Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-01-08
CHAPTER TX.
LADY REi.NOiR SMELLS 4 RAT,

SkH y
"Good-!Jn, Mr. SchHcidcr," said she.
Lady Bclvoir's wits. which were as
sharp rs those Of any woman in Eng
land. seldom led her to form false con
clusions. Clear enough was it to her
that her Cousins honorable intentions
had been thwarted by some malignant
meddler, and very little doubt had she
that Lori Guise WAS the culprit in ques-
ton. The only thing that she was puz-
zled to account for was Lord Guise's
power to prevent any independent man
and true lover from acting as he pleased.
And what was the meaning CT that six
months limit!
One can imagine fanatical opponent
of matrilnony urging his friend to look
for SIX months before leaping: but one
really cannot imagine his friend taking
such advice. Lady Belvoir, therefore,
was perplexed, though convinced that
she was apon the scent: and as perplex-
ity was Il condition of mind to which she
was neither accustomed nor disposed to
submit, she could not divert her thoughts
from the unsolved problem when she
passed slowly into her boudoir. where Mr..
Schneider had been requested TO await
her.
Had she been less preoccupied she
might have taken more notice than she
did of pror Scilneider's nervous agony
and the incGilerence Of his speech. As
it was, she attributed these symptoms of
distress to 4 not unnatural cause. and
did not trouble herself TO ailay them.
Let him founder and stumble for a
while; ii was only right that he should
b. to sOIle extent conscious of his im-
pudence For, however much one may
belong to ones epoch and have eman-
cipated ones self from worn out aristo-
cratic traditions. one is still aware Of
the existence of such thing as breed
ing, and one cannot regard ones self as
belonging to quite the same species as a
little mongrel millionaire.
One may, however. marry mongrel
for the sake of his millions, and Lady
Beivoir had seriously thought of doing
so. She was rather deeply in debt, she
was living far beyond her income, she
hated the notion of retrenchment, and
there are worse things than husband
who is at once rich and submissive. She
lay back in her luxurious arm chair,
tanning herself and contemplating with
certain languid amusement the stam-
mering wretch before her, who looked
uncomfortably hot and to whose words
she scarcely listened.
''ShaIi 1, or shall l not:" she was
thinking. Really don't believe I can.
At any rate, not yet; he is too ridicu-
lous. II the worst comes to the worst
he can always be sent for
But while she was thus mentally dis
posing of him her attention was sudden
ly arrested by some phrase of which he
made use and which had an odd sort OF
sound. What in the world was the man
saying! Business matters which have
been toe long neSlected-absolutely nee,
essary for Inc to look into my affairs and
find out how / stand-doubtful whether
shall pc able to see anything of my
friends for some months to come.
These were confused and equivocal state
ments, nor was the manner of theil
enumeration such as to inspire confidence
i've" thought Lady Belvoir, in uttel
stupefaetion, 1.-THE fellow is trying tc
back oui; of it,
Never in all her experience had such 8
thing as this occurred to her before, an6
she could hardly believe her ears. In
stantly she forgot all about Percy
Thorold and Lord Guise, all about hel
pecuniGy embarrassment and the re
suits to which they might lead. and de
voted her whole intelligence to the study
of this new and most extraordinary phe
Eomeno1. A mongrel millionaire show
ing anxiety to kick himself clear o
Sybil, Lady Belvoir! This required
looking into great deal more than Mr.
Schneider's affairs could possibly do.
The position of the luckiess Schneide,
was, as every one must see, awkward
and difficult in degree far srirpassin.
that of Percy Thorold. Percy, in decid
ing to absent himself for six months
had in fact adopted the only admissibl,
course; when one is forbidden to speal
to the woman whom one loves there il
absolutely nothing for it but to fly tn,
country But from this course Schneide
was debarred by various considerations
not the least important of which was hi
ambition to enter parliament.
The Scotch election he would no doub
lose; but were lie to fellow up his defea
s by flight he wonld forego any subse
quent chance thGesnight offer of repair
ing it. and would likewise be considered
to have resigned all claim upon the in
dulgence of the wire pGllers. The com
mercial instincts which Were his by righ
& of heredity would not suffer him t,
make such sacrifice as that. Yet, if h
remained in England. how could he avoi,
meeting Lady Beivoir: And when h
met hel. how could he avoid addressin;
i her? It was not rs though she were on
& of those people who disappear at the en-,
g of one London season and are seen III
more until the opening of the next. Sh
was no less certain 10 be ut Doncaste
8 and Ne,vmarket-not to mention othe
places than If she had been one of tn
s. stewards of the jockey club, and pre-
81 tending not to see her would be as futil
as pretending not to see the winning post
In ths, grievous straits to which he wa
reduced Schneider could hit upon onl,
8 one preiext. which. feeble though it was
4 had jus; shade of plausibility. 1t wa
s ouite tine that his affairs demanded in
spectior. He was immensely rich, AM
3 his money was perfectly safe; but thi
& he did not know by personal inquiry
He had hitherto been too busily engages
in climbing the social ladder to ascertain
s the exact whereabouts of his vast eapi
3 tai. and when man is thinking of MAJ
irving i; surely behooves him to ptl
2things ship shape. Might not Lady Bel
4yoir be induced to understand and az
kEpreciate this delicacy? At all events b
must make the attempt. because b
4could Perceive no alternative open t
Ihi1n. So this was what he was sayin
when tile drift of his remarks first dawT
ed upcr her: 49,,
aThe fact is that have been a littl
4bit too careless and easy going; I've Jus
drawn checks when l wanted money
zyou knew. and supposed it was all right
3But time comes when one feels tina
there nnst be an end of that--that on
ought to find ont what means one has :
oue's disposal. and-well. il it comes :