Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-10-09
'Pf ANONYMOUS toUEl

knowing what to say I shrugged my
shoulders and smiled.
You do suspect some one them
My dear young lady" 1 replied,
"when jewels are stolen one naturally
suspects some n has taken them"
S | should imagine. Whom do you
naturally suspect?'
1could o tell her that I more than
suspected Charles.
81 know nothing for certain" l said.
But You have a suspicionT"
II have a suspicion"
"She went to the door to see If it were
shut. and then cane back, and said in q
Whisper
so have l."
Perhaps We suspect the same person.
/ said.
She did not answer, hut fixed her dark
eyes keenly on mine. | had never no
ticed before how dark they were.
saw then that she knew, and that she
suspected Charles, just as Sir George had
done.
nodded.
Nothing is proved" | said.
81 dared not say even as much as this
before" she continued hurriedly. alt is
only the widest, vaguest suspicion. /
have nothing to take hold of. It Is SO
horrible to suspect any one; but
She stopped suddenly. Her quick ear
had caught the sound of a distant steE
coming across the hall. In another mo-
ment Aurelia came in.
Are you there, Evelyn" she said. 81
was looking for you, to ask where the
time table is. l want to look out my
journey for tomorrow. Ralph ought to
do it, but he is upstairs" with a little
pout.
You ought not to have quarreled with
him until he had made it out for you,"
said Evelyn, smiling. at is avery cross
journey. isn't it? Let me see. You are
going to your uncle in Dublin, are not
your You had better go to London and
start from there. It win be the shortest
way in the end"
The two girls laid their heads together
over the Bradshaw, Evelyn's dark. soft
hair making a charming contrast to Au-
rela's yellow cmls. At last the journey
was made out and duly written down.,
and a post card dispatched to the uncle
in Dublin.
Have you seen Ralph anywhere
asked Aurelia when she had finished 1t.
II am afraid I was q little tiny wee bit
cross to him this morning, and l am Sc
sorry"
Evelyn always seemed to stifen when
Aureiia talked about Ralph, and under
the pretext of putting her post card In
the letter bag for her she presently left
the room and did not return.
Aurelia sat down on the hearth rug
and held two plump little hands to the
fire. 1t was quite impossible to go on
writing to Jane while she was there, and
l gave it up accordingly.
c~onfidentially. "Do you know why
am glad?'
said l could not imagine.
Because" continued Aurelia, nod
ding gracefully at me, 81 want to have
a very, very, very serious conversation
with you, Col. Middleton
Isaid l should be charmed, inwardly
wondering what that little curly head
would consider to be serious converse
ton.
Really serious, you know" continued
Aurelia, mot pretense. About thatI'
pointing with a pink finger at the inlaid
writing table. you know / was with
Ralph when he found it out, and I an
afraid I was a little cross to him, only
really it was so hard and they were sc
lovely, and it was partly his fault, now,
wasn't it, for leaving them there? HI
ought to have been more careful"
"Of course he ought" I said. would
not have contradicted her for worlds.
And you know l am to be married
next month, and Aunt Alice in Dublin
who is getting my things, says as it is tt
be a winter wedding I am to be married
in a white frise velvet, and l did think
the diamonds would have looked SC
lovely with it, wouldn't theyT
l agreed, of course.
'But I shall never be married in then
now" she said with a deep sigh. "Ant
l was looking forward to the wedding 81
much, though 1 dare say 1 did tell /
naughty little story when I said I wa
not to Ralph the other night. OF courst
Ralph is still left" she added, as al
afterthought, 'but it won't be so per
feet, will it?'
1 was morally certain Charles woult
have to give them up, so I said, reassur
ingly:
perhaps you may be married in them
after ALL"
"Oh!" she said, clasping her hands to
gether, "do you really think so? Do yot
know anything? l have not seen Ralpl
since to ask him about it. Do you thinl
} We shall really get them backT'
81 should not wonder"
"Oh! Col. Middleton, | see you know
You are a clever, wise man, and 20,
have found out something. Who is it
Do tell me-"
"Will you promise not to tell any one?
"Mayn't l tell Ralph? 1 tell him every
thing"
well, you may tell Ralph because h,
knows already; but no one else, remem
Der. The truth is we are afraid it i
} Charles"
!, There was a long pause.
, 81 know Evelyn thinks So" said Azure
liza in a whisper, though she tries no
/ to show it, because-because"-
Because WHAT"
} "Well, of course you can't have helpet
seeing, can you, that she and Charles
had not seen it; indeed / had fancie,
at times that Evelyn had a leaning to
ward Ralph, but l never care to seen
slower than others in noticing thes
things, so 1 nodded.
"And then, you know, people can't b
married that haven't any money, an
Charles and Evelyn have none," sal,
Aurelia. "Oh! 1 am glad Ralph is wei
/ off"
: A light was breaking in on me. PEI
haps it was not Charles after all. Pei
, haps-
r ~ am afraid Evelyn is very unhappy,
continued Aureiia. "Her room is next {
: mine, and she walks up anddown and u
t and down in the night. / hear her whe
, l am in bed. Last night I heard her S
late, 50 late that I had been to sleep an
had walked up again. Do you know
and she crept close up to me with wide
awestruck eyes-"I am going away tt
| morrow, and l don't like to say anythin
to any one but you; but l think Evely