The record-union., 1891-12-05

about him and doing odd things for him,
and he seemed just shade kinder to her.
on should have seen her; she seemed TO
expand under it and look twenty shades
handsomer and younger. Presently she
said:
"'Oh! Henry, dear, do you know /
was not satisfied with that first detective
you sent for, and so L wrote down for
another, and he came here two days ago,
and ! told him every
He sprang up with sudden yell.
"'You sent for detective from Scotland
Yard?'
"'Why, yes-what's wrong?'
| land you gave him all particulars,
you fool! You gave, all the Information
| you knew? and he let his hand down
with clap on her shoulder-it made her
| jump. She nodded her head.
"'You fool, do you know what you've
| done with your damned meddling.' And
| he lowered his face till it was on level
with hers. You've only set all Scotland
Yard at my heels then he turned away
with dash of fury. She sprang up.
mhaf ny y a God, Henry WI what It. 90 20 you
| do with your And she followed him to
| the chair on which he had fallen, his head
| in his hands.
"'Oh! you may as well know he an
swered, in quick, furious tones. You've
ruined me, if that's pleasure to think of.
1HGIO ! L IOOh your udIllu6u Jewels. On! d!
| for Gods sake now, don't go fainting and
| shrieking all over the place.
'She had only staggered a bit, and
! clutched at the back of chair.
'You-took my diamonds! Oh, dar-
| ling, what for ?'-her face all drawn and
| gray would have given you all L had,'
with lovely pathos.
meant to get paste put in, you
would never have known he answered
| with brutal Indifference and ignoring her
| last words.
''She sank down by his side and clasped
her hands on his knees.
But, if the first detective knew, why
| should you mind this second one know
| ing as well?'
The first detective? he wasn't de-
tective at all You don't suppose L was
| such fool as to invite Scotland Yards s
| inspection? [ just sent for man whom
l knew would do the work for me.
| There do you understand at last?'
| 81 don't think she did, for there was
| horrid look on her face. For the one
moment, just that one, she could have
| stabbed him.
''Then she said very softly, Tell me all
about it, Henry. Pm sure [ can get you
out of it, but tell me first why you wanted
| the money?
''For a wonder the man blushed as he
told her of Lilly Morrison. L tell you l
had to bite the sofa cushion Internally
| hard to keep the words in-the way he
! talked would have made your hair curl.
And she? Well, ever since that scene
| I've thought jolly lot more of women.
| She behaved like a brick, though l saw
| her vince when he enlarged on la belle
| Lilly's charms; fancy cracking her up to
| his wife!
| "'This is not the time to feel Jealous
! she said very slowly, and staring into the
fire as she knelt by his side, L shall feel
all that afterward, I suppose; the thing
now is to get you out of it all-only you
must let me think a bit, you know / am
not at all clever, but my heart is so full of
! love, such love, that | think it will help
me. Doesn't it seem strange, Henry,
that great love can't beget love. Now
| you've never loved me all the time you've
known me, | suppose and she looked up
wistfully, so awfully anxious was she for
him to contradict her-and he put hand
| on her hair and said almost kindly:
"'You mustn't mind that; you are
worthy better mans love than mine
''She turned and gave him such look,
old chap. l don't know how he felt, as
it was intended for him, but know how
| L telt-confcund this smoke, it s all in my
| eyes-in all my life l never saw face so
changed and transfgured by love-such
| pathetic tenderness. (Yes, Dick, Pm get
ting maudlin, aint I?) Well, thank the
powers, they both went off after a bit,
Mrs. Westeryeldt saying that she would
| rather talk it over in her dressing-room;
| just at the threshold she turned and said :
1 will save you, Henry, indeed l will,
| if / die for it-you believe me, DEAR
THAT night after dinner there's no
good telling you how the couple looked,
| | wonder no one noticed it, Mrs. Wester-
veldt kept on jumping at every sound,
and great purple rings had started round
her eyes. She sent off a wire to say that
she wished all proceedings stopped, as
she had resigned herself to the loss of her
| jewels. But it was too late-there were
three men standing outside the drawing
room door. / happened to catch glimpse
| of them. and | smelt a rat. / told her.
and she whispered to her husband-upon
my soul, / was sorry for her. He left the
room by the conservatory. Then she went
to the door and passed into the hall.
| 81 don't know what she told the men,
| but didn't see them a quarter of an hour
later, though l fancy two were lingering
! about the place.
''She came back to say goodnight to us.
She kissed one or two of the women as
she said:
g I do hope you've enjoyed your visit
here; have liked very much having you
| with me-
"Then she turned to the rest of us and
said, Goodnight but it wasn't in the
usual fashion, and we all felt puzzled at
| her manner.
"'Yes, believe am behaving rather
erratically Tonight she explained with
a faint smile on her lips, and an implor-
ing mist in her eyes, and such a worn
| look on her face; but / am so dreadfully
| weary-I mean tired-I'm going to take
chloral, so L hope to get good nights
| rest. Have you everything you want?
That's goodnight, everybody
good-nightp
"Well, she needed good nights rest,
and she got it, poor soul, for next morn
| ing her maid found her sleeping heavily,
and she let her sleep on-and then as she
didn't rouse up, the woman got scared.
| WeSterveldt wasn't to be found, so we
! took it upon US to send for the doctor; but
| 1t wasn't bit of good, she slept away her
| last breath, q little before luncheon time
/ and there was an open letter on the dress
-table-what do you suppose she'd
written? That she'd done away with the
jewels herself, with long rigmarole of
an explanation. Poor woman, she didn't
| know what she was about when she was
writing it. There was such unconscious
pathos in her patent endeavor to shield
her husband, SO patent in fact. that it
| pointed the finger Of certainty more surely
than ever to his guilt. Poor soul, she
couldn't even die cleverly. She wasn't
overnight in the upper story, but she had
grit in her for all that. So she died with
a lie on her lips, and a stupid one, too,
and half the world believed her dying
| words and scorned her for them. Bah
If she'd been young and pretty woman
wouldn't it have championed her, and
flung the lie, unbeleving, back in her
face, and dealt bit kinder with the
memory of her. respect Mrs. Wester-
veldtw
-
Well done, Fredl you're coming out
| strong in the narrative line"
| THANK We: / think I will have a neg