The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-12

tholomews Hospital. May looked at the
entrance and shook her head.
No, she said. that was not right. She
would not get out OF the cab please
drive to another hospital
This was serious. Mr.. Armitage thought
his really best plan would be TO drive
straight to a doctor, whom he could ask to
advise him. But before he could decide on
doing this at once ii became necessary TO
give order to the cabman; and. indeed.
he was himself now so convinced that May
was acting under a delusion that he really
feared to oppose her till he had quite de-
cided what TO do. lest she should become
violent! And at the present hour he feared
he should not find his doctor at home. So
he decided to drive about little longer ac-
cording to Mays wishes, and later on,
when he should be sure to find the doctor
in, to drive straight to his house. He began
to think with some anxiety of his business
engagements and duties, but his subordi
| mates knew that he had gone out in order
| to identify Mr. Wolvastons body at the
mortuary, and would conclude that his long
absence was in consequence of matters in
connection with this. so he could only go
| on and hope for the best. He felt that it
was absolutely necessary to see May into
| some safe keeping before he left her, even
| If it took up his whole day.
They went to Charing Cross Hospital,
and again she shook her head; and then
| started for St. Georges. She began to look
about her at the streets in a strange. nerv-
Gus way. 1--WE are not going in the right
| part of London at ALL" she said presently.
1.-THE streets did not look like this" They
were turning into Picadilly when she spoke
| again. mo-" she said, 81 am quite sure
We are wrong. Do, please, tell him to go to
a big hospital in the midst of wretched
| small streets with great many poor peo-
| pie about"
| Mr.. Armitage got out of the cab and had
| a little talk with the driver. He did not
| wish the man to know the true state of
things, nor did he wish him to come to the
conclusion that he himself was lunatic
| 1t took all his tact and ingenuity to man.
/ age the conversation, and the man eyed
| him curiousy. However, 1t ended in the
horse being driven down towards Westmin-
ster. May leaned back, silent, watchful;
she was evidently becoming very anxious,
| and Mr.. Arnitage feared she was getting
| excited. He watched her furtively the
| whole time All her attention was now
| given to the streets they passed through,
but nothing seemed to really interest or at
| tract her until they had crossed Westmin-
ster bridge and were driving round the cor
| ner to the entrance of st. Thomas's Hos
| pital. AS they passed the starting place
| for the South Lambeth tram cars she
leaned suddenly forward with a slight ex-
| clamation, looking out of the window at
| the side opposite the hospital, then swiftly
| frry out ha fol
self. They were just reaching the entrance.
This is it, she cried out, and began
| eagerly to try and get the door open. and
succeeded in doing so before the horse had
actually stopped. Mr.. Armitage was in ter
| ror. He leaned across and seized her and
held her. He might have known from the
way in which she submitted to him that
she was not out of her senses. II shall not
fall" she said. quietly; ~ will wait till it
stops. Oh. Mr.. Armitage, am so thankful
to have found this place. began to feel
| so hopeless"
Don't hurry" said Mr.. Armitage. LET
me pay the cabman. and then he need not
wait for u.s." Truth to tell, he was very
| glad to see he had a chance of getting rid
Of this man, who could not but think he
had got very extraordinary fare-no mat
ter how tactfully he might be talked to.
So he held Mary's hand fast in his while
he settled the claim made on him in a
much more businesslike manner than the
| man had at all expected. He whipped up
his horse and drove away. wondering what
that queer couple could be doing at the
hospital. and regretting that he had not
made as much out of them as he had ex-
| pected to do. In fact, he was wiser man
than before, insomuch that he found he
was not so perfect judge of character as
he had thought himself to be. There was
something about this queer fare that he did
not understand.
The cabman disposed of, Mr.. Armitage
turned to face the difficulties Of entering
the hospital. which he thought might be
| considerable, for he saw that 1t was not
the right time. But to his great surprise
| May, in a perfectly calm and decided man.
ner, now took the lead. She spoke to the
| porter herself, and explained to him that
| they had come to see a young man who
had been brought in injured from a street
! accident during the night. She told him
the business was urgent, and in such an
| impressive manner that he admitted them
| and sent message to the house surgeon.
| Mr.. Armitage followed her when she led
| the way. completely astonished at the man.
ner in which she spoke and also at what
| she said-for how did she know about this
| accident-if she did know about it and If
| there had been one? For he had heard
nothing of it until now, and he felt 1t was
most probably mere deluson of the girls
| bewildered brain-but for moment, now
and again, as he heard her speaking with
that confidence which for the time being
| gives conviction. At one moment it seemed
to him that he was following a mad girl
at another that this girl had never ap-
sible as she did now. 1t was very curious
| to pass through these transitions of feeling
and was quite a new experience In Mr..
Armitages prosaic life. But his sense of
surprise. his anxiety and apprehension
were all as nothing compared to what May
| was herself suffering, cool and collected
| though she seemed. Under that cool ex-
| terror she was quivering with fear lest her
strange dream should lead her all astray.
But she was quite determined to test il to
| the full. Nothing should daunt her till she
| stood beside the bed on which she had seen
| her lover laid in her vision of the night:
| she vowed this to herself, and firmly held
her trembling limbs and strained nerves i'm
check Not till she stood beside that bed and
saw who actually lay there would she allow