Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-05-14
she did not wish to hear more.

ter if you went to your own room and
Martin can go with you TO show you
the way. Go, Martin; go with Miss
Despard to her bedroom"
This is nonsense, said Madeline,
with energy. How dare you speak to
me so? | shall have more to say about
it tomorrow, when I can speak to you
Constance's haunting laugh followed
her down the corridor.
II, too, shall have more to say to-
morrow" she called out, but Madeline
did not look back. She heard behind
her the stealthy footsteps of Martin,
following at a little distance by her
mistress orders, but she did not con-
descend to take any notice. She gained
her own room, where the first thing she
saw was the dark waterproof cloak ~
ing on the floor just inside her door.
How had it come there? It's appear
ance, as well as Constances demeanor.
seemed to point to the likelihood that
somebody else inside the house was in
league with Rene de Marsac; and vet
this seemed an improbable solution OF
the mystery. Besides. after all, she
was certain that it was Constance who
first met him at the door and led him
into the house
There was little sleep for her that
night. She felt herself involved in a
web of intrigue-of secret plotting and
mystery, which seemed to her as dan
gerous as it was disgraceful. What
was Constance doing? What was the
meaning of her most extraordinary
action? She could not surely be as
guilty as she seemed. For if she had
quilted the house, even for few min
utes, enveloped in that long dark
waterproof, why did she pretend that
she had been aroused by noises in the
house and call her maid to her help?
1t was a piece of artfulness of which
Madeline could not believe her capable
She went down rather late to break
fast, thereby mourning Lady Eslers
, heaviest frown, but Constance was later
still and Lady Esler welcomed her
graciously. Miss Esler looked pale and
! heavy-eyed and on being questioned de-
clared that she had not slept we'll
she had been nervous-she had thought
she heard noises in the house-she
would tell her aunt everything by and
/ by. Then she looked straight at Made
be war to the knife.
After breakfast, Constance took Lady
Esler by the arm, with the touch of
affectionate familiarity which the old
lady allowed from no one but herself,
and drew her out upon the terrace,
which ran in front of the windows.
Madeline could not help watching; she
felt instinctively that Constance was
talking about her and was detailing
the experiences of the previous night.
She felt very uncomfortable about it,
especially as she hardly knew how to
defend herself from the charge of peep
ing and prying. If only Constance
would have been reasonable and let
Madeline speak to her alone.
Lance, who was still staying in the
house, tried to draw her into conversa-
ton and was surprised to find her so
absent and inattentive. "Why. Made
line" he said, in her ear-for one or
two persons were in the room and he
could not very we'll speak aloud
''you look as though you had something
On your mind"
$50 | have" she said, turning to him
with a quick, impulsive gesture, but
smiling at the same time, as if to turn
the statement into a pleasantly.
"Tell me what it is"
mot just now" And her eyes wan
dered off to Constance and Lady Esler,
who had at this moment turned toward
the house
cit concerns them?" he said, indicat-
| ing the pair with eyes and head.
"Partly-a little" she answered, with
an embarra ssment which took him by
surprise.
/ Some one else claimed his attention
at this moment and he said nothing
more. But in a very short time the
butler came into the room, with a
rather scared, dazed expression of
countenance and addressed himself to
Madeline
'My lady wishes to see you in her
dressing-room, ma'am" he said.
With a strange sinking of heart
Madeline rose to obey the summons.
Lancelot noted her white cheeks as she
! left the room and wondered uneasily
whether anything had gone wrong.
Us anything the matter, Greaver?"
he asked the butler, with a freedom
which came of his long intimacy with
the family; but in an undertone, so
that other persons in the room should
not hear.
I'm afraid there is, sir. There's
something missing upstairs-my lady's
/ jewels
"Eh, a burglary?''
Il think so, sir; but please do not say
anything about it at present. Her lady
ship is to make some private inquiries,
sir; we trust that the jewels may be
+ discovered."
Perhaps they are only mislaid.'
My lady never mislays anything,
sir said Greaver, in a Quavering voice
of offended dignity; and Lancelot al
lowed him to retire, as no more in
I formation could evidently be extracted
from him.
Meanwhile Madeline had gone, rather
nervously, to Lady EsIer's dressing
room. Here she saw at once there
were signs of a storm. Lady Esler was
purple with Indignation: Constance was