The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10

back. 1t was at oxford - Harvey-my
husband-formed his fritTship for wy
vern Maunder. Wyvern Is a mice boy
a dear fellow" and a good chap. ~
cording to peoples age and point of vi.s
If he is a trihe better looking than re
average. he has neither any .crt - nose.
nor any views" nor, indeed. a..glurf Z
likely to irrtate his fellow-men -. is
consequently popular, particular 9Th
women; and they probably know how
enormously popular they are with him. It
Is not the sort OF thing a man AXE wy
vern would conceal from them In fact.
he is strangely susceptible, and l have
never met him yet when he was not more
or less desperately in love. Theoretically.
he is what | believe used TO be called a
pessimist, and never sees the slightest
giinmer of silver lining without prompt
-iy calling attention to the lowering cloud
But this does not in the least interfere
with his spirits, which are quite abnor,
mally high. Our friendship has ALWAYS
consisted chiefly in our confiding In each
other enthusiastically on matters of no
Importance whatsoever and giving to
each other simultaneously excellent adj
vice, TO which neither even pretended to
listen talked to him about everything
under the sun. His own subject never
varied.
however. after a time l listened less
eagerly TO the comfortable SORROWS of the
sentimentaiist But he still continued to
write TO me with some frequency, assum-
ing his condolences to be no less inter
esting than before 1t would, however.
be most unfair to accuse him in this mat
ter of indiscretion. Wyvern Maunder's
epistolary communications were liable to
remain as profound a secret from his
correspondent from the rest of the
world. Clear and ineligible in conversa-
ton, on paper he became a dark. I'M
fathomable mystery. AS matter of fact,
no one had as yet been discovered who
could read a single word of his hand
writing.
one day received letter from him,
written apparently, as usual in bad
Arabic. with the handle rather than the
point of the pen. From the shape of the
letter thought it did not seem to require
an answer, and 1 had grown accustomed
to judging by appearances in these mat
tiers. ]. therefore, tool, no notice of it.
although it looked a little blacker, the
words were larger. ard yet closer togeth-
err, and altogether It seemed more inter
esting than usual But our friendship
was growing fainter Besides. | was go
ins to Tunbridge Wells for Easter by an
early train with little Gladys Harvey
was to join me the next day. and also
l had something on my mind that made
me rather absent at the time.
Harvey had risen late. and went to
say good-by to him, not at all liking to
leave him even for a day Then. as 1
in the dining room, L found the letter in
my pocket; so l nut 1t on his plate, think
ing it might amuse him to try TO deciph-
er odd ''yvern's scrawl," and went off
with Gladly and her governess to Tun-
bridge Wells. 1 was thoughtful
In the autumn / had seen a paluist
known as the Wonderful Mrs Hopkinson,
who assured me with absolute certainty
of the mistake that a man with the mi
tials a. II. would come into my life" and
in the early spring would save me
from a terrible danger For a time L
was skepticaL Yet, as I met in steady
succession Anthony Hope, Arthur Hum
freys, Andre Helioffalovich. Lord Alfred
Haverley and Algy Hazler, and when
neither of them appeared to show any de-
sire to come into my life, / felt disap-
pointed. The only one who certainly did
take little trouble at one time was Algy
Hazler. and l am bound to say that if
one had to be saved from a danger Algy
Hazler would have been the person L
should have chosen to do it
But after meeting him and discovering
his good qualities-and his initials-at a
dinner party, after seeing him accidental
ly at the theatre and on purpose in the
park. he confided in me that he was ''pri-
vately engaged to dear girl down in
HertfOrdShire
Privately engaged, indeed People with
the appearance of MIR. Algernon Hazler
ought to have the decency to be publicly
engaged, and they ought to wear notice
to that effect Not that it mattered: what
in heavens name had it to do with me.
However, IL was spring; there apparel to
be no dangers about, and that absurd AL
gy q never liked him, really had gone to
spend Easter down in Hertfordshire D."
Gladys. Miss Mills and l wandered about
the common, bought for each other paper
knives of curious Tunbridge ware, and
Gladys presented us each with shell PIN
demanding first the money to pay
for these useful gifts.
The next morning | received telegram,
of which this is an accurate copy:
ITO Mrs. Wentworth, Tiles Hotel
Mount Sebastian. Tunbridge Wells.-All
Never return to my roof. Am
communicating solely through solicitor.
HARVEY BASSETT WENTWORTH"
Naturally l felt horribly upset and be-
a notion of what it could mean. The more
L read 1t aloud to Miss Mills. and the
more she read it aloud TO me, the less we
both understood it. In the shadow of
the Toad Rock | took the resolution to
ask Harvey what was the matter. |
went indoors, when another telegram
was given to me at the hotel. 1t ran
thus:
meet you station. Bring Gladys and
Mills. Hope arrange all right. but must
tell us everything. Love from Violet
CHARLEY"
than the last. The only obvious thing
was that we must leave the Tiles Hotel
at once.
Our journey from Tunbridge Wells to
CHASTITY blank In my memory. | believe
that even Miss Mills-and certainlv-
GLADYS, who is five-would. if she had
been informed of it all, have doubted my
utter ignorance of the trouble
Charley and Violet my greatest friends
are delightful young married couple
Nhdrley-well. / think that ought to be
enough; Everyone knows what a Char
icing still fonder of sport of all kinds
nan most Charleys particularly for
shooting with an airgun at CATS.
Harley.
=, rBeatrice. get up here Miss Mills and
iladys can go in the carriage" and in /
y, ,wo minutes | was being whirled along |
IN a nigh doGcari side by side with /
harley. who at once began
Wen, you've been making a nice mess !
Charley" implored. what is it all |
lbout?"
"Oh, Beatrice. hang it, he answered in
| tone of despair. do shut up that sort !
If thing, or | can't be the least use. Vio-
ct and Il stick to you, if youth tell us |
But | don't know anything
YOU'RE enough to irritate a saint Lis
en-. Harvey came 10 Blacks to see me
n an aDualling state and can ioII,- vi