Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-19

read 1t out,-why do you keep me waitIng7.'
He read In quiet voice;
My Dear Wortley-I am writing this In
the hope that II viii never be necessary for
what l have written to come to your eyees
but i dare not leave IL unwritten. Ellen
has promised me that she will never carry
out the intention which I learned a Few
days ago that she had. and II she remains
faithful to that promise, you, will never
read this. which is probably the last letter
shall ever write: but though have her
promise. l dare not trust to that alone
but, Wortiey. remember that trust you.
~ Dy any chance you have opened this let
ter without the necessity OF which warned
you having occurred. read no further! She
Is my wife, and though cannot trust her
l would not betray her unnecessarily. Even
now. when have written thus far, am
tempted TO write no more; but for the saks
OF the mother whom I have wronxed. I
must go on. or perhaps my wife will work
greater wrong. When I am dead NV
wife Will claim her rights as my widow: II
she does no more. help her. But perhaps
she VIII DO more; perhaps she will say that
l nave LETT son TO be the heir to our
name. / have not. The boy whom she will
put forward as my heir Is her own SON.
but he Is not mine He was born three
months before married her. and the date
OF the parish of st. Jude's. in Portsmouth.
Ihere, l have written It! IL you read as
far as this. forget what you have read,
unless she is working the wrong which I
land"
Wortley finished reading and looked
across at the woman. and the evil light
which he saw in her eyes startled him.
Her fingers were clenching and unclench.
ing In vicious rage: her lips were drawn
back In a grin that was feline. and her
breath was coming In sharp Kisses through
her closed teeth. He saw that for the mo-
ment she was actually incapable OF speech
ne put the letter on the table and waited.
so. she cried at last, that IL my dead
husbands lie! The mean houndr'
Wortley drew back from her with a shud-
DER OF physical loathing: for the violence
OF her rage against a dead man reyolted
MIN. as thing Indecent and almost in
He did his best to spare your he re-
minded her sternly. You had only to keep
your promise, and this letter would never
have been read"
How do know that?.' she retorted. He
mad written 1t. and given it into your keep
mgr
The insult was savage, but he ignored It.
FROM such a woman II was not worth con-
sidertng. .--
with sudden quick movement she seized
the letter. tore 1t vindictively into pieces,
ana threw them down; and then In the
Vlolence OF her fury. spat upon them.
"There?' she cried. THAT is my answer
to my husbands liesr'
But you cannot treat the register Of the
parish OF st. Jude's in Portsmouth sor'
she turned upon him like a fury.
Cor she cried. Go and tell what lies
you like to that black-baired chit my hus-
bands sister! Tell her what sort Of wo-
man her brother married and see n the
news will make her want to marry youI
Why do you stay here7 There Is nothing
more to be said. is there? And, as 1 tod
you just now, l am dangerous
He sat down at the table again.
Will not go yet, he said calmly II
Will not go until / have heard what you
mean to do. believe that in your present
Aa~
until that mood is past don't expect you
to have any understanding of my motives,
so l won't trouble you with the recital Of
them; but tell you plainly that 1 will not
allow you to inture, even annoy, your
dead husbands mother and sister. You
are to understand that. please
Her answer was glare of rage He
thought that. IL she had dared che. you'd
have struck him. Then she began to pace
the room
He waited. and watched her efforts To re-
gain her self-controL Evidently she thought
1t was worth her while to do SO before
he left her.
Presently she sat down, and asked In a
voice that still trembled. but which was
do you believe that mad fancy that
Eustace wrote when he was half deliriousr
That the boy Is not your sisters sonr
Yes. believe it."
1T is Iier
Wortley looked at her gravely. and SAID:
When l meet Armitage tomorrow at
Grantown l will give him instructions to
send clerk down to Portsmouth to search
the registers"
He won't find what you wantr
L don't know that l want him to fnd
II he does not: l have no reason to wish
the charge against you to be true. But. OF
course. / must know the truth
She laughed in his face.
How noble of your she cried. teering'y.
IF you can't have Mary. you don't care
whether I'm good or badI It's thing that
doesn't trouble your mightiness. But be-
fore~your clerk can make his report ex-
pect that both you and I will have found
Morayshire doesn't agree with our health
Anyway. / shall not stay. and can trust
Mary to send you packing. tooi'
Are you going awayT' he asked eagerly.
Eyes. Will you give me twenty pounds
He smiled. The heroics had come down
to this.
NO" he said But 1 will meet you at
Elgin station tomorrow afternoon when 1
come back from Grantown. I will take your
ticket to London myself and I will give
you thirty pounds for incidental expenses.
VIII that dor
so you do think me dangerousi" she an
swered with a sneer. I've a good mind to
stay after all!'
"Ah! then you won't get the thirty
poundsr
She got up suddenly
''Tll meet you at the station tomorrow
she said. Now gor'
Five minutes later she watched from the
window as he drove away with Sims in his
car. Then she rang the bell and told the
waiter to bring her copy Of the Scots
man. She turned to the column OF court
news. and read 1t through. Then she put
the paper down with a laugh
$50 that is how the land nesr' she NUT
tered. What a pity he had not been In
Scotland twenty-one days before I came.
II had known about this, think would
have waited till he hadr And q minute
later she added: "As II Is, I'm glad sent
that telegram to Wiseman. He should be
here soon now. Mr.. Arthur Manners Wort
ley I'm very much afraid that you won't
see me at the Elgin station tomorrow after
noon, after ALI"
(To be continued tomorrow
Grocers who carry Burnetta Vanilla need