Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-05
CHAPTER XLv.-IN THE ALCOvR.

Of determination. The feminine mind
| loves to understand motives and inten-
| tiOnS: it hates to be puzzled Fanny wa g
! puzzled. Fanny could not understan d
| what had been intended, and what was
now meant. For, first, man, apparently
| dying, had been brought into the house,
why? Then the man began slowly to re.
| cover, and the doctor. whose attentions
| had always been of the most slender char
acter, grew more morose every day. Then
| he suddenly, on the very day when he sent
her away, became cheerful congratulated
| the patient on his prospect of recovery.
and assisted in getting him out of bed for
a change. The cook having been sent
away, there was now no one in the house
| but the Dane, the doctor, and Lord Harry.
Man hunts wild creatures; woman hunts
| man. Fanny was impelled by the hunt
| ing instinct. She was sent out of the
| house to prevent her hunting; she began
| to consider next, how, without discovery,
! she could return and carry gu the hunt
Everything cOnsplred to drive her back;
| the mystery OF the thing: the desire to
battle, or at least to discover, dark de-
| sign: the wish to be of service to her mis-
| tress; and the hope of finding out some
| thing which would keep Iris from going
| back to her husband. Fanny was unable
! to comprehend the depth of her mistress
affection for Lord Harry; but that she was
| fOollShly, weakly in love with him. and
that she would certainly return to him
unless plain proofs of real villainy were
| prepared-sO much Fanny understood
| very we'll. When the omnibus set her
down, she found a quiet hotel near the
terminus for Dieppe. She spent the day
walking abOut-tO see the ShOps an d
streets, she would have explained: TO con-
slider the situation she should have ex-
planned. She bought a new dress a new
hat, and thick veil, so as to be disguised
at a distance. AS for escaping the DOCTORS
acuteneSS by any disguise should he meet
her face to face, that was impossible. But
her mind was made up-she would run
any risk, meet any danger, in order to dis
| cover the meaning OF all this.
| Next morning she returned by an omni-
bus service which would allow her to
reach the cottage at about a quarter past
eleven. She cnose this time for two rea
sons: First, because breakfast was sent in
| from the restaul ant at eleven, and the two
gentlemen would certainly be in the sale
u manager over that meal; and, next. be-
cause the doctor always visited his pa
tient after breakfast She could, there
! fore, hope to get IN unseen, which was the
| first thing.
The spare bedroom-that assigned to the
| pa,ient-Was on the ground floor, next to
| the dining-roOm. 1t communicated with
the garden by French windows and by ID
| small flight of steps.
Fanny walked cautiously along the road
| past the garden gate; rapid glance as
| sured her that no one was there; she hast
| lily opened the gate, and slipped in She
knew that the windows OF the sick-room
were closed ON the inner size, and the
blinds were still down. The patient.
therefore, had not yet been disturbed or
visited. The windows of the dining room
were on the other side of the house. The
woman therefore slipped round to the
back. where she found, as she expected,
the door wide open, In the hall she heard
the voices of the doctor and Lord Harry
and the clicking of knives and forks They
| were at breakfast.
One more thing-what should she say to
| OXbye? What excuse should she make
| for coming back? How should she per-
suade him to keep silence about her pres
| ence? His passion suggested a plan and a
| reason She had come back, she would
! tell him, for love of him, to watch over
him, unseen by the doctor, to go away
! with him when he was strong enough to
| travel lie was simple and a candid
| soul, and he would fall into such a little
innocent conspiracy. Meantime, it would
be quite easy Tor her to remain in the house
perfectly undisturbed and unknown to
either OF the gentlemen.
she opened the door and looked in.
SO far, no reason would be wanted The
! patient was sleeping peacefully. But not
| III the bed. He was ylng, partly dressed
| and covered with "a blanket, on the sofa
| With the restlessness of convalescence he
had changed his couch in the morning af-
ter Il wakeful night, and was now Sleep
| ing far into the morning
| Ine bed, as is common in French
| houses, stood in an alcove A heavy cur
| tain hung over a rod, also in the French
| manner. Part of this curtain Law over the
| head OF the bed
The woman perceived the possibility of
| using the curtain as means of conceal
menL There was space of a foot be-
tween the bed and the wall. She placed
herself therefore behind the bed, in this
tln 49,
| tlrely concealed her. Nothing was more
unlikely than that the doctor should look
behind The bed in that corner. Then
with her scissors she pierced a hole in the
curtain large enough IOr her to see per-
fectly without the least danger of being
happen.
She waited for half an hour, during
which the sleeping man slept on without
movement, and the voices of the two men
in the sale q Manager rose and fell in con-
versation. Presently there was silence,
broken only by an occasional remark.
"They have lit their CIGARS Fanny muir
INJURED; they will take their coffee, and in
a few minutes they will be here"
When they came in few minutes later,
they had their cigars, and Lord Harrys
face was slightly flushed, perhaps with
the wine he had taken at breakfast
perhaps with the glass of brandy after his
coffee.
The doctor threw himself into chair
and crossed his legs. looking thoughtful
ly at his patient. Lord Harry stood over
him.
Every day." he said, the man gets bet
ter"
He has got better every day, so far"
said the doctor.
Every dav his face gets fatter and he
grows less like me"
1T is true" said the doctor.
''Then-what the devil are we to do?"
wait a little longer" said the doctor
The woman in her hiding-place hardly
dared to breathe.
WHAT" asked Lord Harry. You mean
that the man, after all"
Wait a little longer" the doctor re-
| peated, quietly.
Tell me''-Lord Harry bent over the
| sick man eagerly-''you think"
| Look here" the doctor said, (which of
us two has had medical education-you
or II"
You, of course
| Yes: l, of course. Then I tell you, as
medical man, that appearances are some
| times deceptive. This man, for instance
| he looks better; he thinks he is recovering:
| he feels stronger. You observe that he is
fatter in the face. His nurse, Fanny Mere,
! went away with the knowledge that he
| was much better, and the conviction that
he was about to leave the house as much
| recovered as such patient with SUCH a
| disorder can expect"
| "Weu?"
well, my lord, allow me to confide in
| YOU. Medical men mostly Keep their
| knowledge in such matters to themselves.
| We know and recognize symptoms which
to you are invisible. BY these symptoms
by these symptoms" ne repeated slowly
| and looking hard at the other man, 81
| - ~ n v my