Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-08-08
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CHAPTER xLrIL-"THE METRES AND 1HR
MAID"

CHATTER xLIn-'THE METRES AND 1H8
MAID"
In the correspondence secretly carried
% between the mistress in London and
the maid at Passy, it was Fanny Mere's
turp TO write next She decided on delay
ing her reply until she had once moro
given careful consideration to the first let
ter received from Lady Harry. an nouncing
her arrival in England, and a strange dis
Oovery that had attended it.
Before leaving P.ris Iris hal telegraph
Cd inst ructions to Mrs Vimpany to meet
her ut the terminus in London. Her first
inquiries were for her father The an
swer given, with an appearance Of con-
fusion and even shame. was hat there
Wa. no need TO feel anxiety on the su ject
Of Mr. Heuley's illness. Relieved on hear
ing the good news, .ris naturally express
ed some surprise at her fathers rapid re-
coverv. She asked il the doctors had mis-
understood his malady when they believed
him to ne in danger. To this question
Mrs Vimpany had replied by making an
unexpected confession.
She owned that Mr.. Henley's illness
had been at no time OF any seriOns import
apce. A paragraph in newspaper had
informed her that he was suffering rom
nothing worse than an attack of govt. 1t
was a wicked act TO have exaggerated this
report, and to have alarmed Lady Harry
on the subject Of her fathers health.
Mrs Vimpany had but one excuse to offer.
Eanny's letter had filled her with such
uncomfortable doubts and forebodings that
she had taken the one way of inducing
Lady Harry TO secure her own safety by
1t once leaving Pdssy-the waS by false
alarm. Deceit, SO sincerely repented, SO
fesoluteiy resisted, had tried its power OF
temptafion again. and had prevailed.
"When | thought of you at the mercy
Of nv vile husband" Mrs. Vimpany said,
"with your husband but too surely gained
as an accomplish. my good resolutions
failed me Is it only in books that a true
repentance never stumbles again? Or am
] the one fallible mortal creature in the
Worldf am ashamed of myself. But.
oh, Lady Harry | was so frightened for
youi Try to forgive me: ans so fond of
You and so glad to see you here in safety.
Don't go backl For Gods sake, don't go
back"
Iris had no intention of returning while
the doctor and his patient were still at
Passy: and she found in Mrs Vimpany's
compassion good reason to forgive an Of
Tense committed through devotion to her
self and atoned for by sincere regret.
lyon have repented and changed your
mind. Vimpanyy" said Lord Harry
81 repented,' the doctor repeated, with
elaugh. You tbink me capable Of that,
do you,'
1.-THE man Is growing stronger and bet
ter every day. You are going to make
him recover, after all. / was afraid''-he
corrected himself thought'-tne word
was the truer-''that you were going to
poison him."
"You thought I was going-we were
going. m lord-to commit stupid and a
useless crime. And, with orr clever nurse
present, all the time watching with the
suspicious OF a cat. and noting every
change in the symptoms, MOL confess
his case has puzzled me because did not
anticipate tn favorable change Well
It is all for the best Fanny sees him
grow stronger every dav-whatever hap
pens she can testify to the care with which
the man has been treated. So far she
Thought she would have US in her power,
and we have her."
lyon are mighty clever Vimpany; but
sometimes You are too clever for me, and,
perhaps, too clever for Yourself"
LET me make myself clearer'-con-
gcious OF the nurses suspicious. he leaned
forward and whispered. .'Fannv mist 90.
Now is Inc time. The mau is recovering
The man must 60; the next patient will be
your lordsaip yourself. Now do you un-
dersfand?"
Enough. II am to net it is sufficient
Tor you to understand step by step. Our
suspicious nurse is to 90. Tat is the next
step. L ave me Ia act.''
Lord Harry walked away He left Iii
thing to the doctor. 1t hardly seemed t.
concern him. A dying man: conspiracy
. fraud: yet the guilty knowledge of al
this gave him small uneasiuesS. He car
lied with him his wife's last note MAY ]
hope to find on my return the man whcu
/ have trusted and honored2' His CO..
science, calloused as regards the Doctors
scheme, filed him with remorse whenever
which WAS Il t, times day-he took
this little rag of u note from his pocket
book an read it again. Yes: she woul5
always iud the man. on ner return-lM
msu whom she had trusted and honored
the latter clause he passed overt woulG
be, OF course, the same man; whether she
would IL able TO trust and honor him
that gu ,stion he did not put to himself.
After all, the doctor was acting-not he
himself
Aud ne remembered Hugh Mountjoy.
Iris would be with him-the MN whose
affection was onlv brought out In the
stronger light by his respect, his devotion
and his dtIicacy. She would be in his So
ciety: sne would understand the true
meaning of this respect aud delicicy: she
would appreciate the depth of his devo-
hon: she would contrast HUI n, the mau
she might have married, with himself, the
mau she did marry.
Aud the house was wretched without
her. and be hated the sight of the doctor
-despera aud recSlessl
He resolved TO write to Iris: he sat down
and poured out his heart, but not his con-
science, to her.
''As for our separation" he said, "T,
and only i. am to blame. 1t is my own
Abominabie conduct that has caused it.