The times., 1901-05-19

| il is not far from here. / should like
a talk with you and to hear the news
And / will give you dish of tea. Why
| l left Lynn in disgrace-did ] not? Oh
account of the grand jury of MiddleseX
Il was that evening when Lord Flying
dale turned upon his enemies.
| Her house was not very far from st
! James Street As we walked along Sht
| discourscd pleasantly in her soft and
charming manner if she was made
4 happy just by meeting me and If she
had always been thinking about me.
She placed me in chair before the fire
She sat opposite. She rang the bell and
called for tea. linen she began to talk
about Lynn and its people.
Tell me, Jack, about your friend Molly
| Is she TecOnCiled to her rank and tite
YETI ] believe that she does not live with
! her husband"
she denies that she was married.
"Ah! / have heard, in fact that there
is some sort Of a story-a cock and bull
I Stofy-abOut the wedding.
Another woman was substituted. Mol
| lE NaS at home.
Another woman? Strange! Why was
| she substituted? Who was she?'
| Il know not. The matter is mystery.
Certain it is, however. that Lord tyling-
dale was married. | myself saw the we'd
ding. | was in the church"
You were in the church?" She raised
her fan for a moment. You were in the
church? And you saw the wedding? Who
was the bride?
= do not know. AT the time I thought
| it was Molly"
n.
! full i'll the face, have you no suspicion
| None l cannot understand how ali in
| a moment when he found that Molly was
| not there the bridegroom found means TO
1 substitute another woman dressed as Mol
Il IL should have been | cannot understand
1t is as you say, strange. Do you think
you will ever find out?''
Why not? There are three persons in
! the plot-L.ord Fylingdale Mr. Purden
and the woman. One of the two last will
. H.. fr-Tuf1 u
She was silent for a moment.
We'll and what are you doing in
! town."
4 came to learn, if I can. something of
Lord FylinGdales private life
| Have you succeededg
He is a gambler and a rake. He is
rapidly wasting the whole of poor Molly.s
| fortune. In a few months or weeks it
yes" she replied IAN will be gone
First he took the money and the jew
Swhat?" She sat up suddenly. He
..ae took them first Then he sold the
| lands"
oh. tell me no more! He is wasting
| and destroying. IT is his nature. First he
! took the jewels How long ago?'
Six months ago.
! had them for six months?' Her face be
/ came hard and drawn as with pain Her
| smiling mouth became hard. The light
!
! " twenty years older. L wondered What
/ this change might mean. You will think
! ! was very simple person not to guess
more from all these indications. she
pushed back her chair and sprang to her
/ feet She walked over to the window ana
! looked out upon the cold street, in which
/ there were flying fakes of snow. Then
she came back and stood before the IRE.
You can go she said harshly, not look
! ing me in the face. You can go, she
! repeated. forgetting her prOffered hoSpi-
al of taa ha
| you may find her yet. Many wicked
woman has been goaded by wrongs intol-
erable to confess her wickedness. l think
you may find her. 1t VIII be too late 10
save Mollys fortune. But when 1t is all
spent there viii be a chance for you,
Jack She turned upon me wan and
sad smile. Happy Molly she added.
laying her hand upon my arm with the
sweet graciousness that she could COM
mand Jack" she added, Il think we
may pity that poor wretch who personal
ed Molly 1t was perhaps out of love for
worthless man. Women are so. 1t is
not worth or virtue or ability or charac-
ter that awakens love and keeps II alive
A woman. Jack. loves man. There IS
nothing more to be said. II he is good
man. so much the better; if not, still she
loves him" She sighed heavily. What
do you sailors know about women? Nir-
tue fame and fortune do not make love,
nor, Jack, which is a hard thing for you
to believe. does all the wickedness in the
world destroy love. a woman may be
goaded into revenge. but it makes her
all the more unhappy because love re-
mains"
who sometimes seemed so true and ear
nest with all her fashion and afectattons,
for as she spoke about love the tears
stood in her eyes as if she was speaking
of her own case. But l never suspected
her | never had the least suspicion Of
her as the mysterious woman
l took oars into the city and went 70
my cousins shop, where there were half
n
new books among them my friend who
had taken me to the gaming house and
to the tavern. When he saw me, he Slip
ped aside. Mr.. Pentecrosse," he said,
your cousin reminds me that ] once told
him what / could learn concerning an IN
fortunate poet named Semple- II you
would like to see him, l think l can take
1 thanked him and said that would
willingly have speech OF Mr.. Semple.
So ne led me down Little Britain and
so by maze of streets to a place called
Turna gain lane. He stopped al an open
door. The street in the waning light look
ed squalid and the houses mean.
THE darling Of Parnassus,' he said,
lies in the top chamber You win find
hiEa there unless / mistake not, because
he cannot conveniently go abroad.
So saying he left me, and / climbed up
the dark and dirty staircase, some OF the
steps of which had been taken away for
firewood, and presently found myself at
the top of the last fight before closed
door. knocked. a faint voice Dade me
come in.
There was no fire in the fireplace: there
was no candle. BY the faint light which
struggled through the window 1 perceiv-
led that i was in a garret; that all the
furniture visible was bed and man in
the bed, a table and chair. On the
mantelshelf stood a candlestick without
a candle and tinder box.
who is it?" asked the man in the bed
Il am in search of Sam Semple. Are
you Sam Semple2'
Il know that voice" The man sat up.
rs it the voice Of Jack Pentecrosse?'
The same. What cheer MANI
For all answer he burst out crying like
a child.
''Oh, Jack" he said, Il am starving. I
made up my mind to starve. / have no
longer any clothes. | have not even a
candle. ! have no money. l have not
even sheet Of paper TO write a letter
and ! deserve it all-ycs. l deserve il all
why, this Is bad. But let me first get
you some food. Then we VIII talk"
! went down stairs and found & woman
who told me of a shop where / could get
some necessaries, and / presently returned
bearing food and a bottle Of wine some
Goals and candles and q warm cont which
l thought would be useful.
BY the light of the candle and the fire
! could perceive that the condition of the
unhappy poet was miserable indeed Nev-
EaTret. The plaster had fallen from the
walls, the window was mostly stuffed
with rage in place Of glass-in a word
everything betokened the greatest extreu1-
ity of poverty. AS for the man himself |
he had neither coat waistcoat nor shoes
He sat the bed half dressed. but the
rest Of his wardrobe had been pawned or
sold. There were no books. there were no
papers, there was nothing to show his
calling. ana there was no sign Of food