Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-11-08
Uncle Archie's Wife.
CHAPTER VII.-(CoNrINuEp. J

head irresolutely, and l felt vaugely
sure that a struggle of some kind was
passing within her mind; then she
raised her eyes with audacious coque-
try and said
''Are you so sure? Your faith shall
be rewarded then - and you shall
hear!n
She sang without music, and the
song she chose was strange to us all
but we succumbed to its spell. | saw
uncle Archie's grave face soften, and
mothers eyes fill with tears; even L,
wrecthed and tortured with ever-grow-
ing and miserable doubt, felt in a
vague, half-consciOus fashion the
charm OF that siren song. But Dicks
face puzzled me. AS the singer be-
came more and more absorbed in her
task, as the silvery notes rang out
more clearly still, the excited flush
with which he had listened died away,
giving place to a curious pallor. His
fps seemed TO be firmly set under his
golden-brown mustache; his laughing
eyes grew grave and almost stern.
"Well-" as the last note died away
Esiella looked up with conscious tri-
umph in her face .'you would put
me to the test, Mr.. Martineau are
you content with the RESULT"
Yes, Mrs. Gerard am salts
fed" was Dicks grave, almost sad
answer; and he walked away without
another word.
Estella looked after him at first in
blank silence, then her face flushed
with the angry, mortified look OF a
person who, having made some great
effort TO please, meets with publicly
ungrateful return. Even l felt sorry
for her. as she said with sharp
laugh, turning round to us now
'Have l startled you all out of your
wits? Has no one compliment TO
spareP"
Mother, almost always good-natured
in social exigencies, responded at once
to that appeal.
"My dear, you have taken us all by
surprise Your voice is lovely;
never heard any one sing like you--in
private, | mean, of course; one hears
such voices on the stage"
..Of course" Estelle assented hur-
ried y, and | thought detected sud
den flush on her face as she spoke.
Mother had turned TO uncle Archie.
to whom she said, in IA tone Of playful
remonstrance-
"Did you mean to smother the notes
OF your nightingale, Archie. or were
you really ignorant of her gift until
nowpn
There was something pathetic and
pitifully helpless in my uncle's man
ner as he shook his head slowly and
said. with bewildered air
Il never heard her sing before,
Gertrude"
land probably will not again." Es-
telle put in hastily, as though she
wished to change the subject. Il am
the LATEST person in the world, Mrs.
Walter, and have not touched piano
or sang note since my weddingday.
So that you could hardly expect Archie
to know that had voice"
..Dick Martineau knew mother
began, and then paused, awkwardly
adding, with a still more awkward
laugh. "but Dick is a barrister, and
has detective gifts you know. We
can none o. us hope to keep secrets
from him."
Dick looked exceedingly uncomfort-
able under this eulogy; but he met
the curiously swift and searching
glance of Estelle Gerard with an ex-
pressionless stare, and, turning, made
some commonplace remark TO me.
The rest of the evening dragged
heavily away. l think we were all
glad when the carriage was announc-
ed and it was time for Us to go.
Mother seated herself snugly in her
cosy corner and composed herself to
sleep, declaring, with laugh, that
she was worn out with tiresome
evening, and would leave all the talk
ing to Dick and me.
We did not avail ourselves OF the
opportunity thus given for any inter-
change of lover-like remarks. As
Dick sat facing me in the carriage the
moonlight fell upon his clear-cut feat
ures, giving him curiously hard and
rigid look, while there was-or i
fancied it, being in mood for calling
up tormenting fancies just then
something more than sternness in his
eyes.
1t did not ease the dull pain at my
heart TO see how completely his
thoughts were absorbed-how he had
forgotten my presence-as he sat
mood ly staring out at the moonlit
road. At last | could bear the ST.
lence and the vague terrors that op-
pressed me no longer; so | bent for
ward and sad, with a very hysterical
laugh
.Are you dreaming, Dick? Do you
know that for the last quarter OF an
hour you have not opened your lips?n
He started; and am sure that first
movement was one of impatience,
though his eyes softened and grew
tender once more a they rested upon
my face.
Forgive me, Irene darling! / was
thinking, and forgot"
1 knew that without any telling,
Int would not let him see how the