Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-04
THE HEART OF A
WOMAN
BARONESS ORGY
By
BARONESS ORGY

he was packing up his things, meaning to
catch the night boat to Calais:
"Then why the dickens did he miss his
train?" exclaimed Sir Thomas. grufiiy.
cit was not altogether his fault" she
replied. Our arrival delayed him lit
tie. but he would have had plenty of time
even then. only the police came. you see.
and it was too late.
st know. 1t was silly, officious blunder-
ing on the part of one of my subs l
meant de Mountford to have plenty OF
time to get away, and could have man
aged 1t somehow to leave him unmolested
If he kept some distance away from Eng
land. The whole thing has been most un-
fortunate"
II don't think So uncle" she said. quiet
~. II am glad. very glad. that Luke has
been arrested"
Are your" he retorted. dryly. 1.-THE
outlook for him Is not pleasant"
II know that. But at any rate now
there is a chance that he can prove his
innocence"
Sir Thomas Ryder gave a quick sigh of
my dear child" he said. gently, do
try and be reasonable about that. You
only lay up for yourself further stores of
misery and of disappointment. De Mount
ford is guilty, tell you. He practically
confessed at the inquest, and he prac-
tically confessed to our fellows after his
arrest"
Practically she said, with strong EN-
confessed that he committed a murder
well, he admits that the stick with
which the murder was done was his stick;
that he had 1t in his hand the night that
the murder was committed: that he went
out with it in his hand five minutes be-
fore the other man was murdered.
Il know all that" she reJoined, but
let me tell you this. Uncle Ryder. Luke
has admitted all that, as you say; but
he has never admitted that he killed
lin do ~N1 IN lyor~
whoever he may be. Luke, Uncle Ryder
is allowing the awful accusation to rest
upon him because he wishes to shield
the real perpetrator Of the crime"
Nonsense" broke in Sir Thomas
CURLY.
"Why nonsense?"
Because, my dear Lou he said, slow
ly and firmly, people don't do that sort
Of thing. The consequences of having
taken another persons life-otherwise a
bear them for the sake of any one else
on EARTH
Yet I tell you, uncle.'' she reiterated,
with firnness at least equal to his own,
that he pleads guilty to the crime In
order to shield some one else"
Whom" he retorted.
THAT l do not know-as yet. But that
is the reason why l came here tonight.
uncle; because you must help me to find
out
Sir Thomas abruptly rose from his chair,
and took his stand on the hearth rug,
with legs apart and slender hands buried
in the pockets Of his trousers, in the at
titude dear to every Englishman.
His eyes in their framework OF in
Vulnerable wrinkles looked down. not un-
kindly. at the pale. serious face Of the
girl before him.
He, who was accustomed to give every
scrap of advice, every senseless piece of
fiff1p-fafflo q IN attention
was not likely to leave unheeded the calm
assertions of a woman for whom he had
great regard, and who was the daughter
of brother officer and one of his best
friends. OF course the girl was in love
with de MOuntford, SO her judgment on
him was not likely to be wholly unbiased !;
at the same time Sir Thomas-hke all men
who have knocked about the world a
great deal and seen much of its seamy
side-had a great belief in woman's in
stinct, as apart from her judgment, and
he was the last man in the world to hold
the sex in contempt.
Look here my DEAR" he said. after
little while. during which he had tried to
read the lines in the interesting face
turned up toward him, 81 honor you for
your sense of loyalty to de Mountford.
just the same as honor your father for
the like reason. And in order to prove to
you that ], individually. would be only
too happy to see the mans innocence es-
argue that soberly and sensibly with you.
You hold the theory that Luke de Mount
ford is shielding some one from the con-
sequence of an awful crime by taking the
burden on himself. Now, my dear, as
told you before, people don't do that sort
consequences of crime-especially where
the aristOcracy was concerned = were
quite picturesque: the Tower, the block
and all that sort of thing. But today the