Show THE HUSBANDS S OF EDITH by bu GEORGE BARR bu dodd mead co CHAPTER III continued good lord sir air whispered the nurse with a nervous glance about tier her this aint Ra haggles ggles sir air this la Is a baby do you think im blind madam whispered ho he savagely 1 I can see iva its a baby but I 1 know there was to be one its father mention it to mo me its a wise father that knows hia bla own child said the nurse with prompt sarcasm sar easm 1 I think they should have prepared nie me for this growled he be Is it supposed to be mine does does mrs Mede know about it you mean about the baby sir air of murse she does its hers please dont look so BO odd sir air my word sir I 1 t know you know it sirl sir I 1 v ani u nt mt told was 1 I obrien there sir you vou see mrs Mede Mcd croft saidi was to ining tootles in to you sir air she said tootles murmured brock tootles and Ra haggles ggles I 1 dare say theres a destini distinction tion without much of a difference are you burton yes mr Mode the nurse wont A ont you take baby for a minute sir lust just to get acquainted and for appear abbes sake she whispered the well meant entreaty brock now well into the spirit of the situation obligingly extended tits his arms the baby set up n 1 lusty howl of aversion for gods sake take him back to his bis mother groaned brock hastily he like stran strangers gets take him atway it a he sir air whispered the maid ns it the nurse prepared to beat a hasty busty retreat with the Mede Med croft offspring its a her sir air brocks face was a study in perplexity sis as they curried ried from the car by george he muttered what next that which did come next was even more diore ania amazing zing than the unexpected advent of tootles ro otles ile he barely had recovered his equanimity with his coffee when a young lady entered the car that of itself was not much to speak of but what followed was something that not even he could have dreamed or of if he had been given the chance he afterward recalled in some distress of mind that tits hia second quick glance at tho newcomer developed into little less than a rude stare of admiration small wonder let it be advanced in his defense she was astoundingly fair to look upon dazzlingly it might be said with sonie some support to the adjective moreover she was looking directly into his eyes from her unstable position near the door what was more a shy even mischievous smile crept into her face is as her glance caught his never had lie he seen a more exquisite face than liera hers never had he looked upon a more perfect picture of grace and loveliness md and nye aye smartness she was smiling with unmistakable friendliness and recognition and yet he could have sworn lie lind not seen her before in his iiii nt AS if he be could have forgotten such it face A sudden sense of enchantment chant chautin ment ent swept over him indescribable yet delicious slie he was coming toward him still smiling sin fling shyly her lips parted as it if alie we were e breathing breath ing quickly from fear good morning nor ning roxbury P sho she gald or 01 un knottier emotion me ire set down nis his coffee cup cul without regard to taste or direction his gase llred upon the trim slender blender figure in blue ile ele now saw that tier her dark eyes were tilled with a seriousness that belled her brave smile A delicate pink had come into tier her clear high bred face the hesitancy of the gentlewoman enveloped her with a mantle that shielded tier her from any suspicion of boldness brock struggled to his fuel feet amazement written in his face good mo morning holbury Hox bury she said in the most impersonal of greetings her smile deepened as the blankness increased in his face in the most casual matter of fact manner sue she appropriated P the chair across the table from his please sit down roxy 11 he sat down abruptly for a single tense abashed moment they looked searchingly into each others eyes are you haggles Ra ggles he asked politely you poor man slie site cried aghast haggles is editha french poodle has no one told you of the poodle she half whispered this he began to adore tier her at that very moment a cir zum min stance well worth remembering no one has told nie me of you for that matter he apologized thi chril ang with a delight r such as he had nuver known before would you mind whispering to me just who you are ani am I 1 supposed to be your father or what it is all so delightfully casual it she said 1 I daresay they forgot to tell you that you are a man of family they mention me in any way at all she pouted very prettily no they ignored you and haggles and tootles are there any more in my family that I 1 met you see we got to the station quite a bit ahead of edith how you happened to miss meeting us we saw you there however I 1 recognized you by your clothes you seemed very unhappy oh I 1 forgot you wanted to know who I 1 am well I 1 am your sis sio terin law 11 CHAPTER IV 1 I am constance HE ordered coffee and toast while ho he sat there figuring it out when the waiter walter departed he leaned forward and said quite frankly pardon me im sure but I 1 cant understand how I 1 was so shortsighted as to marry your sister well you pee pec you catch a glimpse of mo mb until after you were married she railed 1 I was in the sacred heart convent you remember ah that explains the oversight I 1 am considered an unusually discriminating person let me see I 1 married a miss fowler I 1 t k yes roxbury four years ago in london at st georges in hanover square ot at I 1 on ft a saturday they tell you all that 1 I dont think they said anything about it being 4 im glad to know th alv awful details believe me do you know I 1 decided you were tin an american the instant I 1 saw you in the door he be went on quite irrelevantly how clever of you Rox buryl oh I 1 say miss fowler im not such nn ass as I 1 look really im not im trying to look like sli sit if you want vant me to believe you fire are not lint tho the ass you think you look be careful what you say remember I 1 am not miss fowler to you I 1 am constance connie can you remember that roxbury lie ile drew it a long breath oh I 1 say connie id much rather be plain brock to you please dont forget that I 1 am doing this for my sister not for myself by any manner of means she said stiffly he flushed painfully conscious of the rebuke please overlook ty iny faults for the time being he said ill do better you see ive been rather overcome by the sense of my own importance im not used to being the head of an as establishment it has dazed me tn A great many things have happened to mo me since I 1 left the gare de IE at last night he was considerate in not referring to tits his unhappy mode of traveling por for instance ive completely lost my head he might have said that but that would have sounded corn com mon place and earthy one does you know when he loses his identity she said sympathetically edith says you are ripping and all that sort of thing she went on hurriedly in perfect mimicry you come very highly highl recommended as a broth er in law 11 are you to be with us until the end of the play yes the are my friends not editha Edit hs katherine rodney was waa in the convent with me we see a great deal of each other im sure you will like her everybody falls dreadfully in love with her how very amiable of you to permit it if he protested gallantly im sure I 1 shall enjoy falling in love which reminds me that ive never had a ter r in law very nice im iam told its odd that Med Mcd croft tell me about you would you mind advancing a bit of general information about yourself and may I 1 say about my family in general it may come handy 1 I feel as though I 1 had known you for years she said frankly returning his gaze she leaned forward her elbows on the table her chin in her hands im merely editha sister we live in parts paris that is father and I 1 im three years younger than edith of course you know how old your wife Is so we wont dwell upon that you dont then id demand it of her I 1 been in philadelphia since I 1 was seven and ages ago I 1 have rio no mother and father is off in south america on business so you see little sister has to ta tag ng after big sister ohl oh she interrupted tho the recital with an abrupt change of manner im so sorry bouvo finished your coffee now have to go roxbury always does but I 1 finished he exclaimed eagerly im going to have three or four more pots you have no idea how its all right then sho she sayi sau with tier oer rarest and most confident smile amille well edith asked rao mo to come to london for tho the season tho the were in paris at the time however and they asked me to join them for a fortnight in the tyrol when I 1 said that I 1 was off for a visit with the with you I 1 mean they insisted that you all should como come too they are connections in a way dont you see so we accepted and hero here we are arc you dont by any chance happen to be engaged to be married or anything of that sort he ventured dont crush mot me iva its only as a safeguard you know people may ask questions t ou on are not obliged to an answer awer them roxbury she said the flush had deepened in her cheek it convinced him that she was in love and eai ed ne he experienced a queer sinking of the heart you can say that you von dont know if any one should be so ao rude as to ask suddenly sho she caught her breath and stared at him in assort of panic heavens sho she whispered I 1 OP 7 heavens youre not by any chance engaged are you the toast poised half way to tier her lips youre not by any chance engaged are you appalling thought he laughed delightedly people wont ask about me my dear constance im already married you yon know but if any one should should ask youre not obliged to answer she looked troubled and uncertain you may be really married after all she speculated who knows poor old roxbury have bad the tact to inquire im a henpecked bachelor believe me for the next quarter of an hour they chatted in the liveliest most inconsequential quent ial fashion getting on excellent terms with each other and arriving at a fair sense of appreciation of what lay ahead of them in the shape of peril and adv adventure e future she was the most delightful person he had ever met its as well as being the most beautiful there was it a sprightly over growing air of self reliance about her that charmed and reassured him she pa possessed hessed the kho capacity for divining the sane and the ridiculous with splendid discrimination moreover shor could jest and be serlona with tin an lm partial intelligence that Us hi vanity without in the leant iu inspiring the suspicion that she was merely clever he became blissfully imbued with the idea that she had surprised herself by the discovery that lie he diw was really quite attractive in fact lie he was waa quite sincerely pleased with himself for which lie may bp be pardoned if one stops to think how resourceful it a woman of tact may be if she is very very pretty and by way of further analogy brock was a thoroughly likable chap besides being handsome and anda a thoroughbred to the core its not betraying a secret to affirm that miss fowler lind had not allied herself with the enterprise until after she had pinned roxbury down to facts concerning Broc brocket kit antecedents she was properly relieved to flud find that he came of a fine old fat family tilly and that lie he had led more than one cotillion in new york tie experienced a remarkable change of front in respect to roxbury mud croft before the breakfast was over to be continued 1 i u f r 1 4 |