| Show 4 r r u 0 f P a it 10 i Jl rJ fa fJ 1 j 1 1 t ct y J i f I f j l Dd lt fJ r r r A 4 man in ill London is isA S A knocked kizo k o ki ked down by an an automobile at Re Returning Returning turning to consciousness he lu cannot ca place himself though a letter in m Ins his pocket leads him to 10 conclude that his name is is George Annesley But he finds himself taken for George Hilton an all African explorer and per perforce perforce perforce force plays the part Afterward he is is pro profoundly profoundly iy attracted by iy j Pegg P gg the beautiful young ward of Lady and secures her promise that size she will Mil not wed Lord Bardley a wealthy but far from desirable suitor He learns however that he is is supposed to 10 be in love with Lady Sara Gervaise a handsome woman who has married another for I or money and that her husband has just died under mysterious circumstances instances Lady Sara sends Jends for George and tells him that they t ley art ares responsible for her husbands death The interview is interrupted by Lord Bardley Barde CONTINUED ED FROM FROU LAST SUNDAY AY CHAPTER VIII Continued iL DONT think you were very I f V civil to my friend Mr Hilton HUton said Lady Sara when on her ber return to the boudoir Lord Lo L 0 r d Bardley who ho had been beell lounging on L fl one of the low couches ouches rose roseto roseto 4 to meet her And you youw w k make his visit here I T a subject of conversation 1 I at t the club either she sher r F went ent on for you know he heIs heIs hecl cl i 1 Is an old friend of ot mine f 1 t and it was natural that he heI I I should bould be among the first j to sympathize with me upon lila my loss lossI I hI I know kno Lord Bard Bardley Bardley JI ley smoothed his dyed hair hall U 1 till with a thin hand You I 1 may depend upon my dis dJs discretion disE E III dear lady Jady But I 1 X fJ admit not feeling amiable a l toward Mr Hilton HUton Hes done me a bad turn tum turnA tumA turnA A bad turn Lady Sara turned interrogative eyes upon her visitor Yes responded the latter But of course cours that has nothing to do with you my dear Sara S ra Its another Batter atter altogether that I caLe cate to see you about He lie fumbled In his pocket and produced a letter 1 m afraid he went on that you wont like what 1 I lve ve ye got to tell teU you He paused twisting the th letter in ana an out of ot his lis tain fingers What is It Lady Lad Sara spoke impatiently Lord B ial ly y had an Irritating ray iray of or beating about the bush It was vas not till Lady Sara flushed angrily and nd de d an immediate immedi te explanation that he came to the thero JOT ro 0 r You Tou think your husband met his huis death an accident he faltered but I fear I am ams amIS s IS sr to say sa this was not the th case I Lady Iad Sara trembled What wh t was wa she about to hear hearl tc rfd ad l d It be possible that her secret her secret and had been revealed What do you rou mean Ifer lter voice olce shook and fear shone In her eyes e es esIt It was not an accident Lord Bardley lowered Js Ls in an effort to be sympathetic Sir Arthur committed suicide Lad Lath Sara drew a long deep breath in which relief was as with astonishment relief that her fears had been groundless and astonishment at ute tile Imparted She had fully believed that George Hlf n was directly responsible for her husbands eat Lord Bardley stood shuffling shuming his feet evidently e of an unpleasant duty not yet vet et fully carried out There would have hae to be explanations e and 1 I e hated explanations But so far Lady Sara had aken things s rather well She was a wonderful woman and he was always telling her soa aoa a little fad d of ot her at the bottom of his heart conscious of the scorn Irn with which she regarded him He knew she did not love her husband The farce had been heen goud enough for the world but he had bad been 1 el ina the scenes This was strange for Sir Arthur and Lord Bardley were men of very verv different et they had been close friends This friendship had an unusual foundation When oung men they had saved each others lives Bardley a considerable risk to himself had pulled up a run awo awa horse in the hunting Held field when It was on the erge rge of or a Il t deep gravel Krael pit people ople said it Wa was the one oIle creditable thing thin he had done in his life and Gervaise In re had oad exerted all al his scientific knowledge dge to the fhe fh e restoration of his preservers constitution shat ter terel 1 b fast tast living and profligacy to say nothing of wora n ora persuasion per by b he contrived to restore a n reprobate to a decent position in society 1 r the latter end he had consented to the marriage c q h bit slater sister whom he loved most d with Lord Barle Bardl and as long Ions as she lived things had gone not budi e dle about q year before fore Gervaise s own marriage and since that day Bardley Bardle had evinced an disposition to back Eide siede It was as If he had no when removed fm the influence of a strong trong and capable woman waman ich ch as Lady Bardley Bardle had been Perhaps it was w not altogether his fault He had been left len an orphan and dependent very ver early and there here vas Mas as bad blood in rt hm iT He had bad associated as a boy with his inferiors a aid nd id had never had a public school or college education IT l ad followed in the footsteps of ot his ancestors and andr r t e C name of Bardley had bad been notorious for genera senera generator tor or orz s orLady Lady Sara was wa not unacquainted with the th mans Her husband bad had often enough discussed It U wit wib i her ler b r Sir tr Arthur Gervaise had felt and expressed c 1 egret at t his friends backsliding and Indeed toe de be 3 doli that Lord Bardle should sh uld marry again h hd J the physiologist st himself It seemed tIe safest plan It ivas as good n ice as far as It went ent but una ely Lord Lard L ri choice fell ell upon apor Peggy a aw w jolly unsuitable i ath from every ever point of view and andon andone on one that the p physiologist yI strenuously opposed opposed As far as liady Sara was concerned d Lord ord Bardley night ngit marry marr whom he pleased She took no flO Interest in his affairs She glanced at him now with evident disfAvor o my mr husband killed I suppose he writes of ot his Intention to do so in that letter which you have brought me to seT seer Lady Sara found D n he at nt last Jast There had bad ben been b en a a long Iong pause pa se during which she had sunk down upon a 3 sofa ota and buried her ber face In one of the cushions Ke le thought that she ahe was weeping but or of course co he ho was mistaken Lady Sara Sad bad taken these means me ns merely to Insure Insure herself a afew few ew minutes of uninterrupted reflection Besides It was necessary ne that she should pretend to be moved air women would have wept ept under the circumstances and Lady Sara Sar was wast t ai competent nt actress a I ii a aShe She S e had h d bad h of ot shock a tool too For a ferr horrible moments she had ha Imagined n d that her before the poison polson took its effects had izad written an avowal of the cause of his death an avowal incriminating incrimInating incriminating Georgo George Hilton and herself Horrible mental visions ot of an accusation of murder had floated before her eyes yes it She had fully funy believed that George Hilton had made use of ot the poisoned knife against her husband that he ho had done So for the sake of the love he bore her But now what was she to think Sir Arthur perIshed by his own hand handI I 1 dont understand It at all she said sitting up and applying a dainty lace handkerchief handkerchief to her tear tearless tearless tearless less eyes ees It n was my husband himself who spoke of o oan an an accident He admitted to tue doctor and to others that It was a chance cut received d while he be was exam examining ining the knife Why hy should he have told a different story to you youe tHe He e had his lila reasons for confessing the truth fal faltered faltered faltered the man maD as you will learn when you see the letter Jetter It is to be a secret between you and me Sara SaraNo SaraNo No o one else need ever know Show me the letter She fine took It from him and read It through from beginning to end He watched her with furtive eyes The letter was cas f evidently written very ery soon oon after George Hilton had left the study and before Sir Arthur had come to any an harm It was a very avery sad letter one that might have touched the heart of or any woman but Lady Sara It named no names formulated no actual accusation accusation accusation tion Sir Arthur took all the blame for what lie he was about to do upon himself The object of the letter was palpably to warn his friend against rushing foolishly Into matrimony Let my fate tate be a warning to you Dick so the letter ran As s you know I have hae always wished you to marry again but you want a woman of ot the world a clever good woman as your mate not a child who has had no experience at all and who could never neer be a companion to you You cant expect love Jove under such su hj conditions my friend and without love lore you ou will never be happy I am writing these words as I stand upon the brink of eternity and so what I say should carry weight I married for tor the desire of o the eye Dont follow fonow my m example Dick My wife never neer returned my mJ love Jove and I cannot blame her herloe love will not come to order I have hampered her life Ufe I have hav made her un unhappy unhappy happy and now I feel that I am standing in her way Life is no longer of any use to me I have known suc success success success cess all the ambition that I ever ev r had bad in that direction has been fully gratified So you see Ive ve nothing left to live for Im going to take myself quietly out of the way wa Its so easy ea just to scratch my wrist with a knife which happens as I know to have a poisoned blade People will say that It accident at least I hope so One of my mr reasons for writing this confession is that you may have evidence of ot the truth If It a mistake arises Hilton HUton was as here and my wife half an hour ago it might night perhaps be said that one or the other of ot them had bad wished me rue m I like that to happen Show this letter to her It may seem cruel but I should hould like her to know Its ls the whim of a dying man manSo So Sov the letter ended Lady Sara crushed it Irritably r In her hand The fool she exclaimed that hat h he be should hould have written such a letter Jetter and to you cu The fool She wa sitting upright on the sofa clutching the edge of It with nervous fingers The letter fell to the floor I suppose think that I made him a bad wife she muttered between her teeth 1 I suppose proclaim it so from the housetops Oh Ob he meant to punish me and these are the means he be has taken of doing so She turned angrily upon her tier visitor rising from the sofa and taking a few quick steps toward towar him Why did you bring me the te letter at all an she panted Any other man would have torn It to bits burned it and burled the secret in his heart Yes Tes in spite of what Arthur has written I need never have known Lord Bardley stood fidgeting with his watch chain and giving little furtive kicks at the head of the tiger Perhaps he was not altogether displeased He had not failed to realize that Lady Sara despised him himAs hImAs himAs As far as the world Is concerned my husband died accidentally Lady Lad Sara had for the tho moment lost her customary languorous repose of manner She was wag tak taking takIng takIng ing short quick steps up and down the room A ver verdict verdict verdict dict of accidental death was bound to be brought In st at atthe t the inquest but now what do you expect me to do doShe doShe doShe She paused standing directly in front of him hint Do Doyon you yon wish me to produce that letter In court to have you ou summoned as a witness and to proclaim to all the world that Sir Arthur killed himself because he ha had bad never neer won his love loe Lord Bardley Bardle pursed his lips together he was wag a man and he was palpably holding him himself himself himself self in Under such circumstances he always atway assumed a drawl dral more pronounced than that which was natural to him My dear Sara he said theres no reason at all aU why that hat letter should be produced d in court and as asfor asfor asfor for summoning me as a witness well Id much rather be excused I attended on a jury once It was at an In Inquest Inquest Inquest quest too and I never had a Worse time In all my life No Xo Arthur wished his secret kept and you may rely upon my m discretion to keep It Lady Sara was mollified After all aU Lord Bardley had only onh obeyed Sir Arthurs last request And Arid If it he had kept her in ignorance he was Just the sort of man manto manto manto to amuse himself by b telling the story in strict conff confidence confidence dence to all his friends Poor Arthur commented Bardley Bardle after a pause The tragedy of the whole thing seems to me to lie Ue in the fact that he was laboring l under a delusion He spoke slowly and with significance though he be kept his eyes fixed on the tigers head A delusion Lady Sara glanced at him sharply how It seems to me Arthur was Jealous of Hilton all the world knows that But had he any reason to be what puzzles me inc Hilton rushed off ote to Africa before Arthur married you Hes only been In England three days and well unless hes a scoundrel I cant see that hes given gien Arthur cause for jealousy Lord Bardley paused and 3 d adjusted the on his nose He was stating the case in more coherent coherent language than he could usually command and Aid he ho felt rather pleased with himself As Asa a rule his lu hl speech was inclined to be puerile Of course I don t know kno what happened between you OU and your our husband to make him think that you ou never nev cared for him hin he continued no bust busi business bustness ness Q 1 mine and Im rm lot Dot here to throw stones Only It seems a pity He paused once more and his little leering eyes twinkled behind the I dont don t understand you please speak more clearly clearl Lad Lady Sara spoke with some irritation What on earth did the man mean to insinuate Lord Bardley assumed an air of mild surprise I mean he said that Hilton cannot be beas as poor Arthur imagined In love with you ou Ive lIe the best of reasons for tor knowing it IL He pursed up his lips Ups ruefully And I should think you must know it too Sara What do you mean Lady Sara Sarn lifted lined her lace handkerchief to her lips Her heart was beating pain painfully painfully fully and she was having a sore struggle to preserve her composure It was her turn to be racked her turn to suffer just as George had been made to suffer her turn t to act a part Lord Bardley Bardle may have recognized the emotion that she sought to veil vell from him guessed that he was inflicting a wound Hilton Is In love Jove with Peggy Marston he lie con continued continued continued It hurt him to say the words but it was some soma somer relief r Jef to tl feel that he was not the only one oneto to suffer 1 U x I E 1 40 I If II It Id i 5 r i I L I f t d I I Ii r y N I I LU i ii t t 1 1 i 1 j S m Lc At the same tints time he could not help admiring the way In which Lady Sara withstood the tile shock There was a quiver of her lips Ups a lifting of her brows a a slight heightening of the naturally deep color of ot her ner herch herch cheeks ch all aU allAnd allAnd And what is that to me mer she asked Oh come lets be straight with each other said laid the man Everybody knows that Hilton Is b or ought to be your property Arthur certainly thought so poor fellow why I Isa Isay say Hilton playing the game What has happened 7 Lady Lad Sara with a wonder wonderful ful air all of 0 nonchalance allowed herself to drop grace gracefully gracefully fully upon one of or the low chairs |
