Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-07-05
BOOK II.
CHAPTER XII.
TnEEEr~-rs ~-Eu~c

Of the great house in Grosvenor Square.
Her husband had risen from his desk
and was standing with his hands in his
pockets upon the heart-rug. Her dress
was as neat and correct as ever. his hair
as accurately parted. his small nous
tache as eTectutally twirled. Yet there
was frown upon his face, an expression
OF gloomy peevishness about his express
sion His wife stood and looked at him,
looked at him and thought
You are back early" he said What
is the natter You don't look radiantly
happy. thought you were looking for
ward so much 10 this bazar."
Il was" she replied. Il am disappoint-
ed"
He saw then that her silence was not
a matter OF indifference. but OF anger.
What's wrongg' he asked quickly.
Her lips parted for a moment. One saw
that her teeth were firmly clenched.
colored eyes.
1t was that woman again" she NUT
tered-'the Duchess
What about her7' Carraby demanded.
shes bound to be civil 10 you now.
anyway
rs sheT-' Mrs. Carraby replied. rs she.
indeed. Wen. her civflity this afternoon
has been such that I shall have 10 give
up my stall can't stay there"
What do YOU meanR' he demanded
Nothing except that before everybody
she once more cut me dead. cut me wick
edIy." Mrs Carraby declared. You
don't understand the tragedy of this to
woman You are not likely TO. She did
Il in such a way this time that there
isn't a person worth knowing in London
who isn't laughing about it at the pres
eut moment"
Beast OF a woman he muttered.
AIRS. Carraby came a little further in
70 the room. She sank into an easy
chaiI and sat there. Her hands were
tightly Clenched. her face was hard and
cold; her tone icy. Yet one felt that
underneath a tempest was raging
You know. Algernon." she went on.
I'VE hat some hard times when you first
began &c make your way a little. When
we first took this house. even, things
weren't altogether easy. Americans can
come from nowhere. do the most outrag-
eous things In the world. and take London
By storm LoudOu. on the other hand.
Is cruel 10 English people who have only
their money. She was cruel 10 US, Alger-
non. but with al the snubs and all the
difficulties. 1 ever had. nothing has ever
happened to me like today
You'll get over IL"
Yet over she repeated. e. UuN
I thought that that sort OF thing was
at an end. / thought that when you
were a cabinet minister no one would
dare treat me as though I were a social
nobody"
You must remember that the duchess
las a special reason he reminded her.
7 suppose it's that PorteI AFFAIR
Yes" Mrs. Carraby agreed. 1T is the
Portel affair
They were both silent. There wasn't
much 10 be said for the moment
Have you heardT' he inquired pres
entity. whether Lady Anne is with him
IN ParisT''
No she replied. Somehow or other.
people don't seem TO talk scandal about
Lady Anne. They say that she is stay
ing for a time with an old friend there,
Algefnon.''
~Yes7"
Is it trae that you are doing so badly
at the foreign Officer" she asked blunt
A little flush mounted almost to his
forehead.
I have had the devils own luck" he
muttered.
Il can't take up a newspaper" she
continued bitterly, without finding il full
OF abuse OF you. They say that during
six weeks the entente cordiale has van
tshed. They say that you have lost the
friendship Of France. that she trusts Us
no longer. and that Germany's tone be-
comes more threatening and more bully
Ing every day. solely on account Of your
weakness"
We can't AFFORD to risk a war" Car
rsby explained L am q radical minis
ter I have represented a radical con-
stituency ever since came into parlia-
ment What the devil should 1 have to
say 10 my people il within a couple Of
months OF taking ofice we were plung-
ed into war;"
Il do not pretend" Mrs. Carraby re-
marked. ito be an active politician. but
have heard IL said that the best way
TO avoid war is 20 show that you are
not afraid Of II. They say that that
Is where Sir Julien PorteI was so SPLEEN
did. Do you know that the leading ar
ticIe Of one OF your own papers this
morning declares that Germany would
never have dared 10 have said so much
70 US IL she had not known that she had
only a puppet 20 deal with in the cabi-
net? You know what all the other papers
are limiting at? Is II true. Algernon. that
you gave two hundred thousand pounds
20 the party7''
whether It is true or not" Carraby
retorted. 1T makes no difference. want
ed this post wanted IL for your sake as
much es my own. and wish TO Heaven
that II was at the bottom Of the seal I'D
resign tomorrow IL I could do so with
dignity. I can't now, OF course. Every
one would say I was chucked. To make
things worse" he went on savagely.
''there comes these internal letters OF
PorteTsr
Mrs Carraby raised her eyebrows.
why. I've heard IL said that those
letters are the one hope this country
hast have heard IL said that but for
those letters France and England would
be as far apart today as they ever were
heard IL said only this afternoon that
those letters were our only hope OF
peace. They were compared with the
letters OF Junius. whoever he was. Lord
Cardington told me himself that they
were the most splendid political prose
he had ever read in his life"
THAT may be true enough" Carraby
grOwled. but they make IL all the hard
er for me No doubt Portel was a good
minister. No doubt he was doing very
well in his post Now he writes these
letters every one remembers il. every
one is asking for him back again. It's
hell. Mabell I wish TO God we'd let the
man alone!"
Mrs Carraby looked at her husband
steadfastly. She was a little taller than
he. She looked at him, from his well
brushed hair TO the trim patent boots
which adorned his small feet. She look
ed at him and in those strange-colOred
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