The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-03

, Doran?"
 "In San Francisco. a year ago.
 You were traveling in the states?"
 "Yes."
 Did you become engaged then?'
 NO"
 "Bpt you were on a friendly footing?"
 fl was amused by her society, and she could see that I was amused.n ! Her father is very rich?"
 "He is said to be the richest man on the Pacific slope" And how did he make his money?"
 Tn mining. He had nothing few | years ago. Then he struck gold, invested 1 in it, and came up by leaps and bounds.
 Now, what is your own impression as to the young ladys-your wife's char acter?"
 | The nobleman swung his glasses a It, ] tie faster and stared down into the fire. l You see, Mir. Holmes" said he, my | wife was twenty before her father be- | came a rich man. During that time she ran free in a mining camp, and wander I ed through woods or mountains, so that her education has come from nature l rather than from the schoolmaster. She is what we call in England a tomboy. with a strong nature, wild and free, un- fettered by any sort of traditions. She Is mpetuous-volcanic, I was about to say. She is swift in making up her mind. and fearless in carrying out her resolu- tions On the other hand, I would not have given her the name which I have the honor to bear''-he gave a little stately cough-"had not thought her to be at bottom a noble woman. I believe she is capable of heroic self-sacriflce, and that anything dishonorable would be repugnant to her"
 Have you her photograph" "I brought this with me" He opened a locket and showed us the full face of very lovely woman. It was not a photo graph, but an ivory miniature, and the artist had brought out the full effect of the lustrous black hair, the large dark eyes. and the exquisite mouth. Holmes gazel long and earnestly at it. Then he closed the locl1et and handed 1t back to Lord St. simon.
 "The young lady came to London, then, and you renewed your acquaintance?" ''Yes, her father brought her over for this last London season. I met her sew eral times, became engaged to her, and have now married her" "She brought, I understand, consid- erable dowry?''
 "A fair dowry. Not more than is usual in any family" And this, of course, remains to you, since the marriage is a fait accompli?" q really have made no inquiries on the subject'
 ''Very naturally not Did you see Miss Doran on the day before the weddingg "Yes"
 "Was she in good spirits?" "Never better. She kept talking of what ! we should do in our future lives"
 Indeed! That is very interesting. And on the morning of the wedding?'
 "She was as bright as possible-at least until after the ceremony"
 And did you observe any change in her then?"
 "Well. to tell the truth, saw then the first signs that had ever seen that her temper was just a little sharp. The incident however. was too trival to relate and can have no possible bearing upon | the case"
 ''Pray let us have it, for all that" "Oh. 1t Is childish She dropped her bou- uuet as we went toward the vestry. She was passing the front pew at the time and 1t fell over into the pew. There was | a moments delay but the gentleman in the pew handed 1t up to her again, ,esS il did not appear to be the worse for the l fall. Yet when. I spoke to her of the matter she answered me abruptly, and 1 in the carriage, on our way home, she seemed absurdly agitated over the trihing | cause"
 Indeed! You say that there was a gentleman in the pew Some of the gen eral public were present. then?" "Oh, yes. It is impossible to exclude ] them when the church is open.'' This gentleman was not one of your f wife's friends?"
 "No, no; I call him a gentleman by courtesy, but he was quite a common- looking person. hardly noticed his ap- pearance But really I think that we are wandering rather far from the point"
 Lady St. Simon. then, returned from ! the wedding in a less cheerful frame of mind than she had gone to it. What did she do on re-entering her fathers house. ''
 'I saw her in conversation with her maid"
 And who Is her maid?' "Alice is her name She is an Ameri- can. and came from California with her. | "A confidential servant?"