Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-05

the hunting field. Some one most unfortu-
nately happened to tell him that they had
left the run together. and had been seen
riding together toward White Lodge, which
was the name of the house where these two
, young men lived Lumley followed them.
He rode into the stable yard and found
there Ruth's mare and Wingrave's covert
hack. from which he had not changed
when they had left the field. Both ami
mails had evidently been ridden hard. and
there was something ominous in the smile
with which the head groom told him that
Lady Ruth and Wingrave were in the
house
THE two men had separate dens. Win
graves was much the better furnished, as
he was young man of considerable taste,
and he had also fitted 1t with sporting
trophies collected from many countries.
This room was at the back of the house,
and Lumley deliberately crossed the lawn
and looked in at the window"
Lowell paused for moment or two to re-
light his pipe.
Remember he continued, that / have
to put this story together, partly from
facts which came to my knowledge after
ward. and partly from reasonable deduc-
tions. / may say at once that l do not
know what Lumley saw when he played
the spy. The housekeeper had just taken
tea in. and it is possible that Wingrave
may have been holding his guests hand,
or that something in their faces or attitude
convinced him that his jealousy was well
founded, Anyhow, Ii Is certain that Lum-
ley was half beside himself with rage when
he strobe away from that window. Then
In the avenue he must have heard the soft
patter of hounds coming along the lane, or
perhaps seen the pink coats of the hunts
men through the hedge. This much Is
certain. He hurried down the drive and
returned with Ruth's husband
Lowell took another drink. No one spoke.
No one even made remark The little
circle of listeners had caught something OF
his own gravity. The story was an ordi-
nary one enough. but something In LovelPs
manner of telling 1t seemed somehow to
bring into their consciousness the appre-
hension of the tangled web OF passions
which burned underneath its sordid details.
"Ruth's husband-Sir William l will call
him-stood side by side with Lumley before
the window. What they saw cannot tell
you. They entered the room. The true
story of what happened there l doubt II
any one will ever know. The evidence Of
servants spoke of raised voices and the
sound of heavy fall When they were
summoned Sir William lay on the noor I'M
conscious. Lady Ruth had tainted; Lum-
ley and Wingrave were both bending over
the former. On the floor were fragments
of paper, which were afterward put to-
gether and found to be the remains of q
check for large amount, payable to Lady
Ruth. and signed by Wingrave
1.-THE sequel is very soon told. Sir WILL
lam died in few days, and Wingrave, on
the evidence of Lumley and Ruth. was
committed for manslaughter and sent to
prison for fifteen years.
Lowell paused murmur went round
the little group of listeners. The story.
after ALL except for Lovells manner Of
telling it. was an ordinary one Every
one felt that there was something else be-
hind So they asked no questions whilst
Lowell drank his whisky and soda and re-
filled his pipe. Again his eyes seemed to
wander 10 the calendar.
According to Lady .Ruth's evidence" he
said thoughtfully, her husband entered
the room at the exact moment when she
was rejecting Wingrave's advances, and
Indignantly refusing a check which he was
endeavoring to persuade her to accept.
struggle followed between the two men,
with fatal results for Sir William. That"
he added slowly, lis the story which the
whole world read. and which most of it
Believes Here, however, are ffWzco
rections of my own. and suggestion or
two for you. Aynesworth and those Of You
who like to consider yourselves truth-seek-
ers. First then, Lady Ruth was self
invited guest at White Lodge. She had
asked Wingrave to return with her. and as
they sat together in his room, she con-
fessed that she was worried and asked for
his advice She was in some money trou-
BILE ingeniously explained, no doubt. Win
grave. with the utmost delicacy, offered his
assistance. which was of course accepted
1t was exactly what she was there for. She
was in the act of taking the check when
she saw her husband and Lumley. Her
reputation was at stake. Her subsequent
course of action and evidence becomes OBJ
vious. The check unexplained was ruin.
She explained it.
. "Of the struggle, and of the exact means
by which Sir William received his injuries.
know nothing. There is the evidence! 1t
may or may not be true. The most serious
part of the case. so far as Lady Ruth was
concerned, lay In the facts as to her hus-
bands removal from the White. Lodge In
an unconscious state he was driven almost
twelve miles at a walking pace. No
stimulants were administered and though
they passed two doctors houses no stop
was made. A doctor was not sent for until
half an hour after they reached home. and
even then they seemed to have chosen the
one who lived furthest away. The conclu-
sion is obvious enough to any one who
knows the facts of the case. Sir William
was not meant to live!
''Wingrave's trial was famous one. He
had no friends and few sympathizers. and
he insisted upon defending himself. His
cross-examination of the man who had
been his friend created something like q
sensation. Amongst other things he elicit
ed the fact that Lumley, after first seeing
the two together, had gone and fetched
Sir William. 1t was a terrible half hour
for Lumley and when he left the box,
amongst the averted faces Of his friends,
the sweat was pouring down his face. /
can him now. though 1t were yes
terday. Then Lady Ruth followed. She
was quietly dressed: the effect she pro-
duced was excellent She told her story
She limited at the insult. She spoke of the
check. She had imagined no harm in ac-
cepting Wingrave's invitation to tea. Men
and women of the hunt who were on
friendly terms treated one another as
comrades. She spoke of the blow. She
had seen 1t delivered. and so on. And all
the time. / sat within few feet of Win
grave. and l knew that in the black box
before him were burning love letters from
this woman. to the man whose code OF
honor would ever have protected her hus-
band from disgrace: and / knew that /
was listening to the thing which you.
Aynesworth, and many of your fellow
story writers. have so wisely and 50 ig-
norantly dilated upon-the vengeance OF
woman denied Only l heard the words
themselves. cold. earnest words. fall one
by one from her lips like a sentence Of
doom-and there was life in the thing. life
and death! When she had finished the
whole court was In a state Of tension.
Every one was leaning forward. 1t would
he he inua he WnndeYflll