The Washington critic., 1886-10-14

,nut' pio JVo' w '"N i'iN ~ " Wv
bit"
"Shes gone clean away, nae doot Of
that, Angus. tell ye her mistress
missed her first thing. 1t seems the
maid never called her; so at last she
rang. No maid was to be found.
Maggie, one OF our girls, went to the
French woman's room. The bed had
nae been slept in. Isna that proof
eneuch?"
Pm no saying it isna. But I want
mair."
"Well, then, will this satisfy yes
The Generals wife has lost ali her
jewels"
LOST Stolen; dye mean2'
"Tbat's what mean--stolenl Every
morsel, every stone, and by this time
safe away"
"Such theft in our housed It'll
do infinite mischief, I'm fearing, to
the hotel. But how does the puir
soul take itY What's she want TO
do ?"
Telegraph to her guide man."
said the landlady, with sour smile and
q scornful toss of the head.
well, why not, Elspeth?'
"Why not2 OF all the born Idiots,
Angus McAlisterl-why not2 Tele.
graph, and you'll soon see why"
"The wire runs straight into the
CASTLE" said the landlord, looking
hopclessly mystified. "We'll have an
answer in half an hour.
The answer came punctually. Cen
eral Mainwaring was not at the castle.
"D'ye see now, Angus McAlister2"
coil hio ,pifn In ir;ptn ph ar al uoyc
knew she was hussy--a deep, design.
ing, devlish dcmircp-and your Gen.
eral puir simple foolp'
What They've gone off together !
/ gather that's what you mean y
Precisely. She's fooled him, and,
knowing he could not prosecute her,
she's just lifted and laid hands on all
the valuables she could carry away"
This was the accepted opinion in the
hotel when the second act in the Main.
waring incident leaked out and how
was such a story TO be kept secret in
this great gossiping Scotch caravan.
sary?
Wearied of his shrewish and legiti,
mate partner, he had yielded to Me-
laine's too potent Establishments, and,
taking prompt advantage Of the oppor
tuni;y offered by the invitation, had
gone off with the pretty maid. Who
was to break the dreadful news to Mrs.
Mainwaring Should she be left to
find out her desertion for herself
Some, maliciously eager to see how she
bore it, would have gone to her and
blurted out the whole story others,
more charitable, would have left her
in blissful ignorance to the last.
''She ought to know" cried one SEN
sible matron. "To speak out plainly
is the least cruel in the end. am go.
ing to her myself"
When she came back 1t was with red
eyes and subdued air; nor, till they
pressed her greatly, would she speak of
what had passed.
MY dears, she is strange woman.
Sat bolt upright, with q hard, stony
face. No rouge now, no artificial
adornments; dressed all In black; but
nothing else 10 show what had hap.
pened."
"She knows, Of course?"
"No doubt of it. But she talked of
him-the General-all the time. There
was his miniature on the table, in uni
form, quite young man. He was
like that, she said, when he won the
medal at Nishapoor. You remember.
perhaps? At the head of few troops
he cut his way through the mutinecrs
and brought us Off. all of us; my
mother, my sister, was only girl
then--it was before we married. He
was gallant man, fine chivalrous
soldier All this, my dears, to the
miniature, in a self.possessed voice,
and, so far as / could see, without q
tear"
What did you say to her p
Nothing. | asked pardon of my
conscience for having dared to intrude
at such moment, and came away"
At this moment there were sound of
wheels on the drive. All rushed to
the windows and saw the General him
self alight.
II caught her-ran her in; she's
safely lodged by this time in the Jail
at Iverness," he cried, cheerily. "Does
my wife know? Had she missed her?"
why, what do you mean, Gen
eral?' he was asked simultaneously by
half dozen voices.
"Shortly after leaving Strathboglc
this morning in the tax-cart they sent
from the castle, we passed Strathbogle
Ferry. The road, IS you know, runs
close by the steamboat pier, and we
passed just as the Clydesman was
steaming alongside. There was fig.
urea woman's-waiting, and | was
sure knew 1t; 1t was Melaine, my
wifc's maid.
"Some one came off the steamer, met
her atfectionately, and the two went on
board together-all this in my full
sight; but before / could reach the
pier the Clydesman had put off again.
Where's her next stopping place.
asked my gillie. 'Dunleg.' Is there
a police station thereY 'Ay,' said the
gillie. So telegraphed from the Ferry
to Dunleg to board the steamer, arrest
the French woman and her companion
Il had no doubt something was wrong
and wait for me. We drove across in
the tax-cart by the hill road and found
our friends in custody. Melaine had
been searched and all these were on
her."
The General produced half a dozen
morocco leather cases-the jewels.
1T was cunnlngly planned rob
berry. Melaine's confederate was Q
| French valet, who had run from Ban
navle, But my wife will be glad to
know these things are all safe. mus
go to her."
No one presumed to intrude upon
the Mainwarings that day, but wher
next they appeared in public every hat
was raised to them. The Genera
| probably never heard OF the unjust as
| PERSONS that had been so freely leveleC
at his moral character; but the epi
sode had marked effect upon Mrs
| Mainwaring, who was greatly changed