The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-23
THE GREAT Mill STREET MYSTERY,
Author Of Jacobs WIFE, RoYs REPENrNcE
FALSE PRETENcEsn Ere
lALL RIGHTS RESERVED

INSTRUMENTATION man.
Diana had reason to know better She
was well aware, at any rate. that she had
not broken her cousins heart She was
uneasy and anxious about him. and
especially about the ENHANCEMENT of which
FRANCIS had spoken, but it was impossible
Tor her to put her anxiety into words She
was on friendly terms with her husband,
out not so confidential that she could find it
easy to tell him all she thought or suspected
concerning George Eastwood. She was
| ooIlged to keep silence, and perhaps. after
all. the silence was good for her.
She stayed longer in London than abe had
expected TO stay; her husband had business
| and she had shopping TO do, and both found
London pleasant, even in the dull winter
days when people have scarcely begun to
acknowledge that they are sin town.
Then Mrs. Helmont and Col Eastwood
came up from WEXFORD, and some of Lord
Hexhams relations helped to fill up the big
mouse In Grosvenor square, which had at
| first seemed oppressively large and dreary
TO Diana; and the time passed pleasantly
! enough until the last week in January,
when the Hexhams meant to 60 to their
Hertfordshire home.
Two days before the date of their depar-
| ture, Lady Hexham made up her mind to
avail herself of some tickets for a 'sprivate
view" which friend had sent her for a
small picture gallery in Bond street. The
| exhibition was small, but the exhibitors
were just then in fashion, and therefore the
Two rooms open to the public were simply
thronged. Diana had insisted on taking
Col Eastwood in his easily propelled inva-
lid carriage or wheeled chair to the place:
she had not expected a crowd, and there
! Tore found 1T necessary to stay very near
MS chair, and to control its movements
with her own hand. She was looking ex-
| ceedlngly well and haodsome she was be-
| comingly dressed in the velvet and furs
which seemed appropriate to the season,
and her dark beauty glowed in its setting
OF deep red, black and gold-the colors of
her coStume-like jewel in q rich frame.
IL was splendid tropical sort of beauty,
| which commanded admiration from all,
out especially from men. Lord Hexbam,
himself no mean specimen of physical force
ana beauty, felt that he had the right to be
proud OF his handsome wife.
But the attention of the observers, at
first largely given to Lady Hexham, was
| nnaly diverted. Another woman, equally
| beautiful, equally well-dressed, but abso-
lutely unknown to the httle crowd of Lon
don people in the picture gallery had ap-
peared upon the scene.
What a lovely creaturel Where did
she come froma Who is she?' These were
questions heard on every side, and DIANA
with the rest of her party, looked to the
| SAdo VI Ju0 TOOul W0SF0 I00 lazy UluS
| spoken of was standing
81 think" said Lady Hexham, after a
moments pause, THAT l never saw 50 beau
ful woman in my lifei / seem to know
her face-where can have seen it beforeP'
And then, suddenly, her lips turned
white, the expression of her features
changed. She knew where she had seen
That face before-in George Eastwood's
last picture, the Lilly Maid" that had
lately been exhibited in a London academy.
Then this-Diana was sure of the fact-this
| must certainly be the woman that George
Eastwood loved Some mysterious intui-
ton told her that she was right But who
could this stranger be2
She was of middle hight, slender. but
with figure so exquisitely proportioned
that it could not but be graceful: with a
complexion of ivory fairness, large, liquid,
pathetic gray eyes with dark lashes, and
magnificent golden-red hair which looked
| like sunshine in the room, where lights had
| just begun to show themselves a midst the
banks of fern and dollhouse flowers She
was very plctureSquely dressed in q long
trailing robe of white wooden cloth, en-
| broidered with gold silk; her hat was of
white felt, with long feathers dropping over
the side. 1t was not dress that was alto
gether in the mode of the day, but it was
SO exceedingly becoming, that its quaint
ness was forgiven, even by the women who
were present. A long. gray mantle, lined
with white silk and bordered with gray fur,
| had been fastened round her when she first
entered the room, but she had drawn 1t off
and given lie to gentleman to carry-a dis
| tinguish9d looking young man with a soft
| brown nustache, man whose head and
shoulders all that she could see-were
vaguely familiar TO Diana's eyes. 1t was
not until he turned his head that the truth
became clear to Lady Hexham. George
Eastwood was not abroad; he was in town,
in the very room with her; and he was
walking with this white, graceful woman,
| whose face was already known to half the
artistic world of London, as that of the
chief figure in George Eastwood's attractive
and clever painting of ''The Lily Maid of
Astolat."
Already the name was buzzed from ear
to ear. 1.-THE Lily Maid, don't you know?
| Eastwood's last picture that such fuss was
made about. Much prettier than the paint
| ing. Who is shes They say he found the
model for his Elaine in the Whtechapel
sums That girl doesn't look as if she
came out of Whitechapel slum, does she?
Ny dear fellow, she's simply divine. But
who knows her? What is her names" Such
were some Of the remarks that fell upon
| Diana's ears.
"That's nice-looking GIRL" said Col.
Eastwood, critically. "Why, she's walking
| with
He stopped short and looked as if he
could not believe his eyes.
sits Mr.. Eastwood" said Sybil Lorimer,
eagerly.
She had known him for many years, and
had always been one of his child-favoriges,
/ of whom he had several, for he was man
generally liked by children.
20, | must speak to him."
And without waiting for permission, she
darted away to her friend-her bright
brown hair floating behind her, her
cheeks aglow with pleasure and with pride.
Diana watched the meeting. She saw
George turn, start, bite his zip, and frown.
Then he looked their direction, aud ap-
peared to listen to what Sybil was saying.
| Meanwhile the lady in white stood by,
plancing at her catalogue and at the pict-
I1ras from time to time, but bestowing no
attention on the gazing crowd. Was it pos
sible that she was little awkward In man
ner-a little shy2 Diana's eyes, sharpened
perhaps by her former love, saw more
clearly than the eyes Of Others. This girl,
She decided, in spite of her beauty and her
dress. had not been bora lady. She
looked lovely, but utterly unframed; and
she was half scared TO death at the position
in which she found herself.
AIS George not coming over hereY' said
Col Eastwood with o low gToWl OF disgust.