Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-11-23

eepH lduHIOIl, dS luey Sdt tO5OlhoA o.
dinner in Eaton Place that evening.
Il could never guess, 1 am sure" an
swered the enamored Joe, gazing with
admiring eyes across the table at his
betrothed, but she's welcome 20 make
it into dos kennel If she likes"
YEARLY nearly as bad at that, l do
assure you'll" laughed Lady Garland
Just tell Joe about IL. Irene, and what
you have settled
Il am going to turn it into a con-
valescent home for London children
who want change of air-I hope you
won't object. Joe?' said Irene.
mot in the least. my dear, but !
thought you wanted it for yourself"
Il mean often to run down myself
and look after things. but my wish is
to make a dedication of the house TO
my dear mothers memory, and l know
that 1t would have pleased her. 1t will
hold six children and a matron to look
after them, whom l engaged this
morning. nice, cheerful, sensible
young woman who has been a nurse in
the Childrens Hospital. She is going
to see after everything for me-"
Irene had been very full of her new
scheme up till this afternoon, in fact
1T interested her vastly more than her
trousseau did, and she had left Lady
Garland by herself to select and order
some delightful tea Jackets. whilst she
went off in hansom to a large furni-
ture shop in the city with her new ma
iron, to choose the necessary plain deal
furniture and iron cots for her cottage
home. And after Irene had chosen her
had c4a n 4 dc he loft ha
matron and went away by herself to
Burlington House.
She had come home an hour later
in an altered frame of mind. with her
new toy driven completely out of her
head. For in that short interval, dis
may. disappointment and anger had
torn her heart in twain. But these
emotions were all over now, they had
been merged and chased away by one
strange and bewildering thought. The
man whom she had met, whom she
had believed to be Rupert Carroll, to
whom she had spoken words of bitter
reproach-this man had asked her
calmly If she was quite sure she was
not installing him for someone else.
For the first time real doubt had
crept into her mind. She recalled his
looks. his gestures the tones of his
voice. and ii began to be borne in upon
her that there was something unfamil-
Tar 70. her about them all. This was
the third time she had met this man,
whom she had taken for her lost lover,
and each time he had been in the
company of the same golden haired
and rouged lady, whom, having heard
of his marriage. she had very natural
ly believed to be his wife. She had
even taken the trouble to discover the
name of the lady whom Rupert Car
roll had married. and had remembered
the name of Agatha Dale as that of
the girl who had lived with his sister.
and of whom she had been vaguely
jealous. This woman, indeed, was old
er, and less like the girl of her imagi-
nation than she had supposed posi-
BILE; still, she was always with him-at
Monte Carlo in the concert room. and
again at Lady Clothildas ball. and
now again once more.
The mystery was perfectly incom-
prehensible to her. Yet momentarily,
and more and more, she became con-
WINGED that although Rupert Carroll
evidently existed still and was mar
ried, the man she had taken for him,
who had sighted her and passed her
by, was not her lost lover at all-but
someone else.
If there was comfort in the thought,
there was also a perfect whirlpool of
uncertainty and confusion. Her head
ached and throbbed with thinking of
it. As she leant back in the box at
Covert Garden whilst the strains of
Mascagni's lovely opera were anrap-
turing crowded audience, Irene, per-
haps alone out of all that vast multi
tude, listened very little to the music.
Her thought were far away with the
Rupert OF her life's roniance-the love
of her happy glrlhood. She was try
ing to recall those precious words and
looks of his, out of the long ago, and
to find in them some foreshadowing of
the after events OF her tragic story
Ever and again. as she thought about
the past and her eyes glanced at the
stout. unattractive little man opposite
her. to whom she had promised herself,
a strong shcdder OF revrIsion went
through rer.
II cannot marry hint" she thought
1T will be a horrible shame for he is
kind to me. and believe he is really
fond of me-but-how can l do it?
know when the time comes. shall not
be able to bring myself to it,
1t was the first time that she had
really faltered in her resolution. With
an effort she turned towards the stage
and tried to attend TO what was going
on The soprano was singing-the ex-
quisite notes of her beautiful voice
rang through the house. In spite of
herself Irene began to be entranced
by the music. whom suddenly Lady
Garland touched her arm.
There is something the matter with
Joe," she whispered-"look,"
Irene turned round Mr.. Taunton
was livid-his eyes were distended-he
gasped for breath The two ladies rose
simultaneously to so to his assistance
hg. ne put out his hand and pushed
them back, and then rushed violently
out OF the box. Lady Garland and
Irene remained facing each other with
looks OF horror and dtsmay.
What were they to do?--should they
follow him in spite OF his prohibition?
they asked OF one another. But be-
fore they could come to any conclu-
sion. Joseph Taunton came back again.
looking rather pale and exhausted. but
otherwise much the same as usual.
1T is nothing" he said. reassuring-
~. II have had these attacks before:
l am subject to them. but il is over. II
was the heat. 1 think However. IL you
will kindly excuse me. ladies. l think
i will go home now-I will leave my
brougham 10 take you and Irene home.
Lady Garland"
He made his adieux and left them.
He seemed nearly himself again. and
they neither of them felt much anx-
iety concerning him. Later on, as they
went back to Elton Place in his
brougham. they paused a moment by
the way TO inquire In Grosvenor
Square and learned that Mr.. Taunton
was quite well and had retired to bed
without sending for any doctor. This,
OF course. completely reassured them
1t was a lovely moonlight night. the
two ladies got out Of the brougham st