The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-31

4 showed me in without ceremony anu IL
| / entered the sitting-room lazy, VIII
was sitting before a Remington type
] writer, sprang up with a pleasant smile
( of welcome. Her face fell however
4 when she saw that / was stranger
and she sat down again and asked me
the object of my visit.
The first impression left by Mrs. Ly'
| ons was one of extreme beauty. Hei
| ewes and hair wer eof 1..e same r1cr
color, and her cheeks. though consldera'
| bIv freckled. were flushed with the ex-
o,lisite bloom Of the brunette. the dam
~ pink which turks at the heart OF the
suInh,,r rose. Admiration was. I re-
neat. the first impression. But 7he
second was criticism. There was some
thing subtly wrong with the face. some
coarseness of expression, some hardness
perhaps of eye. some looseness OF lip
which married its perfect beauty But
these of course, are after thoughts AT
the moment l was simply conscious that
l was in the presence OF a very haho-
some woman and that she was ask
ing me the reasons for my visit Il
had not quite understood until that in
slant h owETAOINETAOINT
slant how delicate my mission was.
Il have the pleasure" said l, or
knowing your father.
1t was a clumsy introduction, and the
lady made me feel it.
There is nothing in common between
nv father and me-" she said I owe
him nothing. and his friends are not
mine If it were not for the late Sir
Charles Baskerville and some other kind
hearts might have starved for all that
my father cared.
1T was about the late Sir Charles
Baskerville that 1 have come here to
see you.
The freckles started out on the lady's
face.
What can I tell you about him. she
asked, and her fingers played nervously
over the stops of her typewriter
You knew him. did you not?"
4 have already said that I owe a
great deal to his kindness. If I am
able to support myself it is largely due
to the interest which he took in my
unhappy situation.
Did YOU correspond with him ?"
The lady looked quickly up with an
angry CLEAN in her halle eyes.
What is the object of these ques-
tions?" she asked. sharply.
The object is to avoid a public scan
dial! 1t is better that l should ask them
here than that the matter should pass
outside our control.
She was silent and her face was still
very pale. At last she looked up with
something reckless and defiant in her
manner
Wei. I'll answer she said. What
are your questions?"
did you correspond with Sir Charles?'
Il certainly wrote to him once or
twice to acknowledge his delicacy and his
generosity"
..Have you the dates Of those letters?"
No.
'I5ave you ever met him?"
Yes once or twice, when he came into
Cocmbe Tracey. He was a, very retiring
man, and he preferred to do good by
stealth"
But If you saw him SO seldom and
wrote so seldom. how did he know enough
about your affairs to be able to help you,
as you say that he has dcne?''
She met my difficulty with the utmost
readiness.
There were several gentlemen who
knew my sad history and united to help
me. One was Mr.. Stapleton, a neighbor
and intimate friend of Sir Charles He
was exceedingly kind. and it was through
him that Sir Charles learned about my
affairs.
7 knew already that Sir Charles Basker-
willie had made Stapleton his almoner
Upon several occasions. SO the ladys