Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1912-01-06


the habit Of poking my nose In other
peoples business"
This latter assertion made with q
toss Of the head and left my employ.
er to read the note by herself.
30 far 80 good had got over the
danger of showing consc iousness 10
Mrs. Gona9le. and this WIS great
aid She would doubtless tell Mr..
Constable that NO far az she could dis.
Germ | had stood the test. This would
incline him to infer. unless | quniled
Under his searching gaze. that l hnd
stood 1t. Emboldened by my Il vt suc.
cess. determined that ! word de-
ceive him II II took all the taeui to-
deception there was In me. Besides
now that my blood was mp for the
heht, | would teach him thai lie cou o
not play sr b game on re- with ~
punity.
Nevertheless ] knew TINT unless
could mt my re-t meeting With hin
throw up dust as J hNl done WIKI
Mrs. Gonlgle I would be beaten. What
was my confederation when Mira. Con
agile came into the room where was
writing. not ten minutes after my or
rival, With Il notc In her hand and told
me that l must N right back with IT
to Mr.. Constable. She had telephoned
for an auto and 1t would be at the
door in q few minutes. Il will trust
to your high sense of honor" she said.
''as Mr.. Constable has done, leaving
my note unsenled."
at doesn't matter about that. Mrs
Gonagle." said. II won't feel hurt
II you seal it."
But she didn't. and I sealed II my
self before her eyes. ! had no use for
what 1t contained. The plot was to
send me right back to Constable SO
soOn after my guilt--if indeed was
guilty-that he might the better detect
1t. There was no time to form or
carry out a plan for his deception. GER
talnly not another breakdown, Two
such articles would be dead give
away. l resolved to march straight up
to him. driving all embarrassment out
of my head, acting with absolute APP
parent indifference. made another
resolution. ! resolved--but never mind
what resolved.
When ! was ushered into the room
where ! again found him sitting be-
hind his rosewood desk | think | could
have enacted any part--I could have
announced to him that he was to be
decapitated in ten minutes without
showing the alightest trace of emotion.
The gray eyes were brought to bear on
me, but met them with an inquiring.
childlike wonder as to why be looked
txtr ha ri N mn Than ne ,Ado 80
had been touched by such gaze. l call
ed up faint blush and turned my
eyes away. felt that had conquered.
My pantumina would have deceived
Satan himself.
Still pretending that Mr.. Constable
was another person than himself. the
secretary took the note out of the room
and returned with another. which he
handed me unsealed He did not open
his lips to me during my brief stay.
but knew that he was watching me.
acted as though there was no one
present except myself. looking most of
the time out OF the window The note
he gave me I dropped at once into my
bag without looking at 1t, pretending to
be at the moment hunting for either
my handkerchief or my purse.
From this time forward I felt that |
was mistress of the situation. The
only mention l made of Mr.. Coz u.
BILE was as the old gentleman who
did 80 much for the poor" and this
was not to Mrs. Gonagle. but IN her
hearing. i think this took away any
suspicion she might have had that ]
knew of her plot. She did not send
me with any more notes to Mr.. Con-
stable. but did send me to him with
verbal messages. When | went with
the first of these Mr.. Constab!e's pre-
tended secretary waxed affable and
uon. showed no indsposition to
talk with him, though he never gave
me one of those gazes of his hut that
lowered my eyes. In one Of our
chats asked him II he were Mr.. Con.
stables secretary. and he replied that
he was more than that-he was his
business manager.
"Mr. Constable must be splendid
Old gentleman" ! said. ''to do so much
for the poor"
"What else can he do with his mon
ey?" was the response. He can't
spend 1t all on himself"
Then the secretary beran to come to
Mrs. Gonagle's on various pretexts.
and every time he came she would
manage to leave us in her Office room
together while she pretended to be at
tending to the matter about which he
had called. l saw that he was bent
on wooing, and permitted him to
WOO. He took me out several times.
and one evening on our returning
from the opera on leaving me In the
vestibule he pressed my hand. There
was light enough for me to show him
that I was very much impressed by
the performance.
Time came when he proposed to me.
I laughed at him. II don't care to
marry man." said. "who began his
courtship with the idea that he was
a match for n woman
"whnt do you mean?" he asked.
why. you and Mrs. GonaRle FORM
ed plot to make me believe chat you
are Mr.. Constable's secretary. knew
from the first that you were Mr.. Con
stable himself a
"How? You surely didn't read the
first note I sent by you?" Il
"Of course ! did Did you take ms
fnv- n r,fupr2.