SPY, THE DOVE, AND THE MUSE

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8000, 20 September 1902, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPY, THE DOVE, AND THE MUSE

[]W Kdwiu ,1. Kills.) ~,,,'fectly absurd," said Colonel '" tll his beautiful and fairly-like ..', "to make that, room into a

'"„;,., Gianton," she said, "I am a I "'", (vi'mian. Von don't understand [. ~|,„iit it." ' j ( „„.| di<l not look as if he knew U any store-rooms but those ,n luiilioiis of war are kept. He was : .,| 1( , I'yeford family, who are al'iiildiers, and his uncle Crauton. 'Vlin died just as every one said (t Cnwvnmeut would make him „ (,( War, was 'cry like him, and :'nMrs*, a name, and then a fortune. ',„,,.] was not a. man to be trifled t)l therefore little 'Patience Hcather- *.,,„ |„„k her purple black hair and ..,',,yes away from an old commercial '" L w Htiv ''l' l ' married him, found a l, r pleasure in contradicting him

m >iv settling down, after ■' long ] spirit honeymoon, in their ni.niiy •'' an( l as Patience trotted at., :;t &:- , tin- newly-decorated old io,us to ■ f l;„iev, she looked, he said, lite ;'.,. mi two feet. Perhaps this cx- ''■[< not poetical in itself, but the '|, v jing that inspired the greatest inspired the high-nosed and Icind'(.|iim,| when he used it. ~ I'nlty," he said, sticking to his "'■■ this 'is not, practical, (live your ',„ it. You are, putting your gooscijin into the dressing room -vhi-jh | r „ m a. double spare bedroom. It '| V (lu for a bachelor now." •' Cll ,i put u spinster in it. Gmt-y----'.(jinntiiii." said Patience, with it gay I'ltim-li he thought like, the song vf

' j suppose the spinster eats it all lit siii'l,t(n «c will cat tlie spinster of '\ 6 ,i stupid l»iy !" she answered. Vjh village carpenter lin.il already !i.,"vlves up in the little room which, .jiiviis approached mi the further jj,i'li;is.sii!;e that led past the Colo- ;„„ dressing-room to the back stairs ■■l'clieii. while it. was a little removed ''Jli,. network of ground floor back servants' hull, pantry, scullery, j|«m, hoot room, and tank room, the ■il j'iitience had decided was the ist place for her own store-room. nurse the pretty bride had her will ias in everything else, and .she sat her husband that evening and told '.w;is a good (iranton, and she would ,j |»ve him very dearly. ;., n i.l I'veford's property was in the of Yorkshire, where there ■lmi's. As is well-known, moors prnflimse and grouse produce August. ,'fiinii in which August came to the inls was a. South County nobleman, Worthiugfoii, one of the few unmarpoors who have any Government inv, Herbert 'Weston, a very young ant.ist, two lives from his title, and "many from the Foreign Oflice, and i women who did not shoot, though of them, 'Madame do Garsnec and it Miller, said they would like to. s mt was very brilliant, Hester very I targe and handsome, but this remark LViwin old Mrs .Brampton, a thin ■ei%'h connections and many invita■i, v.,\vas to be met everywhere, even

nail tecs. Bui she tried to keep her I™ m;.' of her fii.ee, and she would cift' (lie names of some of her best wwnl-cousins, who curried guns, in ma\m\y of her best acquaintance. v veto, also some young relatives of al I'vrfnrd of both sexes, but as they of im consequence, llirtcd exclusively !om> another, and called the other ■5 liy nick-nanics \vhe;n tliey were !, tliey did not interfere with the [ill wiiirse of events. This wns the [iisitiim of the house-party at Fordham since the Colonel's inarria.se.

jlionce was absolutely happy. She still so fresh from a very quiet home :it \v:is something of a treat to her iivss for dinner every evening, and to pretty things on the table. The doveryis whose innocent power had placed tlieiv, snarliled with a joy that looked .vr and was really childish. Her masiluiiv imil very clear complexion had imn Uv.it suggested commercial descent, looked livillitint and distinguished, and «1 with a simplicity which the young , imiiil.i.'il siiid was tres chic.

.Ycrvipiit l was very kind to Patience, u !M,-m\nm> do Gursiicc, though conscious I s/in was outshone, for she also went iir massive luiiv, clear complexion, and to eyes, mid live years ago could still i 1 met Patience, on equal terms. She in her kindness at once after the ladies t to the drawing-room, for she knew ■ the men would think her hostess lookSki' lier daughter when they were too ', so she would have to move away ri> thev arrived.

low charming is your house !" she be

; "it is a veritable home-castle. Yes? lis Kiiglisli, is it not? Oh, you must try much indulgent for me. I speak Kntflish, but not great —great?— lly, eh, yev It is difficult; but diffi- ' All the world here, is good forme; My (join 1. How would it make pleaIt) M. de (larsnec !" am so sorry he could not come," I'iitieiice, who had supposed that he tad. Colonel Pyeford, who had told l» invito .'Madame, had not mentioned iifiir. >'»; ho is better there," this was said i smile of resignation. Wat have. 1 said?" thought Patience. '! u widow.") ■«, yes ; lie is better down there.'' \ dear? Then she isn't a widow.") '■'liaps I have wrong to say that?" inw could hardly tell.) "Yes ; I have t You are good Protestants. M. de ! '.'c is Catholic, but Catholic! He is t" Mil gracious ! A negro !") i< is come out from a. very old family 'i%iV Brittany. In Brittany they " et .v much black.'" "i; how terrible!" said Patience, who st'vn' heard this before, and did not "hat ultra-Catholic was the moaning ■iwutd. >' W gees pilgrimages to Rome for '- goes to Lourdcs forme, he goes to '« inc. 1 should do it for him, but ; » \i-iy wicked woman. You have ll «w l'am wicked?" ! >iit'; you can't be wicked," said IV '• 'itthcr frightened. l )'s: I am almost Prolestnnt. I : ; «> Creek." ! '•■ arc you Creek ? How interest- I 4 Church. I sun Serbe of. birth. Ssi.in-nee Limtrof. Your husband 'Mil? How droll ! And 1 am his ; Oh, 1 am dangerous. You must < very „,ueh. What 1 do here? iobinixious to you, my all pretty; a Veritably wicked. 1 am a spy. ; if no to !'Mr Weston. See you, ; K> dinner he watch me. lie is 'dm: he is very much young." -I not ask a'nv one," said Pa;i trust my husband, 'lie told ''■ you here,' and I am very giad '•; It was very good of you. lie .'iiti' not many ol her invitations." "that,, ves ! ' 'I will show you—- ' It is'niil. bad for a spy." ','> - not say that," said Patience ; •' ! Jon are not a spy." .',/■': I know it. But you Knglish Von will have all we poor ' :i; "V of spies." ',', -tid Patience, "yoti must not ~-•'• At any late, we are not niis- !',' •*'»." said -Madame de (larsnec. '' ;,t Iter with head li little on one "l' 1 smiling pleasantly. "No, 1 ■. tl ' l ; y»u are kind and pretty, yes, ,"A'"d Colonel is verv happy." '., u ' Mushed, but 'Madame de tiars- ";!"' her nrin gently with her fan, of her in such a. swectl'""f manner that she could not he ""«' l 'l> to see if no one needed her :;' as hostess, she saw Hester Mil- ', ln « like ihe statute of a. Muse, '?'■ a photograph book. She was I n U'jble ol form, with a columnar

neck, a very neat, .small head, and perfect features, so" that., witli her Ion;; arms and a Greek dress, she really seemed to have come alive out, of an ancient temple. '•Win. is your.-Muse?" asked Madame de liarsnec, following Patience's glance. "I remarked her at dinner. She is of genre antique, but, all English. She has eaten! Oh, she has eaten! I thought she would die. Sh- must have very good conscience. Sue resembles la Venus de Milo." "That is Hester 'Miller," said Patience, who thought Eavcynusse de LMille Kaux might be a French cousin of Madame's.

"She is very well —all antique. I will speak to her," said .Madame de Garsnec, and crossing the room, was found making a eery good tableau with Hester over the album when the men arrived. They all looked at the group, more or less, and all admired it. ■Herbert Weston gave the quickest glance only, but Patience, who was looking at him because he was an attache, and Madame de Garsnec had called herself a spy, saw something of understanding, but not exactly of approval, in his face.

As soon as she Was at leisure she let him join her in a small drawing-room out of the immediate range of the piano, which was now in full action, and he, who had been looking for a chance to be near her. because of the dove-like eyes, was very much pleased. "How are you getting on?" he said.

A diplomatic instinct which promised much for his future, inspired him to begin by patronising Patience and helping her to run her own house. "Oh, I hope every one is amusing themselves," she said, looking vaguely over the two rooms. "I am afraid you were not, though." "I was trying to look, miserable on purpose. I hoped it would excite your pity." "But that was not right, you Why did you want to make me unhappy?" "it only made your kindness unhappy, and the result is you come and talk to mo, which makes mo absolutely and entirely happy. So you see the sum total of happiness in the world is increased." I "You are too clever for me, lam afraid.''

"I am not clever in the least. That is why they didn't put me to any really useful work." "But, diplomacy is a very noble proiession. You say that to make fun, like Madame de Garsnec." "What fun has she been making?' "Oh, not very much. She says she is a "I suppose she likes to be thought one; or else she is afraid of being thought one. It must be one or the other." "But is it true that everyone suspects. her? " , ■*» "I suppose so, if she says so. 3*>u see, she alwavs turns up in houses where the host has got some confidential Government employment or other. This is the first time 1 have met her where there was nothing of the sort going." "Oh, but there is," said Patience. "Colonel Pyeford has a scheme to prepare for the defence, of West .Surrey." "That is a long way from the ISortn Riding of Yorkshire." "Yes, wasn't it clever of them? No one would ever think Lord Worthington got it for him. I was so glad. Colonel Pyeford has so much energy; he really needs "Of course, and so you asked Lord Worthington here out of gratitude. I see Miss Miller, too. Madame de Garsnec has already captured her. Quite her old style." "You are old friends? How nice!' "I have an intimate lack of acquaintance with her. I suppose she told you she was a great flirt of Colonel Pyeford's?' "Yes. How did you know ?" "The system, you see. There is no occasion for anxiety. Apart from the mere fact that Colonel Pyeford would be a raving manaic to think of flirting with anyone just now, Madame de Garsnec couldn t flirt if she tried. It is a harmless delusion of hers ; mere brag, you know, the says it about everyone." "She didn't say it of you." • "I meant about everyone of importance. "But why is it old style of her to be

kind to Hester?" "Well, Hester is rather a new-comer, and she looks as if she would marry into the kind of house Madame de Garsnec means to live in when the. present supply ot invitations has run out." "But does she never go home? - "Never. Where did she say M. de l*arsnec was now ?" . • . "He is in Home, on a pilgrimage. He is very Catholic." , "Is he' Dear me! Wonderful man! Wonderful woman ! Terrible place, this wicked world, is it not?" "I am afraid I don't know much about

it." , c "Nice people don't. I shouldn't myself, if it were not for the Foreign Office. That song is ever, I think. Could we not persuade you to go to the piano for a moment. I am sure you sing." This conversation had two results. One was that Patience kept her eye on Madame de Gasnec. 'l'he other was that she occasionally chatted over her other guests generally with Herbert Weston as though he were* her brother. This did no harm and meant none, for the young man's diplomatic mind had discovered a method of getting most of the pleasures of flirtation from Patience without the pains and penalties. He cut himself into three distinct pieces. One piece contained all that was evil and dangerous in himself, what, in a word, is called the heart, in France. This was sealed up and put away for future use ; then he took the other two pieces, and set one to take care that he did not .flirt, and the other to amuse itself by imagining what it would be like if he did. The result was that in perfect peace with himself he enjoyed the society of his pretty hostess very much indeed. While he talked with the most disinterested sobrietv, he watched her animated expression, Tiiid the little unconscious movements she made, as her confidence in him and her comfort in having some one of about her own age to sympathise with her increased. Now and then he would say to himself: "What a warm, beautiful glance! If I were flirting I would look tenderly now into the very depth of her eyes." At another moment he would say: "There is her hand on that chair-back, within absurdly easy reach. Now, if I were flirting 1 would lay mine very gently upon it." Then when she asked him some casual question about himself or his affairs, he would think: "Now, in answering that, what a touching turn I could give to my autobiography, and how my voice could deepen and murmur, if I were flirting/' But he was not flirting. He was only enjoying the sweet neighborhood of kindness'and prettiness. By one of those oversights that even I the most diplomatic of us make at times, he failed to reflect that someone who had no business to do so might observe and misunderstand him. The Colonel, whose business it was, simply refrained from observing at all. He probably had his own reasons for knowing that his wife needed no observation. But an eye was upon Patience none the less, and her conduct was looked upon as shameless—which indeed it most innocently and truly was. Patience and Herbert Weston even got to the length of having a particular moment of the day wlron they were in the habit of meeting one another alone, and that within the short space of a fortnight. He had noticed that after breakfast, when she had gone out with the others, she habituallv' returned to the. room, and looked at household books, for the idea, that she was a practical woman never left her. He pretended the iirst time to have forgotten a letter beside his plate and returned for it to interrupt her inspection of house hooks with a few minutes of empty chat spoken in a kind voice. This was not intended to attract or entangle her. So the interruption was not disagreeable to Patience, and when it became almost a habit she never thought of taking any steps to eli.m<'o it. She would stand with the household books in her hand, and he would hold his cigarette not yet lit. and neither ever thought of sitting down. He had just sense enough to keep the interviews' very short, long, long after he had ceased to retlect on the folly of allowing them lo lie very regular. "It's a funny thing." said Patience, at one of these morning chats, "that Madame de Garsuee speaks English so much better at table than when one is alone with her." "She nsed to speak very well anywhere—

she is rot French, you remember," he said. . ■'Sue talks very French-English to me, id Patience.. "Perhaps you make her shy," he suggested. . She laughed. "I should hardly think I could have that effect on any one," she said. "Do I make you shy?" > "Very much indeed." ! "But I thought we were getting on so : well. Whv do you take so much trouble ; to talk to me always, and tell me interest- I ing things if it makes you shy? I always hate the feeling."

"I do"not hate it in the least, quite the j contrary. Perhaps we had better leave it I there, I am good when lam shy." i "How funny. Aren't you at other j times? I think you are." I "That is very kind of you. I will be j ■rood so long as" you are kind, at any rate, , Is that settled?" | "Oh. yes, indeed. You will be good always then?"

"I am sure I am beginning to think so, but please don't make a Pharisee of me. We were talking of Madame de Garsnec just as we did the verv first evening I was here. What a long time ago it seemsNow, though I am good, I am not wise, and what you have said tempts me to do a particularly foolish thing. I don't know what they would think of me at the For-

,-ign Office. lam going to give one woman a hint about another." "About .Madame de Garsnec?" "Yes." "Do you mean that her broken English is all pretending?" "Exactly." "I have sometimes thought so myself. But what I don't understand is what she is doing here." "At any rate she is- not flirting with your husband." "No, indeed. She is supposed to be waiting for her own to come and shoot. He. was to follow her in a few days. It is a fortnight now." I "He has been going to follow her in a few days for twenty years." "Oh, dear, I wish I could get rid of her."

•'I wish you could. By the way, is that serious about your husband preparing confidential papers for the Committee of National Defence?" _ "Yes. You surely don't think '

"I don't know. My own impression is that she is rather a sham as a. spy. Whether the French pay her or not, I can't say. They pay for a good many shams. But she is not a woman to have in the house longer than one can help.'' "But she goes everywhere." "She is clever in her way. She lives on going everywhere, but I don't think she does any good anywhere." "What ought I to do?" "I don't know. Wait till to-morrow. -I am taking too much of your valuable time. The house-books are getting neglected. ( I 'will try and think of something for you:" With this he went.

Patience carried off her books to consult in her room, and when she was gone. Hester Miller, who was the slave of a greedy vice which ensnares its victims like opium eating or smoking, slipped in and stealthily ate a spoonful of jam. . iSlie was still doing it when Colonel Pyeford followed her with a letter in his hand. •At a glance he saw who was there, and what she was doing, and a- twinkle of amusement came into his bright but small grey eyes, that at once looked down again through the glasses that rode on the high bridge of his nose, and he became absorbed in the letter that he carried, which now crackled a little theatrically as he walked. He gave Hester time to get through her spoonful and to lick her small classical lips, and raise her well-poised head on her large round throat before he looked up dreamily and stared vaguely round the room. "Oh, -Miss Miller," he said. "You here ?" "Yes—l—l came to look for Mrs Pyeford." "So did I. Well, she has gone, I see. Has ske told you what the plans are for to-day?" "I think Mrs Brampton knows, said In fact, Hester herself had persuaded Mrs Brampton to give a hint to the Colonel about Herbert Weston's way of returning to the dining-room after breakfast, a habit that very much interfered with her own brief interviews with the sideboard. "I have seen Mrs Brampton already," he said, rather shortly. He had no idea of the connection between Hester and the very curious and unwelcome suggestion that had been made to him that morning. "I will go and look for Mrs Pyeford," said Hester, moving away. "I should be very much obliged to you, he answered. The butler now came and began to collect the breakfast things, with the help of a maid-servant. "Wliat is in that preserve dish, Wil'liams?" said the Colonel.

"Gooseberry, sir." "Very wel, Jane, you will ask Mrs Pyeford for the keys of the store-room " "No need for that, sir. It isn't never locked," said the butler. "Oh! Well, then, you will go to the store-room and take the largest pot of gooseberry jam that you can find and place it in Miss Miller's room." ■' 'Tisn't far, sir. She sleeps next." "Oh." ("That is the spinster we shall have to eat," he said to himself. "But gooseberry, the most hateful, sticky •") "By the'way, Jane, are there any open pots in the store-room?" "No, sir," said Jane, speaking for the first time. "Very well. You will do as I have directed. No message to Miss Miller. She will understand." "Yes, sir." "You may take an extra pot for yourself."

"Thank you, sir." "That will be two less of the abomination," he added to himself, and went to find Mrs Brampton, to whom he said rather formally, "You will be very glad, considering our old friendship, to learn that you were mistaken this morning. The lady who returns to the dining-room is not my wife, and she was in very much pleasanter company than that of Mr Weston."

"I am sure, dear Granton, I am very glad," said Mrs Brampton, almost convinced for the moment by his smile morethan by his words. Mrs Brampton had been a friend of the Colonel's mother before his time, and was a standing dish at family festivities. She was accustomed to be complimented on her perspicacity whenever she gave a piece of information on domestic affairs, and was now coldly and tremulously angry at be ing told that she was mistaken. She wanted immediate revenge. She set- off in search of Hester, and found her in the act of coming from Madame de Garsnec's bedroom. Madame never got up before luncheon. Mrs Brampton was seized with a new idea. The whole thing had been a trick of Madame de Garsnec's in order to get her to quarrel with Colonel Pyeford, and so supplant her as the most managing guest in the house. Madame had earned the particular hatred of Mrs Brampton already by having alluded to her once as "the respectable Mrs Brampton," in a moment of unusually Frenchified English. This had been amended to the" "venerable Mrs Brampton." which was perceptibly worse, as "respectable" in French only" means middleaged. Seeing that her last effort was also a "failure, Madame de Oarsnee, always ready to please, had very .soon taken occasion to refer to Mrs Brampton as "the reverend Mrs," which had caused a young sporting Pyeford cousin further down the table to nearly choke himself. But now she had her enemy on the hip. She stopped Hester on the stairs, and said very coldlv—

"Your foreign friend will be very glad to learn that she was quite mistaken about the hint_ she was so good as lo employ you to give us." "What hi-.it. dear Mrs Brampton?" said Hester, bewildered.

"Weli, you are right dear. It was a good ileal"more than a hint. It was scandalous in my poor opinion. But that is not the point. I should be particularly obliged, as you have mixed yourself up in the "matter," if you will go and tell your Madame de Garsnec that"the person who returns to the dining-room after breakfast is not Mrs Pyeford at all, whoever it maylie, and that" she is to be found in much pleasanter company than Mr Weston's."

"Verv well, dear Mrs Brampton, I will tell Madame," said Hester, and went back to the bedroom very red in the face but comforted with the thought that at least her own secret was safe.

Airs Brampton was gratified at her little success, but was not satisfied. "I must do something to that Frenchwoman, ' she said to herself. She went about brooding what it should be, and a shadow hung over her good spirits that morning. By a curious uniformity of coincidences a shadow hung over the good spints_ 01 everyone but the poor sporting cousins. These went cheerfuly off to the moors and | made a good bag. The first of September | was at hand, and they looked forward to 'being among the turnips soon. j The others, being in a gloomy frame of I mind, made excuses about writing letters, ! and then went one by one into the garden in search of solitude, and found one another. , Lord Worthington, who was sad because he had made up his mind to propose to Hes- ' ter, and expected to regret it some day, had the worst luck of all. He found Hester behind a bush, stamping her feet, and crying silently to herself with vexation. She had found the jam pot in her room, and understood the rebuke. He, however, understood only that she was beautiful and m tears. He proposed at once, and was accepted. After a long and happy stroll with him in the remoter portions of the grounds, she returned to her room to change for lunch, and in the new gladness of her heart, she forgave Colonel Pyeford for bis silent sarcasm, and ate. nearly half the jam. Colonel Pyeford wandered into the garden in a distressed frame of mind, because the letter he had received that morning gave him information about the necessary ar-

rangements of transport for Volunteers, which put out some of his calculations, and he would have to reconsider them. He strolled off to an arbor to have a quiet think by himself with a solitary cigar. Here he was joined, to his further annoyance, by Madame de Garsnec, who had gob up an'hour earlier than usual because she was dissatisfied with the amount she had learned, or her employers were, for she was in the spy trade after all. The causes that saddened Patience and Herbert Weston, who both felt that more was going wrong than they could quite understand, are already evident. Madame Garsnec cheered up a little when she saw Colonel Pyeford alone. "You know, Colonel, that I am not French by birth. My sympathies are for England. Great Britain has been always the mother of the young countries where liberty, the beautiful liberty is'of yesterday. The Servian loves the land of Pitt and Gladstone. "Very good of you, I'm sure." said the Colonel. ".Judge, therefore, of my anger when my husband writes to me that "the French officers have already the plans for invasion of your hospitable shores." "Oh, we don't mind that." "But it is abominable. They consider that it is but to march from Folkestone to Redhill by. the peaceful valley of Dorking and London is in their hand." "Is it really?" said the Colonel. -'You might suggest to your husband's friends that a few regiments, whose names you would not know, might be posted ready on a few ridges which you have never seen, and that if your army got into the beautiful valley of Dorking, they might have to stay there';" "Ah, true ? You reassure me. Then all is arranged?" "I should think it very probable." "Dear sir, your beautiful words have comforted my heart. How am I grateful! We poor women are easily unquiet. You have made me all happy." . ■ The Colonel was about to say that he was sure he was very glad, but the words were not spoken. Glancing up he saw his wife, who must have heard iMadame's last sentence, looking at him with an expression so new that at first he did not recognise her. The dovelike eyes were glittering. A little beyond her was Mrs Brampton: Further down the path and coming up slowly was Herbert Weston. Madame de Garsnec saw everything arid understood, but remained with lowered eyelids, poking little holes in the ground with her parasol, while deciding what to say next. She had seen in the eyes of her hostess that it must be "good bye" in some form or other. She spoke, still looking down. "In my husband's letter he call me also to go to him. He cannot now voyage to England. I owe to seek him at Rome. After all, I am his wife." "We shall all miss you very much, Madame" said Patience, coming forward quietly, "but I am very glad you feel as I do on what is the most important thing in life for us married women. The husband's wishes and pleasure must always come first." "Oh, I'hope there is no sucn great hurry," said the Colonel. The dove-like eyes began to kindle again. He prudently remembered that his papers had to be looked over, and got out of the arbor as quickly as he could. "Beastly disagreeable misunderstanding," he said to himself. "Perhaps that foreign woman would be better out of the way for a while. Can't think why I was such a fool as to •ask her here, only she is supposed to be great at making house-parties go. I thought it would save Patty trouble. Better have let her slave a bit, perhaps. One never knows." Herbert Weston kept a few yards out of earshot. He had seen old Mrs Brampton wander up to the arbor, peep, and go away again. Then he had seen her return with Patience, and they both stood at the door in an unusual way, as though there were something strange to be seen inside. He guessed what was. the matter, and as Patience, with her head held high, and a brilliant color, passed him, Mrs Brampton remaining behind, he looked at her as if to ask a question. In a voice intended for anyone who might overhear, she said: "Have you heard that Madame de Garsnec is leaving us to-day. Is it not a pity? M. de Garsnec has written for her. He is detained in Rome." "It will be a loss," said Herbert in the same way. Patience went on, and he strolled about a little longer. Then he saw Mrs Brampton leave the arbor, and Madame de. Garsnec walking with her. By the expression of their faces he gathered that they were being as blandly disagreeable to one another as their wit enabled them to be, and''that Madame de Garsnec was getting the best of it. He continued to stroll, feeling that Providence was happily taking the arrangement of Mrs Pyeford's house party out of his hands. • The first luncheon bell rang. On his way to his room he heard from behind Madame de Garsnec's closed door some very strange sounds for a reputable house—a chair thrown down and a woman screaming. He opened the door after a sharp knock. A man naturally looks on that sort of thing as a general invitation. He saw Madame de Garsnec flourishing a pair of hot curling tongs at Hester Miller, with an expression in her eye of Russian fury. She snapped out: "Yes? No? Is it not? You will get them? You will not get them? Yes, you will get them or I score mark your figure like one pork. You will see if my lord will break. Yes. He will break. He will not find your nose when I finish." Drawing out his handkerchief and using it is a laundress uses the cloth with which she protects her hands from the

handles of hot irons, Herbert graced the curling tongs. They were nearly red hot.

His handkerchief smoked. Madame had meant business. She turned on him.

"-May I remind you," he said, "that I have been attached to the British Embassy at Paris?"

"I beg your pardon, sir," she said, very meekly, and in good -English, letting go the tongs. "But." she cried out, suddenly pointing at 'Hester, "this camel exceeded me."

"Possibly, but you are losing your Latin. The zoology of Montana rtre is not understood here. Come, 'Miss Miller." He put down the tongs and left the room followina Hester, who was white and trembling

As soon as the door had shut, Madame de Garsnec replaced the tongs in the spirit lamp that had been heating them, and waited with a smile for Hester to return.

The tongs were not needed. Hester came back in a few minutes, but in the meantime she slipped through the storeroom, one of whose doors opened into her bedroom, and ?-fter running lightly along

the butler's passage heard the second bell and then tile steps of Colonel Pyeford going to luncheon. Creeping into his roonl she seized some papers, the wrong ones, as it chanced, with which she hurried to \ladam<# de Garsnec. 'She only stopped one instant to steady her nerves by one good large spoonful of her favorite preserve, as" she passed the three pound pot. She hurried so trembling even after this that she spilled much of the contents of the stolen portfolio—thrust the papers m anyhow again, and ran on till breathless she put them in Madame de Garsnec's hands. It was a comfort that everyone was late at the luncheon except Mrs Brampton. It o-ave the others something to say and passed over the general embarrassment. Of those present one pair were new lovers and most of the rest were 'new enemies Patience at the head of her own table felt that everyone knew that she was not on I speaking terms with her husband. The Colonel was in much distress of mind, thinking of a letter he had begun to his wife and had hastily shut into his blotting book and dashed into a little writing table drawer in his dressing-room as the bell rang. He was quite at a loss to explain to himself the extraordinary and penetrating look that Madame de Garsnec flashed on him once or twice during lunch. He did not know that Hester had stolen this letter under the idea that the writing case contained State secrets, and had carried it to Madame's room. But he did know very well that it began with I the words : -,.,,-, v "My dear love,—When I left, the arbour this mornint " and that it went on further. Of course Madame de Garsnec supposed the "dear love" was herself. latience, who had no means of guessing the cause of her profound flashes of stolen and hasty eye-signalling flung towards the Colonel, could only think of the last words she had heard the woman say to him, about how he had re-comforted her heart and made her happy. The Colonel meanwhile .talked laboriously to Lord Worthmgton, who was in a state of complacency proI duced by the crushed and pallid look oi his fiancee, for which he knew no cause but I the greatness of his goodness m proposing °As r ' luncheon ended, Herbert Weston opened a time-table of the Great Northern line which he had concealed under his napkin and said rather pointedly to. Madame de Garsnec that there was an afternoon train at five which caught the night night express at York. The Colonel said he would order the closed carriage with luggage basket at three. Patience pretended not to hear. -Herbert kept them all up to the mark, officiously sending one servant after other to knock and ask if they could help Madame to pack. She did not dare to oppose him. But at the last moment she Glanced at the papers that had been stolen for her, and drawing out the only one that she had read—notwithstanding that it stuck a little, she did not know why—she laid it on the dressing table as a parting gift to her hostess. When she had gone, the rest breathed a sigh of relief, except Patience, who m the fever of her first jealousy was driven by instinct to go straight to the empty bed-

room. . . , Something in her bearing made everyone watch her. They all followed with n-uiltv stealth. They were rewarded, lhe moment, she saw the letter and read its few words, she shrieked out with anger and pain before she could catch her breath and press her teeth on her lips. ± ne others, loitering self-consciously on different parts of the staircase, heard, and hurried into the room. There she stood by the dressing table, holding her heart, and looking like a woman stabbed. A paper with only ten words written on it was beside her. "What is the matter, darling:'" asked the Colonel anxiously. "Don't come near me," she gasped. But he came a little nearer, saw the beginning of his own letter, and said : "God bless my soul!" "I will not stay another hour in this house," Patience cried out, anger triumphing over pain. "You may call that woman back. You asked her here. Now I know why. Send for her again. I will not interfere." "I know absolutely nothing about how that letter came here," said the Colonel firmly—"l began it to you, dear, and I left it in my own room." "I will not stay to hear untruth as well ". she began. "I give you my word of honor "he shouted. "Honor!" she almost screamed. "How did the thing come here if you did not bring it ? Why you wrote it here ! You must have begun it in this very room while I was trusting you. Who interrupted you, I don't know; but at least I will never do so. Let me go."

"I think if we can keep cool and take a little trouble," said Herbert Weston, "we shall account for this very easily." "No," shrieked Patience, almost out of her mind, "don't try to screen him. I can't bear it. There is no use in concealing anything. All the world may know now. It must know soon. Oh, the sight of that hateful thing!" Here she brought her hand down furiously on the paper, striking it as though it could feel. Then, before speaking again, she pointed towards heaven, and to the unspeakable astonishment of everyone the paper followed her hand upwards, detaching itself slowly in mid-air and floating with an awkward dive to the Colonel's feet. He picked it up, rather bewildered, and then looked at his own fingers, rubbed them together, and . touched his tongue with one of them. In a voice of astonishment, where a little comprehension began to struggle to life, he said, "Gooseberry jam!" Hester Miller covered her face with her hands, and breaking through the ring as the others crowded round, ran sobbing from the room. But Lord Worthington followed her, so no permanent harm was done. All the others slipped away at a sign from Herbert Weston. They had not quite understood the play that had been acted before them, but whatever it had been about the fun was over now. When, they had all gone, except Patience, the Colonel, with a smile, gently closed the door.