Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-02-16
CHAPTER VIII.

VIZ ~ hNlpU 0Hp0.
1T Will soon be evsr," he sighed
You will cable me as soon As YOU
land, WON'T you Jsapn- ?"
There was just hint OF hesitation
IN the loci she gave him then:
Yes, dean Rowland" she said eth
momen' l lard; but my le tiers, re
me 40 Der, must go to the box "
declared.
They slighted from The cab and
walked sl.nR the uisr through the
hurrYing throng OF cAbmen, drayme n
passengers and people VIII, had c. M
to see their friends OF Reaching
the gang plank, lowered for the &C
commodation OF the saloon passen
ger ., they saw Mrs. Nolan on the up
per deck leaning agar st the railir Q
and trying TO attract their attention
Mrs. GODDARD lsus he'd merrily and
waved the biz OF cambria che held in
her hand.
Let's 60 right up" she said te her
husband. ] want you to see our big
rooms. You will agree with me that il
il better to 90 10 boat hat ia not
quite so fest than tn miss such qrart-
ere as Rave engaged
He complied. fbe attedtion her
beauty and stylish appearance hat at
trac'ed from the bysranders had not
escaped his eye. His heart was beat
ing msdiy as he followed her up tie
gangplsDk to the first de ok In q mo-
ment they were shaking hands with
Mrs. Nolan. God d ARDS handshske was
mere cold Formally. he now hearth
~ dishked his wifs's honey confeder-
ate be despise6 her for being weak
enough TO they JesnDe's criminal or
dsrs; abe had not, he argued, his own
excuse of being blindly in love. As they
stood there he felt as IL they were
three murderers passing before the
world as reputable, well-to-do citizens.
well, let me see your staterooms,"
he said, resignedly.
They are en- this deck, the last
towards the STERN" said Mrs. Goddard,
leading the way. "In fact, there are
no other apartments up here except the
captains, and his quarters are further
forward. We shall be absolutely pri-
vate."
They had now reached a door to
which Mrs. Nolan had the key, and
they unlocked it and went in. 1t was
indeed spacious apartment. In addi-
ton to the wide double bed, the room
contained a soft lounge, a tea table and
china service, and a little sideboard
braced against the wall. Adjoining il
were a bath and a single-berth room.
Here" said Mrs. Goddard, opening
the door of a closet about a ward in
depth, us the gem of modern improve
ments. 1 can hang up my things and
they will keep dry and smooth. Be-
sides, the purser said there were but
two keys to it, and he has promised to
let me have both of them, for security's
sake"
Here they are" said Mrs. Nolan, tim
idly, and she cringed under Goddard's
sudden gaze. "He gave them to me Just
now"
Mrs. Goddard laughed mysteriously.
i told him l had some valuable
things which 1 did not care to keep in
the safe in the office, and he assured me
they would be absolutely safe in my
closet"
The brows of the major ran together
In perplexity.
What is at the bottom of this?" he
said. What sort of valuables do YOU
refer to?"
The woman addressed shrugged her
shapely shoulders.
Your photograph, dear Rowland"
she said. 81 must not let it be stolen.
/ can't deposit such a thing in the
ships safe, you know, and vet I want
1T with me, Of course. But-now re-
member, if there ever is ANYTHING
which you cannot comprehend fully.
think of this closet and it's two KEYS
and the puzzle will be solved
YOU are so strange" he said, try
ing to fall into her mood Just then
one OF the deck hands came in with
Mrs Nolan's steamer trunk and small
er luggage. large willow basket to
which was attached a card bearing
the advertisement of a well-known
deIcatessen establishment riveted the
rowing glance of the major. Noting
his curious stare at it, Mrs. Nolan
moved nearly to the door and stood
looking out at the Gathering machines
which were hosting vast loads of
trunks and boxes from the pier below.
1T is only basket of fruit 1 or
dered Lucy to get for me-" said Mrs.
Goddard, her face suddenly changing.
Il always find that it is difficult to
get just the right kind of fruit one
wants on board, no matter how good
the supply is"
But" said the major, bending down
end removing the cover, ''they must
have made some mistake. This bas-
ket does not contain fruit. There GER
tainly are cans of meats, sardines,
pate de foies gras and rolls of boned
turkey. They have sent you the
wrong basket"
Mrs. Goddard laughed uneasily.
well, I may as well acknowledge
that it Is something to eat. I did
not want you to know that 1 could
have such ravenous appetite after
parting with you; but the truth is,
the sea air keeps me hungry all the
time. / want to eat at night when
1t doesn't look respectable to make
demands on the ships larder.. Now
come out on deck. 1t is stuffy in here
The air will not be stirring till we
get out of the harbor."
Not fully satisfied with her Hurried
explanation, he followed her out on