rather sadly
how much OF this statement was true. But
she did not dare to ask She had promised
her assistance. Every night she woke with
a dreadful dream of policeman knocking
at the door; whenever she saw man in
blue she trembled; and she knew perfectly
well tha', if the plot failed, it was she her
self, in all probability, and not her husband
at all, who would be put in the dock. She
did not believe a word about the cousin; she
knew she was going to do vile and dread
full wickedness, but she was ready to 20
through with it, or with anything else, to
pleasure husband WHO already, the honey
moon hardly finished, showed the propensi-
ties of a rover
Very well, Lofty; we are going there
once You need take nothing with you, but
you won't coma back here for good spell.
In fact, think shall have to give up these
lodgings for fear of accidents. l shall
leave you with your cousin"
"Yes; and I'm to be quiet, and behave
pretty, suppossF
You'll bo just as quiet and demure as
you used to be when you were serving in the
music shop. No loud laughing, no capers,
no comic songs and no dancing"
"And am to begin at once by asking for
the money to be-wAat do you call it, trans
ferredF'
mo; you are not on any account to say a
word about the money; you are to go on
living there without limiting aJ the money
without showing any desire to discuss the
subject-perhaps for months, until there
can't be the shadow Of doubt that you are
the old woman's cousin. You are to make
much of her, flatter her, cocker her up, find
out all the family secrets, and get the length
of her foot; but you are not to say one sin
gle word about the money. As for your
manners, Pm not afraid Of them, because
when you like you can look and talk like "a
countess
Il know now" She got up and changed
her face, SO that it became at once subdued |
and quiet, like a quiet serving-girl behind a |
counler. so, is that modest enough, Joe9
And as for singing, shall sing for her, but
not musc-hall trash. This kind of thing.
Listenn
There was piano in the room, and she
sat down and sang to her own accompani-
ment, with a sweet, low voice, one of the
soft, sad German songs.
"That'll do,n cried Joe. "Hang mel
what clever girl you are, Lofty. That's
the kind of thing the swells like. As for
me, give me ten minutes of Jolly Nash.
But you know how to pull 'em in, Lotty.n
1t was approaching twelve, the hour when
they were due Lofty retired and arrayed /
herself in her quietes5 and most sober dress.
O costume IN some brown stuff, with a bon.
net 70 match. Sac put on her best gloves
ana boots, having herself felt the inferiority |
Of the shop-girl to the lady in these minor
points; and she msiiied and mitigated her
fringe, which, shq knew, was rather more
exaggerated thai young ladies in society
generally wear.
"You're not afraid, Lottyr said Joe.
when at last she was ready to Start.
''Afraid9 Not l, joe Come alony
couldn't look quieteF, nor if was to mako
up as do in the evening as a Ouakerass
Come along. Oh, Joe, it will be awful dull,
Don't forget to send word to the Hall that |
am i'll Afraidl NotIp She laughed, but
rather Historically.
There would be, however, she secretly con.
idered, some excitement when it came to |
the finding out, which would happen, she
was convinced, in a very few hours. Intact,
she had no faith at all in the story being
accepted and believed by anybody; to be
sure, she hsrself had been trained, as ladies
in shops generally are, to mistrust all man