The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-10-13

I
rose. 1--WE do not want to be taken into
family condolences" she said with face
SO pale and strained that Dick Sherrieff
was startled
But it was not so easy to extricate
themselves at once from the second row
of seats in which they were, for other per-
sons had come in after them. Tasia
dreaded to hear Osmunds voice in an
swer, and her own head was swimming,
her ears throbbing, so that when be
! spoke the words were partly muffled-
yet she could not help listening with
| passionate eagerness. Perhaps some
thing he said might make his conduct
( appear less black. If so. it might save
shred of her torn self respect.
81 told you, my dear father, that / re-
GREETED extremely having been such
fool as to allow that young lady to stand
between you and me- was mistaken in
her, have good reason to know that
! you were right and I was wrong, and
the affair is wholly at an end
He happened to turn, as Anastasia
passed out, to knock off the end of his
cigar The ash touched her dress, he
begged pardon, lifted his hat and looked
her in the face. For an instant--such
instants are comprehensive their eyes
met, each gazing into the others. The
pause on Anastasia's part was perceptible
to her companion.
"Mr. Sherrieff," she said, IT feel rather
giddy, think-shall we find another
seat2 cannot walk just at this mo-
ment."
That something was more than a little
wrong he did not doubt; he quietly
steered her to chair out of the lamp
light and waited for further orders. She
remained profoundly silent, in that still
silence suggestive of strong underworld
ings.
"Will you answer me question upon
your honor, Mr.. Sherrieff2" she asked at
length.
II will" he answered. II am sure you
viii not put an impossible one"
"No-just this; Have you observed
anything about me which would lead
you to doubt my perfect sanityp Am I
like person who could be the subject of
a hallucination, or anything temporary
of that kind?"
If that is all, I can honestly assure
you, Miss Garnham, that feel the ut
most confidence in your clearness of
mind; it was just that that struck me in
you at once"
She heaved deep sigh. THANK you.
Now tell me all you remember about
that-Mr. Questin, please; it is of great
Importance to me.
Really, hardly exchanged two
words with him, though was in COM
pany with him, more or less, for three
weeks, but we did not play in the same
piece, and / did not fancy him particu-
larly, to say the truth.
SHOULD you have considered him
good kind of man, one who would prob
ably interest himself in philanthropic
work? Or at all scientifc-who had
studied medicine Tor the sake of being
useful?''
Sherrief looked unfeignedly astonish-
ed. "Why, no; rather the reverse of all
that-an idler pure ct simple, or only
laboring for his own ends"
"And yet" she said, IT knew Mr..
Questin's son for more than four years
well, for two years very well--and that
was the sort of man he was"
Dick looked embarrassed. 81 dare say
you thought SO, Miss Garnham. Some
men are such awful liars--I mean hum
bugs-where women are concerned
But, really, perhaps you might have
idealized him without being aware of it,
you know"
"Yes," she answered, sit is possible,
and human nature is inconsistent, /
know that. And yet Mr. Sherrieff, will
you be SO kind as to take me as close to
that man as possible; and may ask you
as favor to find out for me where he is
stopping? 1t is of immeasurable impor-
lance"
81 am quite at yoar service; if you
want to know more 1 will find out"
whatever you can" she said earn
estly. 81 cannot yet tell you why, but
later on
'Never mind--I have faith in you,
and you shall see by my acquittance of
1t is pact"
They went back and seated themselves
where Anastasia could best observe the
Questins, father and son.
Next to the stage, give me bit of
detective work." Dick said to himself.
| He really had faith that he was not be-
ing made use of to crafty some hysteri-
cal freak; Anastasias face and manner
were his warrant against that.
In two days Dick brought his note
book to Miss Garnham.
stopping with old father at the Lang
ham. Lately come from abroad Spends
money like water; rich people, with
some sort of place in Warwickshire-
only son. No intimate friends. Very
few letters"
"Please give me something else to do
for you; am tremendously interested"
"You know, perhaps, that had spe-
cial reason to be interested in Mr.. Os-
mund Questin," Tasia said in a low
voice
~ understood that you were engaged,
in short, but the girls never told me to
whom. see."
"And now, Mr. Sherrieff, am going
to say what may make you think me
mad, but which trust to you not to re-
peat, not to hint to any living person.