The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1895-02-07


and l had not seen either"
"Oh, vi, don't be such a humbug
No one know better when he is on
the other side of a brick wall than
you do, and in both these instances
you have ouly got to look through a
pane of glass"
ga truce to co npliments, my dear
Lady Marcia, tell me all you know
and believe you are talking 10 a fool.
About Gritty first. She is my dear
/ am more interested in her
than in myself"
Lady Marcia looked a little dub
ou,, and well she might, for as a
rule the last thing Elvira Delane
could be accused of was want OF
PEI teacity -
&he rad, however, always found
her truthful, so there was no other
conclusion TO arrive al than in this
instance she had been stupid and
unobservant.
"Since you are. so intimate with
Grrtrude," she said, preparing to
ILLUMINATE the apparent darkness,
ait is strange you do not know thai
she is absolutely ~wretched."
"Guod gracious, what has hap
pened? | had better go to her at
once"
"My dear vi, don't be II fool, bur
listen quietly.'
"Well, go on quickly, I feel
intensely excited"
81 don't know that | shall tell you
| am afraid of what you may say to
Gerty, and for goodness sake do let
her live in a FOOLS paradise as long
as she GEN."
"You said just now that she was
~wretched."
"How tiresome you. are. You
should not weigh words with so
much nicely. II she isn't miserable
she ought to be-"
"Oh, that makes a world of diff
In the meantime | believe
she is divinely happy"
"Would you be divinely happy il
your husband loved another woman?n
"That would depend on who my
husband was, and whether | cared
enough about him to enquire who he
loved.n
Suppose, just tor the sake of Civ
ing the subject a certain amount OF
detiniteness, that he were Pierce
Faughan.n
Pierce Vaughan! Why couple
his name with mine? He has always
been devoted to Gerty."
But strive though sho did to con.
ceal her feelings, a slight blush
mantled Elvlra's fair cheek at the
mention of Pierce Vaughan's name.
Lady Marcia saw it and smiled, but
she was too much taken up with the,
to her, somewhat novel idea that he
had always been devoted to Gertyn
to divert her attention by chatting
Elvira.
Lady Marcia was one of those
women who liked to get at the root
of things, and as the information she
was relating about Lady Gertrude's
unhappiness had been obtained from
Pierce Vaughan, she was wondering
whether what he had told her was
really true, or whether a good deal
of spite we're not mixed up with the
revelation.
She would watch and find out for
herself she decided, even while she
was talking tllppantly to E,vira, and
II Lady Marcia SET her mind to find
ing out an! thing she generally sue
ceeded.
Therefore, more than one individ-
ual belonging to the set in which she
moved would need to be on their
guard or circumstances might be
brought to light the like of which
had not scandalized fashionable soci
ETY. tor many a long year.
In the meantime she had reused
Etvira's blush at the mention of
Pierce V~aughaD's name, though she
had for some time past had a notion
that the girl had a sneaking tender
ness for this pleasant but not very
worthy bachelor.
However, amongst the things that
Lady Marcia had not discovered was
Pierce Vauohan's unworthiness; on
the contrary she was a staunch
friend of his, and she regretted very
sincerely his disappointment about
vas HhSiS WIZ, ioi IhouSH ohc Wdo ii
thorough conservative, and thought
that the bulk of the property ought
certainly to go in the male line with
the baronetcy, yet she was of
opinion that Sir Louis ought to have
left Pierce at least double the
amount he had done.
Ten thousand pounds would surely
not have been too much for his fav-
orite nephew.
AS a set-off to this disappointment
Lady Marcia was on match making
intent. Delane, the millionaire
daughter, would surely more than
compensate for the loss of Aboyne
Court. And as each individual here
concerned appeared to have a de-
cided liking for the other, it would
l. 80