The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-28
CHAPTER 1.

lien millions Of posters and billions of ad-
vsrtisements. had brought fortune II not
,ame to the father of Charles. In due time
che father had died. and the Chest Pro-
,sctor had been turned into a limited COM
nanv. and Charles Vishnager bought him
sslf a lordly pleasure house with some
shooting at Rockport. He was a master OF
arts Of oxford. a justice of the peace, a
member Of the Carlton and a prospective
member OF Parliament for Rockport. He
was an excellent young man, wealthy,
good looking. a grave politician and yet
GOOD company. a thorough sportsman and
man of some reading and considerable
taste He was popular, and the only man
who spoke Of 'Hartley's Chest Protector
IN connection with Charles Cor, to speak
more accurately, Charles ErnesO was
Charles Ernest Vishnager himself.
Al the moment at which this story opens
vIsbnager had been for no less than four
months i'm love with Mrs. Denison. Mrs.
Denison was aged twenty. and had already
haen a widow for a year. She no longer
wore mourning, and let 1t be generally un-
derstood that Denison had disliked the
~practice. She and her soft wooden mother,
Mrs. Carew. were 10 stop with Lady Hars-
ton. at Arbrow. about twenty miles from
pockport. until the end Of November. Then
Mr.. Carew and her daughter were to go to
RockpOrt where Vishnager would be their
host and his sister their hostess until after
Christmas.
Rut on the 18th Of November Vishnager,
IN spite of the assurance of the almanac
that November has only thirty days, felt
he still had too long 10 wait. So he told
his sister that it would be a civil thing to
,rn over and see old Lady Harston. He
49,. 90. $3.50
hack in the afternoon.
Ellen vishnager. his sister. aged thirty
five. neither plain nor beautiful, unmarried
and Of a jealous temperament, asked him
rot to be obvious. She was naturally a
EftIe sore about the fact that when Charles
married Mrs. Denison-and the marriage
seemed a certainty-she herself would no
longer be the hostess at Rockport. Also
she was quite fond enough of her brother
10 resent his coming under any other FEM
trjne influence. She knew he must marry
some day, and would have considered any
thing else unreasonable; but when the day
grew near she disliked it. And the day was
drawing near now. Besides. she had a con-
tempt for masculine strategy. Why on
earth could he not nave said, IT am going
over 10 see Mrs. Denison because l cannot
wait for her arrival here within a week"
mat WdS WHY SAC SdA0 JAZZ DNNS
that he was not to be obvious. He answered
handy that he did not know what she
meant. Then he drove to the station and
took a convenient train, and walked from
the other station up to Arbrow.
There the men were all out shooting ex-
cept the brilliant Richard Wilkins, and the
women were glad tc see Wish
mayer. Wilkins was less pleased. He was
the kind of star that wants a armament to
itself, and when he said bright things to
Vishnager Vishnager always replied that ne
did not understand him. This was not en-
urely true and 1t made wilkins angry.
After luncheon the two men were COM
PEELED to sit together for the space of a
cigarette. Richard Wilkins wore a dark
blue suit with peculiar buttons. a soft black
tie OF the same shape and almost the same
size as a woman's sash. patent leather shoes
with pointed toes and socks with adorn-
mats upon them. Also, his hair was rather
lovely. Charles Ernest Vishnager wore
brown boots and q noisy tweed suit and a
red tie with a horseshoe pin in 1t, and his
hair was Of the same length as the fleece
of a tooth brush. He was clean shaven and
could afford to be; also, he was eighteen
inches taller than Wilkins. 1t was good or
Vishnager TO ask Wilkin what his next
book was to be. for Vishnager liked the
work of Wilkins SO little that he was not
even interested In 1t. But 1t was wrong of
him when Wilkins described the book at
some length TO 90 of into a doze and wake
with a start because he had dropped his
cigarette. Wilkins went into hts OF forced
laughter over the incident-the kind OF
laughter that has absolutely nothing De-
hind it. Vishnager apologiZed in about
three words and went straight to Mrs. Deni-
son. To her he said that by all accounts
Wilkins was a clever young chap. and she
replied that in her opinion Mr.. Wilkins was
an ape.
Vishnager thought that Eva Denison
looked tired She did, and she explained II.
The fact was that she had done a fooish
thing. She had allowed her vanity TO get
the better OF her common sense-she said as
much. She had taken her diamond from
the safe custody Of the bank and was cart
ing them about the country. Consequently
she Fever had a moments peace. Had he
read OF the theft OF the duchess's diamonds
from the train the other day?
YES" said Vishnager, Il saw it, and she
was careless with them. She left them in
the charge of a maid, who must have been
rather a Eighty person. and the maid let
them go out of her hands for a minute. A
minutes always enough, you know
Know? OF course, 1 know; 1 never
think Of anything else!'
Well. then, don't let your diamonds go
out OF your own hands. Better still, nave
them kept in the safe. except when you
are wearing them. There must be a safe OF
q sort somewhere here"
There IS an normou safe, but then tney
keep he ordinary servants silver in IT, and
consequently, the butler has a Key. VI
course. he is the usually old and faithtul
person, and Lady Harston would trust him
with untold gold. and all the rest OF II, but
! don't feel that know him well enough TO
give him my poor little diamonds"
The diamonds. by the way. had cost 9zO'-
Go. as Vishnager very we'll knew.
Its quite true" she continued, that ]
hardly ever get any sleep at night. Every
five minutes 1 seem TO wake and hear a step
Once the wind blew rather roughly against
my window. and i thought it was a man try
Ing 70 get in. I'm wretched. i wanted &c
wear the diamonds at your dance at Christ
mas, and l wish 1 had left them at the banb
now"
Look here" said Vishnager, you cam
60 on Ike this. You don't want TO veal
FhN - hill -, 80 have Gf