The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-06-27
THE RING And THE LADY.

! ycu were seen to 50 into the house OF
that had woman yesterday. and to re-
.r.a:r with her fer al Lc?!r ed l6 min
utes?"
"Ea? What on earth CO you mean?
To whom are you re:erring:' cried the
crrate, in aston;shG:ent s2G incigoa-
tion.
"Dor't pretend igEcra1ce, sir. Yo"
know very we'll" retorted the vicar.
withe-ingly Whom should ! mean
bat that abandoned creature who calls
herself Mrs. Robi-so--a woman
whose name is a by-word n the town,
and whose house 10 se:f-respect,nS
person would be seen to enter-much
| less minister Of the sosc,e!. like your
se:f?'
The curate locked mach taken
atack. Mrs. Robinson a bad chaTac-
ter? Impossible! That she was viva
c;ous had been obvious enough to him
during their hours agreeable tese-a-
tete. But that there was anything
seriously anaiss with her he could
scarcely believe.
Il did happen to so and see Mrs.
Robinson yesterday, under rather Pc
cular circumstances" &c answered.
Very peculiar, l have 10 doubt.
! interposed the vicar, with biting sar-
casn.
My ealing urcn her, however, was
| +ta p,roct of c,nci6entc-''
oh. Of course" said the vicar,
| more and more sarcastic.
Il beg you Will Go me the justice OF
hearing me out" rejoined the curate,
his color rising. And he told the vicar
the exact circumstances.
The vicar listened with offensive IN
credulity. "A very pretty and ingenl-
Gus s:o"y. Mr.. Bisgcoc. really don't
know which to commend the mere
your ingenuity in concocting t, CT
your effronteGy il telling it"
DO you mean to say you don't be-
lieve me?" demanded the curate, be-
ginning to grow hated.
The vicar laughed. Il wasn't born
Yesterday" he sail and even OF mad
been, should still have thought your
story rather thin--es2ecially yoIT hit
ting on the woman's name accidental
~, without any previous knowledge OF
her"
Robinson is a common enough
name. And, likely, or rot. it IS pre-
cisely what happened" answered the
curc'.e.
Again the vicar laughed his scofhng
laugh. "You must have heard OF so
notorious a person. he said. "A wom-
an who is constantly visited on Sun
| days by f1ashy acquaintances-nostly
men-in motor cars, and who enter
tains them in the small hours with
music and feasting and reveling. Why,
sir. the goings on are the talk OF the
town. And you expect me to believe
that you had never heard Of her. No:
no! Mr.. Bisgood. Try that story On
somebody a few years younger than
| am
The curate was by this time in
white heat of passion"
You're the first man who has ever
dared to call me liar; and I've
good mind to thrash you for the in
suit, you-you-smug Pharisee!" he
cried, in a voice that trembled with
rage.
The vicar slipped hastily round to
80 oc -; OF, to11n
was not a warrior, except linguistical-
ly.
"You are not improving your posi-
ton by insolence, Mr.. Bisgood. Had
you been penitent and contrite, /
might have given you another chance.
But the sooner you leave Tootham, the
better"
"rll go today calculated the cur
ate.
The pious vicar was SO much upset
that it was some days before he re-
covered his eQuarimity. However, an
encouraging letter from the patron of
the living of St. Peters, which the
! vicar received on the third day after
the curate's departure, did much to
soothe his rufled feelings. The letter
ran as follows:
Dear Sir-Your application for the
living of Tootham has been sent on
to me by Mr. Jenkins, the gentleman
from whom l purchased the advowson
some months ago.
viii you, if possible, call on me
here the day after tomorrow-any
time between and in the afternoon
and we can then discuss the mat
ter. l am. yours faithfully.
m. de Bracey.
"1Co1 Eaton square, S. W., Jan. IS,
19-."
The vicar lost no time in writing to
say that he would, with pleasure, run
up to London and see Mr.. de Bracey,
as requested. He saw himself already
rector of Toothem.
When he arrived next afternoon at
! 1901 Eaton square, he asked the but