Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-02-23

peoples business"
This latter assertion I made with q
toss Of the head and left my employ
er to read the note by herself.
So far so good. had got over the
danger Of showing consciousness to
Mrs. Gonagle. and this was great
aid. She would doubtless tell Mr..
Constable that so far as she could dis
Germ | had stood the test. This would
incline him to infer. unless quailed
under his searching gaze. that | had
stood 1t. Emboldened by my first sue
cess. determined that ! would de-
ceive him if 1t took all the talent for
deception there was In me. Besides.
now that my blood was up for the
| fight, would teach him that he could
not play such a game on me with i'm
punity.
Nevertheless I knew that unless
could at my next meeting with him
I throw UP q dust as ! Ind done with
Mrs. Gonagle would be beaten. What
was my CONSERVATION when Mrs. Con-
| agile came into the room where | was
writing. not ten minutes after my ar
rival, with note In her hand and told
me that must go right back with it
to Mr.. Constable. She had telephoned
| for an auto and 1t would be at the
| door in a few minutes II will trust
to your high sense of honor" she said,
''as Mr.. Constable has done, leaving
my note unsealed."
lit doesn't matter about that, Mrs.
Gonagle." l said. Il won't feel hurt
If you seal 1t"
But she didn't. and sealed it my
self before her eyes. had no use for
what it 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
! it. There was no time to form or
carry out plan for his deception, GER
tainly not another breakdown. Two
such artifices would be dead give
away. resolved to march straight up
to him, driving all embarrassment out
of my head. acting with absolute ap-
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 10 be
| decapitated in ten minutes without
showing the slightest trace Of emotion.
| The gray eyes were brought to bear on
childlike wonder as to why he looked
so hard at me- Then. as if my modesty
had been touched by such gaze, call
| ed up Il faint blush and turned my
eyes away. felt that I had conquered.
My pantomine 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 be
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 dropped at once into my
bag without looking at it. pretending tc
be at the moment hunting for either
my handkerchief or my purse.
I From this time forward felt that
| was mistress of the situation. The
only mention | made of Mr.. Consta-
| BILE was us "the old gentleman who
did so much for the poor" and this
was not to Mrs. Gonagle. but in her
hearing. 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.. Constable's pre-
| tended secretary waxed affable and
endeavored to engage me in conversa-
ton. | showed no indisposition to
| talk with him, though he never gave
me one of those gazes Of his but that
lowered my eyes. In one OF our
chats | asked him If 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, Ito do so much
for the poor"
what else can he do with his mon.
ey?" was the response. He can't
spend it all on himself"
Then the secretary began to come to
Mrs. Gonagle's on various pretexts.
and every time be came she. would
| manage to lenve us in her office room
together while she pretended to be at
tending to the matter about which he
! had called. | 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
vestibue he pressed my hand There
was light enough for me TO show him
| that | was very much impressed by
! the performance.
Time came when he proposed to me.
| I laughed at him. 81 don't care to
marry II man" ! said. "whu began his
courtShir with the idea that he was
matr II eor IL woman
"What do you mean?' he asked.
| astouuded.
Why. yon and Mrs. Gonagle form
ed blot to make me believe that you