Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-16
CHAPTER XVI.

he was glad of this because, though he
saw that the explanation between them
must come today he shirked the ordeal.
1t was not that he had any real hesita-
ton now about telling her the truth His
experience with Black in the tunnel had
given him a strong dstaste for anything
but the straightforward course. 1t would
be difficult but he would pretend no long
err Falseness and shuttle were the nat
ural weapons of such men as Wiseman
and Black: they were not natural to him.
For the future, therefore, he would have
no more of them
He had made up his mind that Re would
answer all her questions simply and fully
except one. That one question he hopeO
she would not put
For, though his answer was ready, had.
indeed been ready any time since the
morning when he had hidden Sims call him
Sir EuStace, he doubted whether she was
ready to hear it. He doubted, even,
whether she would ever be ready TO hear H.
But if she asked for facts he would give
them if she asked for motives his answer
would depend how she received the
facts.
But in>any case the time for subterfuge
was over. On that he had definitely deter
mined The other side should nave the
monopoly of evasions and trickery hence
forth.
He wrote her another note. This had
been a day of notes, he thought ruefully,
and wondered with u haunting missVing
whether notes were type OF the distance
which, from today, would mark his inter-
course with the girl Indeed, the case was
worse than that! After tonight, she might
refuse to receive even notes from him.
Il am going to Elgin,' he wrote, Ito see
the new Lady Holland. After l have seen
her, ] will come back and will tell you
everything you want to know. L think-in
fact, l know-that you believe nara Things
of me- | do not deny that TO certain ex-
H,nr,, &c
denim me utterly until you have heard my
defense tonight. 1t would be more pru-
dent perhaps to say nothing until can
say ALL but the accused criminal Is never
prudent Though what L say will, L know,
be used as evidence against me, when l
plead a halting case before you, yet there
is one thing that l must say now. The
woman who called me husband this morn
ing is not my wife
He did not sign the note. After that last
sentence-whch he had underlined-it would
have been mockery to sign by the name
she knew, and it would depend upon many
things whether he ever told her any other.
He sat for a while in thought.
THE woman who called me husband is
rot my wife,!
He said the words over to himself as
though they pleased him. He had even a
fanciful notion that the mere saying Of
them removed an obstacle to ambition
which he cherished, and yet in his heart felt
was hopeless. He dreaded and longed for
this interview which was to come at .
| tonight For on 1t would depend some
thing which was to him far more than the
title or the estates which he had claimed,
but meant to claim no longer.
Was he then in love with Mary?
He had called her his sister, and had come
into her life by fraud. He meant tonight
to confess that fraud. An Ill beginning,
surely, If he loved her, and hoped for her
love in return! For what confidence could
he have that she would hear him even with
patience!
THE woman who called me husband.'
He said the words again This time they
did not comfort him. Instead, thought of
horror came with them, and a sudden dread
ran over him in violent physical shivers.
For it had flashed upon him that in these
words perhaps there lay his fate, and in
sense that he had not foreseen till now.
And he shuddered at the hatefulness of it..
He was in Scotland! What II by accept
Ing her as his Wife?
The necessity of physical movement came
upon him. He paced the room, and tried to
school himself to face this new horror. Pres
emily he laughed grimly. There was, after
all. d sort of humor in It! The way OF
transgressors is hard, and even the kings
of crime are VIGOROUSLY liable to trip where
they think themselves most secure. That
scene of the morning had been comedy at
the time-he had enjoyed it, even though II
shamed him-but it seemed to him now that
there was threat, and more than threat,
of tragedy in the issue that might follow.
He sat down and wrote a long telegram.
Suspense was not to be borne He must
know-and that quickly! But the answer
to his telegram might be the shipwreck
of his life.
The shipwreck of his Hfe!-And of hers?
Did she care?-would she care? He dis
missed the speculation with a fierce de-
termination to believe it impossible; and
yet five minutes ago he had hoped, But
now 1t would not bear thinking of; and in
his sudden misery almost he hoped that
oh hat hat ha fna
ed at this moment was true. she would
suffer less so!
The way of the transgressors is hard,
and purity of motive is no bar to trans
gression's nemesis. He went out to look
for Sims.
Get the car out at once" he said. Il am
going TO Elgin to send off a telegram
Yes. Sir Eustace.'
In three minutes they were off Half
way down the beech avenue he turned TO
the chauffeur and said,
And. by the way, Sims, you need not
call me Sir Eustace for the future"
VERY well, sir"
At the end of the avenue he slowed
down and considered for a moment. He
had seen Wiseman's gig turning in at the
gate of the dstillery. A sudden desire came
upon him to have another round with his
enemy now. He would beard the distiller
IN his den. He wanted to do as much
as he possibly could to make Mary safe
before meeting Mary herself tonight; be-
cause he knew that when she had heard
his tale, she might refuse to accept his
help any longer Blacks attempt upon him
in the tunnel and the information which
the gauger had cynically let slip when he
believed he was talking to a man who was
rapidly being stupefed by the fumes of a
noxious gas, had really strengthened his
hand enormously for his fight with the dis
tiller. He could threaten Wiseman now.
because Wiseman did not know yet whether
he was Sir Eustace or not, and Black be-
lieved that he was. So long that was
so they could not know that a threat to
bring the police to the distillery was not
likely to be carried out.
Take this telegram to the post office
at Egin," he said suddenly to Sims. land
then come back to the distillery for me.
And, on second thoughts. address me as
Sir Eustace, after all-at any rate in the
presence of Mr.. Wiseman and his man.
You understands
VERY good, Sir Eustace."
"Oh, you needn't do 1t in private, Just
when those two men are about. Have you
got that note which l gave to you this
morning for Miss Holand?"
Yes. sir l understood that was not to
deliver It If you returned to lunch"
Quite so. Well, when you come back
from Elgin, If you don't find me waiting
for you at the distillery ask where Sir Eus-
tace Holland Is If they say l am not
there, or If they pretend not to know where
Ill.