Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-27
Mountjoy's contemptuous composure, was
forcing its way outward; he set his wife at

open.
Mountjoy's contemptuous composure, was
| forcing its way outward; he set his wife at
| defiance.
''Then don't let him look at me as if he
| thought was in a state of intoXicatiOn!"
! cried the furious doctor. There's the
man, miss, who tried to make me tipsy,"
he went on, actually addressing himself
to Iris. Thanks to my habits of sobriety,
| he has been caught in his own trap. He's
intoxicated. Ha. friend M0Gatioy. have
| you got the r1ghJ explanation at IaSUE
| There's the door, STRIP
Mrs. Vimpany felt that this outrage was
| beyond endurance. If something was not
| done to atone for it, Miss Henley would
| be capable-her face, at that moment, an
| swered for her-of leaving the house with
| Mr.. MountiOy. Mrs. Vimpany seized her
husband Indignantly by the arm.
You brute, you have spOilt everything"
| she said to him. Apologize directly to
Mr.; Mountjoy. You won't?"
Il won'tp'
Experience had taught his wife how to
| break him to her will. do you remem-
| Der my diamond pin?" she whispered.
| He looked startled. Perhaps he thought
| she had lost the pin.
where is it?" he asked eagerly.
"Gone to London to be valued Beg
! Mr.. Mountjoy's pardon, or l will put the
money in the bank-and not one shilling
| of it do you get.'
In the mean while, Iris had justified
Mrs. Vimpany's apprehensions. Her in
| dignation noticed nothing but the insult
| offered to Hugh. She was too seriously
agitated to be able to speak to him. Still
| admirably calm, his one anxiety was to
| compose her.
Don't be afraid, !" he said; cit is impos-
| sible that / can degrade myself by quar-
relling with Mr.. Vimpany. 1 only wait
! here to know what you propose to do. You
| have Mrs VimDaQy to think of. -
81 have nobody to think of but you,"
Iris replied. But for me, you would
never have been in the house. After the
! insult that has been offered to you-oh,
Hugh, feel it, tooi-let US return to Lon
| don together. | have only to tell Rhoda
! we are going away, and to make my pre-
| parations for travelling. Send for me from
| thu inn, and | will be ready in time for the
| next train"
Mrs Vimpanv approached MOuntjoy,
! leading her husband.
Sorry have offended you" the doctor
said. BEG your pardon. It's only joke
No offense, hOpeH
His servility was less endurable than his
| insolence. Telling him that he need say
no more, Mountjoy bowed to Mrs. Vimp-
| any and left the room. She returned his
| bow mechanically in silence. Mr.. Vimp-
any followed Hugh out, thinking of the
diamond pin and eager to open the house
door as another act of submission which
might satisfy his wife.
Even a clever woman will occasionally
| make mistakes, especially when her tenn
| per happens to have been reused. Mrs.
| Vimpany found herself in false position
| due entirely to her own imprudence.
She had been guilty of three serious err
rors. In the first place. she had taken it
| for granted that Mr.. Vimpany's restora-
tive mixture would completely revive the
| sober state of his brains. In the second
/ place, she had trusted him with her yenge-
| ance on the man who had found his way
| to her secrets through her husbands in
| temperance. In the third place, she had
| rashly assumed that the doctor, in carry
| ing out her instructions for insulting
| Mountjoy, would keep within the limits
! which she had prescribed to him, when
/ she hit on the audacious idea of attribut-
| ing his disgraceful conduct to the tempta-
| ton offered by his hosts example. AS q
consequence of these acts of imprudence,
| she had exposed herself to a misfortune
that she honestly dreaded-the loss of the
place which she had carefully maintained
/ in Miss Henley's estimation. In the con-
| Trajectory confusion of feelings, so often
| found in women, this deceitful and dam
| gerous creature had been conquered-lit-
| tie by little, as she had herself described
| it-by that charm of sweetness and SIM
| plicity in Iris, of which her own deprayed
nature presented no trace. She now spoke
| with hesitation, almost with timidity, in
| addressing the woman whom she had so
| cleverly deceived, at the time when they
first met
Must 1 give up all, Miss Henley, that
most value?" she asked.
II hardly understand you, Mrs. Vimp-
any"
II will try to make it palmer. Do you
really mean to leave me this EVENING""
81 do"
MAJ I own that am grieved to hear
| It? Your departure will deprive me of
some happy hours, in your company"
| Your husbands conduct leaves me no
alternative" Iris smiled.
| pray do not humiliate me by speaking
of my husbandl l only want to know if
there is a harder trial of my fortitude still
to come. Must l lose the privilege of be-
| ing your friend?"
Il hope L am not capable of such injus-
tee as that Iris declared. cit would be-
| hard indeed to lay tile blame OF Mr. VImp-
any's shameful behavior on you. L don't
| forget that you matte him offer IN APP logy.
Some women, married to such a man as
that, might have been afraid of him. No,
no: you have been good friend to me-
| and mean to remember it"
Mrs. Vimpany'S gratitude was too sim
| cerely felt to be expressed with her Gus
| tomary readiness. She only said what the
| stupidest woman in existence could have
| said: Thank you."
In the silence that followed the rapid
| movement of carriage-wheels became aud
| IDLE in the street. The sound stopped at
the door of the doctors house.
| CHAPTER X.-THE MOCEERT OF DECEIT.
Had Mountjoy arrived to take Iris away,
before her preparations for travelling were
complete! Both the ladies hurried to the
| window, but they were too late. The
rapid visitor, already hidden from them
| under the portlco, was knocking smartly
at the door. In another minute a mans
| voice in the hall asked for Miss Henley. I"
The tones-clear, mellow and pleasantly
| varied here and there by the Irish accent
were not to be mistaken by anyone who
| had already heard them. The man in the
hall was Lord Harry.
In that serious emergency Mrs. Vimpany
| recovered her presence of mind.
| She made for the door, with the object
of speaking to Lord Harry before he could
present himself in the drawing-room.
| But Iris had heard him ask for her in the
| hall; and that one circumstance instantly
| stripped of its concealments the character