Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-06

quers herself, and Lady Carysfort learn
the history of the night, and of many others
She says good ruany things about Si
CASTOR before it happens to her to remem
ber that wife separated from her husbant
has but bad time of it nowadays She ha'
given herself away great deal no doubt
but now she brings herself up short, anC
endeavors to retrieve the situation.
SIT is shocking, intolerable. But all tina
you have told me, bad as it is, darling-and
really hardly see how it could be worse
need not concern you in any way. he will
certainly not be able to make out case
He cannot incrlminate you"
Chow can one be sure? I tell you thai
Lady Barring would hardly look at me to-
night as she bade me goodbye"
"Nevertheless he will not succeed; and
Lady Barring is such q stupid woman Tn
sure. What you can see in hert-dementia,
call it-rushing after all those fiddlers and
tootlers. And Rhoda, darling, as far as il
is possible one should live with ones hus.
band"
"Well, he-he has behaved abominably-
and"
"There is no past tense about it," sayl
Lady Werner, smiling coldly.
."He is behaving abominably, theni ]
know it, dearest, but She pauses She
is struggling with herself She is indeed
acting magnanimously at this instant, be-
cause she had hated the marriage of this
tavorite niece with Sir CASTOR and had done
her best to prevent it, only her interference
had come too late. And vet she is trying to
help him out of this difficulty. She is at all
events refusing to go against him, though,
OF course, her chief anxiety is to save her
niece's name, not his.
eyes," says Rhoda, somewhat languidly.
"He-he is not good man, saws Lady
Carysfort, her manner as inconsequent as
usual, even now perhaps little more So
"But have heard nothing new about him
of late. That is hopeful sign, surely,
AMI
"You mean that am exaggerating?" says
Rhoda, little sharply, her beautiful face
growing dark.
81 mean only this" says her aunt, gently,
nervously, ''that if you cannot prove any
thing against Sir CASTOR, if he has been
running pretty straight of late, You had
better hesitate before taking any final steps
about separating from"
''Provel 1 have sought to prove moth
ing"
patience itself. And latterly have hoped
that he is improving. As 1 tell you, have
heard nothing, nothing unpleasant about
him lately, and therefore have hoped for the
best"
Rhoda makes little impassioned, an
almost agonized gesture of her hand, and
then suddenly bursts out laughing. Such
laughter. All the bitterness of lifetime
lies in it; yet her life, how short it is
There seems scarcely room in it for the
terrible mingled hatred and horror that dis
figures her face.
Lady Carysfort grows frightened.
''You-you know something" stammers
she.
"Why just trife, a mere trifie," says
Rhoda, laughing still, yet clutching at the
table to steady herself tOh! mere every
day society trife, assure you. Yesterday
it happened; yesterday eveningp She
laughs atresh, and turns to her aunt more
directly. She takes a step toward her.
1.-THE evening post came in, and it brought
me-what do you think? A glorious dia-
mond tiara Such diamonds. Nearly as
good as these, think" touching some of
her own, inherited from her mother.
NEARLY, il not quite; and the sender of
them was CASTOR"
"Well, darling, and was not that proof
of what sayl-that he has reformed, and
that Surely, Rhoda, it was touch of
ing-his sending You diamonds"
''Ahp' She draws a long sigh. ga
touch of respect-of proper feeling for
someone else. Such respect Such proper
feelingP' .-..
"What do you mean, Rhoda?"
"The ieweler has made mistake, that is
ALL A few lines on q card in Gaston's
handwriting, I inadvertently read. They
were"
s.Rhoda," breaks in Lady Carysfort.
'sIt is quite true" says Lady Werner,
with slow smile, that has deadly hatred
in it "Well, L read them. They con-
vinced me that the diamonds were not
meant for me"
'sFor whom then?"
''The curse of Eve is on all women. 1
made no inquiries. But the Christian
name of-of the owner of those diamonds was
'Pommy'"
"Christian name" cries Lady Carysfort
name in any Christian land. Oh, my poor
girl! What is to be done? And diamonds
too. If it had been turquoises or garnets-
but diamondsl What did he say when you
accused him of it?''
I'll accuse him?"
"When you spoke to him about it, I
meanv'
81 did not mean to speak to him." said
Rhoda, haughtily. eff we two, he and 1,
lived thousand years, would not say one
word to him on the subject" She is silent
for moment. "What is it to me?" says
she, with a contemptuous smile of her lip.
"Times have indeed changed" SAYS Lady
Carysfort. "If that had been my case in
my young days 1 should have had good
deal to say about it. Well, well, we'll
She seems overwhelmed with grief, so
overwhelmed that Rhoda who up to this
has managed herself admirably, now gives
way to a burst of passionate tears
Lady Carysfort goes to her and takes her
into her arms and presses her to her kindly
heart.
'"There now, darling; be comforted Take
hope There must be comfort somewhere,
Rhoda, and hope too. There, sit down and
let US think it over Obi Rhoda, don't
cry, darling child. No one is allowed to be
unhappy forever" Here she breaks down
IN turn, and clings to this girl, who is the
learest possession she has on earth, and
while crying over her smoothes her pretty
head with loving fingers.
ooh! To look at you," says she, "you,
30 beautiful Why should you of all others
De unhappy"
"Whyi Why, indeedI' cries Rhoda,
everishly. She releases herself from her
lunt's arms, aud, going to a mirror, starss
It herself s'Yes, I am beautiful" says
The. "That is the strange part of it. am
beautiful, and she-she is little vulgar
hing not fit to-" She makes a superb
gesture.
"You know of her?"
"Nothing. Nothing personally. Her
lame is public property, so is her photo
,raph. The latter was sent to me"
''By whom?"
'Lady Bettyp'