Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
CHAPTER XIII.
A SPLIT AT LAST.

terranean spring; and it was not until we'll
on in the month of May that they returned
to London. Immediately after their arrival
Vincent called on them-one afternoon on
his way down to st. Stephens. He stayed
only for a few minutes; and had little to
saw. But the moment be had left, Lady
Musselburgh turned to her husband.
"Oh, Hubert, isn't it dreadful! Did you
ever see such change in any human being?
And no one to tell US of it-not even his
own tather-nor a word from Louie Drexel,
though she wrote often enough about him
and what he was doing in the House
''Yes, he does look ILL., said Musselburgh,
with a seriousness not usual with him.
Every i'll, indeed. Yet he doesn't seem to
know it-declares there is nothing the mat
ter with him-shows a little impatience
even. when you begin to ask questions. L
suppose he has been working too hard; too
eager and anxious all the wav round; too
ambitious-not like most young men. He'd
better give up that newspaper nonsense, for
one thing. ~
'Oh, it isn't that, Hubert; it isn't thatl'
she exclaimed in rather piteo1s accents; and
she walked away to the window (this was
the very room in which Vincent had first set
ewes on Maisrie Bethune and her grand
father).
She stood there, alone, for time. Then
her husband went and Joined her, and
linked his arms within hers. She was cry
ing little.
"I did it for the best, Hubert" she
sobbed.
did what for the best?"
'Getting that girl away. 1never thought
it would come to this.
"Now, now, Madge," said he, in a very
sffectionate fashion, "don't you worry about
nothing-or rather, it isn't nothing, for Vim
does look pretty seedy; but you mustn't as
sumo that you are in any way responsible.
People don't die nowadays of separation
and broken heart-not nowadays. He is
tagged; he is not used to the late hours of
the House of Commons; then there's that
newspaper work."
"But his manner, Hubert, his manner!"
she exclaimed. "He seemed as if he no
longer cared Tor anything in life; he hardly
listened when l told him where we had been;
he appeared to be thinking of something
quite different-as if he were looking at
ghosts"
"And perhaps be was looking at ghosts"
said her husband. "For il was by that
table there he first saw those two people who
have made all this trouble But why should
1t wasn't your money that sent them out of
the country. 1t wasn't you who found out
what they really were"
She passed her handkerchief across her
eyes.
81 was quite sure" she went on-not
needing this consolation-"that as soon as
she was got away-as soon as be was
moved from the fascination of her actual
presence-he would begin to see things in
=, 1SrrI,+ I'D .L- a.
society OF charming and clever girl like
Louie Drexel, hoped everything for him.
And is this all that has come of it, that he
looks as ii he were at deaths door? 1t isn't
the House of Commons, Hubert and it isn't
the newspaper work: it is simply that he
still believes in that girl, and that be is eat
ing his heart out about her absence, and has
no one 10 coufde in. For this is the worst
of il all: it is all a sealed book now, as be-
tween him and US. He was leaving my
house in Brighton-oh, the rage he was in
about her-and it would have been for the
last time, too, L know; only that /
promised never again to mention the SUBJ
ject to him and on that condition we
have got on fairly well since. But how am
l TO keep silence any longer? l cannot see
my boy like that l must speak to him; l
must ask him if he is still so mad as to be-
lieve in the honesty of those two people;
and then, if find that his infatuation still
exists, even alter all this time, then must
simply tell him that they took money to go
away. How can he get over that? How
can he get over that Hubert?"
In Ler despair this was almost chal-
lenge as well as an appeal. But her hus-
band was doubtful.
wv nen young man is in love with
woman" SAID he, "he can forgive a good
lot-confound it, be ca2 forgive everything,
or nearly everything, so long as she can
persuade him she loves him in return"
'But not this. Hubert, not this!" the
young vile exclaimed. Even if he could
forgive her being a thief and the accomplice
of an old charlatan and swindler-and what
an i'!-imagine that OF Vincent-of Vim
cent, who is as proud as Luci er-imagine
that of him!-but even iF we could get him
TO regard those two with the eyes of COM
mon sense and common experience, and
even Ii he were willing TO forgive all that,
how could he forgive her being bought over,
her taking money to remain away from
him? No, no, Hubert; surely there is a
limit even to a young mans folIY!"
"Of course you know best" her husband
said, in dubious kind OF way. i've seen
some queer things in my time, with young
men. And Win is an obstinate devil, and
tenacious; he sticks to anything he takes
up; look at him and that wretched news
paper work, for example. II he has
persuaded himself OF the innocence and
honor of this girl, it may be hard to move
him. And l remember there was some
thing very winning and attractive about
her-something that bespoke favor"
THAT was what made her so useful to that
old impostor!' Lady Musselburgh said,
vindictiyely.
"Oi course" he admitted, "as you say,
here is the undoubted fact of their taking
the money. If Vim is 10 be convinced at all,
it is possible that may convince him."
VERY well, then, said she, with decision,
''he must and shall be convinced; and that
no further off than tomorrow morning. I'll
tell Harland I'm coming along to lunch; SC
that he NAV be in the house, to give me any
papers l may want. And surely, surely,
when Vincent perceivss what these people
are and what escape he has had, he will
cease to nope and fret; at this time of life
there ought to be other things to think of
than girl who has deceived him all the
way through and ended by taking money tc
leave the country!'
But moth withstanding all this brave con.
fdence, Lady Musselburgh ielt very nervou.
and anxious as she went down next morning
10 Grosvenor Place. She was alone-hel
husband was coming along later, for lunch
and she went on loot, to give her a little
more time to arrange her plan OF procedure.
For this was her last bolt, and she knew it
If his fatal obstinacy withstood this final as.
Eault. then there was no hope for him, OF
for her far-reaching schemes with regard tc
him.
She went into the drawing-room, and he
lama as soon as he was sent for, These two