The Washington herald., 1908-07-12

Of observation. he would have known
that not a soul at his fathers table had
ever heard OF the play. except himself.
his Wife, and Burgess. He made a feeble
protest:
MY dear Mollie. I wanted TO take you
out after the first act Don't you think
er-er-r
Yes: he wanted to take me out" She
captured the attention Of everybody pres
ent 'Of course, I refused to go mar
ried woman with two children Is no.
Mile Nitouche. And, besides. girls over
twenty ought TO have their eyes opened
Why. I asked the dear archbishop: Don't
you think l said. that girls ought 20
know more than they do% And he said.
most emphatiCduy: Certainly" She
looked round the table. 10Y is the only
girI here. and she's twenty-three-"
Twenty-Five"
so I can &C on. il ellie will stop
stroking his chin. Thank YOU dear!
Where was I? Oh. Of course, was talk
Ing TO Esme. Nobody need listen who
doesn't want to. The auhts can put their
fingers into their ears. This breaking Of
the seventh commandment"
Giles
Yes. George?"
Is this champagne '92 or '93?'
It's ". / haven't five dozen left"
What ply! A fine wine-a very fine
wine"
He slipped his wine. smiling pleasantly.
But everybody knew that Mrs. Giles had
been snubbed by George Vennable. The
aunts regarded him gratefully. their thin
cheeks suffused with faint bushes
George TO be sure had his faults. He
was Laodicean; and. for a clever man.
the time he wasted pursuing butterflies
and gathering tOadstools was really la
montable. but he had the incest sense
OF what was or was not a fitting subject
OF conversation at a dinner-table.
Mrs. Giles gazeG at the rector with
sparkling eyes; then she went on easily:
Dear Uncle George, stain Is not re-
moved by putting a vase OF flowers over
It. Discussion, honest discussion is anti
septic. Charles Gosling asked II he might
steal that phrase from me. There was
the Charters case. It was discussed by
everybody. And I happen 70 know for
a fact that the publicity scared two
naughty friends OF my own into behav-
ing themselves"
Sir Giles raised his voice, which rumbled
when he was perturbed In the presence
OF his daughter-ln-law he always had a
slightly startled expression, a vaguely
alarmed smile, as II he feared TO be
driven. against his VIII, into pastures out |
side the Forest OF Us.
RE told himself that the sooner the
talk got back 10 hunting the better. and
II a fence, in pale bl,ie tulle. Law be-
tween him and hounds let Il be jumped
without delay.
The Charteris case was shocking" he
NODDED his massive head. But I read It
from beginning 70 end" Sir Giles |
made this announcement with imposing
sOlemnity
The aunts felt convinced that because
their dear brother had read II. the case
so to speak. had become Bowd1erizad /
lhelr faces assumed an air OF pleased |
attention.
I read IT," repeated Sir Giles: ~and n ]
fortified my convic- |
ton that idleness is at the root OF all /
eYh' l wrote that in my copy book
when / was lad at school" The aunts .
nodded their heads. Dear Giles ALWAYS
expressed himself so nicely The three
unhappy persons in this case" continued
me speaker, avoiding Mrs. Giles slightly
derisive smile, had nothing 10 do so
i appeared to me-correct me II I am
absolutely nothing 20 do
except TO waste time and money. show
me house. large or small. where time
and money are squandered. and I Will
show you-um-"
The devil in possession" said George
Vennable.
Thank you, George. I don't think
here is anything more to be said. We
Killed a good fox yesterday"
But the fox started by Mrs. Giles was
'nly scotched. not killed. As soon as din
Ter was over. JOY sat down on the sofa
'esioe Mrs. Giles. and said. with slightly
leightened color: Il think as YOU do.
dolhe, about stains and vases OF flowers.
read that Charters case
You dld?''
les. l live down here; 7 hardly ever
cave the Forest; my only chance oF
'nowing what is going on in the world
S through my reading"
All the same-"
Il know what you would say. You
NHI DeileVe me when tell you that 7
ont as rule. read such cases but tbis
xcited so much attention. And I'm gIad
read IT, Even IN this village. souaud
facts must be faced And
ow can ignorance deal with such tbings2
MS Charters case opened my eyes IN
That I didn't know before" ,
And what was that?' ,
mat a man, apparently popular :
Dung. fascinating could be perfeot /,
evil" 'ioo' !
Did you think a perfect devil went {
pout with black face and showing 6
loyen foot and forked tan7"
In a sense, 7 suppose I did" z
What child You are stiIr
NO. that case killed the child in me :" =
l. years ago, knew Hugo Charters
lightly. said Mrs Giles.
And you never had a clinosa ., ~ i
loven foot?' '"o 4
mo"
What was he liker'
My dear, don't speak Of him as ~ he
'as dead" - iio J
of course he IS dead" h
He mas gone abroad He Is very much q
live. And he has twenty thousand o 7
ear. What has that TO do with it2 n
reat deal. Hugo Charters will marry 4
rs tempest who is a darling and so {
ely VIII be kind TO them. After all this l
a Christian country-for the rich q
Mollle, l hate you when you talk like 4
nat" i'No s
Because you are half-Mottisfont Did t,
'u see poor Gilie stroking his chin at b
hher lie was quite cross when told
IN that ] had danced with Hugo Char n
P
Did he mako n
mo, he didn't" &
Isn't it an odd coincidence; there's a W
an called Reginald Charters down here T
friend Of Esme's. He spells his name a
nerently, and hates-women." n
No relation. evidently, to the perfect d
vilT'
That's the only thing I know in bis al
vor" IN
CHAPTER TX. Il
81
Hugo was reading and smoking IN the m
sy little sltting-room when Esme Bur- NJ
IS came in after the dinner at the Park. a'
le young fellow glowed with excite -