Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-27

name is Gregory, Gregory Moorsome
Decastro. Oh, dear met What have l
done now?'
For Miss Carroll swayed, turned half
round and fell to her knees, gasping
Hin! My husbandm
Mrs. Tivvers, groaning, "Oh. dear me!
What have | done?" hastily got out Of
the room.
I suppose everyone there heard what
Miss Carroll said, although she really
did not speak above a whisper. Every
one saw her turn and fall, for Mrs
Tivvers' exhibition had quickly become
the centre of all attention. Instead of a
general stir and hustle, an awed silence
followed the first faint, involuntary
murmur that had escaped us. Miss Car
rolls strange exclamation seemed to
stupefy us, Mrs. Alfred alone showed
presence Of mind. She knelt by her
friend, gathered her in her arms, and
lifted her. The sudden cry the physical
collapse that accompanied it, and the re-
covery all occupied less than half-a-
minutes time We the other guests,
could hardly have begun to wonder
whether we ought not, in some less pre-
cipitate manner, to follow poor Mrs.
Tivvers example, when Mrs Alfred,
with her arm twined about the girls
waist, faced us
"Madge, she said aloud and distinctly,
you must let me explain for you"
Then, without waiting for express per-
mission, she went on, Miss Carroll
made an unhappy marriage three years
ago--on east where we were at coll
lege. The law set her free and gave her
the right to bear her maiden name She
has as much right to be called Miss
Carroll as I have to be called Mrs. AL
| fred LandOn."
Somehow, during the excitement, Eu-
gene Landon had got to my elbow. I'm
! til then | had not seen him in the room
He nudged me and whispered, You
know Barker, she can't see them unless
| they're dead, can she?"
81 don't understand it," was all ]
! could answer.
! l understood nothing, Nobody there
seemed to understand anything. Mrs
| Alfred spoke in a low voice to hei
| mother-in-law, and madame seemed not
| to hear. OF course people began tC
| look for their hats and wraps, muttering
that it was all very wonderful Thai
was a safe thing to say; there was moi
the slightest difference of opinion about
! it.
But I was not allowed to get my hal
and overcoat. Eugene insisted upon Civ
ing me his views about astral shells.
Gwen if this woman has this hor.
rible power" he said, 81 don't see how
an astral shell can come off of mar
while he's alive. Do you?"
81 don't know, old fellow. It's all be
yond me" l answered trying to ge
away
But see here. This is a very seriou.
business, Barker. You see, my mother
has old-world notions about divorce anC
all that. Now, say, do you think SHIT
would have been so much affected If sh,
hadn't known the man was dead? Sh,
can't care anything for him. He behaved
like brute"
What could i say? 1t would have beel
unfriendly to run away as if Mrs. Tiv
vers had discovered smallpox in thu
house.
| So | was constrained TO attend a secre
council in the library upstairs. Madam
was not present; she was ministering t
the victim of nervous shock. Beyond
what | had already guessed, l was en-
lightened, if at all, only by Alfred's yer,
emphatic discourse upon his mother:
French bourgeoise prejudices. Madame:
attention had been carefully kept away
from the condition of affairs as between
her younger son and the masked di
vorcee. Eugene, it now appeared, had
only that morning learned of the most
! significant episode in Miss Carroll's his
tory. Mrs Alfred had had no idea OF
the strength and comprehensivenes OF
her mother-in-law's feelings in regard tC
| American divorces. Clearly, it was not
vet nearly time to think about reconcil-
| ing Eugenes mother to Miss Carroll as
a prospective daughter-in-law; the inn
medite and urgent problem was to re-
lieve the embarrassed situation of the