Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-12-11
CHAPTER XII.
MILDRED SCORES.

:. MILDRED SCORES.
Karines face grew paler than before.
Throwing up her head with proud,
spirited little gesture she walked quick
1y to the door land passed out into the
hall
/ knew that this was to prevent her
friends from entering and finding us to-
gether, as they must otherwise have
done; and there was nothing for me
to do (cowardly as this seemed) but to
obey her, and passively submit to the
carrying out of her scheme.
1t had, indeed, been Sir Walter and
Lady Tressidy and Carson Wfldred
whose voices we had heard.
why did you run away? We have
been looking for you every where, and
wasting so much time!"I heard Lady
TTessidy say fretfully.
Il was very tired of standing" the
girl promptly returned, 'and of wait
ing, too"-with certain lmperiousness
in her tone. Il wandered away to fill
up the time till Mr.. Wildred should
have Strengthened matters in tho dining
ROOM
She had contrived to satisfy their
curiosity without telling an actual
falsehood, of which l knew instructive
ly she would greatly dislike making
herself guilty. E
1t did not seem to occur to them to
enter the drawing room where she had
left me; and when was sure that they
had passed out of sight and hearing
came forth from the ignominous hiding
place to which her command had con-
denned me.
In the exalted g,ood which had pos
ssessfuu 0fne the thought of dinner
would bave been abhorrert. For the
rest of the evening l kept my roou,
meditating many things and becoming
more and more DESTROYS OF learning
Carson Wildreds secret, il secret in
deed he had.
At all events, still had six weeks in
which to work with The hope ever be-
fore me of saving karlne Cunningham
from the man whom, By her OWE con
fession, she did not love.
Strange and desperate expedients
passed in review before me. How was
/ to accomplish my opien.2 The man
had denied ever having met me in OLD
him that | fancied previous acquaint-
ance had somewhere existed; and if
We're to learn anything satisfactory in
regard to his antecedents l felt that it
must be from others.
He had made a name in certain set
in London, there was no doubt of that;
and l set myself to find out, step by
step, how he had contrived to do it
what was the actual foundation for the
reports of his wealth, his "smartness,"
his influence on many sides.
On the following day, Monday, l went
to my old club, the Wayfarers, which
had not yet troubled with my pres
ence, and picked out man named
Driscoll who made business of know
ing everybody and everything. Begin
ming with some conventional talk
about the changes in England in gen.
eral, and London in particular, since
had seen it last, l managed to men
lion Carson MILDRED without appear
Ing to have dragged his name into the
conversation for any particular pur-
pose of my own.
1t sprang from some talk about a
British Christmas, and made as hum
Drous story as | could about my hav-
Ing gone down to the House by the
Lock, only to miss my friend and my
dinner after all.
MILDRED can entertain royalty if he
chooses, said Driscoll. 1--WE been to
dinners he gave at the Savoy, and
Princes, and Willis's Rooms, don't you
know, something really quite original,
with flowers alone which must have
cost fortune. People come to his en-
tertainments, too-he can get anybody
he likes-from the duchesses down to
the music-hall favorites, even if he
likes to get up conventional river
party, with a spread down at that queer
place of his you speak of-the House
by the Lock-"
1T is a queer place, indeed"
echoed. Il wonder how he came by
it,.
"Oh, if the stories are true. in way
as peculiar as the place itself, there
fore appropriate. Il was owned, I
know for matter of fact, by an Ital-
Ian whose father was exiled, and came
over here to live after '48; chap by the
name of Di Tortorelli, belonging to a
good family, and all that-had the en-
tree everywhere. The son, nice fell
low except that he was weak, loved
nothing so well as baccarat Somehow