Show THE HUSBANDS OF EDITH bu GEORGE BARR M CUTCHEON copic til bu dodd mead co go continued from last eek neek CHAPTER XI other ons T la Is but natural to i resume after IT the fo g that the affers aff airs of the Med crofts were vere under cloie close clo ie ind c ireful set tiny fion from that con fidei bial hour the odell carneys con ni ti no isly i e ind agreeable to tie tl e Med crofts aud and misi miss bovier fo vier it may be sad li if deed tint thit mr odell carney i el ei t on out of hia his viv to be agree abIL to mrs Med Alede croft so much so go io fit fact that she made it a pol pot t to have some one el e with her I 1 lineer anen er she seen ed likely to be left ilone with him the fodnes aled bracely and DO no doubt constien con cons clen tio 4 sh to en ely late the example set get by the cam ays eys b t it was vas hardly to be ei exi tl t at they could see new than things ahr ah h old world eyes they j ew very stiff and ceremonious thit Is the it 11 ine lne lad es d I 1 it was their piero gathe atle of cour e were they not cousins of the Med crofts I 1 0 r or five d ys f ur aisy pretense pissed ditl a u b ift ness that irritated cert it 11 meu men bers hers of tl e pirty and arid a ess th ill t d stressed the ott ers days beier feie so go short as those the nov no v mock was nas 4 eliding lie wis was w is llant ly g I 1 is ay into the heart of constan e a i 0 ess tint tried his pi tience exceed ugly for she NN v s blithely nn lin apte lot be b e if 1 0 e e e to ju I 1 e bv the calm ess with nith it h bhe she off tie it evitable aldy dy as ault she kept it it D at arms arm s lei ath ap peir D es d nai dd i dis ds i it cear etress ess io i 0 mattar I 1 low ow b tl e in kiy ay iy se e betly it hue in e felt the good lookin h of hei bet hi bi ter to siv th t sl e w wis Is el bijoy joy lit heibell vo 0 o id I 1 it i utti it a it i h t 0 timely sl st e w 9 re el ng in th fu of tl ti e tt I 1 a it i itte td cd I 1 atle to hei bet tl if t p op e her 0 coils i s in parti ilir t I 1 ir v e 0 loolie g upon I 1 er with alth 01 col ol I 1 ai at d if elexes ej es she ki ev e v dovi dor n in her lie rt tf t it she to id v q bomb amor ta lieu e it at tn time ba b the ill hueie ci e i ittel t t e i i t c CT ff E a sa s1 if I 1 e word 0 r d it as little tint thit edith was be gini ln lit to ch cb fe M miserably atly ly under the of waiting and deception the novelty had norn vorn off for the wife of or roxbury she was in III love and she was pining for the aty diy to come when she could laugh again with nith real instead of simulated joyousness connie deir she would lament a dozen times a liay day its glowing un tin bearable oh how I 1 wish the three weeks were ended then I 1 could have my roxbury and you co child lid have my other roxbury and ever body wouldn t be pitying me and cavilling at you because I 1 in unhappily married why do you say I 1 could have your other roxbury demanded her sister on one occasion you forget father expects me to marry the viscount I 1 you aie ate so tiresome connie don t worry me with your love affairs I 1 don t want to hear bear them there s mr 0 bro brock ck waiting for you in the garden girden I 1 know it my dear he fie a been waiting for an hour I 1 think it Is good for hlin him to wait the other with airy confidence what does roxy say in his letter this morning says it will all be over in a day or two dear me how I 1 wish it were over now newt I 1 can cant t endure cousin mary a snappishness ness much longer and as I 1 bate that girl abes been very nice lately edith ever since freddie dropped me so corn plemely by the way burton vi was as tell ing me today that odell carney had been asking her some very curio is and staggering questions about tootles ci and your most private affairs I 1 know my deir dear groaned edith he very politely re lemarl marled ed to me last night that tootles made him hg think very strangely of a friend of his in london he ile wouldn t mention the fel fell low lows s name 1 he fe only smiled and said nevah mind my dear he s a c n fedd ed handsome dog I 1 daresay he be meint that as a compliment for tootles sl e Is pretty don t you think so dear she a J like you edith said constance who understood things quite clearly ithen aben in heavens name connie why are they staring at her so im tin politely all of them its it s because sl 1 e Is so pretty rood good ness edith don t let every little thing worry you I 1 oa on 11 II have wrinkles and gray hairs soon enough its all very nice for you to talk grumbled fd id th I 1 in going mad with loneliness I 1 ov ou hive a lover near yo i all the time he hes s mid about you what hive I 1 I 1 in utterly alone no one loves mno m me no not a soul you won t let them love yo T ralth slid wild constabce Cons constad taice ce jauntily they all want to love you all of tl V em I 1 hate bate men annn meed mrs med croft retrospectively developments of a most character chir acter swooped down upon them nt at the very end of the sojourn in inns brock bruck every one I 1 ad begin ro to rejoice that the fortnight was almost over an tin I 1 that they could go their different way out having anything really regret ubie table to cairy away anay with them th the e blodi es nalle goli g to I 1 arts tilt flit lofts to london the odell after fincha out hee the fre ol 01 others hers alre ft ere benti to ostend I 1 ulster i velt elt suddenly a anno ano aued his detel ulna dind tion to remain at the I 1 irol for a or 01 two loir chit ety day h bi had bad teen t een ed to a mile na ile I 1 t lilun bi un a N our mouife g par 1 ion 1 h au i log fag at tt e 1 linol I it of with her mother all have ended 11 h d it not been for the unfortunate of odell car cainey ney a waking a buiel age 0 of f the loi lot don Stan standard daid instead of the times as was his custom ilia its lamen lations over this piece of city were cut choit by the discovery of in astonishing article upon the editorial edito ilal page of the paper an article h created within him a sense of giace perplexity tie ile read the heid heidling lins chri e and glanced through the text tex it twi e neither time with any tiny very den nite idea of what he was leading his ills finders shook as he held the bt beet nearer the window for a final effort to un aut ingle tingle the incredible thing that liy fly before him in simple unimpeachable black and arid white pon me word vord he kept repeating to himself feebly ihen he got up and went off in efti extreme eme habte to ill d his wife 4 my dear he said to her in the tile car ridgeway I 1 must with oi 01 alone she was just starting off fur for a daine with mis ml a rodney bad news carney she demanded struck by big expression she was fol rot lowing him toward a remote corner of the approach ile did not reply until they were seated much nearer to each other thin was their wont that he said slip slipping pin the st indars into her hands wot d you think of it my dear carney I 1 don t know would you mind telling tie what I 1 am ant to lead the med aled thing right there she read the article her husband watching her face the while sur surl rise incredulity dismay succeeded each other in rapid changes she was read ing in sheer amazement of the doings of roxbury Med croft in connection I 1 with the county council a subcommittee in london the story went ent on to re late bow how Med croft implacable leader of the opposition to the grafters sud denly had appeared before the commit tee with the most astounding figures and facts to support his charges of rot aemil is on the part of the clique his bunei acted descent upon the scene had thrown the opposing leaders into a ami p ini ever eiers one had bad been led to be I 1 eve that he was sojourning in the east As a matter of fact it was soon revealed he had been ID in london se creely working on the problem tor for nearly three weeks keeping discreetly ui uj der cover in order that his Int influence luene might not be thwarted his ills array of facts bis his bitter arraignment of the meu men who were trying to force the tile building bill through the council stag feied the whole city of london at that writing it looked as though the bill would be overthrown its promoters prom oteis had been so completely put to rout rhe committee would be compelled to take cognizance of the startling expo bure sure the people would demand a full thrashing out of the obnoxious deal roxbury Med Mede croft a name was on oil ev cry ery one a lip the standard had profit ed by securing a gleat great beat the odell carneys looked at each other in wonder and perplexity wb whit it does it mean asked the lady her eyes narrowing look here agatha this papers at least two days old now how the devil can Med Alede croft be in london and innsbruck at the same time fie ile was here day before yeste may wasu wasn it he I 1 in so c unobserving yea yes yes he was as here and this i paper sl e paused arre irresolutely sol says he was there POD pon my word its most unc inny there s some mys tery here 40 ive ire got it raineyl this Is not roxbury Med Mede croft good gandl this explains everything heavens carney ibis fellow Is Is her lover loverl shea she s running about the country with him she ashes s her iler lover gad my dear he kiy have been so at one time but he athe other one a lover now take my word for it IL I 1 sav pon poll my soul this 1 19 a charming game your our friends the hod rod nevi have let us into they my sly frienda friends yours you mein she retorted oh come now B it let it go at that they know of course that this fellow asir isn t her it sl ind and yet bv by gad agitha they ve gone about deliberately i wing him off on on t is q as the reil reit article they are actually ohp whole stop a moment carney interrupt ed h s wife the I 1 ondon chap phap may be the fiand r let et us go slow my dear slow now the devil can we go slow in such fast company no nol this fellow Is the fraud and they knew it too they all know it they rubbish I 1 you forget that tl e whole rodney tilbe Is up in arms arras because Med croft Is making love to his wife s bister sister they re not dot assuming anything there let me tell you and he a not riot edith s lover if it he be s not her hi bi sl and bes playing a part that she under stands and approves and arid this tills my dear carney may account for the imaginary orphanage of tootles dear me its quite a tangle I 1 shall telegraph my solicitors tors at once for definite news they 11 know whether the real Med croft Is 1 in lon don and then well by jove agatha I 1 can t tell just not mot st ps t II 11 take tn in regard to these ite ile went into a long tirade the unfortunate ac he call ed them understand me agatin I 1 float dout blame mis tits mj adcroft if shea sa having an affair with this chap and can pull the wool but she isn it having an affair with t this his chap hap cried mrs odell carny carn y her patience exhausted she 9 having an with alth a chap in london tie one NN alo I 1 0 writes good gracious of co e why by what fools we ale I 1 lie I 1 e real Med Mede croft Is in loi lot don and it Is he be who la Is writing the letters bovi stupid of or me bof aha aba exclaimed be traun 1 bantly of ourse course she s getting letters from her husband X why by not ahat 8 to be expected but by the shig shag pat do you suppose that her hi band knows she 9 off here with anothy fel low who masquerades as her hu bit band no he ile almost sho cited if it I 1 ve never heard of anN anything thing so brazen d whit nerve these americans have just to ahli k of it I 1 don t believe bhe she is anything of the sort de tie lared his wife she a as good as old I 1 you oil aut ant fool me car noy I 1 ian kir w m won on ee erf deu den e tike tile it agatha so do I 1 and wot 9 more I 1 know men I 1 liev re a poor lot the I 1 ind you know abig picudo Med croft is 19 not yo ir I 1 ind he ile s a very clever hap chap and a gentleman now lo 10 k klaic I 1 pie agati a don t imag ine that I 1 in p g ing to be qu it a cad as to turn again t cm etl in tl air hour of tri trill it not I 1 I 1 in more their friend ti alao an ever III help eni em to gt away flora from I 1 ee eie and 1 I these rod neya into holding their peace tore er after its it the rodney duplicity thit that I 1 can t stand st SI all we stay here her or shall we find an excise to leave leaver she asked point I 1 edla NN ell e 11 stav long enough for me to tell the wot I 1 think of em ern I 1 have an answer to my dissat h by t then I 1 should advise you to have a talk with mrs Med croft you ve invited her to the house you know lell let her there can cant t be two Med crofts see wot I 1 mean 5 N well e 11 see em through this but well you understand CHAPTER XII I 1 do love you IBM a telegram had bad pre ceded a lengthy letter into the A department of the police both directed to kierr bauer who in reality waa was james githens of scot land yard the telegram had said why do you say M la is there he Is in I 1 ondon explain letter tomor row the letter had come and mr githens as well as the local police of fice flee was bowled over to express it in scotland yard english he ile bad wired his employers that 11 Is stilt still in inns bruck cannot be in I 1 ondon it waa was very clearly set forth in the letter that roxbury Med Mede croft was in london and that air mr githens of scotland yard had betrayed his trust he ile was virtually charged with playing into the hands of the enemy selling out as it were it t readily may be expect expected ed that mr ur githens was accused of being in the employ of the opposition moreo moreover er t lb Is but reasonable to assume that he took vigorous steps at once to bindl cate himself which accounts for the woe that lurked close behind the heels beels of d man named block I 1 brock and constance had ridden off tint thit afternoon to visit the hi histo ilc IS bless ambras the great castle bad been saved for the very last of their explorations he lie had just been able to secure permission to visit that part of the duke s residence open on certain oc aslone to the curious public edith edit had dec declined lind to accompany them in the first pla e she was expecting the all important nies message sage from her bus band she was on nettles to quote her plaintive eagerness in the second place she realized that as the crisis was at hard bar d in t tl e affairs of brock ind constar e her alesen e w ats is not riot a necess irv adjunct not only was i as st 1 e 0 expecting a message from but eagerly anti ant an outa list of joyous news from the two who hid it seemed verv gladly left her behind the young couple returning by the tire lower road from the schloss came to a resting pi ice at a little eating house and garden on the hillside overlooking looking the river inn it Is a quiet dem dew ire unfrequented place among the crags standing in from the white roadway a hundred feet or more clouded by gorgeous trees and somber cliffs it was to this charming romantic retreat that brock led his big fair now trem tremulous ulous inamorata she too knew that the I 1 our for decision had come it was in the air in the glint of his eyes in the leaping of her heart and she knew what she would say gay to him and what they would say u to the world a few hours hence the mountains mour ains seemed to have lost their splendid frown fron 11 they were bet beiling down upon her tenderly caressing instead of bleak and foreboding as they always had bad been before A rosy checked cheeked girl came into the garden to serve them swift ool breezes were scarring ring down the valley beiring be iring in their wake vake the soft biln cloida do ids that were soon to drench the earth and then radiantly pass on they were quite alone seated in the sl 1 eiter elter of a wide overhanging portico A soft green darkness was v as creeping on over er the mountain side pregnant with smell of the shower constance ordered tea and a bite of something to eat for both brock brocka 8 gaze |