The Forrest City times., 1890-06-28
Uncle Arehis's Wife.
CHAPTER vIT.-(CoSrrxurp.,

Are you so surep 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 succumbcd 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 moro 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 curious pallor. His ips seemed to be firmly set under his golden brown mustache; his laughing eyes grew grave and almost stern.
 Well" as tho last note died away Estella looked up with conscious tri- umph in her face ''you would put me to the test. Mir. Martineau are you content win the result?"
 ..Ycs, Mrs. Gerrard--I am satis- fied.n was Dicks grave, almost sad answer; and he walked away without another word.
 Estella looked after him at first in blank silence, thon 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 1 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 a compliment to spare?n
 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; 1 never heard any one sing like you-in private, mean, of course; one hears such voices on the stage"
 '.Of course," Estelle assented hur- riedly, and thought detected sud- den flush on her face as she spoke.
 Mother had turned to uncle Archie. to whom she said, in 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 unele's man. ner us he shook his head slowly and said, with a bewildered air
 Il never heard her sing before. Gertrude"
 And probably will not again" Es- telle put in hastily, as though she wished to change the subject. Il am the laziest person in the world, Mrs Waller, and have not touched piano or sang note since my wedding-day. So that you could hardly expect Archie to know that had voice"
 .'Dick Martineau knew" mother began. and then paused, awkwardly laugh, but Dick Is barrister, and has detective gifts you know We can none of 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. think we were all glad when the carriage was announc- ed and it was time for us to %. MotAer seated herself snugly in her cosy corner and composed herself to sleep, declaring. with laugh, that she was worn out with a tiresome evening, and would leave all the talk ing 10 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 l fancied 1t, being in mood for calling up tormcnting fancics just then something more than stcrnness in his eyes.
 It did not ease the dull pain at my heart 10 soc how completely his thoughts were absorbcd-how he had forgotten my presence--as he sat moodlly staring out at the moonlit road At last could bear the si- lencc and the vague tcrrors that op- pressed me no longer; so I bent for ward and said, with very hysterical laugh
 Are you dreaming, Dick? Do you know that for the last quarter of an hour you have not opened your lipsp''
 He started; and am sure that first movement was one of impatience. though his eyes softened and grew tender once more as they rested upon my face.
 Forgive me. Irene darling! l was thinking, and forgot
 knew that without any telling. but would not lot him see how the words hurt me. Dick had not usually been forgetful in my presence.
 Thinking of whatan l asked, with what l ilattercd myself was well-as- sumed gaity. "Shall l guess Dick? 1? It was of this evenings music of my uncle's beautiful wife.n
 Was 1t my jealous fancy, or did Dicks eyes light up with new inter- est and eagerness inexplicable on any ground save onep l asked myself the question; but even then was not sure what answer my sore conscience gave was suro of nothing but that Dick said eagerly
 .'Yes, l was thinking of her, Irene. Tell me something of her past hfe--- her name--all you know about her. She confided in you, you say?"
 l shivered, and drew my tieecy wrap around me, though the summer nigh, was bright and warm; but the chill felt was at my heart.