Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-08-23
CHAPTER xxIII.-tcontinued.,

MIS-. fentOn'S forecast OF the course
to which Mr.. BRENT would eventually
find himself impelled was verified to
the letter; and indeed 1t is not easy to
see what other course any honest man
could adopt The mystery must be
cleared up, he thought. 1t might, CT
course. turn out to be some very trifing
matter; but, on the other hand, 1t
might prove to me & most important
one. For his own part, he could not
help fearing that she had married
some man out in Australia--the very
man who was threatening her perhaps
and a family lawyer must not con-
nive, or even seem to connive, at biga-
my.
Accordingly, instead of going straight
to Bedford Row as usual, he turned
aside TO Fred's rooms, where he found
that young gentleman at breakfast,
and, thinking it best to conceal moth
ing, he gave truthful and concise &C
count of what had taken place on the
previous afternoon.
Fred received the news quite as Mrs
Fenton had anticipated that he would
receive 1t. He was a good deal more
annoyed than alarmed; he thought the
lawyer rather fussy and officious. and
he was by no means disposed to follow
the advice urged upon him. I wish
you hadn't told me about it," he ex-
claimed, irritably. Laura and 1 have
agreed to pass the sponge over what
Is past; If she has done this, that or
the other In years gone by, / don't
want to hear about 1t, and hardly feel
that l am entitled to go and demand IN
explanation, as You suggest"
Mr.. Breffit shook his head. Perhaps
demand is too strong word to use,
said ne; but ana afraid you will have
to request an explanation. This man
has some hold over Mrs. Fentun, and II
you don't inquire what 1t Is now, you
will certainly inquire some ds1-whan
possibly 1t may be too late"
What do you mean?" asked Fred.
rather fiercely.
Not word more than l aay. No
man can allow his wife to pa9 black
mail. Either this fellow is a mere bull
ly, from whom it is your business to
deliver her, or else he is In possession
OF some secret which ought tc prevent
her from marrying you. l express no
opinion about the matter: / g1ly eau
ton you that you can't shirs disa-
greeable duty, by ignoring It,"
The truth is that Fred would have
been very glad to ignore 1t; bat since.
after that explicit warning, 1t was
scarcely possible for him to Go So he
presently took his way to A'bemarle
street. There he learned, not little to
his surprise, that Mrs. Fenton had left
London for a few days. But was TO
sa--, sir added the waiter who gave
this information, that If you would
please to step upstairs you would find
note for you upon the table"
Fred went up to the sitting room
which had of late become So familiar
to him. and there, sure enough. he es-
pied an envelope addressed to f. Mus
grave, ESQ.," which, on BEING opened,
proved to contain several closely writ
ten sheets of paper. He supposed that
one OF her friends had asked rer down
to the country for a day or two; he
was utterly uaprepared for tie start
ling announcement with which the let
ter began.
My Dear Fred am running away,
because there is nothing elqe to be
done. l have deceived you from first
to last, and now l have been found OUT.
! am not your cousin, / am only the
widow of your late cousins husband:
and all the money that / have spent
since my arrival in this country has
| been stolen from you by me-"
Then. at full length, she narrated the
/ true story of her life. She did not at
| tempt to make any excuse for her sub
| sequent conduct. remarking that she
knew very well how useless II would be
! to do so.
THE only thing that hope you will
believe, Fred-but am not sure that
you willis that I really loved YOU.
| Perhaps 1t sounds absurd to say So be-
| cause l have robbed you of several
! thousand pounds, and 1 suppose. too
| that have prevented you from marry :
ing the girl whom you love. However
It Is true; and possibly you won't miss
| those few thousands very much, and
as for the girl whom you love- she Will
| marry you now-and so alPs well tina
! ends we'll. All wouldn't have ended
well If Mr.. Dodd hadn't turned up In
| the nick of time, you will say; but that
is as may be. Nobody can tell what
might have been, and it won't do YOU
much harm If go on thinking that you
| might have been happy with me. ANY.
| now, you VIII never see me again: for
/ know you won't set the police on nv
| track. though Mr., Breffit will tell Won
| that that is what you ought to do. And
| so, good-by, my dear. dear Fred. II
! you can forgive me and think kindly OF
me, you will: and If you can't-weu
| then dare say you will soon mana 20
| to forget me-"
Now. 1t must be confessed that when
Fred had finished reading the lette,
! from which the above extract has been
| taken he was not disposed to think
very kindly of its writer. To begin
with. the sensat ion of having been mos,
| completely and successfully made a foo
OF is one which nobody enjoys More.
| over, those who reserve their confes
sion until they have been found on,
cannot expect to be mercifully Judged
Certainly Fred had no wish to put him.
self in communication with the police
or to see Mrs. Fenton In the dock: bu
he did think that she might consider
herself extremely lucky to have got of
scot-fsee, and he felt no sort of Dit,
for her.