Dodge City times., 1890-05-09
CHAPTER vII.-DoCroErNG THE DOCTOR.

CHAPTER vII.-DoCToRING THE DOCTOR.
Asking for Miss Henley at the doctor.
door, Hugh was informed that she had
gone out, with her invalid maid, for q
walk. She had left word, il Mr.. Mount
Joy called in her absence, to beg that hs
would kindly wait for her return.
On his way up to the drawing-room
Mountjoy heard Mrs. Vimpany's sonorou.
voice occupied, as he supposed, in reading
aloud. The door being opened for him
he surprised her striding up and down the
room with q book in her hand; grandly
declaiming without anybody to applaud
her. After what Hugh had already heard
he could only conclude that "reminiscences
of her theatrical career had tempted the
solitary actress to make private appear
ance. for her own pleasure, in one of thosl
tragic chs -acters to which her husband
had alluded. She recovered her self-pos.
session on MountjOy's appearance. with
the ease of . mistress of her art. Pardon
me-" she said, holding up her book with
one hand, and tapping it indicatively with
the other; Shakespeare carries me ont OF
myself. A spark Of the poets fire burns
in the poets humble servant. May
YOu look as if you had fellow-feeling for
me-"
Mountjoy did his best to fill the sympa-
thetic part assigned to him, and only sue
ceeded in showing what a bad actor he
would have been, if he had gone ON the
stage. Under the sedative influence thus
administered, Mrs. Vimpany put away her
highest poetry to the lowest prose.
Let US return to domestic events" !" she
said. indulgently. Have the people at the
inn given you good dinner,"
''The people did their best" Mouptjoy
answered, cautiously.
HAS my husband returned with your"
Mrs. Vimpany went on.
Mountjoy began to regret that he had
not waited for Iris in the street. He was
obliged to acknowledge that the doctor
had not returned with him.
Where is Mr.. Vimpany"
"At the inn."
"What is he doing theref"
Mountjoy hesitated. Mrs Vimpany rose
again into the regions of tragic poetry.
She stepped up to him, as if he had been
Macbeth and she was ready to use the
dagger.
a. understand but too WELL" she de-
clared in terrible tones. MY wretched
husbands vices are known to me. Mr..
Vimpany is intoxicated"
Hugh tried to make the best of 1t. "Only
asleep" he said. Mrs. Vimpany looked 1t
him once more This time it was Queen
Catherine looking at Cardinal W0lsey.
the door. "L have occasion ;" she said. ITO
60 out" ana made an exit.
Five minutes later, Mountjoy (standins
at the window, impatiently on the watch
for the return of Iris) saw Mrs. Vimpany
in the street. She entered a Chemist 3
shc2. on the opposite side of the way, Ind
came out again with a bottle in her hand.
1t was enclosed in the customary medical
wrapping of white paper. Majestically.
she passed out Of sight. If Hugh had fol-
lowed her, he would have traced the doc
tors wife to the door of the inn.
The unemployed waiter was on the
house-steps, looking about hin-with moth
Vimpany, and informed her that the land.
lady had gone out.
You will do as WELL" was the reply.
"ls Mr.. Vfmpany here!"
The waiter smiled, and led the way
through the passage to the foot of the
stairs. You can hear him, ma'am." It
was quite true: Mr.. Vimpany's snoring
cended the first two or three stairs, and
stopped to speak again to the waiter. She
asked what the two gentlemen had taken
to drink with theiI dinner. They had tax
en- ''the French Wine"
And nothing else.'
The waiter ventured on a little Joke,
Nothing else" he said, land more than
Mot more than enough. I suppose, for
the good Of the house" Mrs. Vimpany re-
marked
81 beg your pardon, ma am; the claret
the two gentlemen drank is not charged
for in the bill"
What do you mean?"
The waiter explained that Mr.. Mourticy
had purchased the whole stock of the Wig.
Suspicion, as well IS surprise, appeared in
Mrs. Vimpany's face. She had hitherto
thought it likely that Miss Henley's gem
tlemanlike friend might be secretly in love
with the young lady. Her doubts of him,
now, took a wider range of distrust. She
went on up the stairs by herself, and
banged the door of the private room a. the
easiest means of waking the sleeping man.
To the utmost noise that she could make
in tins way, he was perfectly impenetra-
BILE. For o while she waited, looking at
hum across the table with unutterable con-
tempt.
There was the man to whom the religion
Of the land and the law of the land, acting
together in perfect harmony, had fettered
her for lifel Some women, in her posi-
ton, might have wasted time I'm useless
self -reproach. Nm. Vimpany reviewed
her miserable married life with the finest
mockefy Of her own misfortune. 'Vir.
tus," she ssid to herself, '.is it, own n.
W0S