The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-07-06
MOTH AND CANDLE
By G.. Manville Fewn.

@.<:sx. (: OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
"Iol are going away on some serious
business" said my wife as | entered
hurriedly. And l am to put your things
ready in the portmanteau ut once"
Eyes. and your own too"
"Oh," she cried joyously as she sprang
to my arms, I'm to go too? But what
is the case. dearT" she asked.
"Scouudrel who has been defraudng
quiet country clergymen and maiden Ia
dies; getting them to invest in a bogus
bank and running them. He has had a
long innings, and l am put on to bowl
him out"
And you WILL" said my wife proudly.
She hustled away, and / had my think
before We started with fair amount of
luggage, and when tipped the guard of
the night mail he smiled, nodded con-
tidentially and whispered as he locked
the door of the compartments:
Not many passengers tonight, sir.
You and your good lady can have the
compartment to yourselves
l had wired on to Wcnton, so that
there was some one up at the hotel when
we reached the sleepy little town at
in the morning. Here we had rest,
rose again ut 10, breakfnsted. and at
midday we were we'll in the middle of
the lake district, for my instructions were
that the scheming gentleman | was to
entrap was strongly suspected Of having
gone there.
Lacking for the needle in the proven
bial bale of hay, Oily" l said, shut
chance helps one sometimes, and if we
don't catch him
oh, look at that lovely lake. DEAR"
she cried. pointing out OF the coffee room
window at the glancing water and the
steep blue fells beyond. You will have
to work, of course. But isn't it nicer to
work in beautiful place like this?'
Better and better, Mrs. Honeymoon"
whispered. Excellent. Oh. this is
perfect said, FOR she looked confused
and blushed. Talk about acting"'
Il am not acting, dear. It's quite
natural, and do. pray. so ON with your
lunch; that dark gentleman and his wife
are watching U.S.
"IIow do you know it is his wife?" /
said, without turning my head, for ! had
noted the occupants of the room ut each
table as we entered.
Because she is not dark, as he Is,
and she has GU quite thick new we'd
ding ring"
Good girl" / said. "You are grow
ing wonderfully observant."
''Oh, nonsense. But are we going to
stay at hotels all the time We are down
here?"
Most likely" said, and went on
with my lunch and my thinkings the
while, for there was no one in the ho-
tel, as far aS ! could nee. ut all answer
tt,fr tl,n1 nft knI
and there was no one who could by any
possibility be made up or disguised.
We had a row on the lake that after
noon, had o'clock tea at another hotel.
returned to our own dinner. and in the
evening l only just looked in Mt the bill
lard room before having one cigar in the
smoking room, where our dark neishbor
was taking an utter dinner nap.
We spent the next day there, for felt
that ! could no no more than dawdle
about the district. trusting greatly to
chance. And it would have been very
pleasant if we had had nothing to do
and no anxious thoughts. But OF these
/ had plenty.
Then We took our seats by the coach
and had couple of days at High Wa
ter and two more ut Glassmere. besides
INDUCING in excursions. Still no luck.
Several people we had met at our first
hotel were doing precisely the same as
we were, so that we made acquaintance
after the British ice had thawrd n little,
the elder tourists treating us benevolent
ly, the younger being disposed to smile.
for Oily was thoroughly enjoying her
trip, and her hammers wrrts-weli. no
matter. Lot it suffice that they were
perfectly natural, and people were par
ticularly nice to her.
But every one was not nice. md il was
my wife who opened my eyes to the fact.
1t was at Wharfmcre. where ] had
some thought of being on the right scent
at last. an invalid staying in the hotel
who put me on the qui vivc nj once. for
he was so like my man would be il he
had closely shaved and had his hair
cropped very short. He was in the cof-
fec room at dinner, and I was feeling so
comfortably convinced that ! was 'get-
ting warmer that | had ordered pint
OF champagne to clear my head when
some one arrived late. and my wife bent
over her plate as the new arrivals were
shown to a table at the other end of the
room.
"Those nasty people again. dear" she
said. Il did hope we had left them be-
hind for good"
THAT niggcr?" said coolly. "Yes.
was right. | thought he was following
us about"
"You noticed it, dear?"
"Ycs: dark moth fiuttering about the
candle. and his wife doesn't like it,
"Oh! You sec everything. dear"
''Wish could" replied. But | be-
lieve-don't make any sisa-my mans In
the room"
ON" she whispered.
"Ycs, I'm sure of it."
"And shall you take him tonight? 2"
''No: I'll leave it till morning. Have
you any ice, waitcr?' | said aloud and
soon after was slipping my wine softly
and feeling very much at ease. but only
to be dampened when my man rose from
table and left the room.
whats the matter. dcar?" said my
wife. who could always read my impas-
sive CONFERENCE.-The | thought it.
"N0 CO." ! said. I'm all wrong. That
Is not my man."
was so Disguised that we left the
Wharfmrrc hotel next, day and were
driven Ia Kites Head. hut still no luck.
AMI ! felt sn hopeless that the next day
we went to our very comfortable quar-
ters at Lakes Head. by tho falls. Here
visitors were more plentiful. and my
hopes rose again, fell again and by the
second evening were stationary. just
before dinner, as ! expected, our West
Indian friend and his lady arrived, and
my wife looked daggers,
"Oh, that man." she said. "He is fol-
lowing lis about shamcfully. What shall
We do?"
Nothing" said. "I.et him follow"
"But his wife seems to hate me, dear,
and it makes it SO unpleasant"
LET the idiot hate her husband. 1t
would be more sensible"
That evening, for the first time, our
dark friend offered ME n cigar in the
smoking room.
"one of my own" he said; "from my
estate in Cuba"
Indeed" l said. And smoked and
praised it.
"You find it too strong? he said.
"Oh, no! I think it exquisite"
He smiled, showed his teeth and lay
back in his chair, to begin trimming his
nails, chatting to me the while about his
estate and the beauty Of Havana till
bedtime, trying hard to ingratiate him
self and saying how charmed he was to
meet us again.
When ] went to bed that night, it
seemed to me that had smoked cigar
which did me good, and the pext morn
ing at breakfast l noted that my new
friend came down, according to his GUS
tom. about ten minutes later than his
wife. had observed it before.
After breakfast lit n cigarette, STROLL
ed out OF the hotel and into the chem
lists shop In the high street, where ! re-
filled my cigar and cigarette cases and
made another purchase or two.
That night after dinner | went up to
our bedroom while my wife was in the
drn wing room and then invnstirnfad the