Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-03-20
CHATTER XVII.

Having read Mrs. Linley's answer, Mr..
Sarrazin looked out OF the breakfast-room
window, and saw that the fog had reached
the cottage. Before Mrs. Presty could make
any remark on the change in the weather,
he surprised her by an extraordinary ques-
ton.
lis there an upper room here, ma'am,
which has a view OF the road before your
front gate?"
~ es."
And can | go into ii without disturbing
anybody
Mrs. Presty said, Certainly y with an up
lifting OF her eyebrows which expressed as
tonlshment not mnmixed with suspicion.
"Do you want to 90 up nowT' she added, ''or
will you wait Till you have had your break
fast?'
Il want 10 40 up, ii you please, before the
fog thickens. Oh, Mrs. Presty, / am ashamed
to trouble you! Let the servant show me
the room"
No. For the first time in her life Mrs.
Presty insisted on doing servants duty. IL
she had been crippled in both legs her curl.
Osity would have helped her 10 get up the
stairs on her hands. There she said.
opening the door Of the upper room and
placing herself exactly in the middle OF 1t so
that she could see all round her: ''Will that
do for your
MI. SarraZin went 10 the window, hid him
self behind the curtain, and cautiously peep
ed out. In half Il minute he turned his back
on the misty view of the road and said to
himself: just what | expected"
Other women might have asked what this
mysterious proceeding meant, Mrs. Presty's
sense of her own dignity adopted a system
of independent discovery. To Mr.. Sarrazin's
amusement, she initiated him 10 his face.
Advancing 10 the window, she, too, hid her
self behind the curtain, and she, too. peeped
out. Still following her model. she next
turned her back on the view-and then she
became herself again. Now we have both
looked out of the window she said 10 the
lawyer, in her wi inimitably impudeDt way,
suppose we compare our impressions"
This was easily done. They had both seen
the same two men, walking backward and
forward opposite the front gate of the cot
tage. Before the advancing fog made it i'm.
possible to identify him, Mr.. Sarrazin had
recognized, In one of the men, his agreeable
fellow-trayeler on the journey from London.
The other mana straDger-was In all prob
ability all assistant spy obtained In the
neighborhood. This discovery suggested
serious embarrassment In the future. Mrs.
Presty asked what was to be done next. Mr..
Sarrazin answered: LET us nave our break
fast
In another quarter of an hour they were
both In Mrs. Linley's room.
Her agitated manner, her Redeemed eyes,
showed that she was still suffering under the
emotions OF the past night. The moment the
lawyer showed himself she crossed the room
with hurried steps and took both his hands
in her trembling grasp. You are a good
man, you are a kind man." she said to him
wildly; you have my truest respect and re-
gard. Tell me, are you really-reaily-reaL
~ sure that the one way In which | can keep
my child with me is the way you mentioned
last night.r'
Mr.. Sarrazin led her gently back to her
chair.
The sad change in her startled and dis.
tressed him. Sincerely, solemnly even, he
declared that the one alternative before her
was the alternative that he had mentioned.
He entreated her to control herself. 1t was
useless; she still held him as il she was hold
Ing &c her last hope.
Listen to mev' she cried. There's some
thing more; there's another chance for me.
| must and will know what you think OF It,"
wait a little. Pray wait a little!'
NO! not a moment. Is there any hope In
appealing to the lawyer whom Mr.. Linley
has employed? Let me GO back with you 70
London. will persuade him TO exert his
influence will 60 down on my knees to
him-l will never leave him until l have won
him over to my side-i will take Kitty with
me; he shall see us both, N pity us, and
help us!'
"Hopeless. Quite hopeless, Mrs. Linley."
"Oh, don't say tnatr'
my dear lady, my poor dear lady, l must
say It The mar you are talking of is the
last man In the world to be Influenced as you
suppose. He Is notoriously a lawyer and
nothing but a lawyer. IL You tried to move
him to pity you he would say: Madam, | am
doing my duty to my client; and he would
ring his hell and have you shown out. Yes,
even IL he saw you crushed and crying at his
feet"
Mrs. Presty interfered for the first time.
I'm Your place, Catherine she said, II
would put my foot down on that man and
crush .im. Consent to the divorce and you
may do it,
Mrs.. LinIey lay PROSTATE In her chair. The
excitement which had sustained her thus far
seemed to have sunk with the sinking of her
last hope. Pale, exhausted, yielding to hard
necessity, she looked up when her mother
said: Consent to the divorce" and an
swered: II have consented"
And trust Inc, y Mr.. Sarrazin said fervent
~, Ito see that justice is done, and to pro
fect you In the meanwhile"
Mrs. Presty added her tribute OF consola-
ton.
After all" she asked, "what Is there to
terrify You In the prospect OF q divorce? You
won't hear what people say about it-for we
see no society now. And, as for the news
papers, keep them out of the house"
Mrs. Linley answered with . momentary
revival OF energy.
1T Is not the fear Of exposure that has tort.
ured me-" she said. "Whcn I WA left In
the solitude Of the night my heart turned to
Kitty;t felt that any sacrifice Of myself
might b endured for her sake. It's the re,
membg~ncs Of my marriage. Mr.. Sarrazin.
that Is the terrible trial 10 me. Those whom
God has Joined together lot 10 man put asunr