The news & observer., 1905-12-17

which wasn't near as much as father
could have got if he had been alive"
/ had expected to see Sherlock
Holmes impatient under this rambling
and inconsequential narrative but, on
the contrary, he had listened with
the greatest concentration of atten-
uion.
your own little income" he ask
ed, does it come out of the busi-
ness?"
"Oh! no, sir. 1t is quite separate,
and was left by my Uncle Ned In
Auckland. 1t is in New Zealand stock,
paying a 1-2 per cent. Two thousand
five hundred pounds was the amount,
but / can only touch the interest
You interest me extremely" said
Holmes. And since you draw so
large sum az a hundred a year with
what You earn into the bargain, you
no doubt travel Il little, and indulge
yourself in every way. / believe that
a single lady can get on very nicely
upon an income Of about $50"
81 could do with much less than
that Mr. Holmes, but you understand
that as long as | live at home /
don't wish 10 be q burden TO them,
and so they have the use of the mon
ey just while | am staying with them.
OF course. that is only just for the
time. Mr.. Windibank draws my in
tercst every quarter, and pays it over
to mother. and | find that | can do
pretty well with what | earn at type
writing. II brings me tw9pcnce a
sheet. and ! can often do from fif-
teen 10 twenty sheets in a day
you have made your position very
clear to me-" said Holmes. This is
my friend, DR.. Watson. before whom
you can speak as freely as before my
self. Kindly tell us now all about
your connection with Mr.. 1osmcr
Ange.."
A flush stole over Miss Southcr-
lands face, and she picked nervously
al the fringe Of her j&eket. II met him
first at the gasftters' Dali" She said.
"rhey used To send father tickets
when he was alive, and then after
wards they remembered US. and sent
them 10 mother. Mr.. Windibank did
not wish us to go. HC never did
wish us Ia go anywhere. He would
get quite mad if | wanted 50 much rs
to join the Sunday-school treat. But
this time ] was set on going. and
would go; for what right had he TO
prevent? He said the folk We're not
fit for US to know, when all fathers
friends were to be there. And he
said / had nothing fit TO wear when |
had my purple plush that l had never
so much as taken out of the drawer
At last when nothing else would de,
he went off to France upon the busi-
ness Of the firm, but we went. mother
and I. with Mr.. Hardy, who used to
met Mr.. Hosmer Angel"
II SUPPOSE" said Holmes, that
when Mr.. Windibank came back from
France he was very annoyed at your
having gone to the ball"
"Oh. well, he was very good about
it, He laughed, ! remember, and
shrugged his shoulders. and said there
was no use denying anything to a
woman. for she would have her way.
81 see. Then at the gasfitters' ball
you met, as | understand. a gentle
man called Mr.. Hosmer Angel.
Eyes, sir / met him that night, and
he called next day to ask if we had
got home all safe. and after that we
met him-that is TO say, Mr.. Holmes.
/ met him twice for walks, but after
that father came back again, and Mr..
Hosmer Angel could not come to the
house any more"
''No?"
well, YOU know. father didn't like
any thing of the sort. He wouldn't
have any visitors if he could help it,.
and he used to say that a woman
should be happy i'm her own family
circle. But then, as l used to say to
mother. a woman wants her own cir
Gle to begin with, and | had not got
mine yet"
But how about Mr., Hosmer An
gel? Did he make no attempt to see
you?"
"Well, father was going off TO
France again in a week and HOsmer
wrote and said that it would be safer
and better not to see each other until
he had gone We could write in the
meantime, and he used to write every
day. / took the letters i'm the morn
ing. so there was no need for father
TO know"
Were you engaged to the gentle
man at this time?"
"Oh, yes Mr. Holmes. We were en-
gagged after the first walk that we
took Hosmer-Mr. Angel--Was a
cashier in an office in Leadenhall
Street--and -
what office ?"