The Washington herald., 1912-11-03
"a BUTTERFLY Y ON THE WHEEL
did your husband lnow!"

-
did your husband lmow!"
"No"
"Was this another one of those per.
fectly harmless things that you did no
care to tell your husband!
II saw no harm in !"
But you did not want him tc
lmowr charged Sir Robert. in low
stern tones. "Well, Mrs. Admission
you have now admitted that Mr.. Col.
iingwood had been making love to yor
for months before this trip to Paris
We are getting at the truth gradual.
ly," he went on, glancing over hi,
notes. '1 suppose he made these decla.
ration: several times at Lord Eller'
Peggy had grown calmer IS she be.
lieved that the worst must now b<
over.
T think he spoke to me on one OF
two occasions" she admitted, in low
but fairly steady voice.
"And you still went about with him
everywhere-but you were careful moi
to tell your. husband the TRUTH!
Peggy drew herself up proudly. my
husband trusted me-" she said. 81
never abused his trust"
was not this an abuse of his
trustr demanded Sir Robert
Peggy clasped her hands together or
the rail nervously.
I "Oh, we can't be all perfect" she
pleaded. IL don't deny I flirted."
"And encouraged this man-this very
charming companion-to flirt with
you," charged Sir Robert. Peggy
raised her head.
And if l did" she replied. with q
touch of gentle defiance; IF l did, my
husband trusted me and knew there
was nothing in it"
Mrs. Admission, if that il So" said
Sir Robert, slowly and impressively
why were you afraid to speak to your
husband on the night of the 23d Of
May. and why did you connive at a
deliberate lie on the following day."
The girls eyes and voice fell. 81
was fool" she replied. bitterly. "The
others thought the thing much worse
than it was, and that frightened me.
have told you that loathed myself
for lying as I did"
For the third time Admaston raised
his eyes to his wife's face for an in
! slant. He, too, seemed to be suffering
| for some strange reason under the
strain of the examination. Sir Robert
pressed his lips together for a moment.
He felt that the girls reply to what
should have been a damning question
had made some impression in her
favor.
We'll, you mean," he said. after a
ehar< a,pea stf,.S ,1tho,,oh .sos, ha8
not told your husband everything about
your harmless flirtation.-your pecca-
dilloes-you had never before deliber-
Peggy looked up quickly. Yes
that's what I mean" she exclaimed.
eagerly
Now, doesn't it strike you. Mrs.
Admission, that any one who was 'ac-
quainted with your previous adventures
with Mr.. Collingwood, the pleasure you
obviously found in his society. and the
measures you took to blind your hus-
band to the progress of this-this in
nocent friendship-would have good
grounds for supposing that the 'acci..
dent which brought about the last of
this series Of innocent and pleasant re-
unions was in reality not an accident.
but deliberate design"
'I see what you mean." replied Peg
gy. low and steadily But whatever
any one thought. it was an accident"
IAN accident" repeated Sir Robert,
with soft irony. well, now let US
consider this chapter of-accidents !!
BY accident you and Mr.. Collingwood
got into the wrong train at Boulogne.
By accident. although the luggage of
the whole party was together at Char
ing Cross Station, and Mr. Colling-
wood was instructed to register it all
through to St. Moritz, your luggage
and Mr.. Collingwood's was not regis
tered-by accident-an accident which
enabled You to take it to Paris with
you on the Paris express. which you
entered only-by accident. By acci-
dent Mr. Collingwood seems to have
engaged rooms for himself and a lady
in Paris. which, but for the accident
which took you and him to Paris,
could have been of no possible Use to
him! Do you still ask the jury to
believe that your visit to Paris was the
result of an accident!
Most certainly | do replied Peggy,
in the same low voice.
Sir Roberts commanding figure
Strengthened and his eyes flashed.
81 suggest to you" he cried. sternly.
that you and Mr.. Collingwood had
planned this trip to Paris; that he took
the rooms with your knowledge that he
omitted to register the luggage with
your knowledge; that you both missed
the train deliberately. and reached
Paris in accordance with your preeon-
ceived design"
Peggy's slender figure stiffened and
her voice rang through the court.
And ! say that all these suggestions
are absolutely false!"
Her breath came and went in short
gasps. There was touch of feverish
color in her cheeks and her eyes
burned.
Absolutely false" sneered Sir Rob-
ert.
There is not a rag of truth in any
one of them!" cried the girl, her voice
rising wildly. "You may think you can
make black white and white black