The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-02
WI1ENAMANMARRIES
lhenNdfomwhkh fhepW SEvENlNSwaS made
By MARI ROBERTS RINEIlART
AulhOrd flECRlHt SEAMAge'7 nEikNN LOwrRIh
copyueht. 1908. Tbs Bonaa- Merrill Company


doing here? l thought you we're in
Europe"
You are hiding something from
mel" she accused. ut is JIM / see
II In your face"
Wei, 1t isn't" I snapped. ut
seems to me- really, Bella, that you
and Jim ought to be able to manage
your own affairs. without dragging
me in" 1t was not pleasant but IL
she was suffering, so was ]. Jim
is as we'll as he ever was. He's up
stairs somewhere. I'll send for him.
she gripped me again. and held on
while her color came back.
you'll do nothing OF the kind,
she said, and she had quite got hold
of herself again. Il do not want TO
see him: / hope you don't think, Kit
that ! came here 10 see James WIZ
son. Why. have forgotten that
there is such a person, and you know
it,
Somebody upstairs laughed. and !
was growing nervous. What II Aunt
Selma should come down, or Mr-
HARRISON come out OF the den?
.:why did you come, then, Bella"
/ inquired. HE may come In.
81 was passing in the motor, she
said, and / honestly think she hoped
would believe her, land / saw that
am" She stopped and began again.
II thought Jim was out of town, and
| came to see Takahiro,' she said
bra zeniy. He was devoted to me,
and Evans is going to leave. I'll tell
YOU what to do Kit. I'll go back 10
the dining room, and you send TAXA
there. If any one comes. can slip
into the pantry"
'Its immoral" I protested. Its
immoral TO steal you
my own butler!" she broke in i'm
patiently. You're not usually SO
! serupalous, Kit. Hurryi 1 hear that
hateful Anne Brown"
So we slid back along the hall. and
/ rang for Takahiro. But income came.
u think l ought to tell you, Beta, =
said as we waited. and Bella was
staring around the room-"I think you
ought 10 know that Miss caruthers is
here" Bella shrugged her shoulders.
Well, thank goodness" she said,
| Il don't have to see her The only
pleasant thing remember about my
year of married life is that l did not
inject Aunt Selma"
| rang again, but still there was
no answer. And then it occurred to
| me that the stiffness below-stairs was
almost oppressive. Bella was noticing
| things too, for she began to faster
| her veil again with malicious little
| smile.
"One OF the things / remember my
| late husband saying" she observed.
was that he could manage this house.
and had done 1t for years, with flaw
less service. Stand on the bell. Kit"
| did We stood there, with the ia
| BILE, just as it bad been left, between
4 ofaH GA fpr n Rnlla
| was gro wing impatient. She raised
| her eyebrows (she Is very handsome,
Bella is) and flung out her chin as
! II she had begun to enjoy the horri-
BILE situation.
| thought / heard rattle OF silver
| from the pantry just then, and hur-
| ried to the door in a rage. But the
pantry was empty OF servants and
| full of dishes, and all the lights were
lily could have sworn that saw
] one of the servants duck into the
stairway to the basement, but when
| got there the stairs were empty, and
something was burning in the kitchen
! below.
Bella had followed me and was peer
ing over my shoulder curiously.
There isn't a servant in the house,
she said triumphantly. And when we
4
| to be right. 1t was in disgraceful
4 order, one OF the bottles OF wine that
had been banished from the dining
room sat half empty on the floor.
Drunk" Bella said with convic-
ton But ] didn't think SO. There
| had not been time enough, for one
4 thing Suddenly / remembered the
ambulance that had been the cause OF
Bella's appearance-for no one could
believe her silly story about Takahire'
/ didn't wait to voice my suspicion to
her: simply left her there, staring
helplessly at the confusion, and ran
lup-s stairs again: through the dining
i room. past Jimmy and Aunt Selma,
past Leila Mercer and Max: who were
flirting on the stairs, up. up to the
servants bedrooms. and there my
suspicious We're verified. There was
every evidence of a hasty fight: In
three bedrooms five trunks stood lock.
ed and ominous. and the closets yawn-
ed with open doors. empty. Bella had
| been right; there was not a servant in
the house,
As / emerged from the untidy emp
tiness of the servants wing. I met
Mr.. HARRISON coming out OF the stu
dio. ,r. n. c.,..,,