The Washington herald., 1912-06-23
CHAPTER x.
Lord NunneIey 1. Frnnk.

kT ASKED you to lunch at the
club, Deane," said Lord Nun
neley, because l thought that
we could talk here without being inter
rupted. If you came to Cavendish
| Square, Olive would walk you right
away from the table. and if I asked to
have a chat with you alone, there would
be perfect avalanche Of questions to
| face
Deane looked up a little curiously.
For the first time he realized that this
was not simply a casual invitation His
prospective father-in-law had really
something to say to him.
There was some matter which you
wished to discuss, them" Deane asked.
L need scarcely say that | am quite
at your service
Lord NunneIey passed his cigarette
case across the table They were near
ing the end of a very excellent lunch
! con. Well" he said, there were a
few things | wanted to say to YOU. You
see. Deane. the city is no longer a myth
ical place to us idlers. We meet people
whose life is centered in money-making
every day. have friends, friends be-
side yourself, who come from Lombard
Street, and one hears things, gossip,
mean, and stray talk"
Deance seemed suddenly to recede
into himself. His host noticed the
change. and blamed himself for his
want of tact Nevertheless, as he had
begun, so he went on.
"You see, Deane," he continued.
"Olive is my only daughter, and it
makes one more than ordinarily cau-
tious. This blacknlailing case of yours
has set people talking a bit. OF course.
] think you were right 1t was a brave
and sportsmanlike thing to do. The man
is committed for trial. and | only hope
he'll get penal servitude All the same,
there are lot Of people, you know,
Deane, who don't take quite the same
view of it"
Naturally" Deane assented. "One
can scarcely occupy such a position as
mine without having enemies. There
are wheels within wheels in the finan-
cial world, you know, Lord Nunneley,
Just as there are in the social world. !
There are a dozen men who covet my
post, and as many hundreds of hangers
on and parasites who would be glad to
see me out of it."
"Of course. this man Hefferom's atti- !
tude was distinctly belligerent, and his
solicitors evidently knew what they |
were talking about when they reserved |
his defense. Tell me. when Sinclair |
came to YOU first had he really any pa
pers at all which were likely to cause !
you embarrassment"
"fe had an original claim to the Lit |
tie Anna Gold Nine" Deane admitted, |
but it had lapsed before I took pos
session. 1t was not worth the paper it /
was written on"
Still. he had got that document" |
Lord Nunneley asked.
Without a doubt" Deane answered !
you have no idea, / suppose, what |
became of it," Lord Nunneley asked. |
Not the slightest" replied Deane. 81 |
only know that it was not found among 1
his effects"
Would it have been of any interest /
to you to secure it," Lord Nunneley
continued
81 would have given few hundred
perhaps a few thousand-pounds for |
it." Deane answered, partly as a curl
osity, partly in order to save any pos
sible trouble"
"Of course" Lord Nunneley said,
leaning back in his chair and slipping
his coffee, "the world is full of people !
who love to gossip, and you cannot gos-
sip unless you invent i'll about some one.
Somehow or other, it never amuses
people to talk good of their friends
conversation only becomes interesting
when one can associate evil with them
There are things being said in connec-
ton with this Hefferom affair, Deane,
which are not altogether pleasant"
GO on" said Deane.
For instance" his host continued,
81 was told last night that Hefferom's
tale was in substance true-he did ad-
vance this man Sinclair money to come
to England and assert his right to the
Little Anna Gold Mine. Sinclair was
with this deed in his pos
session, and it is freely whispered that
you have befriended Rowan-his mur-
derer. The paper has disappeared. We