Show Di mond U t D am01 BY JOHN GRITTOtt 1 You dont look happy Mrs Cameron Came-ron I am utterly wxelclicd she answered an-swered Would it be considered Impertinent If I ask you why Mrs Cameron drew a pattern l on the dusty path with the toe of a smart walking shoe before she made reply Well she said s3owly I believe Ive told you a secret or two before You have certainly told me one ho replied significantly People sometimes doubted whether Madge Camerons exquisite compilexlon wns entirely natural There was no suspicion of rouge in thc color that flooded her face at Mr Carpendtiles remark re-mark Thats tho one thing in the world I want you to forget she saW i Its thc only thing In thc world that i la i 1 worth remembering was his answer an-swer In that case thc secret I was going to tell you noW can have no Interest for you Then we wont have I tcfld he returned re-turned with unexpected acquiescence Kensington Gardens on a sweet June day is not the most unpleasant spot in the world At least so the happy I doc thought a they billed and cooed In the branches overhead I Mr Carpendale Archie said Mrs I Cameron at length I Mrs Cameron Madge he replied I t I want to confide In you He crossed one leg over the other and leaned lazily back in the scat I was quite aware you were dying to do It he observed Well I am prepared to bo sympathetic Go 01 Mrs Cameron shifted her sunshade slightly and looked at him round the corner of IL 1 have quarreled with my husband she said briefly Mr Carpendole shook off his lazdnesa for the moment and regarded her critically crit-ically Seriously he questioned Very seriously she replied What about Oh never mind that What I want to know iswill you help met I youll tell me how hi replied lapsing Into laziness again For one second a very smal hand In a delicatelytinted glove rested lightly on Archie Carpendalcs ooatsleeve When It had been removed hC carefully dusted with his handkcrciheC the spot it I had touched < Perhaps youd like a HtUe Sanltas Inquired i the owner of the hand with asperity After consideration Mr Carpendale t answered in the negative I does not matter much about my coatsleeve since I cannot apply San IDS to my heart he observecL To what there Is left of It she cor r t 1 Exactly he agreed since I have known you I doubt whether there Is more than a fragment remaining Nor for years before that Archi bald Carpendale she said emphasizing emphasiz-ing l the words with her forefinger And you had you ever c heart at all1 he inquired OnceI think I had she answered an-swered meditatively And where Is It now She withdrew behind the shelter of the sunshade In silence Where Is It I now he repeated leanIng lean-Ing forward so as to render the screen useless She laughed back at him and tho dimples at the corner of her mouth made themselves apparent Iamnotgoingto tell you Besides Be-sides dont you want to know how you can help me I am literally aching to hear he returned pushing up the corner of the screen so that he could sit more comfortably com-fortably Mrs Camerons face became grave and her tone serious I want to punish Jack she said simply You may count on my warm cooperation coop-eration emlon And so Weil I want you t take me to tho theater thea-ter tonight I understand And well go and have supper together to-gether afterward And thenI And thenoh Jack will be tremendously tremen-dously outrageously angry and I shall have paid my debt Mr Carpendale pulled his mustache with an uncertain air I will do this one one condition Madge Any condition you like I am quite reckless she answered That you tell me the exact locality your heart has strayed at present Mrs Cameron rose from the scat I Is time I was going she said He caught both her hands In his Tell me Madge he whispered She flashed one swift glance at him then looked away Oh Archie she said 11 neednt tell you you know already Iha always al-ways been In the same place since I first lost It I was exactly halfpast 12 when the brougham containing Mrs Cameron and Mr Carpendale storied homeward With an evening at St Jamess thea tel and a prolonged supper at Princes tho time had passed very pleasantly The drive home would occupy a good hour more and Madge observed with a little laugh that by i the time they arrived ar-rived Jack would probably be as angry as heart could desire angy Youve been an awful good old thing she said as she nestled back In her coiner of tho carriage andIf you like you may take my glove off holding out Item hand as she spoke There were six buttons and Carpen dale made the lask last as long as possible hlo fingers resting caressingly on the soft round arm Is that all the reward I am to have ho asked still unsatisfied stl unt fe The last button was undone and the glove was slowly coming off < V enno returned Mrs Cameron consideringly If you are very good Ill she you leave Just while we are driving borne to hold mIl m-Il be perfectly angelic ho Inter To hold my fan she concluded slip ping her fingers out of the glove which she loft In his hand Mr Carpendale leaned back In his corner and regarded his companion as steadily as was possible In tho uncer tain light A lght gleam from a lamp as they passed showed passec traces of amuse ment In her face 4 I have not the faintest ambition to t co anything of the sort he said short ly I dont call that remark at all an gelic she returned 1 know plenty of intent who would count it an inestimable privilege to be allowed to InestnHble my Arc there plenty o C men who would f nni nnovv counl > It an Iestlmable Prlv ejo to be alowel to take you to thc thoater pure K I for i > I > the band J Jealous pleasure of nfklng > your bus She beiu forward suddenly In the on his lght > and laId her Beloved hand I t J No Archie she said softly but then you are a man in a thousand Pie laid his hand on hers and drew a little nearer to ner side Archie she went on still softly It seems awfully long ago since that day I first met you on the pier at Scarborough Scar-borough He mae no answer he was thinking loss of her words than of the nearness of her presence and the soft touch of j I her hand I r I sometimes fancy she continued I supposIngsupposing I hud never met Jack or that Jack had been poor like you youYes he whispered what then Madcc 1 might have made you happy poor old boy Had she looked toward him even In the semidarkness the whiteness of his I face might have warned her but she did not He leaned still closer toward her i Madge he said In a low tense I tone from what you said this afternoon I after-noon I ventured to hope Yes still half absently hal absent Perhaps If your words this afternoon after-noon were true She looked at him bewildered < I I dont understand you what words did I say That your heart had been in the same place ever since you first lost It Certainly she answered Well 1 I And that was three years ago at Scarborough I She drew her hand from his 1 O dear no How can you be so obtuse Archie You know perfectly I well that I lost It when I first met Jack at Dover I Indeed he remarked dryly then I have been under a slight misapprehension misappre-hension and the innn in whose keeping it now Isis Is-Is my husband of course Silly Billy Who else should it he she returned re-turned gayly Ah yes of course he agreed more dryly still who else agee I J cannot be said that Mrs Cameron was exactly happy a on reaching home after saying goodbye t Mr Car pendale she waited for the maid to I open the door Now that the freak I was over the delinquent felt rather doubtful as to the wisdom of It and I apprehensive of what her lord and master might say or even do Where Is the master Bates she I asked as she stepped over the threshold thresh-old I The master has not been home maam was the reply He sent a I boy from the ofllce to fetch his Glad Gad I stone bag and to leave a note for your you-r Cameron heaved a sigh of relief then taking the note she passed up stairs passe When comfortably settled In her dressinggown In an easy chair she opened It She little knew that that innocentlooking note was to bring about the crisis of her life Her husband had written In haste and had put the wrong letter into the envelope addressed to her It was as I follows Dear Lenal find I shall I be able to run down to Brighton with you for three days I Is refreshing to call to mind that though for prudential reasons I am legally married to Madge still to all Intents stl and al < purposes you are my own little wife I have written home to say I nm called away on I urgent business so be at the station in plenty of time and we will catch the < 1 730 train Yours u always JACK CAMERON The early dawn of the sweet summer morning found Mrs Cameron a very wretched woman Her eyes were swollen with weeping and her face was drawn and haggurd She ordered her breakfast to be sent up to her In her own room and kept the curtains drawn to hide the traces of grief from the pry ing eyes of her maids maid-s soon as It was possible she telegraphed tele-graphed to her dearest friend to come and condole with and advise her and the time dragged wearily on og she waited 1 her arrival I was about 11 oclock when she heard the front door open and shut then someone came up the stalls tapped at her door and entered In response to her Come In I Mrs Cameron rose hastily from hoi seat prepared to throw herself Into her friends arms her pentup emotion bursting foi th anew emoton Im so glad youve come she sobbed O Henrietta Then she slopped for It was not Hen rietta but Jack Cameron her husband He stepped forward to the window and opened wide the curtains then turned toward her but as his eyes rested on her worn haggard face ho I stinted back with an exclamation of surprise I What In the world Is the matter Madge he asked dignantly She drew back and looked at him In You dare to ask me what is tho gasped matter you vile hateful wretch she He came to her side and put his arm around her Have you got brain fever little lte woman he said There Is certainly something amiss His absolute coolness deprived her of the power of speech She took his letter of the previous night from the table and put It In his talle comment I hand without note or He took it with a smile then he looked i full into ful her eyes Did you be lieve l it Madgo he asked tenderly Her flushed tearstained face and heaving bosom were sufficient answer sufcent He drew her closer to him sind kissed her on her forehead her cheek met lips Darling he whispered you put YOu letter to Henrietta telling her of the scheme In regard to Carpendale In the envelope addressed to me at theo the-o ce ofllceWell Well she Questioned Then In order to be even with you I concocted a scheme of my own She laid her check against his and rubbed It softly up and clown cown And your letter was all < a lie she al le breathed I was n lie sweetheart Her arm stole round his neck 0 Jack I am so sorry sho cried Sorry thai It was a Hel Sho laughed as she kissed him Five minutes before she had thought she would never laugh again No silly boy she said sorry that I ever But he did not permit her to finish her confession for the words wore smoth Mirror ered before they left her lipsSt Louis I |