The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-11-25

She longed to lead him into q trap
by asking some question to which II
he were Leven, he would know the an
swer, though not If he were any one
else, a question to which he would not
hesitate to reply unsuspectingly II the
answer were known 70 him. But Lady
Maud was not ingenious in such coz
versational tricks, and could not think
Of anything that would do.
The outward difference of appear.
ance between him and the man she
had married was so small that she
could assuredly not have sworn in ev.
idence that Kralinsky was not her
husband. There was the beard, and
she had not seen Leven with beard
since the first months of her mar.
riage four years ago, when he had cut
It off for some reason known only to
himself. Of course a recollection, al.
ready four years old, could not be
trusted like one that dated only as far
back as three months; for he had left
her not long before his supposed
death.
There were the hands, and there
was the left hand especially. That
might be the seat of the doubt Pos
sibly she had never noticed that
Leven had way of keeping his left
little finger almost constantly crooked
and turned inward as If it were lame
But she was not sure even of that
for she was not one of those people
who study the hands of every one they
know, and can recognize them at a
glance. She had certainly never
watched her husbands as closely as
she was watching Kralinsky's now.
Margaret was in the best of spirits
and talked more than usual, not stop
ping to think how Van Torp's mere
presence would have chilled and ST.
fenced her three or four months
earlier.
On the whole it was a gay dinner
and Mrs. Rushmore and Kralinsky
knew that it was a very good one, and
told each other so afterward as they
walked slowly up and down the great
promenade deck in the starlight. For
people who are very fond of good eat.
ing can chatter pleasantly about their
food for hours, recalling the recent de-
lights of a perfect chaud-froid or a
faultless sauce; and it was soon ev..
dent that there was nothing connect
ed with such subjects which Kralin
sky did not understand and appreci
ate, from a Chinese bird 's-nest soup to
the rules of the great Marie-Antoine
Careme and Brillat-Savarin's "Physi
ology of Taste."s Kralinsky also knew
everybody. Between gastronomy and
society, he appeared to Mrs. Rush
more to know everything there was
to be known.
Lady Maud caught snatches of the
conversation as the two came neal
her, and then turned back; and she re
membered that Leven used to talk or
the same subjects with elderly women
on whom he wished to make a pleas
ant impression. The voice was his
too, and yet she knew she had a doubt
somewhere, a very small doubt, which
it was sort of slow torture to fee
was still unsatisfied.
Mr.. Van Torp sat between her and
Lady Margaret, while the two others
walked. The deep-cushioned straw
chairs stood round a low fixed table
on which there had been coffee, and al
Margaret's request the light had beer
put out, though it was only a small
opalescent one, placed under the avn
ing abaft the wheel-house and bridge
1--WE must be going very FAST" said
Lady Maud" for the sea is fiat as q
millpond, and yet there's a gale as
soon as one gets out of the lee OF
things"
"She's doing %, believe" replied
Van Torp, land she can do % II
pressed. She will, by and by, when
she gets warmed up"
Where are we going" Margaret
asked. AT this rate we are sure to
get somewhere!"
81 don't know where we're going
I'm sure" The millionaire smiled in
the gloom. But as you say, it doesn't
take more than five minutes to gel
somewhere in ship like this
You must have told the captain
what you wanted him to do! You
must have given some orders!"
why, certainly. l told him to look
around and see if he could find anoth.
er yacht like this anywhere in the
Mediterranean. So he's just looking
around, like that, I suppose. And il
he finds another yacht anything like
this, We'll see which of us can go fast
est. You see l don't know anything
about ships, or where to go, so l just
thought of that way of passing the
time. and when you're tired of rushing
about and want to go anywhere in par
ticular. why, I'll take you there. Il
the weather cuts up we'll 60 in some
where and wait, and see things or
shore. Will that do?"
Margaret laughed at the vagueness
of such rowing commission, but Lady
Maud looked toward her friend in the
starlight and tried to see his expires
sion, for she was sure that he had 9
settled plan in his mind, which he
would probably put into execution.
She rose. "Do you mlnd very much
If go to bed. I'm rather sleepy after
the journey. Oh, mustn't forget t.
tell you," she added, speaking to Mar
garet, Il always lock my door al
night. so don't be surprised! If 20,
want to come in and talk when yor