The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-12
THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL

800
Thurso's presence in London was de-
sirable; the whole affair was delicate,
and IT he was somewhere in CaithnesS,
where there might be typhoid or there
might not her position was more diff
ficult. That the opinion Of the world
was unduly important to her was very
likely to be true, but she lived in it.
Lady Thurso had a charming place
on the Thames, just below Maidenhead,
which had been left her by her mother,
and here she often entertained from
Saturday till Monday, not with any
mistaken notion that it was rest after
the hustle Of London to get into the
country, but in order to hustle more
than ever. London, it is true, was hustle
enough, but the London hustle did not
publicly begin till IL or so, unless she
was seeing writers of socialistic ar
ticles. Whereas, at Bray Court, the
hustle began earlier, since, as this was
the country, it was necessary to play
a round of golf or row wildly on the
Thames, or battle in that long-suffering
sThurso was coming down with her, and
they, left Thurso house together after
luncheon on Saturday Maud had, SO
TO speak, engaged bedroom, but as
;she had not appeared when the motor
came round, it was obvious that she
was going to find her way on her own
account. " y
"Well, She not here said Lily,
really we can t wait, ,Thurso. Unless
we start now, people will get there be-
( fore we DO, and you can It do that in
the country
s: No, it's as well to be at ones
mouse II one has asked people. to stay
IN 1t, - he remarked.
.%@ He got in after her, but stood for
ont - -
as 1t waiting to give Maud another
minute. Her eye happened to fall on
IT. and she saw it was trembling The
next moment he sat down, caught her
eye and looked away again, flushing a
little; There was something furtive
aoout the movement, which was unlike
him. But all this week she had been
seemed nervous, easily startled, uncer-
tain of himself. And as they started,
tho caresses were not frequent between
them, she laid her hand on his.
'Thurso, old boy,' she said, care
you you MellS There is nothing the mat
ct "P5 Pc, + well, thanks,', he said.
Don t know why you ask
.1You don t look very well. Maud
said, too, that you had had several
very bad headaches up north.''
have had no return of them since
came to town. said he.
Inc footman had got up by the
zeen 1a5 and the big Napier car bub-
pled and whirred to itself a moment.
but absolutely smooth acceleration p Of
lis pace over the dry street. The road
way was very full, but it flicked in
and out of the moving traffic, DANCING
gently on it's springs, with the pre-:
clslon OF fish steering between c1umps
OF waving water-weeds. It seemed
more ike sentient animal, horse
as if intelligence and discernment,
brain of exquisite delicacy, lived in
the long bonnet, rather than merely
wheels and cylinders. It slackened its
the traffic, as if seeming it from far
OF; It cut in and out of moving cabs
and omnibuses as if possessed Of oc-
cult knowledge with regard to the pace
they were going, and what lay ahead
of them; it foresaw impediments to
its running that seemed as if they
could not be foreseen, and found open.
ings that appeared invisible. But all
aeT1ou coSd hardly Sc st bGs
{ kept shifting in his seat, frowning and
even once calling out to the chauffeur.
who, as matter of fact, was one in
a thousand, bidding him take care,
and go more quietly thru the jostle
Of vehicles. This, again, was quite un-
like him, and his wife watched him
narrowly and attentively. But when
it came to his calling out to the ini-
mitable Marcel, who would sooner Have
scraped all the skin off his own hands
than let another vehicle scrape one
grain of paint off the splashboard Of
his beloved car, she could not help pro-
testing.
Ny dear Thurso," she said, swhat
is the matterq He is driving abso-
lutely carefully
Thurso frowned and spoke irritably.
ct DON It think he is at all = he
said. ssBut women are never satisfied
till they We had smash. =
This again was utterly unlike him;
his tone distinctly failed in courtesy.
t.H you are nervous, I will set you
down at Paddington, she said, and
you can take the train. =
'sThat is absurd, !" he said shortly.
They went on in silence for little
and Thnrso made great effort to puu