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a great notion to return the borrowed money with what interest was due and thus clear himself forever from the unpleasant alliance but the temptation to try again the convenience of young fa s having such a handsome balance to draw on him came to soon after this and when he alluded to the high turn the market had made could not bring himself to tell him the truth he did not say he had taken advantage of the rise but neither did he admit that he had lost the chance and to add to his feeling toward the latter made several days stay at his aunt s house seeming to find the company of very agreeable it was not possible for to break out against this fellow who had done him such great and he endured his torture in silence though with an aching heart while he was at his office frank was around the house saying bright things to no doubt and trying to arouse in her a liking for himself as he had done of twenty times tried to tell frank of his engagement but the words stuck in his throat and he had to content himself with to that she ought to be careful with such a man as she knew her cousin to be i don t see what i can do except treat him well was the girl s response he hasn t said anything really improper to me this time what does he talk about all day asked he seems to find your society very entertaining nodded as if this could not be denied frank likes me she said softly i wish he didn t his mother keeps writing to mine that we ought to be married started with apprehension has he said anything to you like that he young s n not exactly do you think it right when you are engaged to with every man who comes along asked indignantly the girl raised her eyes to his he felt before she spoke how much graver his accusation was than the facts on which it was based i have never with him nor with any one she answered he is my cousin i cannot drive him away from the house very well said determined not to be reconciled i shall tell your mother what i think about it that confounded loan ties my tongue to him but she shall know my opinion if he is going to stay here and make love to you i shall change my lodging that s all the tears rose to s eyes oh don t do that cried roughly i d rather you d strike me than cry it me terribly however he did not speak to mrs on the following morning came into his office with the announcement that he was going back to boston yes this town is too dull for me he added even boston is hardly lively enough new york is the only decent place i think i should move there if it wasn t for mother a fellow has to consider things like that you know well he added what word shall i take from you to felt a momentary shock at the almost in one sentence of the name of frank s mother and a woman of the town it showed him more than anything else how little true sentiment was in the young man young s you need not tell her anything he replied i shall never see her again to tell the truth i never mean to go to such a place so long as i live i was disgusted with myself the last time the more one thinks of it the more terrible it grows a girl to love a man she has only known half an hour and then the next day goes through the same form of affection with another when you stop to think of it such things are simply dreadful frank gave utterance to a low whistle so you have become a woman he said a of such women yes they are all pretty much alike laughed it is mainly a matter of the degree of pretence they use grew sober then the right thing for a man to do is to get married said he how will he better himself by that came the question he will be sure that at least one woman is true to him said gravely what woman will that be his wife of course threw back his head and laughed merrily my dear fellow where have you lived why wives have got to be watched as carefully as in these days the men are constantly getting we can see our neighbor s house over the way better than we can our own well i must go good bye write me once in while and look out for yourself in business matters i ll tell what you say though it will break her young s the commission merchant thought a long time of what his visitor had said it was undoubtedly true that there were false wives in the world though not by any means as many as his language seemed to intimate it a man who was about to marry to find a perfectly innocent girl and to lose no effort to keep her so such a girl he thought as who had spent her entire life at her mother s side ignorant of wickedness pure as when she lay in her cradle one who could never go astray who would not even understand what the would be meant if he tried to exercise his arts on her he turned to his books the that he received were of late rapidly increasing the total amount of his and supposing all bills due him to be good he found by an easy that he was worth and his birthday had not yet arrived would marriage be a very

0Arthur Conan Doyle

expensive thing he wished he knew exactly how much it would cost this idea of waiting till he was forty for a wife could not be carried out he was firmly resolved that he never could stoop to an attachment again the more he reflected the more he was inclined to ask mrs s consent to the fixing of an early day for his wedding he thought of it as a matter between that lady and himself entirely had nothing to do about it in his opinion but to get ready when she was told the time had come it was for older and wiser heads to settle such matters y s chapter ix a great deal of serving did mr call on you on his way to the asked mrs at noon he decided suddenly to go away and said he wanted to stop at your office when replied the lady drew a long breath and told him she hated to say it but it was certainly a great relief to her that her nephew had left town his mother is my only sister she said and i am under a hundred obligations to her but i have no faith in frank i have been on needles and pins ever since he came after dinner asked mrs to see him alone for a few minutes in the parlor there he told her what he had in mind he had concluded that an earlier marriage than the one he had contemplated would be the best thing for him in fact he wanted no more delay now than was absolutely necessary welcome as were the tidings glad as she was to see the near of her long siege at this fortress the widow was obliged to for the sake of appearances she alluded over and over to the extreme youth of her daughter to her lack of acquaintance with the world even to her need of a longer at the duties of a housekeeper she is a veritable child she declared you would need the utmost patience with her i cannot imagine her at present in the guise of a wife and yo fa tt s then think of the possibilities of becoming a mother at such an age a mother little a mother had anything been needed to increase the of his suit these words would have accomplished it a vision of surpassing sweetness came to him a little form wrapped in clothes lying in s arms there was nothing so attractive to him as children he never passed one out for an in its carriage without stealing a peep at its little face liking money so well he always found his hand to his pocket for when he came upon a group of little ones their noses against a s window one night on the railroad when he was a he took a crying child from its exhausted mother for a few minutes and kept it six hours while she got the first good sleep she had had for days under his care the infant s were hushed and it also sank to slumber and when the lady offered to him for the long she had caused him he replied that the obligation was on his part and that he could not think of accepting anything whatever you are hardly consistent mrs he said when he came back to earth again you were the mother of when you were scarcely older than she and i am sure he added gallantly you are none the worse for that mrs inclined her head gravely that is true she replied after a moment but j seem to have been older in experience than she years are not everything knows no more of life than most children of five and that is one of the strongest reasons why i i oo yo fa tt s admire her said i want to marry a girl with a perfectly innocent mind say that you will consent and relieve my anxiety mrs finally said she would consult with and would give her answer in the evening what were you talking about so long asked as soon as had left the house he wants to marry you immediately smiled her mother with clasped hands pressed against her breast the girl uttered a little cry of relief i hope you put nothing in his way mamma she said you didn t think it necessary to for more delay did you the widow shook her head in mild my dear child you shock me by some of the things you say as long as you are sure of him i should think the longest possible wait would suit you best not at all was the honest reply i have waited now until i feel like an old maid o yes i want to get married and no man is sure till you have him tied fast by the preacher when did you arrange it for not later than next month i solemnly hope a sad laugh at the girl s earnestness was forced from her mother s lips i left the time unsettled arrange it between you to night she said i shall turn him over to you when he supper but let me warn you for the last time a woman must profess a desire for delay men expect it they are disappointed if they do not have to do just so much urging and so my little girl wants to get rid of her old mother close to the loving bosom you are the dearest mamma in the world but you young s io can t be a husband she exclaimed i shall always love you as dearly as ever but a girl doesn t seem anybody at all until she is married the mother responded warmly to her daughter s caresses he will require a great deal of managing she said in allusion to he is

0Arthur Conan Doyle

inclined to and would make the life of a woman a burden to her if he were permitted to do so i shall always be ready to give you advice an hour followed devoted to the general subject of husbands and of the best methods to be pursued under a large variety of circumstances the advice given by the elder lady while it would undoubtedly interest the reader is hardly for me to use as most of it was imparted under the seal of confidence it is probably daily in similar cases by other ladies who think they have discovered a sovereign for all the troubles incident to matrimony and the reader will have occasion to notice as this tale proceeds how valuable it proved to the young wife that was to be after considerable time had been consumed in reasons pro and con and agreed upon a date for their now that he had decided to marry and within a short time he could not endure the least unnecessary delay the girl found him as ardent as she could have wished two months were allowed for preparation each day of which exceedingly as the slight arrangements proceeded the young man seemed to change his entire disposition he grew as sentimental as any lover in poetic fiction his departure for his office in the morning was delayed beyond the y fa tt usual hour at noon he lingered longer than he had ever done and in the evening he never left the house unless she was with him the news of the impending event spread over the town and to all who knew him well enough to allude to the subject he responded proudly that it was a true report those who intended to turn the subject into a jest were taken by his manner the young business man rose in the estimation of his not only was he one of the brightest merchants of his age that they knew but he had the elements of a substantial man of family in his composition they said among themselves that he might have selected a wiser than that girl of the widow s but it might come out all right there was no for it always takes a good deal of sewing to prepare a young woman for the marriage altar there is a recognized list of things to wear that she ought to have in order to enter on the sacred obligations she is about to assume mrs could not do as much as she would have liked for her daughter in this respect but she ran the sewing machine day after day on such goods as she could afford until it seemed to the ignorant mr that a shop could easily have been set up out of the result of her labors some of the articles were exhibited to him with a sort of pride by miss the gowns the hats and that sort of thing some on the contrary were deemed too intricate too or too delicate for his inspection and when he entered the sewing room there were stifled screams and a sudden of labor while the forms of the two women were placed by a action between him and the in progress young s we shall have to establish a rule said mrs r one day that you are not to enter this room without knocking is it so bad as that he inquired with a smile s face always wore a smile during this period i would not mind myself said mrs but you can see how it might be to under some circumstances to have you enter there are many garments in progress of manufacture that are not supposed to be seen by gentlemen the smile on the young man s face deepened and yet i suppose the time will come when i shall see them all said he what was it that brought the tears to the mother s eyes she had done all she could to further this marriage she would not have undone it now had she been able why did she turn from him at his thoughtless words and pretend to busy herself over the work before her stopping to press her handkerchief to her face business went on just the same with his new of heart did not forget that produce was to be sold for others on commission and that he had nearly ten thousand dollars that would eat its head off as they say of horses unless invested he bought with caution and sold when he thought it wise and on the whole did well some new with whom he dealt suggested to him to come on and see them they knew that he was young and they had formed a very favorable idea of his ability one concern co threw out hints that he might be received into if terms could be arranged he wanted to see them but he could not leave just yet he could go there on his wedding tour pleasure with young s something that might prove more useful yes he would go to new york on that wonderful journey of which he thought all day and dreamed every night that voyage compared to which captain cook s and s were insignificant and even the of not worth talking about he would spend hours in the dimly lighted parlor with s hand in his talking talking talking how very happy they would always be together six weeks more how could he wait six weeks a month it was a century the date could have been set earlier and it should have been but each day made one less after all and when but a week remained between him and his hour he found himself a little frightened at its close yes he used to sit in his private office with his head on his hand his elbow resting on the desk it

0Arthur Conan Doyle

was a great step to take this step of marriage there was a responsibility about it that was when one approached it so nearly supposing things should go wrong what if the market should take a turn to the bad and everything go all at once to the there he would be with a double expense on his hands for in those days he ceased to believe the stories of the extraordinary with which a married couple could live five days more and it would be too late to his steps thoughts of closing his store and running away came into his head and held sway there for hours at a time it would be but would it not in the end prove the part of wisdom ah yes he had been right when he said a man should have fifty thousand dollars and be forty years of age before he such a folly yo fa tt s i he told and her mother that evening that he had a violent headache as an excuse for going to his room and staying there neither of them believed this statement covered the whole truth and they commented upon the matter when he had left them it is not unusual for men to have queer at such a time as this said the wise elder lady i have heard of them being so ill that the wedding had to be postponed we must deal very gently with mr in the matter for it would be awkward to have anything happen now awkward echoed it would be outrageous don t you think if i went to his room and bathed his head it would be a good thing the mother did not agree with the idea she said it was best to leave him entirely alone for the present it would not do to act as if anything was suspected she did not know that at the very minute she was saying this was seriously considering whether to tie his clothes in a bundle and escape by the window or she might have changed her mind but he did not carry out the half formed plan he went to sleep instead and awoke in the morning with the thought uppermost that he would have been an idiot to have executed the scheme in his head when he retired i am all right now he said as he made his appearance at the breakfast table i think i must have caught cold or something yesterday he made all his preparations to be gone a week on his wedding trip it was with positive glee that he drew from the bank to take with him determined to spare no expense on such an important journey what was he made it in one day a little white young s previous by a rise in butter a man got married but once at least once at a time he ought to do the thing up in a proper way he was given a private view of in her wedding dress and afterwards in her travelling costume never had she looked so lovely as he was not permitted to the girl for fear of her clothes he did the next best thing he himself in his delight was there a man in all this world with whom he would exchange places not one the marriage was t r place early in the evening in the presence of only the necessary number of people neither he nor wanted a public wedding neither had any relations in the town and it was agreed that it would be foolish to send for those at a distance the only kin of hers that knew were and frank and he was very sure he did not wish either of them to see the ceremony he did not even want frank to know of it till it was over as he had a half fear that the wealthy young man might come at the last moment and snatch the prize from his grasp at three o clock in the afternoon the last thing was done prior to the actual saying of the words that were to bind them and then at that late hour felt a sudden giving way of his powers and alarmed his bride and her mother by upon the sofa in the sitting room where he lay white and nearly for an hour appeals of to have a physician summoned were disregarded by mrs who administered homely that she had in the house and strove by the sympathy of her to restore the young young s man to his normal condition she even whispered to her daughter to leave the room for a time so that might be free to say anything he chose without the restraint of her presence the poor child overcome at this state of affairs went to her chamber and cried heartily she did not see what had to trouble him if any one was to grow faint on that day it ought in all reason to be herself heavens how thankful she would be when the minister had done his work and do it he should that very evening if she had to take the vows while the bridegroom lay where he then was she had no faith in a if her mother agreed to one she would raise her voice in protest there was such a thing as going too far with these thoughts she wiped her eyes and bathed the in water and put on a determined little frown such as has before now altered the of nations said many things to mrs during that hour and she replied with great wisdom and a less shrewd woman would have made a mess of it but she carried her points one by one and came out wholly victorious he wanted to wait another month he did not feel sufficiently strong to endure the railway journey

0Arthur Conan Doyle

he feared he was not good enough to make happy he thought he was taking too great a responsibility upon himself it was better for both of them that a little more time should be spent in thinking on these important things at every turn the widow met him wisely long before the time for the clergyman to arrive he had risen and arranged his disordered hair showing nothing of what he had passed through except by the that still his countenance leg young s i shall not get into that state again he said smiling at his nurse it was caused by a reaction and over excitement go now mrs and send to me instructed to the fullest extent by her mother soon made her appearance when he held out his arms to her she hesitated to go to him you do not love me she said in a low tone not love you my darling in another hour you will be my wife and you are not sorry he protested with all the force he could command that she was cruel even to such a thing he had never been so happy she walked slowly toward him and let him draw her to a seat by his side i don t think i am wise enough to be the wife of a man like you she whispered i know so very little are you sure you will not me for my ignorance when you find how great it is he exhausted words in protesting that he never would speak a harsh word to her or harbor a harsh thought he would always love her for the sweetest dearest woman on earth to night she said i leave my mamma to give up my whole life to you it would take but little to break my heart i love you and she faltered feeling that she was going beyond the line that her mother would have considered proper the feeling was a second later when in spite of her resistance real enough this time he pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss if i ever forget my duty toward you he exclaimed may i she stopped him with an expression of alarm young s el don t put it in that way she replied you cannot forget it any more than i could forget mine toward you and now i must go to put on my gown for the minister will soon be here as she vanished with a bright smile thrown back at him he felt like an ordinary mortal who had been m the presence of a saint chapter x their wedding journey the ceremony was as simple as the law but how the words seemed to which he gave the affirmative he had thought more than once that marriage meant all it ought to mean that two people who repeat these sacred vows are barred forever from all others but the solemn expression and keep yourself unto her as long as ye both shall live was than he had conceived his face was very grave as he answered and his hand trembled as he placed the ring on s finger with that act he cut the cord that tied his boat to the shore and let it drift away on the sea of matrimony that unknown vast expanse the farther shores of which were out of view had no such sentiments as these in her pretty head it was enough for her that she had won him at last that when the tiresome minister had finished she would be addressed as mrs the ring on her finger was the title deed to the property she had so long she had wanted to be a wife and now she was one her long preparation had borne its fruit her studies were to be rewarded by lid young s the made out in the form of a marriage that would show how well she had done hei task s hand trembled but hers was firm it is often er the case that show the most at this moment than most people believe saw no more reason why she should exhibit weakness than if the clergyman had been presenting her with any other valuable piece of property as for a pretence of the time for that was past the fish was on the hook and could not get away now if he tried it had been arranged that the couple were to go away to new york for about a week and were then to take up housekeeping by themselves at mrs s that lady having accepted an invitation to make a visit to her sister mrs this seemed an excellent plan as everything needed was at hand and could have a chance to exhibit her before went to the expense of furniture was to be left in the house but mrs would be gone when the wedded pair returned from their journey there was something romantic in the plan and it pleased well the parting of and her mother was most affectionate but neither of them intended to allow a scene they well knew that must prove disagreeable to and had themselves not to give way to their emotions the were put on the baggage made ready the carriage taken at the door and presently the happy pair were riding toward the station never had felt such a sense of exultation as when the carriage door closed and he was actually started on his wedding trip with the utmost thought young fa s iy he was about to take a quick embrace when him that the curtains were up and that people on the street were undoubtedly watching he felt an instant s that she should mention so slight a matter at such a moment he did not care if every person in saw him and he thought her protest ill timed however he said nothing

0Arthur Conan Doyle

and was rewarded a little later by finding her hand in his placed there of her own accord and even giving forth a fascinating little pressure i think the whole town is out she said as they passed a group a wedding is not so common here that one ever fails to attract attention some of them told mamma that it ought to be in the church so they all could come a new sense of possession came over him he was the sole owner of this sweet creature by his side the others who stood there on the must be consumed with envy when they thought of it he had taken out of the village the prettiest girl in it and his rivals had not even an opportunity to spy upon him when he did the deed grew in the stature of a man within the next five minutes more than he had grown in a year before there was something in life higher than the selling of grain something dearer than the of property what a wonderful thing it was this joining of a man to a woman that they twain might become one flesh he would not have exchanged places with a as he rode in that hired carriage to the station with the little hand of his wife think of it his wife in his own at the station there was an unpleasant occurrence when he paid the driver of the carriage three dollars young fa tt s the man insisted that the price was four it was had taken pains to ask the driver s employer a week previous and had been told that the price was three dollars he had no idea of allowing any one to him and beside he considered it a piece of on the part of the man who doubtless thought he could exact the extra sum on such an occasion and that his passenger would pay rather than make talk where people were listening the fare is three dollars said i made the price with mr the struggled to win his point for he felt that he also had a reputation to sustain and a dozen people gathered near by to witness the of this peculiar discussion there are two trunks which are fifty cents each he said was slightly puzzled by this suggestion he had certainly said nothing to the stable keeper about trunks but he had an idea that they were usually included in a fare very well i will settle the matter with mr when i return said he turning away he told me to collect it responded the man dog now while it was literally true that mr had told the man to collect the price of the carriage he had never intended that he should do it in this manner he had only said yes when the driver asked if mr was to pay at the station and had done so from the fact that it was not his habit to put such matters on the book except with regular customers he knew the young merchant well and would hav gives him credit for any amount young fa s the driver s answer thoroughly he realized to some extent the ridiculous plight he had got into and he was more determined than ever not to submit to he glanced hastily at who stood there in her travelling dress marked as a bride even to the three or four strangers present a bright color had come into her cheek perceptible through the thin veil thought with what a good grace he could have dragged the driver from his seat and him had he been alone he told you to collect it did he he repeated with rising well you tell him that i have three thousand dollars on deposit in the first national bank which he can attach if he is afraid to wait a week i shall not pay you now at any rate he would have liked to say much more but he restrained himself and turning away took into the ladies room then with a word expressive of his regret at the incident he went to get the trunks checked for providence where the night was to be passed and to buy his tickets you want seats in the also do you not inquired the agent who knew well and also the fact of his marriage that afternoon hesitated a second he had never ridden as a passenger in any car of that description it was a luxury which he had always associated with very wealthy or very extravagant persons while he was he made room for another man who was going through to new york and who bought three at each there was some excuse for such a case thought when one was to ride all night but just to young fa tt s no i don t think i will take them he said put ting down the money for the regular fare the agent opened his eyes a little wider but gave no other sign of surprise and handed out the tickets went to get the baggage checked and then returned to his bride how much time is there now she asked only five minutes he replied and you have attended to everything yes you have the tickets and the baggage he showed them to her with a smile and the seats his countenance fell he would have to get them now he could not go through another dispute you have forgotten them cried well there is yet time but you will have to make haste he went back to the ticket window half a dozen people were in line and they were in no hurry to get away it seemed at the last minute he was again at the front and telling the agent that he guessed he would take the after all how much are they he

0Arthur Conan Doyle

asked as they were handed to him one dollar he put down a two dollar bill and was turning away when the agent called to him to take his change had understood that the seats were a dollar he took the money handed to him with a feeling of relief only fifty cents had he known that he would have bought them in the first place he hastened back to as the train rolled up to the and they were seated in the car and off on their road seats in these cars are not very dear he said to yo fa tt s her as they left behind they are only fifty cents from here to providence and these were the first words he had to address to her as she left the village dollars and cents would he never think of anything else yes he should she would take that out of him in time quietly but none the less surely she would teach him to give up his sordid views and learn how to take life like a gentleman to his statement about the cost of the tickets she only replied by a smile that indicated nothing of what was passing in her mind they were both silent from then until the conductor passed along people in the car commented among themselves on the fact that a couple was among them and one young girl blushed at something a young man in her party said to her when this was mentioned was thinking a good deal the affair of the tickets had made an impression on her mind she knew had not intended to get them and that had it not been for her suggestion they would at this moment have been riding toward providence in the ordinary cars something that would have her to the utmost it was evident that she would have to lead him as gently as she could into spending a little more money on this trip than he meant to do if it was to be at all what it ought she realized that it would require a good deal of judgment to accomplish what she desired in a way that would not injure his and that each of expense beyond what he had decided upon would seem to him like a mountain of course you haven t written or for she suggested when they were the city yo fa tt s no the is a large hotel there will be plenty of rooms i think so she answered but they may not be exactly the ones to suit you know there are no f many in any house he had a vague idea that he had heard of such things as before apartments that princes and occupied when on their wedding journeys but he had never thought of such quarters in connection with himself and this little woman i i am afraid he stammered that the rooms you speak of are much too expensive for a purse like mine they probably cost very dear she reached across the seat and put her hand in his again but you have three thousand dollars in the bank and this is only once in a lifetime when the hand came in contact with his it his judgment a little but he tried to remain firm remember my dear he replied that though i have that sum in the bank i am heavily in debt if you will from the i have there the i owe frank you will see that there is not much left she did not answer for a moment then she reminded him of what he had told her a few days before about his recent profits and said he must have considerable stock on hand which could be disposed of for money at any time he did not like to have her take up this line of argument for he considered business matters things that men should attend to exclusively and he did not fancy either the quiet tone she assumed as she tried to argue with him must be the judge of what i can afford my dear young fa s f he said the hand he held i will get a good room never fear for that she took the hand from him suddenly one room she exclaimed oh for an instant he felt like a scoundrel though he did not know why he began to remind her that they were now husband and wife and that it was not necessary to put a whole row of chambers between them but she turned to the window and gave no sign that she heard he grew provoked at her attitude this was a pleasant beginning was it not he went on to speak of the matter as he had begun repeating what he had said of the necessity of keeping within reasonable limits in expenses after a while it struck him that she was from listening he whispered stopping short in his conversation there was no reply they were entering the city and she seemed occupied in watching the sights in the dimly lighted streets this time he spoke sharply and the face of his wife turned toward him i spoke to you he said stiffly i beg pardon what did you say it is not polite for you to turn your back to me and look out of the window when i am talking he said well i am listening now she did not speak like a two hours bride but her tone was subdued for all that she had herself much better in hand than he i do not care to go all over it again he said feeling that she had the advantage the is j i young fa whistling for the station and we must prepare to the train he rose gathered up the things he had to take and stood in the aisle along

0Arthur Conan Doyle

with the other passengers she sat still knowing that nothing would be gained by haste and that it would be some seconds before the train reached a full stop this action as indicating more of her rebellious spirit and repressed with difficulty his inclination to say something harsh in plenty of time to leave with the others took her place in the aisle with him and he helped her to alight from the car steps with a rather dark countenance accepting the offer of the first who greeted him he escorted his wife to the carriage gave the baggage to the driver and telling to get in waited until he saw that the right trunks were on behind before he took his place beside her is the hotel far from here she asked pleasantly peering into the street as they rode along not very he replied shortly he could not get into a sweet frame of mind in a moment and he thought she owed him an apology for her actions of a few minutes before i have heard it is a very good house continued affecting not to notice anything strange in hi manner mamma has stopped there he dismissed the without a dispute hardly knowing how much change he got back from the five dollar bill he him taking to the ladies parlor he sought the office i want a of rooms he said to the clerk the clerk had sized him up as the saying is foi a newly married man the instant he set eyes on him young fa s but when he heard the short sharp tones he an inquiry to the porter who had accompanied from the street door the answer being of his first suspicion he handed the guest a pen with which to register and looked over one of those large cards on which clerks record the relative condition of the chambers you want a with a bath i presume said the clerk after his inspection glanced up quickly why the devil should the man ask such a question as that was there anything about his appearance to indicate that he needed washing the clerk stood there attentive and expectant and the idea came slowly to that he might be making a fool of himself what is the price he asked the best we have a with parlor bed room and bath room is ten dollars a day well it was not so very bad they were going to remain but one night and take the next afternoon s train for new york engaged the without further and went with a bell boy to take to it when the trunks were brought in and he had unlocked them there was a moment of embarrassment had it not been for the little that had arisen on the train would probably have folded his wife in his arms and said a hundred pretty things to her but that affair was still in his brain and he did not like to do anything in which his heart was not a full partner so he only said it was getting late and he would go into the parlor so as not to her the action to the ward he closed the door carefully young fa s did not know whether to laugh or cry she thought he was acting but the resolve she had formed to teach him a number of lessons before he was many days older helped her to maintain her dignity she took off her hat at the mirror and removed her cloak slowly was this the way other men acted on their wedding night she did not believe it and it was over the matter of a few dollars to be paid for the rooms they were to occupy she could see it in no other way it was all on account of his desire to save a cent or two at a time when he ought to think no sum too great for the happiness of being alone with her she knew was peculiar she had married him with her eyes fully open to that fact she was not at all sorry that she was his wife she would not have surrendered that position for any other of which she could conceive only she did wish he would act a little different but it was rather amusing and after a little while laughed softly to herself was he really angry with her she wondered that was too silly to think of she would stop that before it went any farther even if it was necessary to give in a little loved her they must not quarrel so soon as this in this frame of mind she waited until he came then she forgot every instruction she opened her fair round arms and took his face between them and kissed him on the mouth he had anticipated anything but this and in a second all the clouds that had gathered disappeared leaving the sky lit by countless stars and a great pale moon good heaven had he such hard thoughts young fa s m reference to this being and on such an occasion never never would he repeat it she was his to love and cherish to treat like a wife not like a child he began as soon as she would let him i was wrong to night forgive but the sweet lips touched his again and the sentence remained unfinished chapter xi don t speak to mb of all the ties that are known to men marriage in civilized lands is certainly the strangest it that two persons whose tastes and ideas are frequently as opposite as their sexes are to be suddenly endowed with similar opinions on the most important subjects and view life through glasses colored with the same brilliancy there is no contract in which so much is demanded none in which between the partners is so

0Arthur Conan Doyle

disastrous none in which it is so likely to occur and yet marriages continue to be made and more wonderful still are found in a certain number of cases sources of comfort and pleasure i have an opinion though i admit that the is necessarily that in the majority of instances there occurs a time somewhere within the first three months when one or both of the interested parties would be very willing if it could be done without scandal to the tie they have formed in saying this i ought and intend to add that such persons in millions of cases grow eventually to understand each m young s other better and are shocked at the recollection o their former wish to separate mr and mrs thought the first week of their married life a dream paid the expenses that he had dreaded without a murmur even with exultation concluded that she had him in some important points and said to herself that he was the dearest man on earth in a letter which she wrote to her mother from new york she declared that the only perfect happiness was to be found in the matrimonial state she thought so and thought so for a whole week after the reverend minister of the gospel had given them permission to find out but on the very first morning after their return to everything seemed to go wrong the breakfast was half an hour late and because he wanted particularly on that morning to get to his office early and see what had happened to his business during the first long he had ever taken from it was unused to having the whole responsibility thrown on her shoulders and did not relish being ordered about by the little girl she had never till now had as a mistress the meal was eaten in silence and though went to his wife s side and gave her a kiss as he left the house it was of the order the kind of kiss that might about as well be omitted he thought it very wrong of her to permit household affairs to trouble him when they were the only things she had to attend to she was equally sure that an hour more or less would have no effect on his affairs and that it was brutal of him to look and act as he did when was in the room it was a part of her make up i that things of this kind rested less heavily on young fa s her than they did on him and she went about her work without feeling serious depression he on the contrary had a weight on his heart all the morning and was inclined to be the market had not gone to suit him that was certain as near as he could figure it out he was a poorer man than he was a week before not counting the hundred and sixty dollars he had parted with on his journey but had the accounts showed a large profit they would not have removed the cloud from his face he believed the trouble at his home might take a long time to arrange he had distinctly told an hour before she rose that it was time to do so he had expressed his in the capacity of to get the breakfast on the table in the right condition and at the proper moment to this had given replies and had only put her arms around his neck and closer was that the way to act when important business was at stake she had had a week of and kissing now it was time to think of something with more sense in it he meant to have things his way but he dreaded the ordeal that it might be necessary to go through before things were arranged and she meant to have things her way too for the next three days the meals were nearly on time but never exactly so would walk into the dining room when the clock struck and sit down to the table putting his on and beginning to handle his knife and fork as if he expected to the air in case nothing more substantial presented itself he would do this even at night when all of needs were over and did not hasten tht preparations a second on account of hie young fa tt s why don t you have supper on the table at half six he asked one evening that is the time set for it and there can be no excuse for this everlasting delay you are not going out again she replied and a few minutes makes no difference the are not quite ready he in his chair the only way to do things is to do them according to rule he said if you want supper every night at a quarter to seven say so and we will call that the hour has all the afternoon to cook her the trouble is you do not go out into the kitchen and see that she goes by the clock when your mother was here things were not this way i never knew her to have to make an apology for a late meal the were brought in at this juncture and the conversation temporarily ceased but in the morning it began again it was quite twenty minutes that at in his place after the hands of the clock pointed to the breakfast hour before the eggs and coffee made their appearance i can t have this day after day he as he broke his eggs into a glass no one need tell me that there is any great science in the boiling of a couple of eggs or a of coffee that it need keep me waiting the trouble was explained his wife there were no eggs in the house we had to send one

0Arthur Conan Doyle

of the neighbor s boys to the store for them stopped in the act of lifting his coffee cup to his mouth how long do you think a man would make a living if he managed things that way he inquired you young fa s ought to have known last night whether there were any eggs if that was what you intended for breakfast i think if you looked into your a little oftener it would be a good idea i have not had one meal on time since we came home and i am tired of it his tone was anything but pleasant as he said this and bit her lip with vexation he had no right to speak to her like that she quickly resolved that she would return sarcasm for severity if you are in a hurry she suggested why don t you eat now you have the breakfast you have done nothing but talk ever since it was brought in put his spoon down abruptly as he was about to dip it into the egg glass he pushed his chair back from the table said well in a loud tone and checked himself before adding what he evidently intended when he began then rising he walked into the hall took his hat and overcoat from the rack and left the house for three or four minutes he walked rapidly he was considerably excited she had it seemed to him insulted him deliberately when a woman could address such words to a man to whom she had been married but a fortnight what might he expect later on but with the reflections of his wounded vanity there came also a great wave of pain he seemed to be losing her seemed to see her drifting away from him he stopped in the road kicked the snow a minute with his foot and then turned around to an acquaintance that he met he said he had forgotten something at the house he hastened back at a faster gait than he had taken on his way yes he must know the end of this he would talk to kindly and firmly and see if something could not be done j young fa tt s she was on the second floor the bed in which they had slept she heard him coming up the stairs but did not turn her head as he entered the chamber he said gently don t speak to me she answered in a passionate voice when you want to be so cross why don t you wait till you get to your office i haven t done a thing to suit you since we were married why did you come back was it to and find fault about something else she looked so pretty and she seemed so sad that his anger completely he went to her put his arm around her waist and drew her slightly resisting figure to a seat on a little a beside him you had better go you are in such a hurry you know she persisted something will happen at the office if you are five minutes late he tried to turn her face so that she would look at him but she shut her eyes resolutely he answered there is business right here of more importance to me than that at the office i want to know if we are to have these quarrels every day if we cannot live together we ought to separate at once she shuddered at the suggestion and he felt the shiver in the arm that was still about her she would have endured anything rather than have her title of his wife don t talk foolishly she said the whole trouble is with you you know i am young and never had charge of a house before and you expect me to know everything like an experienced woman just on account of a few minutes time in your meals you have acted like a bear for a week i do the best i can fa s i y does not like to have me come into the kitchen as much as i do she spoke to me yesterday as ugly as she could mr sat upright on the d he was much moved spoke cross he repeated with a rising i will go and give her a week s notice this moment it is considered by many husbands a direct and on their exclusive privileges when any other person uses language to their wives no don t do that cried rather alarmed to think of the house on her hands without this long time she knows you are dissatisfied and she thinks it unreasonable and she is quick tempered but it will come out all right still convinced that miss ought to be discharged inquired how that young woman knew that he was dissatisfied he was sure he had never exchanged a word with her no dear explained touched by his defence of her from the maid of all work you haven t spoken to her but she can t help seeing the wrinkles on your forehead when she comes into the you don t know how very thick they are sometimes and it is over such little things too yesterday noon when the dinner was only six minutes behind time you looked furious i wish you would try to act a little better till i can get things going right he saw that she had made him out entirely in the wrong and perhaps he had been partly so at any rate he was relieved when she called him dear and s it he was very glad he had not gone to the office with the misunderstanding on his mind very well said he we ll talk it over again this noon i don t think either of us means to do unpleasant things i m sure don t but we

0Arthur Conan Doyle

haven t got used to each other yet i couldn t stay down town all th morning and think of you unhappy the glad smile that came over her face repaid him for those words and taking a liberal allowance of kisses which she gave him with started again for his office this time as happy as a young husband ought to be he walked briskly through the snow and though the first letter he opened told him of a failure by which he would lose nearly a hundred dollars he did not mind it in the least he went on opening the rest of his mail with the smile still on his face that he had brought from the little house over the hill his clerks remarked to each other that something particularly agreeable must have happened that morning at the residence of the old man as they called him behind his back and various sly as to its probable character were about he had been hateful enough goodness knew for a number of days past well married people would have their little difficulties and if had got over his why it was all the better young fa s chapter xii a husband s but unfortunately he had not got over all of them he committed the great error the next time a meal was late and some days elapsed be it said in justice before this happened of walking into the kitchen and personally with over the matter what s up now he demanded why isn t the dinner on the table the market man has only just brought the said the girl with a toss of her head it s devilish queer he retorted that he always brought it on time when mrs was here you ought to keep something on hand in case of an accident like that there is no need especially at this time of year of buying exactly enough for a meal a ham hung up in the shed or a piece of beef set away cold would provide for such an emergency tell miss then replied in a surly tone she had never been brought to call her late mistress daughter by her new name doesn t do the buying there was so much truth in this that said no more he had evidently been the wrong person he went back to the dining room and waited with impatience till the appeared that night when he came home he found bread ver the stove pa s this isn t thursday he said in astonishment how is it that silly girl is out again she s left for good replied mrs left yes bag and baggage without notice bowed in the affirmative as she shook the bread from the wires she won t get any advance wages i can tell her said angrily what was the matter she said she didn t care to stay in a house where the man came into the kitchen and swore at her you paid her last night you know and she threw in to day s work she doesn t ask any advance pay she s gone at once to mrs cotton s on street where she is to get a dollar more a week listened with growing indignation she can go to the devil for all of me he exclaimed she s the nearest to a born fool of any human being i ever knew says i swore at her eh if she that anywhere in the town i ll have her arrested for i wanted to swear at her badly enough but i didn t do it i can get a better girl than he was any day in the week and i ll send one up in the morning was the toast but she stopped to ask him not to do anything of the kind i want to try a little while to do my work alone he said it seems foolish to keep a girl for just we two i can do better by myself i am almost sure at any rate i don t want another who will act as if she me instead of i her will you take that tea pot y fa s t when you go along and that will make supper aft ready with the of a man the husband attempted to with this request without using a and the result was that he burned his hand and out a mixture of that was quite startling the d d thing is hot as he cried rubbing the palm that had grasped the handle you should take something in your hand was tht quiet reply of who considered it very odd that that any one should have to be told a simple thing like that how should i know asked it was your business to tell me took her apron and its folds brought the unlucky piece of ware in triumph to tht table if i asked you to get some coals out of the stove would you take a or your fingers she said as an illustration i might take the was his she smiled at him good refusing this time to be drawn into a quarrel she had actually got a meal alone she was quite proud of the achievement the toast was good had made the bread and tea was a simple affair the preserves were some that her mother put up in the summer the cake was also a of the lost cook i am sorry about your hand she said with sympathy seeing that he still favored it but you must congratulate me on the supper i m sure it s all good and why look at the clock it s actually five whole minutes ahead of time thus into good humor forgot the young and when the meal was ended he went back to the kitchen with in a spirit of

0Arthur Conan Doyle

fun and was taught how to wipe the dishes with the exception of the fact that he broke one by setting it down too hard he did very well and began to be rather glad that had left the house then he had as nice an evening with his wife as he could wish they sat in the parlor acting a good deal as they had done in the last days of their courtship when he closed his eyes that night he held her hand in his and thought of the time he was sick and she sat so still by his bedside for fear of waking him raising himself on one elbow he looked at the sweet face on the opposite pillow and pressed a soft kiss on the cheek was there any happiness in the gift of heaven equal to that of being the husband of such a wife the next noon there was scrambled eggs for dinner and when he looked from the dish to she reminded him that he had promised to send up a beef roast and had evidently forgotten to do so gracious goodness he replied you mustn t depend on me for such things as that i have something of more importance to attend to we will have the market man and call every day to take orders you said you would attend to it and i kept supposing it would come was her answer if any one is to blame it is yourself from that a long argument grew up ending in s going to the office without kissing her and this time he did not come back to do it either at night he ate his supper in sullen silence her first were not a shining success and went down to his office to do some work when he came young fa s home he threw open the window of their bedroom da that the temperature would a you do nothing but complain said from between the sheets if it was not the furnace it would be something else you can t lay that to me at any rate for you put in the coal yourself he sighed deeply and because i put in the coal you must go to bed leaving the on and the register open i it s not too warm for me if you don t close that window i shall all right he exclaimed i ll close it and you can roast here if you want to i m going down to see that the furnace doesn t set the house on fire and then i ll go into another room to sleep where there is a breath of air that won t one she heard him at the furnace and then ascending the stairs and finally the door of the other bedroom closing behind him the last act which she had not believed he would annoyed her exceedingly if there was any right which she supposed in her married relation it was to the presence of her husband it was almost as if he had committed open and it to her face i she had never so nearly alone her room joined her mother s and the door between them had never been closed she was a little afraid to be left by herself in the stillness of the night was a brute to shut himself away from her in that way perhaps he would return an hour passed and he did not and quite unable to sleep from she rose and stifling her pride wept softly to his door ij young s he was not asleep either though he pretended to be when he heard her step and as she spoke his name he opened eyes languidly yes i think i heard a noise downstairs you don t suppose there is a man there do you he could hardly keep from laughing at her ingenious for he knew if there had been any noise he would have heard it as well as she you ve been dreaming i guess he answered choose better houses than this for their work if they are down there they won t get much better t back to bed she lingered by the door he could see her white outline by the light that came in at the window the the room is cool now she stammered ah he had won the victory you can sleep here if you like he said making room for her the other bed is much the best no i don t think so i never slept on feathers before and i ve been wanting to change for a long time this is my hair you know and it seems like old times to have it under me again she stood there hesitating she did not want to give in too much and yet she did not mean to go off alone i have always slept on feathers she stammered and i always on hair until the past two weeks you found the feathers nice enough until you got so cross she i endured them but i never liked them it is all right you take the room that suits you best and vou q fa wc tt s do the same it is said by the best authorities two people should never sleep together anyway never sleep together i never i she was possessed of a sudden fright that set her teeth to chattering she crept slowly toward the bed i will stay here to night then she said and tomorrow night perhaps you will stay here he finished the sentence for her now that he had forced the fortress to he did not intend to let her carry off even her side arms she crept into the bed all of a shiver from the cold for the room had no register on and the stood far below outside the house overcome vith

0Arthur Conan Doyle

momentary drew her to him and warmed her in his arms she permitted this though she did not encourage it for the time she was quite by the events of the night soon they fell asleep their faces looked peaceful enough but a had been given to s love that could not be easily repaired in the morning she was awake before him and slipped out unobserved so as to d the fire and get the breakfast when he awoke he thought she had only gone to the other bed and went in there to tell her it was time to rise seeing that she was not there he had a little shock could she have taken his conduct more deeply to heart than she seemed to had she followed s example and gone away without giving notice hastily putting en his clothes sought the lower floor everything was ready to put on the table but the meal was in almost total silence he misunderstood entirely the operations of his wife s mind he said to himself when he had touched her cheek with his lips and was on the way to the office that he would make it all right with in a day or two she had tried to rule the household and that was something no woman should ever do he had proved himself the master but he would be all the more considerate now that was accomplished days passed by during which the wife attended to her duties as a hired servant might have done taking his impatience when it came with the calmness of a dog and seeming to find little difference when he was jovial and full of pr for her efforts we will sleep in your room if you wish he said at the end of a week u very well you would prefer it would you not n it is the same to me is getting sulky he thought looking at her face chapter xiii you never saw a girl i business brightened a little with the commission merchant during the succeeding weeks and after thinking it over he decided to go to boston and pay frank of the sum he had borrowed the debt had worried him somewhat for the profits ing had not been large and he feared the and downs of tiie spring market if the sum he owed was reduced h was willing to risk the rest and he spare it young s now better than at any previous time he his plan and began to pack a for the journey of course i cannot stay in the house alone she said they had never filled the place of miss some one will have to sleep here thought the idea childish but he was not surprised at it coming from the source it did oh very well he answered get one of the neighbors to come in i shall not be gone more than three or four nights felt a bitterness at the heart that she managed to conceal he was going directly to the city probably to the very house where her mother was living and he had not asked whether she would like to accompany him i she missed her mother intensely but pride had prevented her making any sign and in her frequent letters to mrs she had given no hint that anything was otherwise than as it should be she wa sure that most men would have taken their wives on such a journey she would not have hinted it to him for the world however and she saw him depart with no more than the ordinary kiss that kiss that had come to mean so little to her after she was sure he had gone and was not likely to return she went to her bedroom and had a good cry which made her feel better if it had no other effect was of the intention of to come to boston but he did not know the object of the trip when he was told that wanted to lessen the debt he owed he objected vigorously you are too for a business man he declared why don t you leave the thing as it is you are doing well and your transactions are certain to increase in time if you pay this money now it may you fa s l in an inconvenient way what is in such a business as yours why there are concerns here who have fifty times that amount and could find use for more if they had it made an effort to appear firm he said he had made up his mind and would like the credit given at once on his notes when are you going back asked in two or three days well then for heaven s sake let us talk of thing besides notes and to day at least it s n awful while since i saw you why hang it it was before you were married i this allusion brought a shade of color to s face he wished that this fellow would talk of something else mrs is at your house still i suppose he said she s at mother s which just now is hardly the same thing i sometimes call that my home but i have a over on street opposite the public garden where i am as the french say mother got to talking too much about the hours i kept so i thought it best to live where there would be no one to tell tales come around there it s not ten minutes ride unless the cars are blocked and see how you like my quarters the two young men were not much longer in reaching the place than had been predicted the was indeed a very pleasant one with a nice in front and an air of that was charming who does the work who keeps things

0Arthur Conan Doyle

in order asked when he had the parlor and pa s you shall see her she s quite a treasure neat as a pin about the furniture and able to cook a or chop in case i want to lunch here i often bring in a party of half a dozen after the theatre all i have to do is to open that door r nd say there are seven of us she has never failed me yet the is always ed and the wine chest contains everything from champagne to beer mr remarked that he did not see how it was possible for such preparations to be made without previous notice neither do i laughed frank i consider it quite miraculous i give her and she it somehow it is rather expensive but ft is well worth the money why i can do absolutely anything i like you know and at that he went into a minute account of some things that had taken place in those apartments which did not enjoy hearing half as much as he was expected to i forgot that you are now a sober married man smiled seeing that his fell on ears i never was a very wild one responded no but i remember the fair and don t bring that up please was the reply in a pained tone i assure you i would give a great deal if it had never occurred shrugged his shoulders that is the way with all newly married men i ve been told said he time will bring you around old fellow a look containing something little short of i mm into s eyes young fa s do you mean he gasped that i shall some day be false to my wife of course fr why not you as well as everybody else damn it man we live in the nineteenth century turned pale at the thought he had quarrelled with he had found fault with her he had wished she were different in many ways but he would as soon have cut off his hand as to have the vows he had made in mrs s little parlor eleven weeks before you have a reckless way of saying things frank he replied when he could speak men are not all as bad as you would make them out and when you get married yourself you will find a vast change coming over your views had lit a cigar and was puffing it rapidly sending the smoke in huge waves into the atmosphere of the room when i get married he repeated scornfully bless you and begging your pardon i never shall be a fool it was well enough for him to say that thought now that the girl he wanted had been gained by another he remembered the things that and her mother had about frank s desire to marry her and he wondered if his disappointment had been very great he was aroused from the reverie into which these reflections brought him by speaking again i have seen lots of nice girls in my time but not one that i would have married if they had been possessed of estates i like some of them immensely but to marry them why it s preposterous n fa a struck through the entire being of the listener was lying or had some one else told an you never wanted to marry he said vaguely you never saw a girl that you would have made your wife never on my honor and i have been in love at least a thousand times if it were not for that institution of marriage this world would be a veritable paradise to me when i have won the affection of a girl when i have reached the point where her heart toward me perhaps when i have snatched a kiss or two from her rosy mouth and drawn her to my bosom in one fleeting embrace there always appears on the scene some elderly person who wishes to be informed of my intentions confound them i have none i want merely to be let alone i wish to the honey from the delicate flower as the bee does in the garden i want to love and they want me to marry i pause to the sweetness of a rose and the proprietor comes out to demand that i purchase the whole i stroke the ears of a tame and i am asked to assume the care and expense of the creature and its as long as it lives marriage the very word me some one had lied and did not believe as he heard this vicious that it was frank i wish i could convey to you how ridiculous it seems to me continued frank after a momentary pause say that i fall wildly madly in love with the prettiest and sweetest girl in the world say she is charming that makes me for the time believe heaven has been let dow in a basket and that y vn fa s she is its central figure no man knows better than i how infinitely sweet such a girl can be no man could be more sensitive to her from one end of the scale to the other i could take her and love her for weeks perhaps for months i would not swear it might not be for years but look at the bargain that is held out to me if you take this girl say her relations you must agree never to go with another you must that your affection will not be by the passing of years you must undertake the payment of her bills and those of her children an endless expense stretching out into the future if you take her you have drawn your only prize in the of life and you must be content with it she may grow ill tempered she will certainly grow

0Arthur Conan Doyle

old she is liable to become fat her hair will turn from brown to gray or maybe her rounded curves that and the senses will disappear the swan like neck will become on the face wrinkles will come and i must still love her embrace her turn my eyes in no other direction she is the only woman for me though a million others spring up in my path as beautiful as she was when i wo her a nice prospect isn t it heard this in a dim way hardly its full meaning he was thinking of something else had mrs and deceived him was an unconscious in their hands to hasten the proposal of the desired lover it looked too much like it to be agreeable except for this he might have waited some time longer before entering on the matrimonial state he wished he had done so not that he wanted to give up with all their little differences he ml y pa s have parted with her for anything but he would have taken more time he would have waited till he could boast a better bank account till he was wholly out of debt and had a good sum ahead and the story of frank s love for had been used upon him as a make weight he would have a talk with mrs about this matter before he left boston well said after waiting some seconds to see what would say in answer to his argument you are married and happy and for the present that you and how is my little cousin and why did you not bring her along that we might see how she takes her new honors and for the first time the idea entered s head that he might have brought with him he wondered now it was suggested that she had said nothing on the subject it was evident to him that she had not cared to come and he said so to frank she did not like to lock up the house and there was no one else to leave can t you trust your servants asked they must be a bad lot but it s often the case nowadays there aren t many like i would leave the key to my safe with her reached above his head and pressed a button inserted in a wall immediately a boy of about twelve years of age appeared at the door tell that mr and a friend of his will see her when she is at liberty the boy vanished leaving in a state of some surprise he was not used to hearing summoned in this manner frank went on talking for the next twenty minutes and at the end of that time the door opened again young fa s a tall woman german stood in the doorway she had an abundance of light hair and a very fair complexion her eyes were large and blue her figure was of the order called her dress was neat and rather expensive said i have been telling my friend mr about you and i thought he ought to see you the tall woman bowed and stood waiting to see if the speaker had any further orders her manner was dignified almost stately she might have been of some large establishment with many s under her and not in the least what had imagined as the person in charge of s rooms the german woman remained on exhibition as one might say for what was probably a full minute though it seemed much longer to who was oppressed by the strangeness of the affair and was much relieved when frank spoke and said she might go with another bow she closed the door behind her what do you think of that asked frank with a smile i don t know what to think was the reply laughed found her in her native land several years ago laid he she had lost both her parents and was actually begging in the streets i was a student there and when i saw how wholesome she looked i said to myself that i would provide a much better place for the pretty but had entirely different views on that subject as the novels say she rejected my proposals with scorn i was about to come home and as one might toss a to a dog i paid her passage hero in the never young s expecting to see her again she wasn t to be got rid of so easily however within a week she had found me she said i was the only friend she had in america and as she could not speak the language she did not know what to do once more i offered suggestions and quite as firmly as before she declined them so i spoke to a fellow who keeps an intelligence office and he got her a place where she learned the art and the science of housekeeping when i hired this nothing was more natural than that i should think of her and she fits the place like a glove somewhat doubtful whether he had heard the whole of this interesting story suggested that mr would have to be in the nature of the company he invited to his rooms if the was so particular oh she has sense exclaimed the other if i bring a girl up here for a supper or several of them in a party she s blind as a bat there couldn t be anything than the way she does things and she s as good as i tell you on my word though i never can make the other fellows believe it chapter xiv a night at s it was decided that the friends would dine together in a that evening and at mrs s the next day a dinner would have to be taken at the latter place some

0Arthur Conan Doyle

time in order that might see mrs the time passed agreeably and the two gentlemen returned to the apartments at a m young fa tt s hour on being shown to his chamber made the discovery that the was larger than he had supposed why you ve got a lot of rooms here he exclaimed what do you want with so many they come in handy occasionally there are ten altogether counting the servants and s frank was certainly keeping up a very pretty establishment but he had plenty of money and it was his affair could not help it with his own home where did the work she did not need to do it it was her own proposition but it made the contrast great just the same the next morning when he proposed to have the business matter settled frank escaped it by pleading an engagement he said he would have to be excused till lunch time the pair were on their way to mrs s before five o clock with nothing accomplished mrs and were permitted by common consent to have a long chat together before dinner was served but little important was said did not muster courage even to ask about the alleged proposal of for s hand he concluded that he would reserve that till he reached home and fire the shot at his wife he said nothing to intimate that matters were strained at and mrs was well satisfied with the interview i don t know how long i shall stay here she said but you are welcome to the household goods till i decide where to settle if you should want to buy things i would do what is reasonable on any of mine that you wished to purchase this struck but he said nothing he had had an idea that the referred young s to were in effect already his property he had not supposed that mrs ever intended to keep house again in reckoning up the cost of new carpets and furniture he forgot for the moment the question that had previously agitated his mind come and see us whenever you can he said at parting it seemed a necessary thing to say though there was not much heart in the invitation not that he had any objection to mrs but his family affairs were not yet arranged enough to his liking to have him care for any company whatever i will come before long said the widow by the way writes me that she has never been to fill place no i wish she could but you know mrs likes to have her own way pretty well and she prefers the work to a girl who is not willing to be managed there was just the least imaginable touch of criticism in this and mrs resolved that she would give a little advice in her next letter her daughter had been so about all her troubles that the mother was completely deceived she would tell that the right way for a wife was to a good deal to husband or at least to have the appearance of so doing she knew that also liked his own way pretty well and that men who could not be dragged with a cable might be led by a tow string if the proper method was used she had congratulated herself that her law and her daughter were getting along so finely for in spite of her intimate acquaintance with there were phases in that young woman s character which she had never suspected vo fa tt s tell me everything dear had been her final as the carriage that was to take away with her husband for the first time rolled up to the door tell your mother everything my experience may be of great value to you she supposed that had told her everything whereas she had told her nothing the next morning insisted on s taking the he had brought for him and after ing all argument against it he consented to do so and him with the amount on the back of his note it s wrong protested frank i take an especial interest in you now that you are a member of the family and i want you to get to be a rich man as fast as you can the most potent in the of wealth is the ability to control capital you may along till you are gray in that confounded village of yours with six or seven thousand dollars to work with and that is all it will amount to but it s your own affair all i say is if you ever want it back you have only to send me a line or a wire this looked handsome and felt immensely relieved not only had he carried out his intention of the interest he was to pay but he had without trouble secured the right to take the other tack when ever he should think it advisable he had both ends of the string in his hand the rest of the day he passed in going about for he was to return to in the morning and he wanted to make the most of his at night informed him that he had arranged a little dinner in his honor at his rooms at which three or four good fellows had agreed to be present somewhat to s consternation when the ad guard arrived he discovered that ol th young pa s good fellows were to bo of the feminine and it did not require any great to find out that they were not of the most rigid ideas as to propriety either the first one miss johnson left her escort as soon as she crossed the threshold and rushing up to enveloped him in her arms declaring in a loud voice that she had not seen him for an age it was with some

0Arthur Conan Doyle

difficulty that she was sufficiently to be presented to mr as soon as possible frank whispered something in her ear that made her laugh he had told her to be a little more careful because his friend was a gentleman from the country there was no opportunity for to say much as the other guests arrived a moment later but he was as angry as a man could be and contain himself when the latest comer proved to be miss the young woman with whom was associated some of the most disagreeable incidents in his recollection he bowed to her quite stiffly and cast a look of indignation at when that young man remarked for the general information of course two haven t each other the conversation took on such a brisk turn with the others that could not avoid saying something to miss without positive it was not her fault so much as frank s that this meeting had taken place excuse me for saying one thing to begin with he remarked when she had mentioned that he was looking well and that she was extremely glad to meet him i am bow named and i had i e young fa s he paused stuck in the middle of his sentence and with ready intelligence she proceeded to help him out of old like mine she said i am sure you are quite right and i will be as correct as possible this evening mr told me of your marriage at the time a cousin of his he said and a very sweet little woman the hot blood through s brain this creature had no right with her soiled lips to allude even in such a manner to his pure he wished he could escape from the house without actually running away quick to perceive miss divined the cause of his sudden flush and turned the conversation on to a less disagreeable channel but he could not escape the fact that in the division of had been evidently assigned to him and he meant to frank for it when he had him alone at the dinner which was soon served in the a mr took occasion to allude in set terms to the fact that the affair was held in special honor of his friend mr and great congratulations were upon him when the words who is now my cousin by marriage were uttered the only way in which could brace up his shattered nerves was to more freely than common of the served and this he did with the result that he ultimately lost his fine sense of propriety and became almost as gay as the others i do not intend to tell with anything like the story of that evening that the passing hours in which champagne was drunk freely by everybody led something approaching license i will not deny young s missed the early morning train that he had intended to take and when he went to the afternoon one it was with puffed eyelids and shuffling gait he had had an out and out quarrel with whom he accused of having planned the whole affair in order to disgrace him frank listened to his abuse with apparent astonishment declaring that he must be crazy to talk as he did and that nothing had happened to him except what he had brought on himself the dinner he was intended to be a pleasant closing of his visit to the city if he had swallowed a lake of wine and didn t know how to carry it off he surely ought to blame some one beside his when he had pulled himself together a little he would be sorry for the things he had said refused to be it was a question at one time whether he would not vent his rage in something more substantial than words as he took the train he felt that he would not care if it ran off the track and broke his body into fragments he had disgraced himself beyond repair he had disgraced his wife that innocent pure girl whose name had been mentioned at that table amid the of and the sound of how could he ever go back to her how could he look her in the face after what had happened he entered a prey to the most terrible melancholy the sun had set and he went to his office first where he could think what it was best to do should he tell and get the awful secret from his mind would she ever forgive him ought he to be forgiven supposing the case were reversed and she no such a thought would drive mad what should he do what should he do yo fa tt s to divert his mind for a moment he turned to a heap of letters that lay on his desk which had been during his absence the first one him for a few minutes it was for the sum of sent by the principal dry goods store of the town he had never had a thing charged there in his life and he wondered what they meant by sending this immense bill to him what a lot of there were of thread and of buttons and yards of what was this two pairs of he could not remember making any such purchase it must be a stupid blunder of their who had sent a bill to him that belonged to some one else of the same family name the next envelope he opened contained another bill that set him to wondering again it was for two and a hat and some feathers and elastic and heaven knows what all with the sum total set down as he began to grow angry to dr to one hat cents he did not buy hat separate from the hat and he had never entered s door another stupid blunder there was hardly

0Arthur Conan Doyle

anything in that pile of letters but bills the next one he recognized it was from the who supplied him and the only thing wrong about it was the of the figures could he and have eaten all those things in less than three months what awful then there was the meat and butter man s bill also added the cost of all the provisions together and uttered a prolonged sigh those were not the kind of figures mrs had given him it would be much cheaper to board and have done with it i young fa s must waste everything fearfully of course they had never eaten all those things one might have run a hotel on that amount he would have to talk with her and see that something was done for the future it would simply ruin a man to have such bills sent in to him i accustomed to place the greatest stress on that were covered by dollars and cents went home with those and provision figures uppermost in his mind it was but little past nine o clock but had gone to bed she was alone in the house having told the friend who had stayed on the previous nights that mr would be sure to come when she heard his key in the front door she sat up and waited with he had been gone three days and she had thought a great deal in that time there had been too much coolness between them she had said over and over there must be less of it in the future they had become from each other and they must grow to again she and for love as she never had done before her heart beat faster as his step ascended the stairs conquering her modesty she slipped from the bed and ran to meet him she cried throwing both half bare arms about his neck oh i have wanted you so much i am so glad you ve come i kiss me kiss me j why what s the matter she withdrew herself from him and looked into his eyes he had not returned her embrace and the lips her passionate mouth touched were what s the matter and that he retorted shaking the and provision bills in her face m aren t they nice things to welcome a man home after yo fa tt s he has been out of town for a few days we ve not kept house three months yet and that is what you ve bought at those stores do you think i can stand it well i can t i m not an what did you tell me when we talked of getting married it was going to cost next to nothing now take these bills and the coal and the rent and the and the milk he added striving to think of everything that would swell the total and tell me how you think a man of my income is going to keep up with this extravagance she stood there she had run to him expecting a husband s embrace and she had been struck a blow as real as if he had her face she looked from the bills to his lowering countenance and then to make sure she was not dreaming some frightful thing she looked at the pictures on the wall and at the window and the lamp what did it mean this outburst if the bills were too large why was she to blame for it any more than he many of the things had been ordered either by him or at his suggestion it was too horrible to see him standing there with that dreadful expression shaking those papers at her as il they were for her arrest the tears rushed to her eyes and she threw herself upon his breast my darling kiss me just once that i may know you are yourself and not some judge come to order me to execution kiss me for god s sake we will talk about the bills afterwards if they are too large we will make them less in the future but now for one instant let me feel your arm around me i have been dying of loneliness i have been listening the past nine hours for your step on the walk kiss me let me feel that i am your wife if but for one second and then you may say whatever you will fa s no man not made of could refuse such an appeal suffered the clinging figure clad in those thin garments of white to draw him toward her finally he lifted in his arms and placed her on the bed taking a chair beside her fair she was and sweet and full of love for him the reaction began to set in he gave her the kiss she asked for and a hundred more and when she had wiped her wet cheeks and wanted to have him tell her what was wrong with the bills he refused to the subject that night they could discuss it to morrow just as well if he had spoken too harshly he was sorry yes he loved her what a question he was glad to be with her again how could she ask so simple a thing as that he had seen her mother and she had promised to visit them soon he told her about her aunt and how things looked at her house indeed he spoke of everything connected with his journey except frank about whom she did not inquire and the supper given in honor of my cousin by marriage as to the latter to tell the truth he had for the moment forgotten it entirely chapter xv when morning came when the morning came thought he had been unreasonable to blame for the size of the housekeeping account though he did consider it by studying the

0Arthur Conan Doyle

figures he found that the cost of living at his house had actually increased since the of the servant girl department young ma had a good deal to learn about cooking and doubtless spoiled many things in the process of acquiring knowledge they had to have a woman any way to wash and iron and to do heavy work and he concluded that it would be best to look up a good one as soon as possible if he could find one a little older than his wife who would use judgment and not get into a clash with her it would be best he went into the intelligence office on his way to his place of business and described what he wanted he told them he was willing to pay the right salary to the right person he might as well make up his mind that the old cost of living when he was a bachelor would never be again he realized fully that the cooking since mrs s day had been much poorer and that after the departure of it was far from what it was before that time but was not an it took something more than a badly done or a burned roast to put him out of temper he had said little when things were at their worst so long as the meals were served on the exact moment when they were due however if he could get a woman to do the work who would act as a sort of housekeeper at the same time he would like it one who would know as neither he nor his wife did whether the provision account was right during the day he went to the and market and paid the bills they had sent him he himself on owing no one beyond the time when the account was presented a week later he found the very woman for whom he was searching a scotch widow who wanted a home and who was ready to undertake the work of his small establishment at the same wages he had paid young fa s it did not require much urging for to agree to try her though she declared that no woman should her house over her head and that if mrs attempted it there would be trouble was glad when the arrangement was made a state of things approaching that of the old times seemed to come again with the advent of the new servant everything about the kitchen and was made as neat as a pin and on the moment when the clock announced the hour for each meal it was neatly and served the young husband made one or two mistakes by mrs too strongly to his wife who resented the that her cooking had not been satisfactory but this caused only temporary the interrupted was resumed with a good deal of and for some weeks the family would have served for a model of good nature on all sides one evening found looking quite pale and on a sofa when he inquired what was the cause she gave him answers to all his suggestions of various or of calling the doctor she turned a deaf ear there was something the matter with her stomach that was evident and he tried to make her think of what she had eaten feeling sure that the difficulty could easily be traced all that he said seemed only to annoy her and the returned at frequent intervals much alarmed sought the counsel of mrs is very ill he said and refuses to let me get a doctor won t you see if there is anything you can do for her the scotch woman eyed him narrowly it was evident that his anxiety was real she wondered how a young s man of his size and years could be so ignorant ye ken what s the matter wi her she asked there was something in the tone that told him all quite confused he withdrew from the kitchen and returned to his wife my darling he murmured bending over her had taken on a new glory in his eyes no man more desired every child in the world was to him a young every mother a endowed with the attributes of deity and it was to be his little who should wear that crown of he had supposed that it would come some time but the sudden revelation was nearly she was in truth such a child herself that could hardly be thought of in her case he reflected with the utmost regret that he had tried to mould her too rapidly into a full grown woman that he had acted toward her as if she had ten years more on her pretty shoulders how sorry he was now for every impatient word he had ever let fall he whispered i wish i could tell you how much i love you she turned her head away and cried on the pillow she was frightened at what made him so happy her first sensations were not calculated to her and for the time the girl the woman she shook her head doubtfully when he told her that she would be dearer to him than she could imagine and that never never as long as he lived would he speak another cross syllable to her all this was very pleasant for loved her husband but the would not respond to the mental treatment and she continued physically y un s miserable devoted himself to her like a lover and at the end of a few days she had recovered considerably her drooping spirits nearly two months had passed since found on his office desk the dry goods and bills alluded to in the foregoing chapter he had entertained no doubt that they were sent to him by mistake as there was another in the town with whom his mail had at times

0Arthur Conan Doyle

been mixed rather angry at the error he had thrown them into his waste basket and never given a thought to them since that time it was to his great surprise therefore when he received a polite note from the dry goods dealer asking if it was convenient for him to settle the account that had been rendered on april i within ten minutes he stood in front of the of the establishment referred to wearing no amiable look what do you mean by sending me such a letter as this he demanded showing the document mr wrote it himself replied the i will call him if you desire intimated that that was what he most particularly wanted and when mr made his appearance he repeated his inquiry i don t see anything wrong about the letter said the of cloth the bill was sent you on the ist of april and you have paid no attention to it spoke in his most sarcastic manner do you know any reason why i should pay attention to it why you should repeated mr exactly inasmuch as i had a cent charged young s here there is no reason why i should bother myself to come and correct your mr looked at his and the looked at mr both saw that an unpleasant scene was to occur gentlemen do not usually purchase the dry goods for their families said the proprietor of the store those goods were delivered to mrs at first thought he should fall had his wife bought that large bill of goods without consulting him without mentioning the matter in any way what had she done with them he had seen the months of sewing that mrs had gone through to prepare her daughter for her new station and had wondered how one slight figure could find use for such an awful of clothing he well remembered how had said i shall need nothing for a year or more when she was showing how very she would be to her husband in doubt as he was whether he could yet afford to wed the mists closed around him till he could hardly see and through it as ships appear in a fog he discerned the figures of mr and the if that bill is correct he stammered and we have had the goods it will be paid to day i never let an account stand that i know about the mistake is probably on my side he walked out of the store and back to his office with his head in a whirl he had never felt so disgraced he had announced to those men in effect that he did not know what his wife was doing that she bought things and charged them without telling him which might mean more than it should to a suspicious pair of fellows earlier than his usual hour he made young fa tt s appearance at the house and before he spoke knew that something unusual was the matter but he did not address her as he would have done a month before his voice was merely not my dear he said i was placed in a very embarrassing position this morning one in which i would not have been for anything i did not know you had been buying things at mr s he sent me a bill in april but i thought it a mistake and threw it away to day i got a letter asking me to settle and i went over as i naturally would and said i had never had a thing charged there it made me look pretty cheap when he said you had got them for he could see i did not know it look over this bill now and tell me if it is right and please don t ever again as long as you live get credit outside of the things for the table the young wife felt quite as badly as if these words had been spoken in a very different key they included a complaint of her actions and it had been some weeks now since anything of that kind had come from her husband s lips she took the bill and tried to read the but her eyes filled with tears and she could not make them out very well she had no head for figures any way i guess it s right she said in a faltering voice when she had pretended to complete the inspection did you think there was worth he asked astonished i didn t add it up i only got such goods as i had to have wanted to impress some things on her and yet he did not intend to give the impression that he was scolding ii y fa tt s that was in eleven weeks after we returned from our wedding trip she bowed like a detected red handed in his crime he restrained himself from alluding to her statements before marriage and went on to the more important questions in his mind there was i remember now a bill from for did you get that also the slight bosom began to tremble with tke stifled emotions that thrilled it i i got some feathers and hats yes he owed that bill too he wondered if then were any more have you charged goods at other places i want to know the whole business she tried to think but her mind was far from clear only some then she broke down completely at the of her position oh don t ask me any more i why did you marry me i don t do anything right oh dear i oh dear i wish i was dead he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek wiping off the flowing tears with his handkerchief you ought not to talk like that he said reproachfully there is nothing improper in my questions i

0Arthur Conan Doyle

care a great deal about my credit and i want to pay the bills we owe that s all but tell me just one thing dear and i have finished why didn t you ask me for the money i would much rather you had done so for if there is anything i hate it is a running account she tried to draw herself out of his arms for she did young s not like to be so close to him when he was playing th part of a and she finally succeeded in her sitting position you don t understand me at all i couldn t ask you for money not if i was starving and that was the only way to get a crust of bread you never offered me a penny now did you there were some things i had to have and it was easier for me to go to those stores than to hold out my hand to you like a little beggar i supposed they sent the bills to you every month and that you had paid them long ago and knew all about them we charge the provisions and the and the milk and the gas and i thought it the right way to do but i won t do it again no i will go in rags before i ll be a cent of cost to you except for what i am obliged to eat i know you re sorry you married me i i he would not let her finish the sentence she had begun for her voice had risen steadily until he was afraid mrs would hear her he did not want her to excite herself in her present condition so he folded her in his arms again in spite of her and said he loved her with all his heart and wanted her to have everything she needed and that from now on he would anticipate her wants and see that her purse was never empty in the most delicate way he alluded to the special reason why she must not give way to her feelings and finally succeeded in her he really held her very dear at that time she was to be the mother of his child and her person was sacred before he left the house she had resumed her ordinary composure and they parted as affectionately as ever he promising to come home early and t make no arrangements to leave her that evening young s went to mr s and paid the bill there trying to act in a manner that would that gentle man of any ugly suspicions he might have formed he also visited and the s and the store and when this was done returned to his office satisfied that he was again square with the of when he received small bills some days later from a who had mended a chain a who had supplied and other articles of the toilet and a baker who had furnished considerable cake and bread that he supposed baked in the house thought he must have reached the end of the list but later there came a bill from a dealer for various things used in the kitchen from a furniture man for on the sofa on which had done his a carpet dealer for several new that he had never noticed and from half a dozen other for things in their various lines paid them all without mentioning a word to of the circumstance the total figure was not great and the most he cared for was the fact that he had been owing these bills without any knowledge of it the worst of all was thirty five cents for charged at a little store one day when the regular dealer did not have any in stock he took s purse from the table in their bedroom and put twenty five dollars in it and from time to time it to see that it did not get too low but she seemed to have had enough of for the present indeed she went out very little now except when he was with her their lives went on as sweetly as that of the in the basket and about the middle of the summer when the air of nor young s wood was more than that of boston mrs came for the first time to visit them had hinted to her mother the condition she was in and with true maternal solicitude the elder lady wanted to give her advice in person the meeting between them was very warm and who had always liked mrs expressed his pleasure at meeting her after having had a prolonged conversation with her daughter mrs discussed the situation privately with her son in she had never heard the least hint of any of the that had occurred between him and and was at finding him so elated over the prospect there were so many husbands who heard of this sort of thing with ill concealed disgust that it was a relief to know the state of his mind of course mr she said would rather this had happened a year or two later is very young to pass through this ordeal and assume this responsibility however she has been in good health and i think we may hope for the best it is a good time while i am here to make all the preparations possible and i will gladly assist in every way with the sewing seems to feel to talk with you about that matter so if you like i will go with her to make the purchases and do exactly as if it was a matter of my own answered to this that nothing would suit him better he would give mrs whatever she should decide was necessary and trust to her judgment he handed her fifty dollars on the spot which he thought would

0Arthur Conan Doyle

be a liberal allowance and said when that was expended she must tell him and he would provide more the widow smiled as she took the sum fa s ma remembering the time before s birth and the extravagant that were on the ing infant s but she knew that mr had not as yet the income that her husband then had and also that he was inclined to economy and she decided to make the money go as far as she could the best way she said to her daughter a fortnight later would be for mr to give us an order on mr to get whatever we need and then have the bill sent to him it seems foolish to have to reckon up every time to see if there is enough money left for what we want doesn t like to owe any one replied he is quite set about it ask him for the money he will give it to you and then he will be better satisfied was lost in wonder when he found how much his future heir needed in advance of his or her appearance still his delight at the whole affair was so great that he forgot everything else and opened his pocket book freely whenever mrs made demands on it the sewing machine whirled day after day until he thought a ship s crew could have been fitted out with the product supposing that such a crew could have worn any of the tiny things did little except sit and watch her mother and comment on the work as it she did not feel like herself and now that her mother was present and that mrs took all the household work from her shoulders she became in effect the child of and was quite willing to have others do every thing for her mrs stayed five or six weeks and then returned to her sister s for the present as she was tt tt s to accompany that lady to the she promised to come back in the winter and see them through but saw her depart with a feeling of some alarm she had constant of terror and wanted such a confidential friend near by it was agreed that she would write very often and conceal nothing from her mother and with this understanding they had to be content so the summer passed and the autumn and grew happier as his little wife grew more low spirited and apprehensive business had been only fair with him and his expenses exceeded any estimate he had ever made but the coming event cast its bright mantle over all among the news that reached him was the marriage of miss followed by the failure and subsequent death of her father he remembered very well and he had an idea that did not like her but when she told him of her cousin s fortune and later of her misfortune she did it without any apparent feeling the one trouble between them had been caused by s with the man wanted to marry and that could not occur again of course now they were both provided with husbands s name was mrs her husband was chiefly noted as being a son of old who had done something or other at some distant date had never seen frank since the affair of the dinner at his rooms and he had no desire to renew his acquaintance once in awhile the recollection of that evening came to sting him for he was heartily sorry and ashamed on account of it but time passed on and such things wear away he had to i young s important a matter in his mind now to think of much else and s baby they were enough to his entire attention chapter xvi a small boy arrived did not grow more as the month of february approached but in the eyes of her husband she was perfect fault finding suited with nothing that he did or that any one else did she might have worn out the patience of a saint but she could not that of her husband he left the house late every morning and returned early each evening beside taking two hours instead of one at noon only to hear the oft repeated complaint that he neglected her he never entered the door without bringing something that he thought would please her a a magazine a or a basket of fruit to which she generally offered some objection demanding something else that could not be found at that season or that was not in it was impossible for to do anything to please her at that time she held him responsible for the disagreeable condition in which she found herself and told him many times each day often with tears that she could not understand why a man pretending love for her could be so thoughtless do you doubt that i love you my darling he asked driven to desperation young fa s oh i am sure you don t she answered if you did you would do something to make me feel better mrs returned to early in january and used sometimes to her son in law on the hard treatment to which he was subjected she explained to him the of women under such circumstances and said he ought not to mind the cross words that his wife uttered so often to this replied that he was far from them that was the dearest wife a man could dream of and that his only anxiety was for her safety a medical man who was called in cheered him by repeating a proverb to the effect that danger rarely lies where ill temper gets control was much elated at this he was perfectly willing his wife should vent any amount of on him provided it her own security as in all such cases there were innumerable

0Arthur Conan Doyle

the commission merchant hardly knew for a fortnight whether hay was ten dollars a ton or twenty his household had been by a tall and nurse named who gave evidence of her intention to rule like a he was hardly allowed to kiss his wife after this tyrant entered his door and any prolonged conversation between them was forbidden as all the others of the family were of the feminine persuasion and as he was the only one to fall under the ban became melancholy and refused to eat his meals the doctor who as is customary was allowed to run up a frightful bill long before the wildest imagination could show it necessary saw the of his employer s countenance and prescribed beef wine and iron which was bought but not taken and when i o young fa tt s important day actually arrived the husband was given to understand by everybody that he had no interest whatever in the affair and that it would be becoming in him to maintain a position of non interference with what was no concern of his but to save his life could not help asking questions now of the doctor now of mrs as they appeared in the sitting or dining room from time to time once he went so far as to address an inquiry to miss but was almost by the look she gave him while her compressed lips spoke the volumes she did not utter about eleven o clock at night he heard a long wail from the sick chamber it was the voice of his beloved and with an anguish that could have been hardly less than hers he went out into the yard and walked up and down a path in the snow oh god he groaned if i could only take her suffering on myself and at that moment to make his agony the he thought of the supper in frank s rooms perhaps god would punish him for what he did that night by taking his wife away at the thought though he had no sensation of the atmosphere he knelt in the snow and prayed he was not used to prayer but a more feeling petition never was sent from earth to heaven when he rose he could not help re entering the house though he dreaded to hear that voice of pain again and as he stepped into the mrs with came and grasped his hand she said you are the father of a boy i it was the first time she had ever addressed him by christian name and even in the flood of joy that young s swept over him he realized that fact throwing arms around the lady s neck he burst into tears and is she safe he asked as soon as he could command his voice we have no fears when can i see her that is for the doctor to say have patience my dear boy and i will bring word to you after the tears felt a reaction that led him into the opposite mood the danger was really over he was a father and above all things of a boy his five feet nine inches grew to at least six feet one in the next four minutes he was beginning to think himself a man of consequence in the world when miss passed through the room and by her presence reduced him to his former insignificant rank what is a newly made father compared to that awful dignity represented by a nurse of her description the of all the must hide his diminished head before the nurse extraordinary to his it was in her exhaustion who thought of her husband next she whispered to the physician that ought to see the little bundle which had been carefully attended to and was now lying in blankets in the adjacent the good natured doctor the threatening looks of miss who over the infant as if she were a and this was her own particular taking it in his arms he walked out to the sitting room where war pacing up and down is that it was the exclamation which the fond papa made when the image was duly not very large to have made all this t if a we he spoke as if he thought it a very small to get from such a heavy but he did not deceive the doctor there was a proud look in s eyes as he bent over the red faced little fellow and tried to see if it resembled any one he knew he was not the first new father to act before third parties as if he had had fifty children and considered them very ordinary affairs now that the danger was over he assumed his natural he spoke of and was assured that she would be around in a week or two the boy had been weighed and to use a sporting phrase tipped the beam at seven pounds and a half he was also without doubt to borrow another expression of the in the pink of condition told the doctor with a smile that he guessed he would keep it and pinched the boy s cheek softly as his bearer took him away as miss set her foot down no d that he should not see until the next day thought he might as well try to get a little rest he went to the room he used to occupy the one to which he had gone that night when he and his wife had the difference of opinion about the temperature and threw himself on the sofa he thought it all over as he lay there he could see her again dear little woman that she was standing in the dim light at his door dressed in her bed gown telling him with shivering accents that she was afraid to sleep by herself and that

0Arthur Conan Doyle

she thought feathers the only proper thing what a wretch he was to make her come into that cold room when she was not used to it just to prove that he could have his way would have liked to punch such a man in the head could he have conveniently done so but young fa s was on the feathers now poor girl and i hard bed it had been for her at that dear child how he loved her and she not yet twenty was really a mother he fell asleep with a smile on his lips and rested quietly for some hours when he awoke it was daylight he rose made his toilet and went downstairs mrs who had retired later was not yet up and miss was in command of the forces mrs served him his eggs and coffee and as there seemed to be nothing that he could do at the house he went down to his office to open the mail a of the arrival at his residence had preceded him early as it was for the doctor had been seen by a on his way home and the clerks knew that the elastic step in such contrast to those of the preceding days could have but one meaning he read his letters through including one that asked for an extension of time on an over due account without the smile that covered his face he wrote the necessary answers and after he had consulted with his chief for a few minutes about the state of business he told him what had happened leaving him to tell the others if he wished a small boy arrived at my house last night the mother and child are doing well mr his congratulations and being of a turn managed to get a raise of three dollars a week on his salary before he allowed to escape the first interview that had with his wife was very sweet and tender he secured the consent of the doctor to see her alone for ten minutes promising to be very careful not to her in any way young s miss who allowed no person except the physician even to make a suggestion to her stalked out of the bedroom with an air of offended majesty and who stood by the door through which she made her exit closed it behind her isn t it funny said laughing faintly it makes me think of rider haggard s she well what do you think of my baby he drew a chair to the side of the bed and told he he thought it was on the whole the finest child ever brought into this world he could hardly believe it was really hers it seemed as if it must have been into the house like some of those children one reads of in history it didn t seem that way to me she said with a at the same time pulling him down where she could kiss him but the first thing i want you to do is to forgive me forgive her what for for being so cross and hateful so long i knew the while i was but i really couldn t help it oh i felt so dreadfully there wasn t a time dear i snapped you up that i wasn t ashamed of it and when you answered me so nice and tried to please me in every way i loved you more than i can tell but that s over now i ll never do it again he assured her that he appreciated the case fully and a little joke her promise never to repeat the offence but she the statement and this time quite that she never would no never nothing should ever happen again to bring unpleasant things to her husband and the baby she added you don t talk enough about him i fa s he took the sleeping child from its though this had not been included in the permission under which he was acting and laid it by its mother declaring them the pair on which he had ever set eyes then they talked of important things in which the reader of this novel can have no interest until he be to realize that his ten minutes was about to he put the baby back in its with a lame attempt to conceal the fact that he had touched it where the deuce did the doctor find that he inquired glancing toward the door she puts on more style than an mamma says they re always that way laughed she s smart though one of the best and how long does she consider herself entitled to hang around here and spoil ray disposition he asked a month i think put on a look of rage and was an imaginary of the when that individual stiff as ever stalked back into the chamber and put an end to the he a salute with his fingers to his wife which act the nurse seemed to take as a personal for she turned toward him and audibly upon which he vanished from the apartment without ceremony before the month was over mr frank made an unexpected appearance at his time was certainly well chosen for it would have been well nigh impossible for to show much resentment to any one during that period had given no notice of his intention to come but dove suddenly into s office one morning and clapped his partner oa the shoulder young fa tt s old fellow what a looking chap you are if there had been any question of his reception the form of this exclamation saved him took the extended hand though perhaps not very warmly at first and answered the questions that were put to him was at his best saying just the right things he even declared with an appearance of that he quite

0Arthur Conan Doyle

envied his happiness and that the only true life for a man to lead was that of marriage here i am he said knocking around from one girl to another and raising hell and what does it all amount to it is a thousand times more sensible to settle down as you have done with one nice woman and see your children growing up about you by the way how s business somewhat surprised at the sudden change of subject replied that business was fair i mat the last time i was in new york said frank and he told me he would take you into his firm any time i can t see why a man should moon his life away in this village when he can get a chance like that co were large in the produce line and had had considerable to do with them mr didn t mention anything about his con i suppose replied he didn t say that i would have to put up did he shrugged his shoulders as if that was a mere incident you don t pretend that it would be difficult to raise that amount for such a purpose do you he said the concern is a stock company and by the young fa shares you could easily get the coin why i d lend it to you myself it was a generous proposition it seemed to and he began to reproach himself for the hard feelings he had entertained toward this man but the thought of going so deeply into debt frightened him even the that he still owed made him uneasy at times though he could pay it at a week s notice and still have or left he told that he could not think of accepting such an offer but that if mr ever gave him a chance to get in by any other way he would take it he admitted that did not offer quite the field he wanted you haven t asked a word about said when they had disposed of the new york affair violently never speak to me about that matter he said choking about the matter no but about why any one can speak about her she has asked after you twenty times is as good as a saint if it was now rose from his chair and lifted both hands in protest if you knew how horribly unhappy that has made me you would never bring it up frank he said with feeling sometimes when i look at at and and the baby and think of that night it seems as if i should go mad i thought the next day i never could live long enough to forgive you but after all it was my own fault if should ever find it out what do you think would become of me his suffering was so evident that soothed him thinking it the best policy not to excite him too la young fa s ma e far at noon they went together to house where before the dinner was served the baby had to be brought forth and exhibited to its second cousin frank praised the child with well selected phrases and its fond papa forgot the unpleasant allusions of an hour before was not yet on exhibition except to her immediate family circle but frank sent congratulations to her and said he would come to again in a month or two to see how she looked as a full mamma he was so jolly at the table that he nearly forced a smile to the face of miss and when he took the boston train at night was really sorry to have him go don t entirely give up that idea of s said frank you can just as well make a hundred thousand there in the next ten years as you can ten thousand here you are too to do business in such days as these the big are all the cream for themselves and this chance is one in a million has a high opinion of you and he only wants the just for the looks of the thing well if you come around to it remember you can rely on me thanked him warmly and promised to think about it though he did not mean anything special by that it was nice to have such a good friend with such a full purse at his elbow in case of necessity though frank was not half as bad as he had pictured him if his morals would only improve he would be all that could be desired the end of the stay of miss came at last and both and her husband saw her countenance disappear with great glee mrs did not remain long after her and by the first of may s mr and mrs were left alone in their house with their son and mrs nothing unusual happened during the summer that followed had regained her full strength and looked about as pretty and young as ever divided his time between his office and home in the old way he was wrapped up in his baby and never seemed to tire of playing with it or even of getting up in the night and walking the floor with it if it cried his was the proud discovery of its first tooth his the announcement that it could actually bear its weight on its feet everything seemed to go as smoothly as could be desired till one day there came a letter from mrs that she was coming to pay her cousin a visit chapter xvii wanted a divorce marriage had made little change in the personal appearance of mrs she might have still been for all that any one could tell by looking at her but in reality she was as different from the girl of two years before as could well be her union was

0Arthur Conan Doyle

in all respects a dismal failure and she had not been many days at before she made mrs her complete in regard to that matter was as has been before intimated the of a respectable family but without any particular merit of his own he had been educated to do j o young fa s nothing and in that accomplishment took a very high rank his father had little confidence in his business judgment and left him only a small income of which he never could touch the principal this was unknown to at the time she accepted his hand she knew mr had considerable property and supposed as a matter of course that the son had his full share on his part he was attracted quite as much by the wealth which mr was to have as by the charms of his bride it was a not uncommon case of being deceived on both sides and neither could well task the other with a fault in which both had indulged when mr went into young was disgusted he told his wife for the first time the condition of his own affairs and intimated that as there was hardly enough for himself in the income he received she must not expect that a great deal of it would be on her if there was enough for two he said with admirable i would willingly divide but as there is only enough for one it is natural that should be the one the girl had never been in love with her husband and it is not likely that this increased the affection she was trying to show was not an bad man he was simply so to all her indignant speeches and to her tearful that he would do something to earn a living for himself and wife he made few replies and no promises he was as far from protesting against her attitude as he was from doing anything to satisfy her ho would not have denied that she was entirely right io her position it was merely a series of fa circumstances that had placed them where they were as to seeking employment why of course he couldn t do it he did not know enough even to drive a horse car he was in a state of weariness from which he could only arouse himself enough to play an occasional game of or which he invariably lost i tell you it is a hard place to be put in sighed her spirits crushed by her misfortunes there have been days when he has left me without a cent and nothing to eat in the house i have actually had to go to call on friends in the hope that they would ask me to dinner and when he comes back he simply says he met some fellows in whom he got interested and forgot all about me for forty eight hours or so mrs listened with deep sympathy she had had her little troubles too but had never acted like that he had too great a regard for money to let it take care of itself as did and never had he been out all night except when she knew he was going and where a you don t think i hope she said with a blush that there is any other woman who him oh he doesn t know enough for that retorted i don t see what he ever got married for it must have been entirely with a view to the fortune he thought he would get through me no he never looks toward a bit of as the saying is a crowd of fellows in some saloon is the highest form of vice he follows if i catch him at the moment he is paid his monthly income by the of his father s property i get a little of it if i am an hour late a good share is gone yo fa tt s realized how hard it was for to confess all these things for she had been brought up to have everything she asked for and her family had lived like till the crash came it gratified her also to feel that she had been selected as a when assured her that she had not even told her own mother half the story mrs had gone to live with another married daughter in a distant part of the country and if she suspected that was not what he should be she had at least only a faint notion of th whole truth to have told her would have been to give her needless distress as she was entirely herself mr had made the mistake too common in the united states of trying to double his entire fortune in one move on the financial board and had seen it swept away as swiftly as if a at had reached out his for it at his losses he did not long survive them and there was not even a life policy for the unhappy you won t a word to mr will you would often say when she had finished some tale of her s neglect i would not tell it to any one but you and i always put on the ap before him i am glad you and he are so happy together though it makes such a contrast to my own condition your was right when she wanted you to marry a mr n with correct habits rather than one who inherited a fortune made by others if i had done the same thing i should not now be worse off than either an old maid or a widow mrs said all she could to comfort her cousin but there was little of hat nature at hand will he come here to visit you she asked on young fa s x fig day when they had been discussing the

0Arthur Conan Doyle

everlasting subject no indeed it is doubtful if he thinks of me once a week even to remember that i am living i can t help saying i am glad he won t come said i him so much that i m afraid i couldn t treat him decently and yet bad as he acts whatever he does he is none the less your husband when has to go to boston or to new york for just a night or two i think it weeks before he returns the young wife as she said this it took very little to color the cheek of pretty modest mrs divined the thought that had nearly been put into words and a slight shiver passed over her if were to come here to night she said shutting her lips firmly together he could not occupy the room with me no if there was no other place i would sleep on the parlor floor or walk the kitchen till morning opened her eyes in real grief poor girl she whispered don t tell me any more like that it makes me feel so badly i can hardly keep from crying you are a happy wife said choking down a sob and i am wrong to trouble you with my in the future i will do it as little as i can help ah i hear he has awakened and found himself all alone and wants some one to come to him no don t move i like to be the first one he sees when he opens his eyes had not cried a great deal just enough to sound the only alarm that he knew how to when he saw he laughed and put up his hands i young fa for her to take him he was now ten months old and a very little fellow i state this on the authority of both his parents who with all their first and last were a on this point look at the young exclaimed as she brought him into the sitting room a few minutes later with his face washed and his hair nicely no he doesn t want any one to take him but his aunt does you she tossed the child up and down until he screamed with laughter and then declaring that he had a cold cruel heartless mother who had him much too soon she went with him to the dining room where she him in a high chair and was a moment later engaged in putting bread and milk into his mouth with a spoon the wife of watched her cousin s actions with a sad heart dear how she did love children and she never would have one of her own never knew that the crown of a woman s life was to see her own baby in her lap and the attitude that assumed toward her worthless husband seemed to her the bitterest drop in the cup she had to drink to be a wife and to be no wife to call some man husband and be barred by an fate from all that this implied it was simply more than any woman ought to be asked to endure if it was her case thought she could never bear it had done things during the first few months of her married life but he had always shown himself a man she resolved to advise to a lawyer and see if a divorce was not practicable a woman did not know what life was till she had y u v s fa s had a child one was enough had no question in her mind about that but every woman should have one to bear it to such a husband as was not to be thought of and was right in the position she had undertaken he was worse than a who stops people on the road and takes their he had robbed his wife of the right to love some other man he had placed her on a desolate island and destroyed the boats by which she might escape wished she could talk with about s case but her promise held her tongue mrs had said emphatically that she should sink with shame if he ever heard the least intimation of it there was one thing that could do however and she decided that she would do that she could go to a lawyer and put a case to him and see if he could not suggest a remedy and this she proceeded to do the first time an opportunity presented itself to get down town alone squire who gave out the law to was an elderly gentleman of mien he had never shone as a in the courts but his task had been perhaps of more advantage to the community for he had a reputation as a and nearly always succeeded in getting his to settle their differences without to a jury trial he knew mrs by sight and when she entered his office and said she wanted a few minutes conversation he bowed with the air of a very fat lord and crossed his hands over his in an attitude of i wanted to ask you she said her voice shaking slightly if a woman can get a divorce from a husband who hardly gives her anything and all hie time ami money with other people young squire smiled and remarked that he could hardly answer a question like that by a yes or no he said he must have a fuller statement of the case well said gaining confidence now that the first ordeal was over it is this way he married his wife thinking her people had money and when he found they hadn t he said that he hadn t much either and he her and sometimes doesn t bring anything home for her to eat and she goes away for weeks at

0Arthur Conan Doyle

a time and he doesn t come to see her nor seem to care where she is nor what she does there was an strain in this of the case that struck mr forcibly he replied that the law was seldom understood by married women and that he would try to show just what it did and did not provide for then he went on to tell her that a husband could be made to support his wife but that each instance would be considered on its own merits by the judge before whom it was brought the amount she is to receive from her husband must depend entirely he said in closing on his ability but this man hasn t any said mrs hasn t any what any ability in that case supposing it to be strictly true smiled the squire he would probably be sent to an asylum and she could get a divorce cried joyfully m m that does not follow replied mr it depends on a variety of circumstances a wife s opinion of her husband s ability might not agree with that of a in i am sure to come down to the case in point that mr is a long way from an at the mention of s name caught her breath mr she exclaimed yes you are mrs i believe there was a riddle here that could not be solved for the moment by the young head in which it had been placed i don t understand said she what my husband has to do with this matter it was the lawyer s turn to be surprised i thought he said that you wanted a divorce gathered up her dress and rose to her feet it seemed as if some awful danger hung over her head and over s and over the baby s wanted a divorce she what did squire mean the squire rose also much perplexed were you not speaking of yourself he asked of myself you thought wanted why what a frightful idea no indeed it will be a long time before you ever see me here on an errand like that i was asking for a friend of mine who lives in another city i should think if you knew mr at all you would know i couldn t be talking of him why you gave me such a shock i hardly know what to do quite overcome mrs sat down again to compose her nerves while squire made the best apology he could command it was very unusual he said for a woman to ask advice on such a matter for a third person he then inquired if the friend for whom the information was sought lived in that state and on finding that her legal residence was he l s young fa s said that made a difference for the laws of the states differed materially by the time he had taken down several books and read a number of aloud mrs came to the conclusion that law was a very thing and that she certainly had not the head to understand it so she told the lawyer she would have to go and that she was very much obliged and when she had paid the small fee he asked she went home and told what she had done you are very kind said her cousin but i looked into all that before i left i couldn t get a divorce unless he actually deserted me and i don t think he could be induced to do that at present it is i who have deserted him perhaps i could get a part of his income made over to me by applying to the court but it would cause a public scandal and if mamma heard of it to say nothing of the hundreds of people i have associated with it would kill me with shame there s nothing to be done but endure my punishment i would give anything if i didn t have to go back to him though s sympathy was so thoroughly aroused that she set her little head to work in hopes at least to the trouble of her friend was perfectly willing that should stay at his house for the baby s love for her went straight to his most susceptible spot he did not know anything about and was unlikely ever to meet him it looked easy enough to invent a story about having to go to some foreign place where the climate was not suitable for his wife and of leaving her with the during his absence and this is exactly what did she conscience by saying it was a perfectly harmless young fa and that the case was a desperate one if it ever was exposed she felt sure would say she had done entirely right no member of the society of ever argued with than this young woman it was delightful for to have this home provided for her and she was not the one to refuse to accept it on the terms offered she wrote occasional letters to mr and sometimes he answered them but the burden of her communications was advice for him to keep away which he followed several times in the next year he sent her small sums of money which she needed too much to refuse in fact all went on as smoothly as life on a steamer that has lost its bearings and is headed directly for a rocky shore chapter xviii he must be a that winter business at did not go to suit it was true as frank had said that the big fish in this business were bound to eat up the small ones when master was a little over a year old there came a series of that nearly made his papa came home one evening pale and and told that he did not know whether he

0Arthur Conan Doyle

was worth a dollar in the world or not if i were to pay frank the money i owe him said he i do not think i would have enough left to buy a breakfast to morrow morning everything has j young fa s wrong three or four thousand dollars more might enable me to get out of my scrape but having nothing what can i do was not as much distressed as her husband except on his account business had no meaning for her the entire arrangement by which men bought and sold and realized profits was as great a mystery in her eyes as the trick ever performed by a eat your supper she said to him confidently and look on the bright side it will come out all right i m sure but could not muster an appetite i don t care so much for myself said he but it will be hard for you and if i have to come down and go to work for some one are not high these days probably we shall have to break up our home and go to some city and board this was something definite in the way of unpleasant possibilities and it came home to mrs in a way she did not like it would mean not only a loss of her pleasant surroundings but it would fall heavily on toward whom had assumed the of a protector anything was better than to send back to t c tender of her hateful her brains to see whether she could not suggest something i would use every cent there is left if it would get me out of the scrape she told frank has enough money and even if you lost it he would never know the difference he made a gesture of intense if i should lose that money and be unable t pay it i don t know what i should do s suicide perhaps i have never faced a man that i owed and asked him to wait for his money and i simply could not do it there is no disgrace equal to that no the sum i owe frank must be kept at all even if i go down in the crash with a woman s argument she met this i should think to hear you talk that you cared more for frank than for your own wife and child he took his risk when he lent you the money and if it s lost that s his affair you say it may save you and if you don t take it and you lose everything i don t see how you can pretend to love us so much my dear he exclaimed let me try to make it plain to you that that i have of frank s is his it is not mine i only have the right to use it it would be almost yes quite as if i stole the amount if i put it where there was a risk of when my own capital is used up if i must rob people i will take a pistol and go out on the highway where there are strangers instead of picking the pockets of my friends she thought him very foolish in his view of the matter and for some time she tried to have him see the way it seemed to her if you lose this money and you say you don t think you will if you take it they can t arrest you can they but if you go to rob people in the street you can be put in jail i should think that was proof enough of the difference despairing of conveying his ideas to one who reasoned on such narrow premises lost his temper for the first time in a year or more he said he should do what he thought right and that would have to take whatever he found himself able to give hit fa s when this thing came to a head he had done hi best to make a fortune and if he had failed she must share his ill luck with him he was not going to become a for the sake of putting on appearances and when the only answer his wife made to this was to cry he got up and went down to the office again to pore over the hateful figures that annoyed him instead of getting the sleep of which he stood in the greatest need told of what had occurred and that lady agreed that it would be very foolish for a man to sacrifice the comfort of his family merely to pay such a paltry sum as to a man who had no more need of it than he had of three coats at once mrs had however a good deal of the wisdom of the serpent and she advised her friend not to let a quarrel grow out of the difference of opinion between herself and her husband she knew well enough to understand that soft words would go much farther with him than hard ones by these suggestions so far as to receive well when he returned and so impressed him by her gentleness and sweetness that he resolved to make every effort to save her in the morning there came another letter from the great produce buying house of co urging him to his of their proposal and offering as an to allow him to enter the firm with only cash the balance of the being taken in his notes of hand a death in the had removed one of their most men and was assured that he could fill the place to the acceptance of the other members was in a terrible he could not young fa s sec any choice between accepting this offer and of winding up his affairs and seeking a things had altered

0Arthur Conan Doyle

since he went into business it was no longer easy for a young man with hardly a cent of capital to get a as near as he could reckon he was worth less than a thousand dollars after paying what he owed three weeks before he could count easily he wished he had to advise with whose judgment would be and honest while he sat in his office despairing of coming to any correct decision the door opened and mrs entered she had come down town on an errand for and seized at this very straw in the extremity of his distress you re not in any hurry he said when she had done her errand and i want to talk to you about another matter indicated her to hear anything he wished to say and took a chair near him looking quite charming in her spring hat and gown a hat and gown that had been paid for by the way out of his purse though he did not imagine that to be the fact then proceeded to tell her of his troubles and of the offer he had had from combined with the proposal of mr to advance him the money he needed she heard him quietly waiting till he had finished and then spoke her mind you are very honorable i am sure said she i am afraid there are few men equally so it is an expression often used that a husband and father owes more to his wife and children than to any one else you seem to have the opportunity to pay every one that you owe and thus satisfy your conscience and at fa s the same time get a in a large concern where you are sure to do well there does not seem to be much to hesitate about he had this in his mind a hundred times but somehow it was now made clearer i think you are right he said with brightening countenance and i shall send immediately to mr asking if his offer still holds good then they talked for some minutes about frank whom mrs had never seen and she expressed the opinion that a friend like him was worth having there were many rich young men in the world but very few indeed so generous and thoughtful she developed a surprising interest in mr asking what he was like in appearance and a dozen other questions that after the manner of men found it difficult to answer so he is young rich and good she exclaimed at last he must be a worth knowing a sudden vision of a night at s rooms with half men and women about the board with one in particular leaning on his own shoulder as the feast struck in upon and gave him a could he accept so great a favor from one who had led him into that terrible mistake if knew it would be all over between them but on the other hand the money that frank was to lend was really for s use and that of her child one thing would in a measure the other it would not do to be always frank for that thoughtless net it was long past now and ought to be buried why was it always coming up like the ghost of a murdered person to annoy him yes he said he is rich and he is certainly gen young s i will write to him at once and please my nothing to my wife about my speaking of this to yon she might think i should not have troubled you with it s back was toward the door and the whole of the last three sentences were distinctly heard by a young man who had entered no lest a person in fact than mr frank himself that s bad very bad he in a way while sprang up and grasped his hand a man who has secrets from his wife is going the wrong way but i beg your pardon the last exclamation was caused by s indicating that a lady was present mrs let me present to you my friend mr rose and greeted mr with heightened color the first thought of that gentleman in relation to her was that she was a very charming person u and now said frank keeping up the air of with which he had opened the conversation permit me to make a most inquiry i overheard you say as i entered the office that some one was both rich and generous as the individual must be a genuine in these days i want to know if you will furnish me with his name which i promise if you desire to keep a profound secret looked at and looked at him the situation was so funny that both broke into laughter do you really desire to know asked i can show you a portrait of the person i was speaking of nothing would please me better young fa s frank astonished at the merriment his question had caused very well said fa turning the face of his guest to a little mirror that hung in a corner there he is looked at his reflection and then turned to the others ah but this is a joke he said no said seriously it was of you i was speaking and to explain further i will say that i was telling mrs about the offer mr made and which he has repeated on yet more favorable terms in this morning s mail mr did not remember ever to have heard of mrs he wondered why that lady had been the of this confidence especially after the he had overheard that she should not communicate the matter to mrs he looked at again in a quick searching way that she did not fail to understand she knew she was placed in a position of suspicion and

0Arthur Conan Doyle

hastened to ask mr to help her out of it i have been him to accept both your offer and that of mr she said i think you may understand my interest in the case a little better when mr tells you that i am own cousin to his wife was rather sorry and rather glad to hear this he had been building up a little romance around the pair that this shivered to it was for that he was sorry as he had a great love for the romantic and he had long considered an altogether too slow old but on the other hand as the statement of mrs gave the impression that she young and were on no particularly close terms that left the gate open for the exercise of his own why you are almost cousins yourselves said pausing to consider you are cousin to frank and so is she you must have heard mrs speak of the he added to mr oh yes frank had heard of the they lived at he believed well mrs before her marriage was miss now you know all about it mrs said she ought to return to the house but she added that she would like to know before she left the office that the matter of co was settled was pleased with her business like manner and promptly said that as far as he was concerned there was nothing in the way explained to him in a word the new proposition of mr i am only sorry you are not to want the whole smiled frank i had rather lend it to you than any one else i know then you will settle up here and go into the new york firm asked pausing with her hand on the door bowed it seemed the best thing and yet he dreaded so great a change and i shall not tell no i will tell her myself she will have to leave you see and i want to present it to her in the best light mrs went her way and the two men sat down to talk matters over it did not require long to come to a complete understanding was to pay the young fa s he owed with the interest and take a check for for which he was to give security on his new stock mr need not learn that this money was borrowed of course it was no business of his where it came from did not care to have his future partner know of his recent losses and how badly they had crippled him it might not give mr an exalted idea of his capacity and yet there was nothing but bad luck in it a large house could stand such losses while a small one could not it was a good thing that he was going out of business alone combination and were the order of the day and no one could stand against them the letter accepting the proposition of the new york house was sent forthwith as urged that in such cases might prove dangerous as long as the thing was decided on the sooner it was arranged the better then the two friends went up to mr s to dinner where having been by that her cousin was in town received him pleasantly frank was in the best of spirits determined to make an impression upon mrs the baby was brought forth in the arms of that lady which gave him an opportunity to say a great many complimentary things to both of them after dinner got his wife alone upstairs and explained the full meaning of the course he had taken to his joy she expressed her entire satisfaction and said she would be glad to move away from so long as it was to a place in or near the metropolis you will be prosperous and happy and and i will get along nicely she added i am glad you have got over your prejudice against letting frank help you how soon do you suppose we shall move young fa s he told her that he was going the very next day to to see mr and that he would be able to answer all such questions when he returned he communicated the successful result of this interview to mr as he talked with that gentleman at the gate before leaving for the office frank was going to stay a little longer at the house as he intended to leave town that afternoon but before they parted it was agreed that a check for should be sent to mr s address at new york that evening it was for the purpose of saying a little more to the fair that mr lingered on the of the cottage they had become good friends in a short space of time shall you go to new york with your cousins he asked you ought not to desert them at such a time for they will have absolutely no acquaintances there at first answered that she presumed she should go her husband she said was not likely to return for some time and seemed to hate to part with her how long since you saw mr asked bending his bold eyes upon his companion four or five months and you do not expect him at present no it may be a year or two mr took out a silk handkerchief and the dust from his boots if had a wife he said thoughtfully she would go where i went ah said but those south american countries are so if she could not go would not he answered young but what am i talking about i am a hopeless bachelor how can i tell what i should do if i were married she saw that he was affected by her charms and she liked the sensation it had been dull enough at nor wood

0Arthur Conan Doyle

the lord knew why have you never married she inquired you must have been in love he looked her straight in the eyes and told the lie with beautiful earnestness never mrs came to join them and the conversation took on a different turn he promised to come to new york and see them when they got settled an hour later he gave a kiss to the baby tossed a compliment or two to and lifted his hat courteously to mrs at the gate will i visit them at new york he muttered to himself will i visit them well i should think i chapter xix coming home unexpectedly before the summer was far advanced the had removed to new york and were settled in a house in it was easier to get a habitation on that side of the river at a reasonable price than on the other and it was not more than forty minutes ride from the office of co using the bridge and pro that nothing in the car system was out of order mn stayed with them and there was no change young s in their household except that an ordinary servant took the place of mrs who could on no account be persuaded to make the journey the difference in the table was at once perceptible to but he did not say much about it he did not see how it could be helped and in fact he now had things of much more importance to occupy his mind the business of co was so different from that to which he was accustomed that all of his energies were bent on attending to their affairs he left home early in the morning and did not return before seven at night and sometimes much later for a while who did not like the long day without him came over to the city to lunch with her husband but he was in such haste and the where he liked to take her were so far from his office that he advised her to give this up this left her with only the baby and mrs to amuse her and in a short time she got into the habit of going out with to spend the sight seeing sometimes even attending es at the theatres did not intend to neglect but the boy seemed quite well and could enjoy himself playing with his blocks or tin horses on the dining room floor with close by the expense of a nurse girl was not one that would be likely to favor he would have asked what the child needed more than his mother and and it would not have been easy to answer the question mrs knew that her husband was morally certain never to be in the house before half past six at the earliest and she was careful not to stay out beyond that hour so it went on for weeks she and going out nearly every day for some hours and none the wiser he would have young fa a fit had he suspected that his boy was left so much in the sole charge of a not over intelligent servant who had beside other matters to attend to there were other things that followed as a matter of course it was necessary for to caution not to mention the fact of her before mr and the in deceit thus established gave the girl an advantage that she was not slow to perceive she her work in a way that she would not have dared do otherwise she got more evenings out than had ever fallen to her share and if her temper happened to get aroused she made speeches to her mistress such as no servant is usually permitted to make and retain her position was to all these things as his only business in the house was to eat and sleep and spend an hour playing with the baby if his breakfast was on the table at the right time he did not mind because it was a very light one for he was anxious to get across the east river if his dinner was not what it should be he recollected that he came at uncertain hours he made it up by a substantial lunch at noon taken with other members of the firm at which the condition of the market was the topic of conversation whenever asked him to take her to a place of amusement he pleaded weariness and on the few occasions when he yielded to her entreaties he fell asleep in his place and only got fairly awake when he was roused by the crowd he seemed to care nothing now for pleasure except that of increasing the of his firm if he sat down after dinner to talk for an hour when the child had been put to sleep his always drifted to the volume of trade or the v s of eats or cheese as his wife took not the remotest interest in those things it was very dull for both and nobody objected when he yawned and said he guessed bed was the place for him at the end of three months passed in this way came home one evening with a dark frown on his face a large failure had just been announced that would cause a heavy loss to the so large in fact as to make it doubtful whether the new partner had cleared a single dollar in the time he had been connected with them owing such a large sum as he did this occurrence was one calculated to worry exceedingly hardly a of dinner he got into a private room and to her his troubles now if mrs had been the kind of wife a would like to she would of course have assured her husband that her fullest sympathy and love were his in this emergency she would have

0Arthur Conan Doyle

told him that there were small in the domestic arrangements of his house that she could make she would have led him into views of the future by reminding him that such a failure was of very unusual occurrence and that the profits of the next quarter would probably far more than the loss of this one in short although he might have argued to show that she was wrong and have shaken his head at her he would have ended by deciding that a true wife was the best gift of heaven to man and have gained courage from the knowledge that whatever else was lost this fair creature would press her lips to his with equal joy whether ht were prince or bat mrs was not that kind of a wife young s to put my private opinion on record i might add that she is not alone among wives in this particular we must in every possible way he said to her in closing a few blows like this and i should be not only but with the heavy debt i assumed on going into the firm s pretty mouth was drawn down i don t see how we can spend any less than we do she replied i have nothing at all now we never go anywhere to spend a dollar it is necessary to eat and to have clothes that will cover us and that is all we have had in his distress did not choose his words if you don t have it to spend you won t spend it he replied with a snap i ve not got it and that s all there is to say i ve been giving you a month and all you ll get after this is while i m in debt and paying a heavy interest and the concern not making a cent i can t do any better the young wife began to cry it was getting to be a great habit of hers to weep whenever anything went wrong i simply can t supply the table and clothe on a month after the rent is paid she sobbed if you were not the most cruel man in the world you would not think of asking your family to live like pigs she had put him so thoroughly out of temper that he his brain to think of things that would be disagreeable to her it would cost less to supply your table he said if there were fewer people to eat here i think your cousin mrs might cut her visit a little short unless she chooses to pay her board and i have young s heard of people as poor as we where the woman did her own work the idea of parting with oppressed worse even than that of the cook why she exclaimed in great indignation what do you suppose i should do here all day long without a soul to speak to and you over in that new york office from sunrise to sunset if it had not been for i should have died of loneliness in this place where there is no one i ever saw before she is as good as she can be to stay with me and i will never tell her to leave as for do you think the a week that we pay her is going to ruin you i never heard you talk like this even in the first weeks of our marriage when you were running a little bit of a store in a country town the more they discussed the subject the farther they got from an agreement cross words were exchanged freely and s nervous disposition came out of the ordeal a thousand times worse than it went in he ended by repeating that he should give her just a hundred dollars a month and no more until he could see what the next quarter brought forth and how about my she sobbed you promised me one this winter as faithfully as you could promise anything you get one if you can he retorted savagely you won t get it from me i ll tell you that a woman who has no more sense than you ought to wear common clothes a little longer an ordinary will look well enough when you come to look at me through the bars of a s prison now out of this grew a good many things none of them to the best interests of the wedded ao fa couple whose life i am attempting to describe had become so thoroughly angry at his wife on account of what he considered her unreasonable attitude that mrs could not help noticing his altered his good mornings when he entered the breakfast room were enough and at night even his with had grown subdued while he hardly spoke to at all there came a crash one day when he returned unexpectedly in the middle of the afternoon to change his clothes for a trip he was obliged to take and found no one in but and the baby where s mrs he demanded roughly as he entered the kitchen gone out and mrs gone out with her you don t mean to say he exclaimed that they have left alone vi there was an in this expression that might have awakened a less woman than miss o what do ye think is going to happen to him she retorted it s not the time he s bin left with me an he s got did not mean to get into a debate with this woman and he contented himself with inquiring when his wife would return faith it s not can answer that said with a toss of her head i suppose she comes in she likes the same as other folks looked at his watch it was half past two he could take a later train

0Arthur Conan Doyle

than he intended as he did not to i his boy in charge of this ignorant fa s t f ant taking with him into the parlor he got down on the floor with him and attempted to amuse child thinking must return very soon he had no idea she had gone ay farther than to one of the stores in the vicinity and his only criticism was that she ought to have taken with her or asked to remain in the house during her absence but hours passed by and the clock struck six before either of them came by that time he was in a state on frenzy well you are home early i exclaimed as she saw her husband yes i am he replied between his shut teeth and it s very lucky i came for otherwise i should never have known the way you neglect your poor child gave him an imploring glance indicating that she wished he would say no more while mrs was present but he had been up his feeling too long to stop now a nice mother you are he continued leaving this little fellow to a kitchen girl while you the streets from noon till night oh i don t care who hears me any one who doesn t like what i say needn t stay where i am not the first time it has happened either me if it occurs again i ll find a remedy just remember that her never failing resource came to and she began to cry mrs wisely went out of the room though she resented inwardly the attack that had been made on her presence as soon as she was gone grasped his wife roughly by the arm and asked her what she meant by her conduct said with distorted features you are me young fa yon j i ought to hurt you he exclaimed when i am worried to death over my business when you should be doing everything you can to make things easier for me you leave your child to a servant girl and stroll through the streets for hours at a time is it not enough to drive a man wild you know the only thing i care for in this world is that boy and you treat him as if he were some stranger s child in whom you had not the least interest i shivered as though it were instead of october be careful what you say she answered with chattering lips if is the only thing you care for you cannot want any more of me i when a quarrel has begun between married people there is no telling where it will end each of them thinks it necessary to go on saying the most dreadful things until one so far reasonable limits that the other is outraged beyond repair you are quite welcome to go any time you see fit said but while you do remain you will attend to some of your duties you have your done for you and you shall not neglect my child mrs heard him with a rebellious heart take care she answered the tears still falling you say i may go at any time look out i don t take you at your word and if i do go i shall take with me a man so cruel as you are to his wife b not to be trusted with his child s lips curled in a pronounced sneer go he repeated you where would you go why you couldn t earn a shilling a week don t be an idiot young s stung by these words could not help firing back her shot also there are people who have a better opinion of me than you she said if i wanted to leave you to morrow i can get more than you have ever given me and not have to listen to such language as you use either it was absolutely to him to hear the way in which she made this statement some one had offered to support her his his wife i and she repeated the offer to him as if it was one that might be accepted there is only one way in which you could secure such a very honorable position as the one you mention j w he replied bitterly am i to understand that you have seriously considered such an offer in spite of all she could do could not keep back the flood that ran down her face don t know what i shall do she said you may drive me to anything if business goes a little wrong at the office you come home as cross as a and act as if i was the one to blame we had not been married a week before you began to show your terrible temper and every little while it breaks out again to day you have gone further than ever my arm is black and blue where you pinched it now i will tell you once for all that i will not live with a man who is going to vent all his spite on me and insult me besides in the presence of my friends no i won t i ll go out in the street and beg first and if i can t get my bread that way i will try another and if i go to the bad it will be your fault all this was said between of sobbing that shook the slight young frame was greatly young fa tt s affected by the exhibition he his pride enough to put his arms around his wife though for a long time she him and to say that he had no intention of driving her away and that he did not mean it when he said was the only thing he loved all he wanted was to feel that she

0Arthur Conan Doyle

did not neglect the child perhaps he had been unreasonable it was true that business made him very nervous and irritable if would only say that she would not leave without a more intelligent attendant he would be satisfied an hour later when they had made up asked to tell him who had dared insult her with such a proposition as the one she had quoted and when she begged him not to say any more about it he added that it was better on the whole he did not know for he would certainly kill the man if he ever met him they went out to dinner together where they found that mrs had eaten with and had gone to put him to bed as the air of summer is sweeter after a so the atmosphere of the residence seemed clearer when with another kiss for off to get his train chapter xx will it be best it was true that some one had made the offer to mrs that she quoted to her husband on the occasion referred to in the preceding chapter and it will not take the reader long to guess that the man was mr frank young fa s could say things that would have been offensive in the mouth of almost any other person in such a way as to resentment or at least greatly it on one of the visits which he made to expressed apprehension as to her husband s success in business oh well cousin he replied if ever has to put you on short allowance you know where to come i have more money than i ve any use for and you shall take a dip into it whenever you say the word as a matter of fact was by no means the extremely generous person that this speech might make him appear he had a pronounced business instinct which made him get a pro for every dollar invested either in direct cash or in some other equally valuable in his eyes he spent considerable money in and would stop at nothing to attain that on which he once set his mind might have known had she understood his character better that he would demand a heavy interest on any sum he ever lent her but she chose to take the best view of his offer though her cheek a little at the time she thanked him saying he was very thoughtful and that if she ever got into a tight place she would let him know at the present moment however it is doubtful if she could have drawn very much on her cousin s good nature unless it had been in behalf of a third party had not been all of this time without seeing mrs for whom he had conceived a violent affection not being willing to trust mrs with his secret he had contrived a correspondence with the object of his hopes and had yo fa tt s already met him several times in out of the way places where she could listen to his delightful conversation without her reputation too deeply with the skill of a he had allowed her plenty of line and had won a high place in her regard by the politeness of his the evening of the quarrel between and his wife found mrs much alarmed for her future she had received an intimation that her presence in the house was not agreeable to the proprietor although assured her that she and had parted the best of friends and that he had all of the hateful things he had said in his anger began to wish that she had another string to her bow in case the solitary one broke the next time she met she confided to him a part of the truth concerning her married relations she admitted having deceived him in saying that her husband was in south america and completely won his sympathy by the slight glimpse she allowed him of her unhappy connection with the house of you ought to get a divorce from such a man as that said frank no she said there is no way and if there were i should dread the disgrace above all things they were sitting at a table in a private room and the meal had just been disposed of looked at the neglected wife wondering how far he dare go at present although she had given him these stolen there had been nothing otherwise in her conduct and he knew that a false step too soon might lose him everything young s you have no suspicion he said slowly that he ib to you she answered with an impatient shake of her head on the contrary she began and then stopped short a deep blush her features she tried to go on with what she had begun to say but could not find suitable words do you mean said frank that you would not care much if he were you cannot have a great deal of love left for him she indicated by a motion that he was right and then a shiver passed over her frame she did not like to think of nor to speak of him he was the most disagreeable thing in her recollection with her eyes on the carpet she beat a faint with her foot and leaned lovingly toward her he whispered forgive me for such unpleasant thoughts but i like you so well that everything about you interests me i want to know the whole of the story you have been so kind as to tell me in part you know i am your friend that i would not willingly say or do anything to wound you he had taken her hand in his and the pressure was very agreeable to her in her loneliness she was the opinions of society in coming to dine with him in this secret

0Arthur Conan Doyle

way and it was only a little more for her to permit him to touch her palm friends were not plenty enough to justify her in offending the few she had i was afraid she murmured presently that you d like me less when you understood the truth when you knew that i had been deceiving you no he answered quickly you had a right t your secret a frenchman said that language ft young fa s was given us so that we might the better conceal thoughts and he was quite correct she raised her eyes timidly to his and is that what you do with your language she asked a sometimes he admitted gravely certainly i have done so when talking with people who do not interest me about things which are not their business it is very different however with those for whom i have an affection in that case the full truth is the right thing don t you think so she dropping her glance again and for minute there was no sound in the room but the of the clock on the mantel tell me he said suddenly the clasp he had kept on her hand how much do you care about me her head sank until her chin rested on the bosom of her dress no he continued fearing to let her speak just yet you need not tell me it is hardly fair considering that you are in name at least the wife of another man i have been hoping that you would learn to like me as well as if you had no tie of that kind i led a lonely life until i met you it is you and you alone who brought me to new york who keeps me here that is no secret to you this has gone on for months we have met often and yet this is the first day i have dared even to take your hand in mine you know how dearly i have desired to make you something nearer how hard it is to me that this barrier has existed whose only use is to separate us must this condition continue or is there a greater happiness for me in u future young fa a was a good deal longer in saying this than the reader is in the sentences at each period he paused to observe the effect of his words on the young wife and when he found that they had not offended her he drew nearer to her and whispered his closer to her ear she felt his warm breath on her neck the attraction that he had for women thrilled her frame as it never had been thrilled before but though she remained passive even when he placed an arm about her and touched his lips to her cheek there was a horrible fear of a great danger present above all the rest i value your friendship very highly mr she managed to articulate when he had resumed his ordinary position it is all the more to me now that i find it unaffected by the confession i have thought it my duty to make he drew an impatient breath friendship is not enough my dear girl he replied i am a man with no other with plenty of means and without a place i can call my home to be sure there is my mother s house but i am as much out of tune in it as a bull in a china shop i have a of rooms too furnished as well as anybody s and situated in a pleasant locality but with two homes i have none it takes more than four walls and a lot of furniture to make a home it takes affection the presence of those we love i have no skill in telling what i want but if you would come to boston and take that of rooms so that i could be with he paused in the midst of the sentence for mrs had risen and was beginning nervously to pull o her gloves young fa tt s he uttered an exclamation rising also i have wondered said the woman in a very low tone after taking a deep inspiration if that sort of proposition might not be after all at the base of the kind things you have done and said i tried not to harbor the thought for you seemed so innocent of wrong intent and you were so long in making advances i am not finding any fault with you mr i do not suppose it is easy for a man to make such a suggestion in a more delicate way no matter how neatly the thought is concealed its will stand forth in spite of the covering you wish me to be your mistress well i must decline my only regret is that in doing so i shall at the same time lose a friendship that i have esteemed very very highly for it will be impossible for us to meet again s face flushed with mortification and disappointment he felt that his cause was in a bad way the calm manner in which mrs spoke was apparently fatal to his hopes had she sobbed gone into called him a bad and cruel man then he would have known how to treat her he would have waited until her excitement had exhausted her powers of resistance and when she was as weak as a mouse he would have told her how thoroughly she him her head would have lain on his shoulder within fifteen minutes and she would have left him with a feeling that she had done him a great injustice he was not used to the sort of reception that gave him however he determined to retreat in as good order as possible and trust to another day to repair his shattered fortunes it was evident

0Arthur Conan Doyle

all else that at the present time would be verse than useless yo fa tt s mrs he replied with great dignity there is something of pride in every man of honor that will not let him reply by direct denial when accused of things for which he would feel the greatest contempt but this i will say were i in search of a mistress it would not take me long to find one and i should not have to make a journey out of my native city either if i am not to see you again i shall be very sorry and i should be still more so if i felt that it was in the most remote way through any fault of mine i will now escort you to your car or to any point you desire and then bid you farewell quite sick at heart and wishing that she had expressed her fears in a different way said she would go to the nearest station on the third avenue elevated so as to cross the bridge with the most perfect courtesy mr accompanied her to the place indicated talking on the way of ordinary things in an endeavor to divert her mind and his own from the unpleasant subject that had divided them they had nearly reached the railroad and were their pace slightly each one in the hope that the other would say something to break the bar between them when a man came around a corner took a sharp look at the pair seemed surprised and half stopped in his walk clung tightly to the arm she had grasped in the suddenness of her astonishment and forced to a more rapid pace in the hope of escaping an unpleasant meeting frank saw at a glance that his companion had a strong wish not to speak to the man and his curiosity was at once aroused he thought the circumstance suspicious in itself and an idea that there might be something to be discovered entered his yo fa tt s brain he declined therefore to be compelled t hasten his steps and in fact rather them you didn t seem to want that fellow to see you he said pausing at the foot of the iron i m now she replied rapidly not pretending to answer his good bye she was about to ascend the steps when took her by the arm she looked into his eyes and saw the flames of a jealous rage lighted there don t i beg you she said in a terrified whisper he is coming back oh please please let me go the man was coming back he had nearly reached them a train bound for the bridge was thundering along the track from the north if could have escaped the arm on her sleeve she might have caught it and have avoided an encounter she especially dreaded at that time the second passed and it was too late the voice of the man sounded in her ears well it is you after all i thought it was and then i thought it wasn t nothing in the presence of this third party prevented the woman from darting a look of agony into the penetrating eyes of frank it said as plainly as oh why did you let this happen mr she said with an effort this is mr instantly frank was sorry for what he had done he did not care to meet mr and he did not care to have mrs meet him there was an awkward pause of a moment and then the two men went through the conventional formality often the most disagreeable of fashion s obligations and shook hands with each other frank thought of the heroes of the young fa s who do likewise and comforted himself with the con that he would knock out this adversary yet if he were given rounds enough mr he said to make sure there might be a thousand other in the world that knew mr bowed he was not given to in conversation he turned to his wife and seemed to wait for her to begin the talking mr said as if she needed to defend herself in advance on account of being seen with him is a cousin of mrs s you know mr said ah in a way that left in doubt whether he ought or ought not to kick him had he realized the of s thoughts he would have been at ease on that point at least as he appeared to a certain degree de frank began to say something about an engagement that he had thinking in this manner to take leave of them shot at him a look of wild entreaty have you forgotten she asked you have an engagement in understood she hated above all things being left alone with her husband he pretended with a light laugh to recollect the appointment and stood waiting for her next cue it was agreeable to know that a pretty woman wanted him to go with her so as to keep her husband away there was certainly something in that to soothe the feelings that had been wounded a half hour before when did you come to the city asked of her other half a fortnight ago answered young fa and when are you going back to she inquired with features as as ice pretty soon i was going to try and come over to see you in a day or two i i ve been rather busy was apparently engrossed in watching the and of the passengers on a southern train but he heard every syllable there s sickness in the house said with rigid lips it s the child and they think it s the doctor has forbidden visitors was evidently relieved well in that case he said slowly of course i won t come no said his wife it wouldn

0Arthur Conan Doyle

t do my train will be here in a minute so i must go now mr lifted his hat at the couple as they ascended the stairs quite as if neither of them was more than an ordinary acquaintance of his and went on up the street turned twice before he the train and he saw that the husband did not look back how far shall i go with you he asked when the name of the third station on their way had been called by the you can leave any time now if it is necessary she replied gently you have done me a great favor for which i cannot thank you enough he gave her a winning smile then we are not sworn enemies he asked no and perhaps some day when you have learned that i meant none of the hateful things you imagined you will see me again mrs lowered her head and looked out of the car window at the tops of the adjacent houses young s ma el will it be best she asked of what use can i ever be to you he laughed cheerfully and told her it would be f to leave that matter to him he liked her very much and would be content with anything except the desolation to which she had that afternoon consigned him i ve had a vivid object lesson in one thing he said reaching over to touch her glove with his own you have not a very deep affection for your husband in the of pain which caught her she pressed his hand till a seal ring he wore cut the flesh you can t conceive how i him she said i would have given anything rather than have had to meet him even for that minute put his disengaged arm over the back of the seat she occupied and you will never go back to him said he his voice trembling slightly she faced him if there were no other choice she said with vehemence i would go to boston to night with you rather than to with him it was the time to leave her and he knew it this is my station he exclaimed as the car up and there he alighted chapter xxi because was during the next two years a good many things occurred a good many things always do occur in two years if you stop to think about it s business had a number of striking and yo fa tt s downs to begin with at times he came home believing that he would have money enough to retire before the next twelve month had passed again it seemed impossible that he would ever get out of the concern enough to pay frank his loan legitimate transactions even in such simple things as grain and produce are scarce in these days found that his firm was merely a taking risks as men do on a table at fighting with what skill and luck they may have against other players on the same table the strain on his mind did not fit him to be a better husband and father when he thought his prospects improving he was ready to buy his wife and child everything they might think they wanted when he experienced a reverse he doubted whether he ought to eat a full meal and talked of selling the furniture of the house he hired and not knowing enough to take the average of these conditions followed his temper at one time him an angel and at the other declaring always with sobs that he was unfit to live with and she wished he would leave her at once instead of complaining at everything she did or did not do if either of them had been a little different things would have gone better but in that case you would not at this moment have been reading the story of their troubles and perhaps managing to profit by them t is an ill wind says the old proverb that does not bring good to some one among the other things that had happened was the removal of the to a flat in forty second street not very far from the grand central had asked for the change and it made no difference to yo fa tt s he could get to his office just as quickly from there as from on one of his waves of prosperity he had bought new furniture selling all the old to a second hand dealer and his home was as as could be desired still in the kitchen and much oftener than he dreamed of acted as beside there was the more excuse for this in one sense because mrs no longer made a member of his household she occupied a little flat a few minutes walk away and when was not there was at the had done a good deal of plain and fancy lying for her friend she had crept into it little by little until she did not mind it as much as she did at first the capacity for lying can be made to grow to proportions sometimes when told nearly three years earlier that mr had gone to south america to engage in business she plunged at the falsehood like an amateur and had he thought of doubting the story he could have made her admit its in a five minutes cross examination but he suspected nothing there was no reason to doubt that his wife s cousin was what she professed to be except on those occasions when he felt like finding fault with everything and everybody he did not at all object to having her a member of his household so far as he knew she was a suitable companion for his wife and certainly had a mad for her seeming to prefer her on the whole to his own mamma when liked

0Arthur Conan Doyle

any one she had a to the father s favor other things being equal believed s story and though he had a slight suspicion that she was not over fond of a husband from whom she was willing to be separated so young s long he did not think a great deal about it she behaved well enough when in his presence and she was not the only woman in the world who was not in love with her mate as long as mr and she were content he did not see how it was any business of his must send her money for she always dressed might have understood this better had he known that every dollar spent on her clothes came during the first year out of his own pocket and after that but i am getting ahead a little too far in my story twice when had violent attacks of illness stayed at the house for days nursing him with the deepest devotion she did not seem to require rest or sleep and the boy was content with no one else when his pain was the greatest could have fallen on his knees to her at those times her devotion to the sick child made her a saint in his eyes once when s life hung on a thread she came into his room to tell him that a change for the better had taken place and that his idol was sleeping peacefully his eyes were filled with tears and his voice choked as he tried to thank her taking both her hands in his he drew her lips toward his and would have kissed her had she permitted him in the manner she resisted the caress and glided back to the sick chamber he went to give the glad news to and found her asleep to be sure she was worn out but he contrasted the two women to the disadvantage of his wife had done enough to be worn out too and it was she who had come to tell him that his son would live this occurrence as much as anything drew him away from he used t compare her with young fa s and say to himself how much better mother the latter would have made he got into the habit of staying in a good deal in the evening and raised no objection when said she guessed if he didn t mind she would go over to s for a little while was well again and used to think it the height of bliss to the little fellow and see him drop off to sleep when the child was in the latest magazines or the things in literature would occupy the father s mind till he grew sleepy he did not room with his wife now as a general thing and sometimes he had to ask her in the morning what time she came home i don t know exactly she used to say i got to talking with and never noticed the clock she is so that she likes me to stay as late as i can that made it all right with had better be with than with any other woman he knew he was glad to encourage such an intimacy used to see frank once in a while frank called at his rooms to talk with him on business and social topics and liked him as well as ever he still had frank s money though he paid the interest promptly and the principal had on the whole grown in size according to the figures on the books of co mrs spent some of her evenings at s but it never happened that dropped in when she was there as far as knew those two people had never seen each other more than two or three times in their lives it was not strange that frank found new york more agreeable than boston he required a good deal of excitement and the was certainly the s young fa place of the two when it came to that line of amusements under the general head of when does mrs s husband intend to return to america asked one evening at the dinner table of his wife it seems to me they are having a rather long separation glanced at him quickly to see if there was any hidden meaning in his inquiry no there was none and she drew a little sigh of relief he doesn t seem to say anything about it she answered she read me his last letter and he seemed quite contented where he was he must be a queer fellow observed i don t see how a man can be content for years away from a woman like her there are some wives that a fellow might consider himself lucky to be so far from but not a sweet girl like the strangest thing to me is that she stands it looked at him again could he be drawing she dismissed the thought as soon as it was formed was not one to when he had anything to say it was apt to come out like a bullet from a gun doesn t care for men she said simply and as she uttered the words her cheek grew like fire in spite of her efforts what did she marry one for then he out oh these modern marriages they make me wild people marry nowadays just as they buy a ticket for a theatre and if they don t happen to fancy their seat they go out between the acts i d like to know what the world is coming to now i d a dollar that mrs is not so contented at the long absence of y fa s a her husband as she wants you to think there is a species of pride that will make a woman suffer a great deal in

0Arthur Conan Doyle

such a case without admitting it to her dearest friend she was made to be loved that girl was and it makes me sad every time i think of her living alone in that solitary flat mrs did not relish over much this she remembered the time when this same had caused her uneasiness in the days of her early acquaintance with it gave her a start to hear him her now in that enthusiastic way she had never had a moment s jealousy of her husband since their marriage she had a glimpse for a second of how she should feel if ever gave her cause for a visit from the green eyed monster if had been told when her concealment of s troubles began that she would have gone as far in her defence as she was now going she would have the idea with the utmost indignation her loyalty to her friend was the of what was really a trait in her disposition the demands upon her came so gradually that one step led into another before she realized what she was doing first it was to pretend that the reason mr did not come to was because he had taken a journey to the far south next she gave little things in the way of clothing out of her own stock as she found them needed pretty soon when the two women were together new articles for s original use were purchased with mr s money it was not so very wrong said to herself it did not amount to a great deal and needed the things badly she would use less that might have a share the young wife was so deeply attached young fa s to her friend that she could not bear to think of a separation and whatever was in s purse was equally at s disposal frank had had his way long before had dreamed of it skilled in the art of winning women he had slowly but surely taught to believe that the love she felt for him should be more to her than the tie the law recognized as binding her to a man she feared and hated the meetings came to mean a glimpse of heaven to the young woman to do frank what justice we may he had a real affection for and from the time he could call her his own he gave her the that a real wife might have claimed she did not want to go to live at boston for her attachment to was at least the second strongest one she had and was well pleased to remain in new york it was at her that mrs persuaded her husband to remove to forty second street where their homes could be adjacent the flat that occupied was a very one and was completely deceived when she came to her with the story that her husband had agreed to send her a small sum each month that would cover the rent and an economical table she saw no reason why should tell her an had a fixed income and it was reasonable that he should have concluded to do the decent thing and let his wife have a part of it mrs acting under the direction of a head than her own bought her furniture on and maintained such an air of quiet poverty that offered assistance in many ways which was accepted with tb warmest thanks for young s six months after she began housekeeping numerous articles were bought on the account and delivered at the other flat with instructions to the not to mention it to mr when the bills were presented in case he complained that they were excessive to help and protect her friend had to disgrace her husband before many people from the kitchen girl to the and the coal dealer there was a row of individuals who knew that mrs was buying goods in the name of one house and them sent to another and every one of them had their own suspicions as to the object which the pretty young wife had in this deception the first thing that discovered was on a winter s morning when went at an hour earlier than she had ever selected to make a call on mrs something had arisen which she wanted to discuss with her friend and she ran over as soon as left the house she did not ring the lower bell as a tenant was entering the at the moment but walked up the stairs and knocked at the parlor door of the apartment she sought hearing no response she knocked again this time much louder when the faint whispering of two persons inside came to her astonished ears the whispering ceased and after a moment s pause mrs again this time in a manner then the noise of some one moving was heard and a form approached the door who s there said a voice which she easily recognized as s was the answer let me in i want to talk to you young there was a new and a delay that long but finally the door was opened and mrs was discerned half covered with a that she had hastily slipped on what a terrible time it takes you to open a door i said mrs looked as if she should sink to use a familiar feminine comparison she had about the of a rag doll and was totally unable for a few moments to make the least reply mrs saw that something unusual was the matter and thought it the part of kindness to inquire you look like a ghost said she take a seat and tell me what has happened to excite you so mrs accepted the suggestion and sank upon the sofa she was so evidently suffering that sat down beside her and embraced her affectionately tell me all about it my

0Arthur Conan Doyle

poor child i she said i know you have company for i heard you whispering who is it and why are you so agitated your hands are like ice and you are trembling like a leaf the hope that mrs had not heard to which she had clung like a drowning man to a mrs she could only cry in a faint voice oh and fall weeping on the other s wait my dear don t get excited take your time said soothingly whatever your trouble is i will help you share it i am so glad i came over this morning i had you on my mind all night my dreams were filled with you was not in the least prepared for this visit and did not know what to say she had never young fa jt on s calling before afternoon and had not imagined that it was she at the door when she heard the knock she feared to speak lest in trying to make things right with her friend she might get herself into a worse she remained silent so long that mrs began to ask questions who slept with you last night i know that must have something to do with the matter mrs gave a gasp was there anything that could save her secret now no one slept with me she replied as if her tongue was partly i didn t want to tell you for fear you would think it foolish but i have a a t to out her slender income thought she saw it all now had hesitated to tell her in the pride of her poverty well it was nothing to mind nothing at all she was about to say so when mrs upset the whole kettle by her next statement i i wanted the money you know she went on and he will pay well very well indeed he she could get no farther the hold she had had upon her mrs rose with a look of horror on her face a man she exclaimed a man and you were in that chamber together i heard you whispering with him i tell me the truth j the poor woman rose and stretched out her hands don t be so hard you are not right he was in the next room not in mine i thought it was some one for him who knocked for i did not expect a so early no you accuse me j young s believe me i if you lose faith in me i have nothing left mrs thought rapidly she did not wish to believe wrong of this woman but neither did sh wish to be deceived tell me who that man is she said in an imperative tone ah i you can guess was the blushing reply but he has the further room oh believe me m suddenly a light seemed to dawn on the it is mr she cried well well you needn t act so frightened about it and you didn t mean that i should know i poor little girl she folded in her arms again is he to stay long i know it must be unpleasant for you there don t say another word i ll keep let me know after this when he s at home and i ll never disturb you i wouldn t meet him for a diamond i only came to see if you would go to the theatre this afternoon but another day will do the best thing for me is to get out as i couldn t possibly use him decent if he should come into the room come over by and by if you can and send me a note next time when the coast is clear she kissed her friend warmly not waiting for her to reply and made a hasty exit and mrs stood looking at the door through which she had vanished wondering at the miracle that had saved her from what looked like a pit opening at her feet young s chapter an unpleasant situation for a long time the game of mutual deception went on in this manner mrs deceiving her husband and mrs deceiving her wanted to tell that had returned from south america saying to that this might make things easier in case he should come to learn that was in the city but begged her above all things to do nothing of the kind she pretended that mr only came at intervals and that she endured him merely for the pecuniary assistance he had begun to give her it might be weeks at a time she said that he would be absent and she did not want to know or think anything about the matter having been so near detection once mrs was on her guard after that day and months went by before anything more came to arouse s suspicions all this time she was getting used to telling her husband things that were and became in fact a most accomplished and smooth she and got along together without much though his temper depended a good deal on the state of the hay and grain market they were not companions in the way that marriage is supposed to make people but they did not quarrel seriously was willing to get most of her amusement with and he was quite willing she should y s with the day was divided into four parts he attended to business till six o clock played with till eight or nine read till half past ten or eleven and slept soundly in his own room till morning spent most of her and some of her evenings at s flat when was not at hers often she took with her frequently when there was a e the two women attended it was little more in her life than a of necessities mrs came to see the once in awhile

0Arthur Conan Doyle

but she did not make long visits her sister mrs was in miserable health and required her constant care at boston she saw nothing to cause her to suspect that anything was wrong with and quite approved of the attempt on s part to make her life less disagreeable the only thing she did not like was the fact that her daughter occupied a room apart from her husband i know it is a modern notion my dear she said in response to s statement to that effect but i do not believe in it any more for that a husband and wife are in constant danger of being drawn away from each other and the first thing likely to produce that effect is their separation at night but sleeps as soundly as a bat said when he is not disturbed and he likes it better this way sometimes i have to get up with and then it might wake him and he would perhaps lose the whole of the rest of the night and then he does not like feathers and you know i ve always slept on them the widow shook her head gravely a woman who loves her husband as she ought young fa said she would not know whether she slept on feathers or stone so that his arms were about her be careful not to let get too far from you while you are young when your hair begins to silver there will come enough danger of losing him for a and prettier face in that day give him no excuse of previous coldness to seek another love flushed at the thought the one thought that could cause her heart to beat faintly if should ever even look lovingly at another woman it seemed to her that she should die i am not cold to him mamma she said is a peculiar man and he gets tired out with his it is his preference to secure undisturbed rest i can t force myself upon him you worry over things that nobody can help mrs was not satisfied with the explanation but she was too wise to press the matter she had given her ideas on the subject and hoped they would bear fruit for good one day after her mother had returned to boston was about to enter the building where lived when she saw frank emerging from it he saw her at the same moment and with the quickness of a flash decided to tell her as much of the truth as he dared knowing that were she to become suspicious she could interview the with effect i he exclaimed why didn t you come a little sooner i ve been upstairs looking for and if you had been there your cousin might have had the grace to invite me in s out of tow she says looked at him with some surprise young i didn t know you knew mr she remarked and you evidently don t think it much to my credit that i do he laughed a fellow is pushed for good company in a town like this sometimes i happened to meet the gentleman at a club that i frequent and he asked me to call on him some day when i had nothing else to do it was because i had reached exactly that deplorable condition this afternoon that i came here i really am dying for something to occupy my time you might ask me up with you if you are going to make a call mrs saw no objection to this and gave the invitation accordingly knew that he was running a reckless risk to go back to s apartments in s company without preparing mrs in any way but he liked things and thought it would be great fun when came to the door in response to the knock he spoke at once to set things right my cousin wants to have a little talk with me he said smiling and she thinks you will let me come in here for a few minutes controlled herself with a great effort certainly she is quite right she answered you can have the parlor with the greatest of pleasure oh we don t want to drive you out of it said with another laugh to tell the exact truth i persuaded her to let me come up as i don t know what else to do with myself i was quite disappointed not to find mr in when i called a few minutes ago i did not know he had left the city with these few words he had given her the key to the entire situation seeing that was not likely to young fa s be betrayed into any exposure frank set about making himself as agreeable as possible to both of them and succeeded admirably before he left they had agreed to go with him to a play that was great attention and which neither had yet seen always puts to bed now explained and i am out very often till quite late he goes to sleep early and never knows when i come in knew by the way she said this that mr and mrs were drifting a little apart but he affected to notice nothing it was enough for him that he could get out of doors with under the cover of her married cousin he had been fearful of being seen with her especially at places of amusement lest some suspicious person should notice them together now it would be easy enough if he could quiet s notions of propriety he could take them both to a hundred places and explain everything by her presence in the party one was his own cousin quite the same thing as a member of his family the other bore the same relationship to her he was greatly elated when he left the house with a little

0Arthur Conan Doyle

before the time that was expected to dinner and as soon as she was around the corner he took out his latch key and went in again we shall have everything our own way now he cried to we have only to reckon one of us to go where we like mrs loved this man with her whole soul she would never have sacrificed so much for him had it not been for the deep affection that had moved her heart his wealth had little to do with it she took of what he offered her only enough to support the bare of existence he would have given her aa young s elegant house richly furnished she accepted merely the cheap flat with its ordinary furniture he her to wear diamonds on her fingers and the finest clothing she persuaded him that such a course would only lead to the discovery of their secret she loved him deeply tenderly the contrast which his devotion presented with the conduct of her legal mate was most pronounced i wouldn t get into trouble for anything in the world she replied thoughtfully how could it do that he asked she doesn t have any too much fun with that money man of hers supposing we go to an occasional play and to a supper or two at a private who is it going to harm and it will be such a god send to us if the devil himself should walk in and say to me what are you doing with these women i should only have to say allow me to present my cousin mrs my mother s sister s daughter and would rise with equal grace to add and my cousin mrs my father s sister s child why there s absolutely no flaw in it and this is the way it came about that mrs accompanied her cousin and her cousin s to all sorts of places where they were seen by all sorts of people who formed all sorts of conclusions the regard that frank had for was too strong to be wholly concealed even in s presence in the private dining rooms to which they went she could not fail to perceive the delicacy of his touch when he took off her cloak or helped her on with it the gentleness of his voice when he addressed her the attention that he paid when she was speaking it all came in such a order that did not young s mind it she was glad that had found so good a friend and that frank had apparently changed so much for the better she was quite prepared to hear without what he told her once when they had gone to mrs s door with her and he was pretending to seek his own room in an opposite direction i wouldn t like you to say so to her but if mrs ever gets a divorce from that worthless fellow who has ruined her life i shall ask her to marry me i wish she could was the reply can t you find out if there isn t a way she hates him and there is no reason why she should cling to such a worse than useless marriage as hers it s an unpleasant situation for both of us mused frank she can t help knowing how much i care for her and yet i am not in a position to say anything walked on for a short time thoughtfully don t they give for desertion she presently u not when the husband comes and the flat with his wife every few weeks i m afraid mrs looked up eagerly oh but that s nothing she said he has a room there but she paused for the rich blood had her cheeks you mean said frank slowly that she is not living with him as his wife fm sure she isn t said earnestly so am i he replied darkly if i thought she was i d go up there and land him in the back yard with a broken neck yes i will see what the law can do i will consult my own attorney to morrow un fa tt s ma in the meantime she mustn t know anything about it she is very high minded and might resent such interference in her affairs thought frank very honorable it was romantic to be loved in that way by a man who held his in such esteem that he would not speak a word that might lower her in her own eyes she was glad to have the opportunity of helping on that ideal match when the chain should drop from her friend s neck why does she allow him to come there at all asked it would be better if she refused him entrance she would be glad to if she could afford it explained with the utmost frankness hasn t a cent of her own and i suppose the little sums he leaves her come handy frank seemed lost in thought for some seconds he said at last i wish you would help me to solve this matter i am sure no lawyer would expect to a get a divorce for a woman while her husband dwells ever so little in the same apartment one can t explain such things to a judge she must absolutely refuse to let him come there mrs eyed him i d be glad to help you to help you both said she if i had the money i have given her as much as i could but not enough to support her i don t have that amount to spare addressed her earnestly you haven t the money and i didn t suppose yon had i didn t mean that i meant that could furnish it myself if there was any way to satisfy her that the ought to take

0Arthur Conan Doyle

it fa tt s it was a straw and grasped at it she wanted very much to see freed from how do you mean she asked couldn t i give you the money and you let i mean mrs have it pretending it was your own shook her head she knows my affairs too well and beside she has had so much from me already that it troubles her a great deal well then said frank positively there is only one other way i must hire that room which has occupied and pay a liberal price for it the listener had a momentary attack of real fright what was it that frank had said i looked the ground over one day for myself he went on rapidly not wishing to let her speak too soon u there is an entrance to that room from the she can bar the middle door up with five inch plank if she chooses with the money i pay her for that room she can retain her flat till till i can gain the right through the law to tear the down could not agree off hand to this proposition and frank did not suppose she would when he advanced it it was enough for that day that she did not give utterance to any violent opposition she simply shook her head with the air of one who does not with the views she hears well said as they reached the corner that led toward her residence you know my views at any rate i am ready to do anything that is reasonable to relieve her of her present and after that i will make her my own if she will let me when you think it over by yourself you may find some better way young fa s all i ask is that in whatever you say to her you not compromise me could hardly wait till he was out of sight before bursting into a hearty laugh the words he had spoken to his cousin appealed to his sense of humor when he came to think them over still he did care a great deal for and he had no intention of doing anything to lose her the friendship of mrs he was in constant fear that would learn of his presence in that house and that in the flood of indignation which would sweep over her she would withdraw herself permanently from s society thought about her friend s nearly the whole of the night and could arrive at no solution better than the one frank had proposed the more she thought about it the less it seemed frank had certainly changed a great deal he was not the sort of man he used to be the ended by going to mrs the next day and her to let mr s room to some one else but who would hire it asked for her work by s explanation there are very few women who could afford to pay as much as i would have to ask that is true said but there are plenty of men you could board up that middle door and let them use the outer one exclusively rose to inspect the premises in question and her friend followed her yes i could do that said mrs the next thing though is to find the perhaps mr would know of some on w suggested mrs bowed assent young s i ask him to day said he has promised to meet me here at half past two when came at half past two she found mr there before her it was not uncommon now for him to her at these and her suspicions were absolutely i ve found a tenant for my room were the words with which mrs greeted her cousin she wore a bright smile on her face as she said it mr says he will take it himself although this was exactly what mrs expected the would come to she was rather surprised to find them so quickly completed i have been intending to make a change for a long time explained frank and that room suits me to perfection why look here he led them into the chamber how could it be more you will have to fire these traps out though he added to mrs kicking a pair of his own shoes under the bed and tossing one of his discarded into the closet she said she would pack them up and send them to without delay and everybody seemed suddenly with a spirit of joy frank would have given a few hundred to have been able to kiss on the spot but he knew that would never do he said he would move his things in before the evening was over and in honor of the event he persuaded the ladies to go out with him to a little lunch at a nice cabinet a short distance away after had gone through the pretence of moving into a room which he had occupied for the past five months noticed at her next call that the promised carpenter work had not been done on middle doorway young s i ve sent for the man but he is very busy explained there s a bolt and a curtain though for the present mrs was lost in thought for a moment i don t believe i d put anything more up she said he will know about it and it will look as if you suspected him perhaps you are right murmured mrs chapter why did you tell me lies might have gone on in the way he was living until old age had he continued to enjoy the bliss of ignorance his life was neither very happy nor unhappy as far as business was concerned it worried him less now that his transactions were in the hundred thousands than when they were in the minor figures

0Arthur Conan Doyle

he had fallen into a certain in regard to profits and losses there seemed little probability that he would ever be able to get enough out of co to pay the debt he owed except by retiring from the firm but on the other hand the security was reckoned good and he could easily have obtained the amount elsewhere had looked like a very big fish to the small merchant in but in this vast of new york it was not much compared with the gigantic and whose were altogether he drew enough from the safe to make him comfortable and saw his apparent balance go up and down a column of in a climate it waa yo fa tt s work playing with reading and then bed with him and nothing else his wife reckoned for very little in his existence he hardly thought it interesting now even to quarrel with her except when he felt unusually cross or something out of the ordinary annoyed him about the household matters there are said to be something like three of people in this world and why should have run upon the particular one of them who could arouse him from his and stir up all that was hateful in him is a mystery he was taking a journey on business connected with his firm in the summer following the events in the preceding chapter when he fell into conversation with a man who occupied the seat with him in the car and by that odd sort of fate which leads travellers on common ground he happened to mention his name and occupation well that s odd said his companion my wife is a cousin of yours my name is eyed the man with a certain surprise he had formed a not very favorable opinion of mr although he had never seen him before when did you return from south america he asked in the most natural way for he had never doubted his wife s numerous to that locality in connection with s solitary condition mr looked oddly at his i never was in south america in my life he replied never in south america repeated you ve been out that way somewhere haven t you for the past few years not that i am aware of my home is in you must be thinking of some other person young s no was thinking of no other person he was thinking of this person and wondering who was responsible for the report he had so often heard i had an idea that you were out of the country he said your wife was at my house for a long time you know and isn t she there now asked mr almost rose from his seat in the extremity of his astonishment didn t this man know any more about his wife than that why of course she isn t he exclaimed she left us nearly a year ago mr seemed to take only a languid interest in this disclosure i never see her or hear from her he explained we didn t seem as well as we thought and she chose to go her own way hated to exhibit his surprise but there was no way he could conceal it you never hear from her he repeated acting as if he could not credit it you never write to her or get letters shook his head never he said we both made a mistake and separation was the easiest way out of it she thought i had money and i supposed her father was rich she wanted a style of living that i could not give her i did not tell her to go and it was not my place to ask her to return the eyelids of the commission merchant he wondered how it would seem to have his living somewhere away from him without his knowing where or what she was doing it came over him suddenly how much he really loved his young fa s wife for the thought of losing her made him faint and giddy his contempt for increased and he was glad when he reached the station where he was to leave the train the air of the street was grateful after breathing the same atmosphere with such a cur but the more he thought about it the more nervous he grew if mrs had left her husband because she was dissatisfied with the income he allowed her how had she it he was sure her father s estate was when he died her mother was on the charity of another child unless he had been it took money to live in a world like this whenever he had seen he had noticed that she had not the appearance of being poverty stricken she occupied a flat and had food and clothing at somebody s expense whose it was not easy to connect her with anything but he determined to have this question answered and without much more delay associated with her too intimately to have doubts hanging over so important a matter that night when he reached home his wife was out that was not strange enough to him skilled in the art of lying from long experience told him that had been put to bed by his mother before she left the house and that she had left word that she would spend the rest of the evening at mrs s went into the child s room and kissed the little fellow in his sleep how like an angel he looked with his hair falling over his white forehead for half an hour the father sat by the content with the sight then he went into the parlor took up a magazine cut the leaves and tried to read young s between him and the pages there came a hundred things that kept him from knowing what was printed there over the

0Arthur Conan Doyle

crept other pictures not at all agreeable supposing was not the kind of woman she ought to be and that too innocent to suspect such evil had been with her all this time putting her purity so close to the soiled life of her companion they had been the dearest of friends if he found cause to suspect anything wrong they must be separated without delay his wife would be slow to believe anything against and it might not be easy to prove his case even it the circumstances were doubtful in their character but he would investigate the matter fully he would not run the risk of having continue to go about with a woman on whom the least breath of suspicion might rest it was nearly twelve when mrs entered the house she came in noiselessly as was her wont thinking that if he had returned he would be asleep and she must not disturb him as she slipped toward her room he called her why do you creep in like that he demanded have you been doing something you are ashamed of now during his long wait he had planned to open the conversation in the and most manner her soft and cat like steps this resolution and scattered it to the winds entered the parlor with cheeks what is it now she asked grain dropped again he had been told a hundred times that he was in the habit of coming home cross whenever the market went the wrong way and she hardly have said young s anything more to him she had indeed not chosen the expression because she thought he would find it agreeable he had hurt her and she took the first weapon that came to hand to strike him in return no it s not grain this time he replied with clear cutting tones it s something else that s fallen a good deal heavier look out you re not buried under it why have you been telling me all these lies about the color in mrs s face left it and she stood there very white before her judge where had he heard anything about and what had he learned has she had any letters from south america lately he asked with sarcasm took a chair she was becoming too weak to stand how do i know she said perhaps by using she could compel him to reveal the exact amount of his information she doesn t tell me everything she does the husband paused an instant did you believe mr was out of this country all this time he asked or did you and she make that story up together to deceive me knew that the south american were false this much was evident wanted to get out of the trouble herself and yet she dreaded getting into it she could easily see that the tendency was toward making him unwilling the women should continue associates you say the things when you get started he answered knitting her brows what makes you young s think he isn t there you would believe any person sooner than your wife first tell me what made you suppose he was said you have talked to me about it fifty times have spoken of letters from him and of his intention to remain an indefinite period if she has told you such things she is not the kind of woman i want my wife going to see for i met mr to day and he told me he had never seen south america or any other foreign country and that he had made his home in ever since left him the situation of the young wife was certainly embarrassing if absolutely forbade her to associate with mrs she would lose the part of her existence it was better to take all the blame on herself than to have him get such a bad opinion of had been so long acquiring the science of deceit that the simple truth was well nigh impossible to her she regarded mr as a man to to to blind the eyes of his wrath had better descend on her than on her friend you are so quick and so unreasonable sometimes she explained that i don t know what to say to you when first came to our house i wasn t very well it was the summer you know after was born and it did me a great deal of good to have her there you were gone all day as you are now and i was for some one to talk to and be with she had left her husband for good though she didn t tell me for a long time and i thought you would wonder that he never came to see her she didn t like to say anything to you about it and so i just thought would tell you a lie i said to finish her sentence young fa the harsh expression brought the tears to s oh stop he cried if you are able to tell your husband as bald a lie as that and stick to it for years making up new ones to help it out you ought to stand the exposure without acting like a baby she tried her best to check the flow but it could not be done immediately you are awful she sobbed why haven t i given it the right name he asked what do you call telling a thing that s not so and sticking to it month after month with detail and circumstance you wouldn t say it was the truth would you and what isn t the truth is a lie doesn t sound pretty does it mrs blew her nose and dug her handkerchief into her eyes no it doesn t she assented and you ought not to use a word like that to the mother of your child she

0Arthur Conan Doyle

threw in as sailors throw oil on the raging waves but the act had an effect opposite to the one intended how can you bring the name of that pure into a matter like this he retorted would you like him to know that his mother is a i wouldn t like him to know she sobbed that his father calls me everything he can think of whenever he happens to come home cross and ugly have i called you anything you are not said he sharply i depend on your own admission began to her dress in her nervous ness wanting something to keep her fingers busy young fa s i didn t think it would do any harm she stammered you are not like other men you won t listen to reason never knew what i told you she was in a great deal of trouble and i was very sorry for her she pulled off her and somehow the sight of her arms and neck began to him you re pretty intimate there said he will you tell me what she is living on and don t say it s money from for he never with her in any way had touched the most dangerous part of the ground he was but the sight of the beauty before him caused a lowering of his voice and a of the disagreeable element in his tone quite unconscious of the cause was fully of the effect and she lost most of her fear leaning over to her boots she spoke in her usual voice she has relations who help her i understand and then she lets a room or two which pays the rent she doesn t have much just the necessities heard her vaguely he was looking at her with the eyes of a lover how sweet and like she was it was a long time since he had seen her so closely he was like one who comes upon a treasure hidden away in a forgotten place i didn t mean to be cross he said in a low tone only it isn t nice to learn that one s wife doesn t tell him the truth don t do it again let me know everything no matter what for when a man loses confidence in his wife s word it is a terrible blow he came over and kissed her something he had not tor months delighted to have escaped the young fa s threatening danger so easily she returned his embrace and in a few moments they wore no appearance of having been so recently engaged in throwing unpleasant expressions at each other as soon as left the house in the morning hastened to her friend to tell her what had happened she had to ring three times before she got an answer and with her ear to the she certainly heard a door open and shut in the apartment explained to her afterwards that she had thrown a few things into a closet to make the bedroom look more tidy you re a darling girl to do all that for me she said when she heard the story and you feel quite sure that his suspicions are completely now yes indeed smiled prettily he was as sweet to me this morning as one could ask why it was like a piece of our over again chapter xxiv a bath another winter passed during which the most important event that occurred to the characters in our story was the sudden death of mrs she expired at her sister s house in boston without the least warning there having been nothing to indicate that she was in a delicate state of health mrs the invalid to whose care she had devoted herself for the past few years was as is so often the case to her faithful attendant mourned her mother sincerely and returned from the funeral with a feeling young s that and were more to her now than they had ever been she spent a good deal of her time as formerly with mrs for it was lonely at her own house all day when was not there and in the evening it was his custom to sit and read and he was not much company for his wife he raised no objection when she proposed to run over to s for a little while and generally was sound asleep when she returned frank still devoted considerable of his time to his sweetheart and took innumerable with them as well as attended many theatrical performances in their company the longer was kept in ignorance of these things the safer they seemed and if he ever should discover it why what great harm could result it was all perfectly respectable said to herself no one would be likely to accuse of and frank behaved nicely the were good ones and the plays entirely proper heavens what would have become of them all if they had not happened to get into this way of amusing themselves it was the salvation of keeping her as it did from that husband it made the days much brighter for and frank who had not she feared always chosen the best of companions seemed a wholly changed man the lawyer whom he had consulted told him that if remained entirely away from his wife for another year he would try to get a divorce for her on the ground of non support then she and frank would marry and everything be like the ending of a child s tory but the plans of and men we are assured bv young fa s the poet gang aft one of the partners in co in a thoughtless moment happened to remark to mr that he had seen mrs f at the theatre the previous evening with mr he had no idea that he was revealing any secret and mentioned the circumstance merely

0Arthur Conan Doyle

in the way of ordinary conversation that was a good play at the union square last night he said he was reading a notice of it in the and as the paper was in front of his face he did not see the expression that crossed s at his next sentence i noticed that mrs seemed very much taken up with it the husband who was writing at his desk put down his pen abruptly he wondered why had gone to a theatre without mentioning the circumstance to him he detested anything that of if she wanted to see a play she knew he would not object it was getting to be too much of a habit with her to act in a way however he did not intend to let mr hardy guess this and he replied in an ordinary tone that his wife liked the performance very well that mrs is a cousin or hers isn t she pursued mr hardy he knew s face having seen her at the office more than once yes i thought so he added as mr made an affirmative reply a very good looking young widow she is too i wonder if there is anything definite between her and mr had the broad sheet of the been lowered at that moment mr hardy would certainly have noticed a very peculiar expression on the face of his partner but his eyes were now buried in the financial column young s knew in an instant that s conduct had in some way given rise to the that mr hardy made she must hare acted like a widow like a woman free to marry and in the company of frank at that had never seen these two people together three times in his life he had not known that they were on terms of the least intimacy a great seemed to open at his feet as he considered the simple statement he had just heard he had a cue that he must follow up if there was anything like close friendship between a man like and a woman who was another s wife he would not have going to visit her again to be found in frank s society was in itself sufficient to cast a grave doubt on the character of any woman tried to go on with the letter he had begun but he made poor work of it and mr hardy who had turned his paper again so as to read the page opened his mouth once more i ve always taken mr for a confirmed bachelor he said until within the past year or so he s got the reputation i know of being a pretty gay boy the first time i saw him at the theatre with mrs and your wife i was a little surprised i remember pointing them out to mrs hardy and remarking upon the matter then when it continued to go on and we saw them so often she said mrs hardy said i tell you paul that couple must be engaged we go to the theatre a good deal you know and afterwards to some just as we did before we were married and seeing them frequently at both places made us a little inquisitive i promised to ask you a long time ago but somehow i forgot it mrs young s hardy said it must be something of the kind for as mrs is always along like a sort of for her friend there couldn t be any by george he s gone the last exclamation was caused by a lowering of the newspaper and a discovery that mr had left the room mr hardy indulged in a quiet laugh at his own expense supposing that his partner had been called away by some pressing emergency in the pause between the joints of his had picked up his hat and coat and walked out of doors without taking the trouble to announce his departure to any one he was as near insane at that moment as a man could well be and know the way to forty second street he met people of his acquaintance and passed without to their bows or greetings he did not take any kind of conveyance but walked on and on neither seeing nor hearing any of the sights or sounds of the city he did not know what he intended to do when he got to the end of his journey he had a dim idea that he ought to be at his that there was danger to be met there it was something as if he had heard that a fire had caught between the and might the entire edifice unless attended to with it is a long walk from the vicinity of park place to forty second street and before had accomplished half of it his mind grew slightly clearer disgrace that was it he knew frank thoroughly if that fellow had been going about with he could have had but one purpose in view if he had been going with her as mr hardy for a year or more he had accomplished his intent long very long young fa ago and his had gone to places of amusement with them to theatres and seen by a thousand people as well as one the shame upon his head sly hiding her acts from him in that like way she had of late she had assisted this notorious in his i and her husband had gone on suspecting nothing playing with his innocent child reading his books and magazines and going to bed with the wife still out of the house oh it was beautiful men were in the awaiting trial for murder who had not half this provocation he would see and then he would see frank if the wealthy young gave him one insolent word he would break every bone in his face damn him

0Arthur Conan Doyle

and his money to take an innocent woman like and drag her around with him and his where fools might suspect even her purity it was fearful the lovers must have been very shrewd not to arouse the least glimmer of the truth in her mind they must they must they must stopped in the middle of the street a horrible thing had crept into his brain he saw the shadow of a black and apparition across his own threshold how was he to say which of these two women was and which was the guilty one hi a voice at his elbow inquired if he were ill he saw that quite a number of people had stopped to look at him in a crowded city it takes but a minute to make a street himself to reply that nothing was the matter and turned the corner which was that of and twenty fifth young fa wc street he could not go home now if he were to enter his house at this time no one could say what might there were stairs at his side that led into a and he saw the words bath staring at him descending the steps he his name took a ticket and entered a room this place was as good as another for the present it would give him time to think in a few moments he was seated in the hot room there were other men there but he did not know them he tried to reason but he could not whichever theory he must accept it was not a sweet morsel to swallow in either case could he ever respect again if it was she who had been imposed upon she was too simple to make a safe wife for any man if she had been the cunning one and had been blinded that would settle it all of course if they had acted as covers for each other both guilty that would be quite the same could either of them know so little of the world as to be in such a manner it did not seem possible and the master thought came and crowded out the rest if was the mistress of frank what ought he to do how could he blame such a man for himself of that opportunity if it came in his way if a pretty wife chose to her marriage vows was it to be expected a would advise her to the contrary it was certainly on whom the blame should fall ought he to go home and kill her no he would be hanged if he did he would wait till he felt sure he was cool enough to dismiss her with the few words that his righteous indignation o young s dictated he would tell her to go to the devil to seek the class of women to which she belonged and then he would take away with him and try to forget the unworthy mother that was the way for a sensible man to act murder was in such cases except among the of or the drunken of he would not let add anything to the injury she had already done him and he had no relish for a term behind the thick walls of a jail he would wait wait till he was perfectly certain he could control his temper and could meet her as she ought to be met the came to take him into the rubbing room stretched on the marble with the heavy hands of the attendant his flesh said to himself a hundred times that this was what he would do he had got to thinking of only one possibility out of the three which he had at first taken up must be s had only acted as a blind for them a knowing one he had no doubt whatever her flat had been their convenient place of meeting had begun this when she told him the falsehood about s going to south america how had he been so long he should have known that a wife who could calmly lie to her husband was capable of yet greater please turn over sir said the well she would see before she died what became of such wives her path would descend easily into the for her wealthy lover would tire of her as soon as her charms began to fade recalled s expressions long before i could take her and love her for weeks perhaps for months she may grow ill tempered she will young grow old her hair will turn gray her rounded curves will disappear on her face wrinkles will come marriage the very word me and after that what was the next step downward always downward a few years of misery and then a frightful death in that day she would know that her husband hard as was his lot had not the worst of this bargain to which she had forced him he would still be a citizen regarded with honor by his fellow men when the wagon that bore her remains took its way with galloping horses to the s field now if you will stand up sir the attendant placed him under the shower bath which was much colder than he usually wanted it but to day he never gave the matter a thought his mind was too excited for him to know much about the man rubbed him down and dried every drop of moisture from his skin then he was shown to a couch where he lay for an hour until some one suggested that it was time to dress when he got out on the street again he felt much better he looked at his watch and saw that it was noon should he go home now no he was not yet quite calm enough he had resolved not to enter his house until he could speak to

0Arthur Conan Doyle

as as a judge on the bench so he took a long walk over twenty third street to the river and up a avenue and down again after that he went into a theatre and passed three hours and then feeling slightly faint he got a lunch at a it was now past six and he walked slowly in the direction of his home his home never could it be his home again how happy he had been there and now it was all ended young fa tt s the pain of this reflection warned him that he was not yet in a condition to his wife he strolled up avenue and beyond till he saw the river in front of him then he strolled back again through other streets at last he entered his dwelling unless things were very different from usual would not be at home at that hour it was ten o clock he would go up and wait for her and talk to her in an ordinary voice when she came back then he would pack the things he wanted and take them away with that very night yes that was what he would da chapter xxv i know you have been true he went in without much noise for he did not care to meet the servant if he could avoid it the parlor was empty as he turned up the low gas jet in the he would go in a minute to see poor worse than boy he uttered a sob that no amount of resistance could quite choke down and immediately there came a low voice from the chamber beyond is that you it was she was in bed when he reached her door saw by the bright light burning there that she had a very white face and was undoubtedly ill i m so glad you ve come she whispered i ve been terribly sick all day stayed quite late with me and did all she could but there was no use in their sitting up oh have i got to go through all that again n young fa wc she had her handkerchief to her eyes when he en and she did not remove it she was crying in a subdued key so utterly wretched that she would not have believed that anything could add to her distress fail when one tries to describe the anguish that the unhappy husband the which he had for his offspring the that surrounded in his estimation all this was met in its path through the waters by the gigantic of doubt if his wife was faithful he could fall on his knees and worship her if she was the revelation she had given only made her more infamous in his sight there was a collision that nearly wrecked the frail craft but the ship still floated on the crest of the waves he wanted so dearly to believe in her that he was willing to catch at any hope but he must have that awful question settled and at once he could not it for an hour you were at the theatre last night was the only answer he made her she paused in her sobs behind the handkerchief and stole a look at him her heart sank when she saw his face yes she replied softly with frank i went with and frank we happened to meet him and he came along mr caught his breath once in your life try to speak the truth he answered in a low voice i know it is not easy for you but do the best you can you see i know all about it it is not only last night that you have been with but fifty other nights you have been with young him to the theatre to and you know as well as i where else i found it out to day now i am going to pack my things and get out of this house tonight with my child that will leave you free to go to him with his i took the handkerchief from her eyes and sat up in the bed for a moment she put both her hands to her temples with the action of one partly stunned then she got her feet on the floor and strode toward her husband how do you dare speak like that to me sha cried with the utmost ferocity the astonished man saw a heavy bronze lamp seized from a table and swung above his head he knew that his life was not worth a penny should it descend it was not a pleasant position to be placed on the physically before this slender figure in its but there was a greater thing than this in that pose of hers there was every sign of outraged innocence explain to me then he answered what you have been doing in his company why have you been to theatres and to with him night after night and never mentioned a word of it to me went slowly back to the bed and sat down on the edge of it she still kept a grasp on the weapon she had taken though she let its weight rest again on the table her gray eyes were like coals and her nostrils were red as blood a tremor ran over her frame but her voice was firm what have i been doing she replied i have been going to places of amusement why have i gone with mr and because you never have asked me to go with you why have young fa tt s i not told you because i do not consider it any of business they are respectable people and we have all behaved ourselves you say you have made some great discoveries kindly tell me what they are but be careful she raised the lamp again from the table it is not necessary

0Arthur Conan Doyle

that you should add inventions of your own he shifted uneasily in his chair put that thing down he said shortly don t intend to break my skull with it and you may as well let it alone she smiled don t i she echoed i would break the skull of any man who would offer such an insult to ma as you did a moment ago and refuse to take it back what gives you a right to outrage my feelings all the privileges your marriage brought you have been kept sacred but they do not include such conduct as you have been guilty of this night he had not been in her presence five minutes but he believed that whatever she had done she was yet he believed that her babe was his child he was impatient with her for the long deceit she had for the risks she had run of her good name for her reckless association with a man of frank s stamp these things he meant to tell her in the future but the load that had been removed from his mind made them seem of comparatively little moment very well he said in a tone i take back what i about you you hav been careless and you have done your reputation an injury but i am only too glad to think you personally pure now it is your plain duty y fa s to tell me the whole story as there is certainly somewhere if it is not yours it is s frank is a without the least conscience i assure you i know him thoroughly if he has not been spending the past year seeking to ruin you it is because he has found another victim let us have no more i want the whole truth but even then she had no idea of giving it to him she did not realize the dreadful condition in which things had been but a moment earlier in which they still were and would be until his mind was set at rest you want too much she retorted you had better go to them and try to get the facts in the same way you tried with me beginning with an insult i consider frank a gentleman and a lady i have accompanied them to several places and he has always acted with the utmost courtesy there is simply nothing to cause all this rage on your part you have said things to me to night that i can never forgive i have borne you one child but i will not bear you another no as true as my name is the man caught her and stopped her words with his hands are you insane he gasped do you think she replied firmly as soon as he would let her speak that i am going to bear children when you question their he seemed choking as he heard her i don t question it he exclaimed i know you have been true to me i was mad when i said anything else but i am equally sure that you are deceived in relation to frank and how would you like to learn that they had been using you as a cover for you owe it to me and to y fa tt s your child and to your dead mother to have this thing to the bottom the mention of her mother was the one thing that could have moved mrs she broke down completely and burst into tears if we find that there is good cause to suspect them said gently you will consent to give up won t you that is all i ask oh you never will find that she sobbed you don t know her as i do but it s no wonder you talk of others after what you said of your own wife don t allude to that again he begged i take you at your word but frank is too deep a for your innocent head he knew if you did not that it would subject you to suspicion for him to be seen at with you and your husband never there but he cares for nothing except his own pleasure was thinking of her mother perhaps she had not been entirely right in this business she would never go out with in the party again that was certain it was easier to make this resolve however than to tell it to her husband she shrank from appearing like a punished child who had to promise not to repeat its fault is not a bad woman she i could swear it she has a good for nothing husband and she means to get a divorce from him mr likes her and when she is free he will marry her that s all there is to it he has been very kind to her to us both if it makes talk of course i won t go out with him but i don t see how it can when he is my own cousin and if i don t go can t go either and perhaps it will break it all up she looked so that he could not help young s ing her word to the full but he did not believe in theory of s alleged intentions frank marry never he either had or hoped to gain s place in a way it was two hours later before the finished talking finally they went to bed under a patched up a sort of that would do for the present at least it had been a hard time for them both but the failure of to tell the important fact that hired a room of mrs left the door open for another similar affair when learned some days later that mrs could not go out with him and again he lost his temper give my regards to

0Arthur Conan Doyle

he said to her and ask him if he has heard from lately he won t need the other name mil understand just ask him he last heard from chapter xxvi what made you marry mamma had been feeling very tender toward b s wife during the past few days the reaction that had followed the terrible misunderstanding had had its natural consequence he thought many hours together of the awful suspicions that clouded his mind of the great gulf that had arisen between him and and of the happy sweeping away of the object of his terror she had been foolish to allow a man like frank to impose upon her but her own conduct had been undoubtedly pure as for mrs she might or might not be a virtuous woman young s she had no business with a husband living to act in such a way as to lead people to suppose her single determined to gradually lead away from her friend feeling that was not the best companion for so a girl as he still believed his wife to be notwithstanding the falsehood in which he had detected her he thought he could manage by taking her to places of entertainment himself and by asking her to remain in the house evenings to her from mrs without creating ill feeling he had about as take a as to go to the average theatre having become attached to the quiet of his parlor after the of the day but he endured several evenings at the play so that might be satisfied on the odd nights he sat and talked with her though he would have enjoyed much more the reading of a newspaper or book he was willing to sacrifice a little to make her future conduct another thing mr did and this on the very day after he had the interview with his wife detailed in the preceding chapter he went to a professional to borrow the sum which he owed when he obtained it he engaged an attorney to pay the amount and secure the note that frank held so that he would not have to meet the individual toward whom he now had only the bitterest sentiments one evening came home with a light heart to show that he and were no longer in business relations with each other it was the very day that mrs had summoned courage to tell mr that her husband objected to having her seen in his society and on which he had given that and to her astonishing reply ask him if he has heard from he ll under young fa s it did not need the sarcastic laugh with which frank uttered these words to distress the young wife to the utmost she had never had an instant s jealousy of since her marriage and the thought that there could be another woman in the case was enough to send the blood out of her cheeks in a wave what do you mean she stammered faintly ask him retorted he thinks i am not good enough to associate with you make him tell you a chapter from his own experience mrs who had long ago heard the story of mr s relations with the boston woman wore a look of the greatest consternation she would have given anything could she have spared this pain he doesn t mean anything she exclaimed at the same time darting a glance of entreaty at her lover what is the use of making things any worse than they are tell her you were only joking she added to the request by don t you see how seriously she is taking it but absolutely refused to be he was in an ugly temper his money had been repaid to him that morning through a third party indicating the state of s feelings towards him and he had been growing all day let me tell my own stories he said firmly k i do mean something if mrs asks her husband and he refuses to tell her she can come back to me and i promise to give her the information he must have been disagreeable enough to her when he attacked us all i want him to remember is the old that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones mrs was in despair her well meant scheme young fa tt s j i had failed and she feared to make another attempt lest she should him to say even more i don t believe my husband lives in that kind of a glass house said with rising indignation i understand what you intimate and i know he is not that kind of a man it was a very pretty sight thought this little wife under the lash herself defending the honor of the man who had administered the blow throw the stone and see he smiled grimly ask him when he heard from make him think you know and he will let out the whole truth i ll say you mean of boston that will be enough he ll fall into the trap and if he doesn t i ll keep my word if there is anything you don t find out from him i ll tell it to you you needn t take my word alone either there are plenty to me so when mr came whistling into his apartment that evening and with a happy smile shook the note he had obtained from in his wife s face she responded by to him that unpleasant she had thought for an hour after she reached home that she would the whole matter frank was angry at and in a mood to invent tales or to any little affair that had occurred hated to hear things to her husband s she had almost rather be kept in ignorance than learn that he had done anything very wrong but when she

0Arthur Conan Doyle

got home the poison began to penetrate her veins she could think of nothing but that disagreeable word who could its owner be there must be yo fa tt s thing to it for frank had told her to try the effect of those magic on her husband and he would not have done that unless he believed their sound would awaken unpleasant memories could there be at this present moment some woman with whom shared his embraces no impossible he was always at home in the evening and his days were taken up with the business of co but it was evident that there was or had been at some time a what a disgusting name knew she should hate any one bearing that disagreeable she must she would ask the meaning of this unpleasant riddle yes she said in reference to the note which he showed her i m glad you ve got it again and now i want you to tell me her voice trembled as she reached the question if you know any woman by the name of they were equally pale as she finished the sentence frank told you to ask me replied hoarsely that statement is not an answer she replied in a low voice a dangerous look came into the husband s eyes what do you think of a fellow of that description he muttered after trying his best to cast reflections on the character of my wife by making the public believe it is she who him to theatres and without her husband s knowledge he wants to make trouble between you and me i ve tried to keep from giving him a piece of my mind but i shall do it now if he with my affairs again he ll be sorry that s all i young s sat opposite to him in a chair which seemed much too large for her now will you tell me what i asked you she said persistently he started and a wild look came into his face why there s not much to tell he replied i presume he has made it out already as bad as he could she shook her head he has told me nothing yet but he says he will if you refuse looked very ugly as he heard this statement very well then let him said he if it has got to the point that you go to men and to such men to get information about your husband why keep on we ll see how you come out it was the old kind of quarrel neither had any patience neither was ready to put into the scale that slight portion of love that would have tipped the beam the right way after a little more talk of the same kind refused to say another word the language of both had grown very warm and their tones were high enough to be heard in the kitchen but they gave no thought to that was no stranger to the matrimonial of this kind that had gone on for so long what was of more importance however neither of them thought of the little who was playing with his toys in the next room with the door wide open papa he said after supper when was holding him in his lap what made you marry mamma who was passing through the room to reach her chamber stopped as if shot the husband and wife looked at each other like people over whom some great catastrophe suddenly revealed is hanging y fa tt s don t see pursued the what made you marry mamma or what made her marry you you don t seem to like each other when you come home i hear you both scolding folks that like each other don t do that to save his life could not reply a tear started in spite of him and rolled down his face took a step toward her husband and in a second more she had flung herself on her knees with her arms around him and the baby and was sobbing i do love your papa she cried as soon as she could control her voice oh i do love him it is he the utterance was almost choked in its who does not love me the boy strangely calm in the presence of his agitated parents turned to his father as if to hear his reply mamma is wrong she does not mean what she says drew the sad faces together telling them to kiss and not quarrel any more when this was accomplished for neither of the parents dreamed of exhibiting further feeling before him he said he was ready to be put in his bed and laid him there with the usual good night from the little arms at the final moment of departure sat sewing on something for when her husband rejoined her he went to her side took the cloth from her lap and kissed her sorry that even for a brief half hour he had forgotten the great need of using gentleness toward his wife i am going to tell you all about it all about he said earnestly young s el oh then it is true i she cried with a gasp he hesitated a moment it happened very long ago he said when he proceeded it gave me the most i ever had in my life i have wished a thousand times i had come to you at once and confessed everything but i was too great a coward frank led me into it and as he has aroused your suspicions you shall know the whole truth the wife shook with apprehension she almost wished she had let the matter drop in the first place but her curiosity was too great now to bid him cease it was when we had not been married long he was going to lend me

0Arthur Conan Doyle

that money you know and he seemed awfully obliging he lived in rooms on street and he got up a supper in my honor i never thought of there being anything strange about it and when i found that there were women in the party i couldn t very well make a fuss they were a rather hard crowd that s the truth i got to drinking too much more because i wanted to drown my shame than anything else and the affair became a regular in the morning when i woke up i saw that we were all there still after the others had gone i told frank my opinion of his conduct and he made light of my indignation i went home to you wishing i were dead it would not have taken much to have made me commit suicide on the way that is all there was to it i have never seen any of those people since a crept slowly through mrs s frame as she listened she knew nothing of this sort of thing and the revelation seemed to her too to be believe young s and who she asked was oh she was one of the women who came each of the men brought a companion and frank invited two extra girls to make the couples complete had you never seen her before had not calculated on this there was another and a darker chapter that he had not supposed would have to be now don t be unreasonable he said unreasonable echoed astonished i certainly have a right to know the husband leaned back in his chair h twice and then answered that he had seen miss before that night but he added also that it was before his marriage tell me all about those previous meetings said mrs they were before i was married i tell you replied that makes no difference he stared at her do you maintain said he that i have no right to keep to myself what i did before i married before i was even engaged to you that is preposterous mrs would not agree with him is this girl s character good she inquired well hardly m and you knew her well enough to meet her more than once being aware of that fact do you imagine i would have married a man who did such things if i had known it at the time ther was an absence of the tears that ordinarily ac young s strong emotion in his wife and was struck with the fact that he had encountered a force of new and uncertain strength in her character perhaps not if you had known it thin he admitted but this was years and years ago i was free to do what i liked were you she replied supposing the case were reversed and it was i he drew a long breath of distress you don t mean to claim that the case would be identical he said precisely he moved his chair and struck one knee with his palm there is no sense said he in such a theory there never was and never will be the same rule for women and men it is idle to discuss it i was drawn into that drunken the thought of which has caused me agony but i ll swear to you if you wish me to that since our marriage since our engagement i have been true to you her calmness surprised him she acted as if they were talking of some ordinary matter i was nevertheless said she i married you thinking you a good man and you were a bad one i repeat were the case reversed you would not live with me another hour after hearing the confession of my sin i shall not take such a course on account of that child in the next room but i feel to night that the date makes little difference to me that if it had happened since our marriage it would be only a trifle less horrible and you are the man who my cousin mr because he took me with a lady friend of mine to a public theatre and a respectable young fa tt s we never got drunk together never had companions on those occasions no one can come to you and say ask your wife when she last saw one of her old arose to leave the room had a fearful feeling of uneasiness he thought he had a little rather on the whole that she had broken into tears and reproaches of a more violent character what could he do or say to lessen her grief he was glad after all that he had told his story for now he had nothing to apprehend from s he could not undo the old fault which he still thought took too seriously how he wished he could were sins as gross in men as in women he went to bed and fell asleep with this question still in his mind chapter the act of a mrs did not wholly cease visiting her friend mrs notwithstanding all the trouble their acquaintance had caused she thought it quite enough if she stopped going out of doors in her company when frank was of the party it could not disgrace if she merely went to s to pass an afternoon even if was also there as he generally was frank talked occasionally of the divorce that was to get from but nothing seemed to toward that end the truth was that this idea of a divorce and a subsequent marriage was only a pleasant fiction of s designed to young fa s calm any scruples that might arise in the mind of his cousin he was content with his present condition and had no mind to exchange it for one more irksome his liking for was very strong but he did not

0Arthur Conan Doyle

think the ceremony of a marriage would make it any pleasanter to live with her if anything should happen to cause a it was much easier to pack a trunk and call a cab than to spend a year or two waiting the decision of a judge not to mention such things as counsel and and was she also content by no means she loved frank with all her heart and yet she never was satisfied for a single hour from the time she became his unmarried wife her existence up to that time was miserable enough and at first she welcomed anything to vary the dull old round would have made a good wife to the right man to be a mistress was not her proper difficulties seemed to her the husband the law had given her had proved himself worse than none at all this man who had crept into her heart when he had no right there had caused her to all the moral obligations she had been educated to respect she felt that hers was an entirely hopeless case the brightest hours in her life were those that passed with her and still she felt that even this companionship was a source of danger had she been strong enough she would have told mrs the truth leaving her to take such action as she thought wise wh n a woman has but one real friend in the world t is not pleasant to that one let the future take care of its own troubles the present had enough for her o yo fa tt s the next act in the drama for mr came about three months after his confession to of the circumstances of the at s he had expected to be out of town all night but had changed his mind late and returned home about ten o clock he went into s room to kiss the boy in his sleep and found to his distress that the little fellow was tossing uneasily in a feverish condition is ill he said going to find a servant his head is very hot did you hear mrs say anything about it replied that the child had not acted very well all day but had not specially complained he had not eaten much and had asked to be early felt a at the ends of his fingers as if he ought to some one did she give him any medicine he asked i don t think so do you know where she has gone no sir the father put on his things and went out of doors what sort of a mother did call herself he must find her they must have a doctor and nurse he would go over to mrs s flat in the first place and see if by any possibility she were there as he walked along he struggled to suppress his anger this was not a time when he could tell his wife how indignant her conduct made him another life now depended on hers another existence was liable to be injured by any pain that she felt no matter what she did he must endure it with as little protest as possible he resolved that when he found her he would use the language though his heart was ready to burst with a push on the electric at the en yo fa trance of the apartment house where dwelt he put his ear to the speaking what is it tt was not a woman s voice i wish to see mrs she has gone out when will she return before long probably slowly it dawned on s brain where he had heard that voice before unless there were two men in the world who spoke exactly like each other it was frank at the end of that turned away sick and faint for the most terrible of all suspicions had thrust itself upon him the green eyed monster so often driven out had made its once more in his brain mrs was not at her home and frank was there was he spending the evening alone not at all likely who then was his companion who who but the missing wife and mother another of the building came at this juncture and opened the door muttering something about having forgotten his key entered after the man he crept slowly to the pausing many times in the ascent now he was as weak as a child again he was strong as a lion anon the perspiration broke out upon him until his was as wet as if taken from a tub then the muscles on his arm hardened like steel and he could have an ox with his bare fist at the end of his climb when he stood before the door of mrs s apartment he was ready for anything he had enough left to tap lightly on the young s he wanted to make the occupants think it was returning without a question the door was flung open from the inside entered closing the door behind him he not only closed it but drew the bolt he did not mean his prey should escape him nor that he should be able to summon witnesses or people who might interfere frank s astonishment was extreme he could not understand how this man should be there nor what gave that awful look to his white face the first words explained all want my wife you ve got a d d queer way of stating it replied who was at least no coward but to relieve your mind at once let me say she is not here excited to the inmost core preserved a wonderful outward calmness i shall not take your word he said i intend to search these rooms and if you try to leave before i have finished i will throw you out of a window laughed he would have

0Arthur Conan Doyle

uttered the same laugh had been holding a revolver to his head your threats are unnecessary he answered i should never think of leaving you here alone as i am responsible for the articles you see about you when you find that your wife is not one of them you will i presume kindly take your leave he turned to the opposite side of the room and dropping into a chair took up an evening paper which he had put down when he heard the tap on the door nothing more could well be conceived for a few seconds gazed at him young s then he went through the chambers with the of a police officer who he has a thief and he found nothing of what he sought there is a room behind that curtain he said u and it is locked i wish to enter it laid down his paper languidly i beg your pardon he said in the tone of one who has not heard distinctly i wish to enter that further room raising his voice mr shook his head slowly quite impossible for what reason because and the answer came very slowly indeed because that room is mine strode forward i believe he muttered between his teeth my wife is in that room if you do not it or give me the key i shall break in the door the other man elevated his eyebrows as if surprised a devilish strange idea and not exactly complimentary to my pretty cousin he replied however it would be a pity to break such a nice door i think you will find a key on the mantel two minutes later came back from that room also convinced now that he had been making a foolish search but why was living here in this flat if everything was as it should be he had seen frank s clothing in the farther room garments that he recognized it was evident that he was at home there and of course knew this if she was not there to night that was no proof that she ah i what will satisfy jealousy when it is once aroused young s well you didn t find her did you said quietly s eyes were the strength that had come to him had given place again to extreme weakness i did not he answered if i had you would not now be sitting there asking me the question as true as there s a god on high i would have your brains on this carpet made a gesture of you say such disagreeable things he replied his companion did not seem to hear him for a long time he went on my wife has visited mrs against my desire i did not absolutely forbid it though there was something that told me i should but had i imagined that you were living under this roof i should have made my command imperative you are a whose contact is injurious to any decent woman how far this has gone i do not know but i shall find out and i tell you frank if you have done anything to disgrace me or to the good name of my wife i will settle the account with you as soon as the fact comes to my knowledge mr bowed with a distant of irony have you any explanation or defence to make demanded explanation defence certainly not to you the husband strove to master his emotions which were becoming will you tell me why you have a room here laughed for the same reason that you have yours on street because it is my residence young fa wc s a sharp pain shot through the eyelids of the you are fully aware he said that such a course leaves my wife and her cousin open to suspicion you know that the result may be the breaking up of a home and the ruin of more than one reputation now i have this to tell you no matter what has or may happen you must give up coming here mr rose from this chair and seated himself on the arm of it my rent is promptly paid always said he really a matter of this kind should be between me and my landlady not when it affects my wife and her relations mr seemed to grow more interested i may be very he said but i cannot see how my place of living can affect mrs you do not deny that she comes here the door that led into the hall opened noiselessly at this moment and entered the room no but i do deny that i have any control of her actions now let s be sensible just for a moment my cousin is your wife her cousin mrs is to all and purposes mine the of the statement struck but his main desire was to clear and this assertion if true seemed to do that mrs he responded has a husband yes practically no you thought your wife was here with me well she wasn t if you don t want her here why don t you keep her away as for me and my affairs they are not your business s back was toward the door and he had no knowledge of mrs s on the other f young s hand saw her plainly he had been nursing for the past ten minutes a desire to hurt the feelings of some one and the blow fell on the woman who had been sacrificed on the altar of his lust satisfied that his wife was not the mistress of this man mr s thoughts to his sick child and he started to leave the house as he turned his eyes encountered the shrinking form of mrs with her hand raised toward him in an attitude of entreaty take me with you she cried take me with you don

0Arthur Conan Doyle

t leave me here with him her anguish was evidently intense she would have fallen at his feet in her had he permitted her it was plain that she had been a listener to s exposure of the relation she held toward him was very sorry for her but he shrank from the suggestion she made take you home with me he repeated take you to my house you i will help you to get some place were you can find an honest living but after what i have learned to night i could do no more came across the room and laid his hand on s arm don t make a fool of yourself he exclaimed roughly you re mine as much as if a hundred had married us laws are not the only things that hold people together this fellow came here in a rage because he thought his wife here alone with me he found she wasn t and in explaining matters i stumbled on the truth you never saw me he added to rushing into people s apartments and asking if my wife was hidden there when you intimate that this lady is not good enough to enter door remember i young y s did not wish to get into another argument he wanted to get home where little needed his attentions take me away from here pleaded as he crossed the threshold take me somewhere anywhere away from this man tears were running down both her cheeks her hair was in her distress her voice was very low and to an exquisite touch of pathos but had no time to linger he regretted every minute his jealousy had kept him from the bedside of his boy is very sick he explained i was looking for and i must return home at once to morrow if you will send to the office no no she pleaded struggling with the arms that held her to night don t leave me here i closed the door behind him and the sobbing voice was heard no more chapter dead for a mrs was at home when her husband arrived she had been with mrs in search of a physician and had been detained at his office as she did not expect home that night and as she did not care to say anything of her fears to she had gone for to consult her in relation to a doctor without leaving any word with her domestic in relation to the matter she did not believe ill but young s she knew his temperature was too high his appetite light and that he was extremely restless when mr reached the house he found dr awaiting the return of from a store whither she had gone with a it was with painfully mixed feelings that stood by the bedside of his boy listening to the voices of the doctor and alternately it seemed as if everything he cared for in this world was at stake now he was not sure his wife was faithful he could not tell but his child had a fatal illness and he must conceal both these fears on account of the delicate condition of the mother in these days there were two lives to consider if had been true to him his regard for her child was hardly less than that for the one now tossing on the sick bed it would not do to excite her he must suppress his apprehensions from fear of the effect on his future heir and he must believe true yes he would believe it until positive evidence came to the contrary she had been reckless in with and his mistress but personally he could not conceive her stained nevertheless the doubts would with terrible force like the repeated of an earthquake the doctor gave the child his first dose of medicine left particular directions and went away bidding them call him at once on any alteration of any of the symptoms for the worse had no idea of seeking rest that night and his wife refused to accept his suggestion that she lie down she was alarmed this time and could not have slept had she tried it had troubled her exceedingly when she discovered s condition because was away now that he bad yo fa tt she relied wholly on his judgment but she did not like to leave him she took a chair and drew it close to his and together they watched each rise and fall of the little bosom you don t think he s very very sick do you she whispered she knew that her husband s brow was dark but she ascribed that to his over the child she had no idea that he had recently been to mrs s flat and learned that frank had a room there and she would have been more surprised than he to hear of his subsequent discovery i i don t know replied after that the conversation ceased and except for a necessary word now and then neither spoke until nearly daylight at that time awoke and looked so badly that was roused and sent for the doctor another examination more medicine wise looks on the physician s part and similar phenomena known to all who have ever had anything to do with such cases followed was very and rejected the offers of both his parents to hold him although he insisted that he wanted to be taken up won t you let papa take you asked the boy had always been very partial to him no no replied the little fellow he wants mamma holding out her hands to him the boy did not reply to this suggestion in words but he drew away as if to the idea shall i call asked his mother and this was received even more the doctor said the child ought to get up for a little while as

0Arthur Conan Doyle

a change of position would be but young s it was evident that would not let any one in the house touch him without a struggle what do you want inquired bending the child i want aunt straightened himself up with a jerk the blood rushed to his brain and made him dizzy whom does he speak of asked dr if it is any one you can get easily you had best do so the less he is agitated the better knowing nothing of what tortured her husband mrs turned to him shall i run over for her it will only take fire minutes no he answered abruptly the doctor saw that something not plain to him was the matter and said no more on that point they managed with a good deal of and not without a flow of tears to get the boy into his father s arms while his bed was being changed at last dr with renewed to be sure and call him if anything occurred and with a promise to come back at noon anyway left the house if you know of any person the boy likes who can come and help you take care of him you ought to send at once were his last words he will not be able to be left alone for several days at least and you and your wife will have to take some rest before long had not failed to note the peculiarly savage tone with which her husband had declined her suggestion that she should go for mrs she knew he did not like to have her associate intimately with though he had not positively forbidden it she said nothing however till when after another nap yo fa tt s awoke and began again to sob over and over that he wanted his aunt won t you let me go for her asked finally was always very fond of her you know and she would make the best nurse we could get i know you don t like her very well but this is a special case she would come i m sure last night when she went with me to the doctor s she was almost as much distressed as i last night did not want to think of last night how could those hands touch his innocent boy he shook his head impatiently and began to pace the room trying to think what he ought to do mrs was a guilty woman undoubtedly his wife knew all about her had helped to shield her in them he could not allow her to enter his door it would be her great offence oh papa again for the tenth time i want aunt turned to his wife for god s sake he exclaimed with a man s why doesn t some one go for that woman joyfully started to get her hat no not you he cried how strangely he acted but he had been out of his bed all night and worried extremely over his ed son mrs did not think his conduct meant anything unusual what shall i tell her asked the domestic appearing at the door wait a minute and i will write a note he had no doubt that knew what was going n at mrs s everybody in new york knew it young s probably had known it for months everybody ex him going to a desk he wrote these lines sealed and handed them to u mrs is ill he cries for you continually the doctor thinks you can do him a great deal of good i told you last night i did not wish you to enter my house but this is an emergency come if you will and do what you can for him do not think however that this exception in any way the stand i am compelled to take toward you a f when mrs received this note she was alone in her apartments had gone out early after an unpleasant night and morning during which had passed most of the time in tears she told to say that she would be over immediately and went to her dressing case to remove as far as possible the traces of suffering from her face then she wrote a brief note to explaining the cause of her absence and went out when she came into mr s presence he bowed with cold formality as soon as he could he persuaded his wife to go to her chamber and take the sleep she needed saying he would follow her example in a short time he wanted the two women together as little as possible it was a most disagreeable necessity that had brought mrs there and he meant to reduce the pain to the lowest possible compass in the arms of his new nurse and when dr next came he was please to see this new assistant but the disease was not taking the course young s he had hoped and he answered the father s with a very grave countenance the boy acted as if in a partial stupor from which it was not easy to rouse him even temporarily the physician did not leave the house all that afternoon and when it was nearly sunset he told that no skill on earth could save the life of his child the father listened to the medical terms that rolled from the doctor s tongue he understood but on thing the terrible fact that this child in whom his life was bound up was slowly but surely dying they stood by the bedside in which lay mrs weeping mr with dry eyes you had best call the mother suggested the doctor quietly it is a matter of only a few minutes now beckoned him into the next room and told him of his wife s situation urn replied the man in that case perhaps it is safer to let

0Arthur Conan Doyle

her finish her sleep then when she break it to her as gently as you can heart broken the father returned to s chamber and watched the gradual of the brightest light that had ever shone along his pathway his despair was so great that he seemed stony to those who looked at him there are where the ordinary tokens of sorrow fail utterly to bring relief i will break it to if you wish said mrs timidly when all was over the tears had not ceased to course down her cheeks he did not care now it could make no difference he had wondered in what terms he could convey the news tortured as he was yes he said she might tell her mrs did not awake for several hours and young fa wc when she heard what had happened she sobbed bitterly for a long time she lay in s arms soothed by her cousin but the tears of the women continued to mingle at midnight exhausted with her grief and previous labors fell asleep again by s side nature was bound to assert itself as for he could not yet resign himself to slumber though he tried several times to do so he walked about his rooms after everybody else had retired going in and out of the chamber where the dead child lay and still without visible tokens of the loss he had sustained at about one o clock there was a knock at the door that sounded loud in the complete stillness that surrounded it he went to the door and flung it open frank stood there more or less under the influence of liquor he had followed some of the building and ascended to the fourth floor where the lived tell i want her he said in a rather thick voice all the outrage of the intrusion all the shame of the message came over but he restrained himself mrs has gone to bed he said she is very tired i should not like to call her realized little except that he was being in his desires and he responded in a louder voice that he wanted by g d and he proposed to have her i ve been alone in that d d flat all the evening said he and i m d d sick of it you tell her to get up and come along it s none of your business what i do by g d young had passed the threshold and it seemed to that his insulted the still form that lay in the room beyond catching the intruder suddenly by the shoulders he rushed him out of the apartment and down half a dozen stairs if you know what s good for you go he said in a harsh whisper had been perfectly sober he could have seen by the dangerous light in the drawn face above him that he had best obey the but the liquor he had taken weakened his powers of observation and reason had taken several steps back toward his own door when frank began to follow him at the top of the flight the foremost man paused did you hear me he asked quietly in a perfect rage started toward him striking a wild blow at the air as he pressed forward then in some way difficult to account for he lost his balance so completely that he fell over the it was all a matter of four seconds and heard the body strike with force on the floor forty feet below the commission merchant turned and saw that his door was still open he waited a few moments to learn whether the fall had aroused any other of the house as it did not seem to have done so he entered his apartment went to a and fell asleep upon it the that was summoned by the five hours later decided that death was he also reported that deceased had been drinking and had met with his fate from an accident to which ther yo fa tt s was no witness when mr was told of this during the morning he merely elevated his eyebrows and remarked indeed but when learned of her lover s death she went into fainting fits and for days it was a question whether she would survive the shock chapter for their child s sake has since said more than once that he lived the five months that ensued in a everything was colored with a heavy tinge of gray the loss of his child would have been in itself sufficient to have given him a severe strain had there been nothing else to bear him down he had literally worshipped no shadow of the grave had crossed the dreams he knew the bright castles he had with the little fellow as their central figure it all came upon him with hardly any warning and at a time too when there were other things only less painful to keep them company he went about the business of co in much the old way his partners believed that he was recovering very well from his he bought and sold grain took orders on commission gave advice to customers just as before at night he went home with a set face climbing the familiar stairs over the of which he had unmoved seen frank fall to his death he entered his apartment said good evening to his wife ate his upper took up his newspaper read an hour or two young s and went to bed wearing the external appearance of a man who has nothing special on his mind did not know exactly what to think of him she remembered how calmly he carried himself at the funeral how collected he was when she was with her grief she knew he had loved the child and she could not understand his reserve finding that he continued as like as

0Arthur Conan Doyle

he began she into melancholy and a great deal which was very bad for her health and for the child that was yet to be born into that household it was this child that made continue to treat his wife with respect it was this that made him refrain from any allusion to what he had discovered in mrs s apartment that night when he learned that claimed her as his mistress he could not discuss that matter with his wife without the well being of another whose existence was the only thing he lived to no provocation could have induced him to speak an impatient word to her while her nerves were connected so intimately with tho growing existence he had not enough deceit in him to pretend a deep affection that he did not feel but h treated kindly and waited for the time when he could his trouble to her with no danger except to herself ten days after s funeral mrs was able to leave the house and she did not wish even had he asked it to remain longer than was necessary she knew without a word from him on the subject that he had said nothing to his wife in relation to what he had learned about her would not treated her in that polite manner if she knew doubly a widow though she had a husband young s and alone in the world might have gone to the end of her natural career had not voluntarily taken upon himself her necessary expenses the day she was to leave he put a hundred dollars into her hand telling her to call on him by mail for more whenever she needed it and by all means to live a life of honor the poor woman burst into tears but she could not answer him in words the money seemed to burn her fingers coming from him but it was better than the alternative that had arisen dimly in her mind at which he hinted she went back to her flat where everything reminded her of her happy though guilty past and in a month sold the furniture and took a quiet lodging in a remote part of the city then she tried to find some employment that would relieve her from accepting beyond the time the charity of the man she had wronged the death of frank coming in such a sudden and shocking manner proved too much for his mother and within a few days she followed him to the grave excused herself from attending the first funeral on account of her own but she went to boston to the second accompanied by her husband that evening the lawyer who attended to the legal affairs of the family sought mr at his hotel excuse me for coming to you so soon about a matter he said to as soon as he had pre his card it seems necessary however tc inform you that as both mr and his mother died their property will all fall to your wife neither mr nor had thought of this ran it over in his mind and concluded that the young s lawyer was right he had never heard of any near relations of the family except and her mother after a little further talk he went to ask to come into the room and the facts were repeated to her by the legal gentleman very well she replied simply not seeming to be moved in the least by the news mr will do whatever is necessary but shook his head let it be understood he corrected that i shall have nothing whatever to do about it mrs must do her business entirely with you the property will be hers not mine and i refuse to take any part ia the affair the lawyer smiled as you please he said under the law a man and his wife are held to be one and not in a matter of inheritance interrupted it was suggested that mrs had better remain for a few days at boston to attend to the more pressing matters but mr objected he said she could sign an application for a of the estate and that nothing else would be required at present the lawyer must take things into his own hands would not leave his wife and he wanted to get back to his office as soon as possible and this was the way matters were arranged how much do you think there will be from both estates asked quietly as he stood at the door of his parlor after his wife had left the room something like four hundred thousand dollars bowed thoughtfully and the visitor withdrew three months later mrs came to speak to y fa w t her husband one evening as he sat according to his custom with a newspaper in his hand he was not reading it but he used to sit for hours with it before his face absorbed in thought i want to ask your permission to do something with a part of my money she said almost timidly taking a chair close to him you do not need my permission he replied gravely i know i don t in law she said for the full rights of a married woman in such cases had long since been explained to her by her attorney but this is a matter that i want you fully satisfied about it is something i shall not do unless you approve of it wondering what she was about to say he waited for her to proceed i have been thinking of poor faltered she had not uttered the word when his brow clouded as she had feared it would she has had a great deal of trouble some time ago she she lost her now i hear she has broken up her little home and gone into one room she is even trying

0Arthur Conan Doyle

to get work in a shop she paused again thinking it would help her if he would say something no matter what but he did not change his attitude or look i got my money went on from my aunt and cousin it is very much more than i have any use for you have refused to take it and put it into your business as i wanted you to do now if i should send a little of it to say five or ten thousand dollars it would be a fortune for her and she would get along very well indeed still he did not move or speak and after a few mo young s ments she asked again whether he saw any reasonable objection to her plan i told you in the first place he replied rousing himself slightly that i never should take your money and never should dictate to you what disposition to make of it she looked troubled though his tones were kindly enough i do not ask you to dictate nor even to advise it you do not wish to said she i only want to know whether you would care whether you would rather i did not do it he shook his head slowly i do not care he answered and you are quite willing i would not for the world do a thing you would not like if i knew it he raised his eyes slowly till they took in the whole of her face but she was not looking at him now she was gazing at a distant point in the room in her i think the idea a good one if that is what you wish to know said when mrs left this house i gave her money to live on temporarily and i have sent her some twice since then i am glad you think of her turned toward her husband with a displeased expression i don t see why you did that said she some one had to do it i knew she hadn t a penny i knew she he hesitated a second had lost her i knew she could not afford to keep her flat you had no money of your own at that time so i gave her a hundred dollars and i have sent her at much more young s mrs did not like this and a half formed resolution came into her head not to carry out her plan of helping her cousin i don t quite see what you did it for she cried out the words in agony she held my dying boy in her arms she had no one else to look to i know the natural fate of women well brought up educated and refined in such a city as this thrown on their resources with no trade or profession could i have risked letting the lips my boy had kissed he stopped suddenly for his wife had slipped from her chair to the carpet and was sobbing he had lost one child he must not the second so he ceased to talk of mrs and raised to a sofa where in a short time he saw with satisfaction that she seemed quite recovered nothing was worse a doctor had told him for his coming infant than over excitement on the mother s part he must be careful that nothing of the kind occurred again till all danger was past and at last the day came in such matters there is seldom any on account of the weather by the governor or a stay of proceedings by order of the court of appeals are not to be counted on into that awful valley of the shadow from which each little sun has to rise descended the pretty wife of for the second time but oh the pity of it there was a cloud across the face of nature and the young came forth with life extinguished the anxious father pacing the floor of the room beyond heard the news that a daughter had been born whose slight bosom had never drawn even one breath of the air of earth young fa s put on his bat and went out of doors well it was over at last he knew now what he should do one thing could have saved his wedded life that hung by such a slender thread one thing would have made it possible for him to forget and forgive as a mother of a living child might again have taken her place at his side from which he had excluded her so long now his hope of happiness was ended all he had dreamed of being would be buried in the lot at where his lay chapter xxx can you ever love me spent a good part of the next fortnight in of his interest in the concern called co business had taken a better turn of late and there was a fairly good sum to his credit in addition to the amount he owed his partners pleaded with him not to desert them and asked in vain the reason for his sudden announcement of an intention to give up the place he held he would only say that he wished to make a change and that time was pressing he inquired of the doctor who attended his wife how soon she would be able to hear some disagreeable news that he was obliged to impart to her without injury to her health the medical man suggested that another month had best be allowed as mrs was recovering slowly said nothing until the thirty days had expired he went out every day at the usual hour and returned at night so that nothing in his j young fa s conduct aroused the least suspicion he intended to make one blow when the time came on an afternoon when for want of something better to occupy his

0Arthur Conan Doyle

time he was strolling in the park he came across mrs walking like himself alone he would have avoided addressing her had she not stopped abruptly in his path so that he could not help acknowledging her presence without a kind of that he did not like to use i have been wanting a few words with you mr murmured mrs and i shall hardly find a more time than the present i know you hate me and i will not deny that you have some cause but there are things which if you will let me explain them may your anger there is no one here who knows us and i will delay you but a few minutes she was looking at him wistfully for there was the darkest cloud on his face she had ever seen there a cloud that seemed absolutely impenetrable there is nothing that you can say he replied which will be of the least value to either of us if it is in defence of yourself it is unnecessary as you are not in any way responsible to me if it relates to my own family it is equally useless my life is broken beyond repair i have sold out my interest in my business and shall soon leave this part of the world mrs started at his last words with she asked earnestly a shiver passed over him is it likely he demanded with a shade of ness and why not cried her voice in a tremble no matter what you have thought i swear to you young s that she has been an honest wife that never has she been or dreamed of being he controlled himself with an effort and asked if she thought he had any doubt of that i am glad if you have none she replied but in that case how can you speak of going away and not taking with you he drew a long breath and shut his lips together for a moment sharply do you not realize he said that there are things a wife may do that are no less terrible in the sight of a husband than actual what things asked mrs dropping her eyes before the blackness of the gaze he bent upon her for instance intimately with women of loose morals he answered bitterly she shrank as if the blow had been a physical one you mean me she said yes i mean you she cleared her throat of something that her attempts to answer then she said i swear to you that she never knew never even suspected my guilt in that case she is too simple to be a safe wife for any man he answered if she could see you day after day so intimate with such a man as frank mrs raised both her hands while hot tears rushed to her eyes oh mr remember he is dead that does not relieve him of criticism he replied roughly but let me say again mrs this conversation can have no good end as i said in the first place you are not responsible to me for your young fa s tions so far as they concern your individual conduct you have made it impossible that i should again be a husband to and i am only awaiting the passage of a few more days to tell her so when i am out of the way it is probable she will send for you so that your old friendship is likely to be renewed i must now bid you good afternoon he had turned and was about to walk away when spoke again i shall never lead her into such dangers as might come from companionship with me she said she has been kind enough to give me money and i can get along now but i will not let her injure herself farther much as i would like her society had not turned his face toward her he listened with no sign of and when she finished he said good bye mrs she would have liked to say much more to him but she saw that he was the death of mr had given her a shock from which she had recovered and she was in no condition for a with one so set as he appeared to be at the end of the month came into his house one morning only an hour after he left it to the great astonishment of his wife who had never known a similar instance since they had lived in new york is anything the matter she asked anxiously coming toward him with the timid air she always wore in his presence of late he took a chair and himself up for his unpleasant task yes he said slowly something is th matter very many things are the matter young s mrs that it was no ordinary affair that was on his mind she sat down opposite to him and waited for him to continue with a feeling of deep apprehension is it about your business at the office she asked as he did not speak no i have no business at the office i sold out a month ago ah i h she heaved a sigh things had gone wrong there again he took out a and began to cut his which did not need that attention in the least a fact she was quick to observe on the contrary he said things have gone remarkably well there for some time back in fact when things went the worst elsewhere they improved at the office i have thirty thousand dollars in the bank and i owe no man a cent it was something about herself then she had feared at the first that this was it but she hoped otherwise what new fault had she committed she wondered she puzzled her tired brain over this but could find no solution

0Arthur Conan Doyle

to it it was a long time since she had been beyond her and she had had literally no visitors but dr and her nurse the fact is said forcing out the words with difficulty i am going away going away where i am going away he repeated too many things have made new york unpleasant to me she waited a few seconds for him to explain where are we going she asked finally he twisted a number of times the only ring that he young s it is only who am going he said slowly and shall you stay long he raised his eyes to hers and she understood thing before he spoke as long as i live for a moment the shock was the same to her as if he had suddenly died in that chair in which he was sitting she had had no preparation for this she had known that he was likely at any time to find fault with her to complain of things she had done to warn her against their repetition but that he intended to their bonds fully and immediately for that she had not the least she could not utter a word so great was her surprise so intense her pain after waiting a moment he proceeded to explain i want to say just as little as i can and have no misunderstanding that matter of frank and settled everything for me they were living in open you were their almost constant companion visiting them at their residence accompanying them on their walks to places of public resort mrs you did not know what was going on and i do not dispute her the disgrace was however just as great to my name had you been possessed of as much sense as you ought to have you would have known by instinct had you confided in your husband instead of concealing all your acts from him he would have been able to tell you that you were in dangerous society you chose your own path if you ever have a regret for our separation it is them you may blame so long as i had your child to think of i was obliged to forgive and try to forget many things h young is not here so long as there was another life that seemed about to owe its existence to us i held my peace as well as i could now nothing stands in my way there is no reason why you and i cannot separate cannot give up a married existence that has had more than its share of for both you have a much larger fortune than i there is no probability that you will ever be in want if you ever are i will share all i have with you freely as to a divorce a legal affair i leave that to your pleasure i shall never wish to marry again should you ever have such a desire i will not oppose you there is only one thing more that i wish to say and that is i accuse you of nothing worse than blind folly i do not think you have been guilty of personal faults we are thoroughly that is all there was a quality in this little woman difficult to comprehend a quality that made strength out of her very weakness in such an emergency as this she had recently risen from a sick bed at her best she was no match for a strong man like him the few things she had to say however came straight from her lips without a tremor or sign of cowardice i have listened to you she answered without interruption and if you will do as much i will be very brief i never knew never conceived that anything was wrong between frank and until she wrote me in response to the i sent her all and begging my pardon i was shocked for nothing but her own admission would have made me believe so frightful a thing of a woman who seemed so pure and innocent you it strange but reflect a little there was no way that i should know i have not had your experience io young fa s never went to a house of ill never drank to in company with a as you have done if i my two cousins my ignorance of such matters is my sufficient excuse severely under the thrust but he let her go on without reply you speak of our children do you think they were dearer to you than to the mother who carried them next her heart for long months bore them in anguish such as no man ever and nursed them at her breast i have not your facility of expression but the loss not only of but of that little girl on whose face you did not even to look has made me suffer intensely the trouble is that you have never really loved me you have looked on me as something to preserve for the sake of your offspring something to be treated with special consideration as long as their lives were dependent on mine and to be thrust aside when that necessity no longer exists now before you say good bye i want to own to you that i have not done everything as i should nor as i would if i had them to do over again i have learned from dear experience but i cannot help adding that you have not been perfect either you married a child and it was your duty to guard her closer than you did you could have passed a little more of your time with her you might occasionally have taken her to walk or a place of amusement instead of leaving her to find other people more willing had you done your whole duty i might have been a little nearer to

0Arthur Conan Doyle

of addition he was a confirmed and a very comfortable sort of fellow at the moment when he is introduced to the reader he was gazing into a love at seventy heap of coals which burned brightly in the grate before him both the book keeper and his companion suddenly became aware that there was a knock at the outer door of the counting room at least they knew that either this had happened or that the wind which was very boisterous had blown so severely against the building as to convey the impression that some one wished to enter the book keeper looked at mr who in return looked at the book keeper and the was that called come in in an elevated tone of voice the door opened slowly and closed behind a young man or it might be more correct to say lad for he did not look more than seventeen or eighteen years of age he was dressed notwithstanding the extreme coldness of the day and his features wore a pinched look such as is usually taken for a sign of physical suffering have you any work that i could do sir inquired the directing his question to the as mr was partly concealed from view by one of the large chairs in the room the book keeper was plainly annoyed he had been interrupted at the very worst time before he could find words the intruder knew by the unpleasant expression of his face what to expect no no replied we ve got nothing for you come be off the last exclamation was caused by the hesitation of the and his evident desire to the picturesque and poor conversation mr glancing from his seat by the fire saw the disappointed expression one that was not far from indicating genuine pain he moved his chair slightly and surveyed the with interest well are you going repeated seeing that the still remained we have nothing for you in any shape the works are all full and there is no prospect of a be sure and shut the door as you have already let in a good deal of cold the attitude of the young fellow changed with marvellous rapidity under the words and manner with which he had been received he raised his head and threw at the book keeper a glance of defiance i am poor and i am cold and i am hungry he said in a firm voice but that is no reason why you should speak to me like a dog i asked you for work not for charity and you might have replied in decent language this conversation occupied but a few seconds but it gave mr time to take a minute survey of the boy he saw at once that he had a fine face most intelligent eyes and an air that does not usually accompany such poor garments as he wore he noticed also that the lad s hands which were entirely bare were well shaped and very delicate although the outside the window far below the point he had no overcoat the extreme of his countenance was like at that of one recently recovered from a severe illness and this gave his eyes an unusually large appearance the angry look which flashed into them when he replied to the book keeper s words caused them to light up in a way quite attractive to any one but the object of their wrath he is very picturesque muttered mr beneath his breath feeling the necessity of doing something to preserve his dignity from the of the youth us left his stool and figures and approached him get out of here he said sharply or i ll put you out i ll h you manners beggar for answer the young fellow who was much and shorter than his clenched his thin hands but did not move an inch he evidently had no intention of being without a protest his eyes which had been dark before seemed to flash fire from out their depths his teeth white and even showed set and determined beneath the pale lips there could be but one issue to a contest so unequal but if imagined that he was to have his own way in the he had evidently made a how very picturesque he is murmured the young gentleman by the fire again then in a louder voice he addressed himself to the let him alone i want to talk to him the tone in which this was said was the most ordinary one in the world but there are two classes of beings who know and obey their masters without hesitation was a member of one of these classes and though mr was in one sense no master of his he knew that the time might come when he would be and had a due regard for the bread and butter question on that future day at this moment the piercing whistle of the works blew indicating the hour of noon the book keeper recognized the welcome sound and a sense of pleasure at his approaching dinner overpowered every other feeling he took down a heavy overcoat from an adjacent closet turning up the ample collar above his neck put on his fur gloves and hat the clad visitor with that contempt which well dressed people very properly have for their in this regard and finally by him as if he were some specimen of made his exit from the building not until the door had closed behind the form of did any change whatever come into the pale face of the young fellow but the next moment he turned with quite a different expression to mr did i understand that you wished to see me he asked y e s replied the other slowly that was exactly what the young gentleman wished to do with the boy to see him he pleased intensely his

0Arthur Conan Doyle

sense of sight he would have enjoyed nothing better than merely to look at him for the rest of the afternoon having taken a very late r love at seventy breakfast he was not troubled by those which made glad to hear the noon signal sit down he added presently it is surely more comfortable here than out of doors as the lad feebly took a chair whispered to himself for the third time i think he is the most picturesque boy i ever saw the air of the counting room was undoubtedly to that of the street but the youth had something to think of beside his temporary comfort you are very kind said he but i cannot remain long i must find work to day somewhere looked at the slight figure there was much determination in its bearing an appearance entirely at with its slight bulk he had found very dull for the past month and this was the first thing that had in the least entertained him he wanted to retain the sensation what a a creature like this would be in that desolate region let me make a suggestion he said after a slight pause i am obliged to stay in this village and i am simply dying of in saying this i am making a confession to you with which i would not honor anyone else for the world you might suppose to look at me that i was the most contented chap on earth but the fact is i am just the opposite now i live at the hotel and have no one to talk to in the whole place unless it be some idiot like the book keeper with whom you have just had a bit of experience i want you to come up to the house with me and remain there picturesque and awhile as my guest i will not insult you by offering a salary for i want to treat you as one gentleman treats another what do you say a notion that this well dressed man was making fun of him came into the lad s head but he could see nothing to the idea in the straightforward glance that met his inquiring gaze i cannot accept your offer said he though i thank you for it it is absolutely necessary that i lose no time in getting employment was evidently disappointed and so you prefer work to taking your ease excuse me for saying that such a choice is quite incomprehensible i cannot see why anybody should want to work i have always thought it one of the ways of passing one s time even than sitting by this grate and watching the release themselves from that the lad stared at the speaker in great astonishment i have no friends no home no money he replied and his voice faltered what can i do but work the young gentleman could not take his eyes from the handsome fellow it was an outrage that such a picturesque specimen should be condemned to a life of what can you do he echoed why i have just told you have you never read that brilliant saying of s he says the only fitting occupation for a civilized man is to do nothing it at the lad shook his head in wonder he heard but he did not understand the idea that a person with empty pockets could live without labor was a new one to him if you really insist on working do not let me detain you added as his companion gave no sign of intending to reply it is easy to see though that you were never intended for a you are not built with a great rough frame feet and broad hands you are handsome excuse me and you have intelligence in your eyes it is ridiculous to think of you coal or iron or even grinding and yet that is what the of these works would probably have set you to do if there had been any place to offer you instead of replying in words the clad figure rose as if to take its leave you haven t told me your name said his brain to invent some means of keeping his new companion a little longer was the hesitating answer you look as if you had been ill remarked kindly i have then that is another reason why you should not think of doing anything like manual labor for the present don t be foolish come up to the hotel and dine with me after dinner we can talk it over this offer was declined with a motion of the head and another step was taken toward the doorway you are the strangest mortal i ever met picturesque and smiled advancing and placing one of his hands on the other s shoulder i will not oppose you any longer as it is evidently useless sit down again and wait until one o clock i will say the right word to the and he will employ you here there was a moment of hesitation and then the lad responded that he would rather go elsewhere there is no place here that book keeper told me so he said i could not take a place from which some one had to be discharged to make room for me looked much annoyed i say master you won t be able to keep that pace up he folks who persist in working for their living cannot be so particular that is one of the disagreeable things about the business you had better take this situation or a lunch or some money or something it is very cold weather as you may have noticed the next place you apply to will not be any more likely to have a than this one before you came this morning there were half a dozen in here asking the same question i can try

0Arthur Conan Doyle

was the courageous answer sir the young gentleman could not think of anything more to say good by then or rather au f or i am sure it will not be for long take this card with my address when you are tired of walking about the love at seventy country and wish to do a real kindness you will find my offer still open at this they parted one to tramp through the snowy roads to the next village three miles away and the other to seek his rooms at the house i suppose i am going to pity that young mused as he along his brief road and half spoil my dinner pity him he continued pausing at the thought which crossed his mind pity him why i would exchange positions gladly at this moment yes taking his poverty hunger and all for has he not his youth his golden glorious youth still to spend that possession worth more than all the rest of earth and which can never again be mine he has beauty more than that he has even in his shabby clothes he looks fit to rule a he has courage of heart which i never had and never shall have in like degree pity him looking up the speaker saw coming toward him a young girl pretty enough to have fixed his attention at any time but doubly attractive in his present state of mind with the instinct of his training he lifted his hat and stepped aside to allow her the fullest room to pass but when directly in front of him she stopped is not this mr yes he responded your uncle is at the hotel and wishes to speak with you stared at the pretty face in great picturesque and poor but why did he ask you to do such an errand he asked almost indignantly are there no servants at the house the girl blushed violently i suppose they call me one of the servants she replied casting down her eyes one of the servants was it possible and he had never seen her during the four weeks he had lived at the hotel he took a critical though hasty survey of her dress and noticed for the first time that it agreed with her description of her position i beg your pardon he said preparing to accompany her i thought i had seen all of mr s people and you gave me a complete surprise may i inquire in what capacity you are engaged the girl had heard considerable about the nephew of but his voice and manner were very different from what she had supposed when called to do this errand she had expected to meet an i am assistant and she said following him at what she meant to be a respectful distance instead of walking by his side as he seemed to wish her to do i think your uncle is in haste sir i believe he has received a message to leave on the next train was so wrapped up in his reflections that he totally ignored her last statement you surely have not been long at the hotel he said about two months jo love at seventy he stopped short in the snow in a miniature rage where have they kept you he cried a turn in the road hid them from sight everything caught both the hands of the girl in his own it is a shame he said speaking rapidly it is an outrage when they compel me to spend week after week in this dull town to keep from my sight the only interesting thing the village can boast i shall speak to i shall tell him my opinion of his conduct i shall she struggled gently to free her hands and her breath came rapidly your uncle sir you forget he will think it my fault you have no time he looked into the eyes which she raised to his and his were on fire time he cried what is time or eternity to me i shall leave you but remember this is not the last time we shall see each other tell me one thing only your name she whispered he waited still another moment with such a face and such a name he murmured what cursed fate placed you in such a position he added you won t forget me no sir but please will you not hasten turning abruptly he walked as fast as long strides could carry him in the direction of the house a bit of history chapter ii a bit of history and now with the reader s permission the author to take him back a good many years and to give him as much as is wise at this time of the history of the family in the ordinary sense of the term this family had its beginning with the uncle of young mr who made his appearance in the last chapter and his brother were common workmen up to the day when the former made his great discovery now so well known to everybody interested in searching the heavens his fortune came to him as it were at one bound within five years from the time he established his small shop at he purchased the entire site of the coming village of and began preparations for the future the busy streets and the elegant estate upon which he was to rear his own residence i am going to be a very rich man he said to his when he first took him to a and i want all my preparations made on a large scale on this side we must lay out the site for a village over here will be the here we shall have cottages for the workmen and beyond them a hotel in this direction i have reserved fifty love at seventy acres for a home that is the

0Arthur Conan Doyle

best part of my purchase and as soon as i have the money to spare i intend to build a large house upon it the inquired if a wife was among the early who can tell was the reply delivered in a serious manner which did not convey much information in time the projected sent up their smoke long rows of cottages the workmen which finally numbered more than six hundred the hotel took its place in line and the other of a village appeared in all directions some years later work was begun upon a residence in the that mr had set aside for himself and the had enough to talk about when they saw the remarkable extent of the edifice the house seemed large enough to accommodate twenty or thirty people though nothing which indicated any other than its owner and his servants mr discouraged those few persons who deemed themselves sufficiently privileged to make hints in his presence in relation to the matter and it became not only a nine days but a nine years wonder besides the residence itself there were several smaller buildings inside the grounds evidently intended for the use of upon the place extensive stables carriage houses ice houses and other to the home of a man of large property were also erected drives gardens etc followed a bit of history then one day without any apparent reason all of the work none of which was in a finished state was instantly suspended for a long period the buildings stood to the wonder and astonishment of the villagers in the dead silence of their untouched surroundings the closed gates of the great estate barred and locked against every one and then as unexpectedly as the work had been stopped it began again out of the stillness the sound of the the hammer and the saw sounded once more a large company of brought from a distance proceeded with despatch to complete the work on the original plan everything that had been contemplated was finished down to the smallest detail large sums were also expended on the furnishing of the house what can it mean cried the people of village is the master about to marry yes that must be it he is preparing a home for his ne wife but the work went on and moved into the house and with the exception the ordinary servants necessary to such a place and the occasional visits of his brother no one came to the grand mansion was an entirely different man from his brother had made a great effort to interest him in his early discoveries being more than willing to share his success with him it early became evident however that knew nothing whatever about business and disliked everything relating to it in the days of their extreme poverty he at seventy had performed the labor necessary to sustain with ill concealed but upon being released his mind ran rather to the poetic than to the commonplace and he proved completely useless when transferred to the counting room of the new concern much to his satisfaction though to his brother s great regret he was soon retired on a handsome income he established his residence in the city of new york where he attached himself to societies for the discovery and advancement of various things and also occasionally varied the monotony of his life by at his own expense works that found their way to the upper shelves of and remained there undisturbed the one thing that varied this programme was his marriage to a lady who only lived long enough to present him with a son undoubtedly he mourned her loss but after all he was better fitted to live a single than a wedded life the owner of had no he began housekeeping with the assistance of a mrs martin a rather severe woman of forty years or so who for a long time managed all the internal of the place so as to suit him fairly well and to please herself admirably it was his habit to rise at four o clock in summer and five in winter and stroll over his grounds he visited the stables the care given to the animals there or the to make sure his dogs were looking well he also had many long talks with a landscape gardener that he had imported to a bit of history give additional beauty to his naturally attractive grounds in those days seemed at peace he loved to reflect that all these things had come to him through his own discoveries that it was only a few years since he had been a common of whom nobody knew and for whom nobody cared it was a pleasure to walk through this estate and the works down there in the valley and the streets of the growing village and know that he had created them all and he was generous too he founded local and endowed them liberally he was looked up to by every one from the in his employ to the who at the churches the great of the world wrote him letters of he was the subject of many newspaper and magazine articles and an member of several societies what a change for the man who such a little while ago had at it is from like this that much of the comfort in this world is derived no one so the outer air as the who has been confined for months to a room no one knows the joy there is in a drink of water like the traveller who has well nigh perished of thirst before reaching the but had he completed that great house and those extensive grounds for his own use alone yes and no perhaps he would have done the same had he love at seventy had no intention of sharing them with any other person merely for the pleasure of

0Arthur Conan Doyle

possessing such an elegant establishment still it was largely on account of his brother s infant that he set up housekeeping on such an immense scale after the death of s mother on his occasional visits to found him so engrossed in his books that he hardly seemed to know there was a baby to bear his name the child was left entirely to the care of servants and though this may have been quite as well for its health at that period of his life it distressed the kind heart of the uncle who soon conceived for the half boy a very warm affection having no closer ties he early formed a resolution to make this little fellow his heir and the real father who might not have been able to recognize his child out of a dozen on a was quite content so long as he was not to be troubled in any way about him mrs martin who presided over the household affairs of the elder brother and ruled them it must be said with a rod of iron welcomed the young stranger doubtfully but she soon found that she was to have very little to do with him a suitable of special attendants was engaged and was to all and purposes as much at home as if he had been the real son of the owner of this condition of things if it did nothing else relieved the of one cause for worry since his fortune had been so fast he had a great deal as to what ought to be done a bit of hi with it in the event of his death he felt that it would be useless to leave to his brother a larger income than he now enjoyed which he had reason to know was much bigger than he sound use for his lawyers had made various wills for him reference mainly to the spiritual needs of sundry natives of the guinea coast and he now had them draw up another leaving the bulk of his property to without the elder in delightful story never felt more certain that little paul would become a famous figure in his house than did that would be his partner in the works when he became of age as soon as the boy was old enough to understand the uncle liked nothing better than taking him through the and upon him the various processes required to make the which brought him his fortune and reputation he fondly dreamed of a time when would build the name of still higher among it was well that he enjoyed these reflections while he was able to do so for as the lad grew older it became apparent that he had none of those instincts which the future owner of such an establishment ought to possess the boy liked a gun and a horse and a story book especially if the book dealt in tales of travel and adventure but he turned wearily from his and and could not conceal how thoroughly he was bored when the conversation turned upon the or the dis at seventy of a star of the magnitude by some in the uncle hid his disappointment as best he could saying to himself at first that the boy was young and that it was too soon to expect his mind to develop in these directions he sent him away to school upon the principal the necessity of paying particular attention to such studies as would assist the lad in managing his future stayed through the time allotted him but his professors failed entirely to alter his natural bent in spite of their most vigorous efforts they were obliged to admit when they had done all they could that while he was most in history he made a very poor showing in and he had no difficulty in getting a hundred per cent in geography and he was the best pupil they had in modern languages but a was entirely beyond his comprehension and all attempts to interest him in were dismal failures when found himself face to face with these facts he did just the opposite to what many men in his position would have done he put all his hopes aside and began to realize that he had no reason to expect any other result the boy s father was a and a poet and his mother had come of a race of what was there in this to warrant an expectation that he would have an to things scientific loved his nephew and as he could not make him what he had wished he resolved to let a bit of history him pursue his own way with every advantage that money could give when the young man came home from school the uncle sat down and had a long talk with him he told him frankly that he had expected to teach him his own business but being convinced that it was not to his liking he should say no more about it he then urged the lad to open his heart and to say for what profession he believed himself best fitted till then as any youth imaginable felt the blood rush to his brain at the tenderness thus exhibited he had come to regard this man as a father much more than that other relation to whom he vas in the habit of paying a brief visit about once a year he expressed his regret that his uncle should find him lacking in the qualities he desired but admitted that there was nothing attractive to him about a business or scientific career as to what he would eventually prefer for an occupation he could hardly say as yet but for the present he would like to travel in some of the foreign countries whose history interested him so much and whose tongues he had acquired i am quite pleased that this

0Arthur Conan Doyle

is your desire said mr kindly there is nothing like travel to develop the mind i shall miss you very much but if you make good use of your opportunities i shall be willing for your sake to endure the separation replied with real feeling and asked how soon he might start whenever you are ready was the answer love at seventy that is if your father has no objections of course he must be consulted certainly said with i will write to him at once this fiction of consulting mr had been followed from the first though both and his uncle understood perfectly that it was a merely affair i shall not limit you in the matter of expense said mr when the time of parting came make your journey as long or as short as it suits you i should be sorry to have you travel in anything but the best manner and i wish to leave you the sole judge in everything only wherever you go remember that you are a gentleman you do not know chapter iii vou do not know thus it happened that when he had barely reached his nineteenth birthday found himself on english soil with no commission except to do as he liked and with unlimited means to draw upon he was in good health and of a pleasing face and figure a young fellow to be envied will say i am very sure the majority of my readers a young fellow to be pitied will be the verdict of a and perhaps they re the nearer right of the two saw considerable of europe much more in fact than he described in the letters which he wrote home his uncle s life was too busy and his father s too poetic to give them much apprehension in relation to him but it is as well established as any fact in that most young men need some object in life some kind of useful employment to keep them out of mischief give them plenty of money and abundant leisure and in nine cases out of ten they will find use for both in ways which the judicious might not wholly approve many young men would have been ruined by the course which young passed through during his stay abroad but there was one thing which saved him from sinking below a certain point he retained through everything an love at seventy love for the beautiful though he had developed no particular talent as an artist he had an intense appreciation of form and color a love of beauty for beauty s sake if idleness led him to his he never wholly forgot them like the statues of the old masters which the finds buried deep in the clay of centuries the original loveliness was still there in the of his mind and at the slightest appeal to his senses it came newly born to the surface had he remained in england his morals might easily have survived all the made upon them as he strolled through the streets of liverpool on the night following his arrival he was by the women who him with eyes into his face and breathing brown stout and gin into his nostrils the seemed to be full of them he could easily believe it when he afterwards read in some book of that there were more of this class in proportion to the population in that great city than in any other spot in he was glad when he reached his hotel for he felt like one who had passed through a territory with poisonous and ugly he wondered if any man could be found so low as to accept the fearful invitations with which his ears had been from liverpool he went to and walked upon the roman walls then through the pastoral country rich in historic interest lying between it and london stopping at on war you do not know castle and other well known where almost as many americans as englishmen are encountered in these places nothing disturbed him if there be women of easy virtue in that region they are not upon the notice of unwilling travellers as they are at the then he reached london where he found a condition of things second only to that of liverpool and which and every man who comes from this side of the ocean and has occasion to walk out after ten o clock at night in the metropolis of the world stayed in london a fortnight and would have stayed longer but for the annoyance of the crowd of women who seemed to think him their natural and legitimate prey and who pursued him with a equalled by nothing on earth unless it be the beggars at or he anticipated great enjoyment in strolling at night through the half deserted streets examining the with which his reading made him familiar but everywhere to his consternation he found a of scarlet women on his track he took lodgings in square and if there is a respectable square in london it is this one and found the streets leading from it with them he followed the advice of his and rode into the on walking back so as to inspect the various more at his leisure wherever he went they were before him at they were more plenty than the legitimate of the which start love at seventy from there to every corner of london they were almost as numerous in the streets of south as in commercial road or lane one evening when he had to walk at a late hour through oxford street it seemed to him that their were placed as regularly as those of an army they would accept neither his indignant nor his sullen silence sometimes they followed him for blocks the advantages of their making a price and then lowering it like a dutch and finally him with a curse

0Arthur Conan Doyle

long after he learned the reason why none of the members of the immense police force of london make any interference with these people one of them happened to arrest a respectable lady by mistake several years ago and naturally a great fuss was made about it in order to be perfectly sure not to repeat this error no similar have been made in london from that day to this crossing the channel at stopped at but one or two places of historic interest before he reached paris strolling with a new sense of delight along the grand upon the and through the numerous he found women there too not as plenty as they had been in london but numerous enough and what an difference soft clad hot glances at him with their bon from which it was not easy to turn away when he invited one of them as he did why should i w tou do not know for him to sit at a little table in front of a she light wine from a and replied to his in modest that won his saxon heart and turned his saxon brain as they sat there he mentally the garments she wore at the taste displayed in making very ordinary materials so attractive from the bits of straw and lace which formed her hat to the exquisite which clad her dainty feet everything excited his admiration he compared her eloquent silence to the noisy chatter of women of her class that he had seen elsewhere and knew that it would him even to say the american had no idea of this acquaintance at the first interview and began to wonder how he should manage to continue it he began by tales of an engagement for this particular evening and instantly realized from her unmoved countenance that she did not believe a word of his explanation i shall have to leave you he said trying to stare his watch out of countenance could you could you come here to morrow at six i should like to have you take dinner with me but he had read many french novels i suppose you have a lover no she replied looking him in the eye in away that made it impossible to doubt her may i you won t be offended she bowed in a way that made him feel love at that she was a favor rather than receiving one he slipped two louis into her hand the next day was the longest one of his life at six she met him as agreed and they dined at one of the great on the des when he asked her to show him where she lived she saying that her apartment was in an quarter and very plainly furnished when he had overcome her scruples they took a carriage and rode quite a long distance passing through a they climbed many stairs to her room at the top of the house looked out of the window upon a wilderness of roofs and bits of the and little of streets and in the distance and a stretch of railroad plainly furnished it certainly was but everything was of the most scrupulous neatness the of the bed was as white as snow the window curtains were tied with bright ribbons from a a pair of hung in a brass cage and what the stranger s attention most was the fact that nearly every inch of the wall was covered with pictures arranged with great care pictures which had cost almost nothing being made up of to the cheaper newspapers but which gave a cheerful air to the apartment and made him feel for the first time since he had left america that he was in a real home s money came freely and it with in the first flush of what he imagined was his love for the girl he promised her you do not know something like eternal fidelity and she gave him evidence of an intention to take him at his word but at the end of six months in paris the american began to think it high time to take his departure for other parts of europe letters from his uncle contained mild hints that he was making too long a stay in one city and the approach of winter began to remind him of italy now was all very well in her own sphere but he could not see how he was going to travel with her he confided to one of his masculine french acquaintances that he feared a scene when he had to tell he must leave his friend stared at him with wonder you surely do not intend to tell her he exclaimed how can i help it the smiled softly when there is an easy way to do anything and a difficult way why should you choose the hard one an easy way repeated the american to be sure if you tell her you are going she may only have a crying spell but it is much more likely she will tear your eyes out it was now s turn to smile you do not know he said she never shows the least symptom of temper naturally responded the other there has been nothing to cause it you have given her everything she has wanted and she believes herself settled love at seventy for years in her present comfortable position tell her to morrow that you intend to give her the go by and my word for it you will have a different entertainment these girls are precisely like cats stroke their fur the right way and you will never see the steel that lies hidden beneath their velvet claws stroke it just once the wrong way and out will fly the sharp and your skin will be oh you are not obliged to believe me you can try it yourself if you prefer but did

0Arthur Conan Doyle

not fancy trying it himself how can i get away he asked helplessly easily enough she goes every morning to her mother s does she not to take her a when she she at what hour you wish her to return you respond that you will expect her at six o clock for dinner that gives you seven hours in which to leave the city you will pack your things call a cab and to the station leaving a little note to say that a has been received informing you of the dangerous illness of a in england you mean america more for the sake of saying something than because he considered the difference important america or england it is all the same thinks them one country i ll fifty these girls have no more idea of geography than an they always divide the world into two parts paris and the rest and believe paris by far the larger leave her the note saying that your relation in england is dying and that you were k you do not know summoned in such haste that you could not wait to kiss her good by put a nice little sum of money in the envelope to soften her regrets pay the three months in advance for her lodgings and there you are the author of this ingenious plan spread open the palms of his hands and shrugged his shoulders after the manner of his countrymen but s face was very grave it seems contemptible he said cares a great deal for me so she will for your successor laughed the frenchman she really is a very nice girl mused i am sure you have found her so replied the other and that is a strong reason why you should take nothing away but pleasant memories it is a good rule never to look into a coffin in a voice stammered that this would be his last adventure of this kind va dire laughed the other well which will you do follow my suggestion or your own fancy because if you are determined to say to her in person i shall think it necessary to send up a surgeon on the morning of your departure the affair of used to think in after years when he looked back upon it was only a slight incident in his life there soon came a time when he regarded the delicate scruples he exhibited as the most senseless things in the world but the sentiments of which he grew ashamed did love at seventy him more credit than those which them those feelings of compassion with which the french girl inspired him marked a mile post on the road he was to travel separating widely the two extremes of his life the first place he went to after leaving paris was where he soon forgot his resolutions in the smiles of a fair daughter of he then the principal cities of italy finding a new divinity in each he crossed to africa and in the sunlight of a an and an egyptian after that he passed through asia and everywhere he saw more of the women of the land than of the beauties or the of ancient or modern men in rome he visited the the the and the great churches but when he recalled that city the thing in his memory was a dark eyed girl who to him in the soft accents of her native tongue as they wandered about under the moonlight one of his arms around her slender waist he admired the bay of which he thought inferior only to that of the depths of walked through the streets of and climbed the steep sides of but he remembered better than any of these the oval beauty of a with whom he drove back to the city late at night eating grapes they had stolen from a he rode in over the watery streets of the nearest like that any mortal you do not know city could be but always in the of his vision when he recalled the place was the drooping head of a young girl sitting by his side in a boat on the grand canal her dark hair falling over a low forehead her white hand making in the wave in and he saw the tragedy of and re a locked young woman with hair and tinted taking the now familiar of the one even in and china on the plains of and in the city of he always found his stay made more agreeable by some sweet creature with the charm of and the bloom of youth years later when asked the exact appearance of a certain historical part of he was forced to admit his forgetfulness but he could have recognized without question the photograph of a certain whom he knew there and when after the globe he landed from the oriental steamer at san he confessed that his greatest anxiety after years of absence was to know how well the women of his own country compared with those of foreign lands he would have been surprised had anyone intimated such a thought that he had been to his uncle s advice when he left home to be a gentleman wherever he went but then being a gentleman means many things to different people love at seventy chapter iv the housekeeper s daughter at the risk of leaving master wandering through the in the neighborhood of in search of employment it is necessary to relate at this time something more of the experiences of the family for some time after the departure of for europe the affairs of his uncle s household continued to be presided over by mrs martin she had become a genuine upon the place and the idea that she could leave it had never entered the head of its proprietor her health began to fail however and one day she announced

0Arthur Conan Doyle

that she was about to take up her residence with a son who lived in though not without her faults mrs martin was a pattern of neatness and order the who drew the plans of the buildings had sent her on from philadelphia apparently to match the rest of the which were grand solemn and impressive when mr received news of her intention to leave him he was in a state of consternation and did his best to her but the housekeeper having made up her mind was not to be turned from it and when the next month expired she went her way mr had lived so long with everything arranged for him by one set of careful hands that the housekeeper s daughter the next few weeks he endured real torture the house was all at and his meals were served his bed was not made right though the same attended to it as formerly he could not find anything he wanted still he dreaded the advent of a new housekeeper quite as much as the he was enduring and he had just reached a point where he thought seriously of closing up the house and boarding at the hotel when he was informed one evening that a lady awaited him in his parlor it was the first time a lady had ever asked to see him in his parlor that he could remember the village people were not of such a social grade as to presume upon calling in that manner and his clergyman s wife was about the only female person he knew who would have felt justified under any circumstances in ringing his front door bell as he sent his check to that lady s husband and limited his acquaintance with the family to that extent he did not suppose for an instant that his present was the one in question he therefore went down with some curiosity i heard sir that you were in want of a housekeeper it was a lady in mourning garments who spoke so that was all eh he confessed to a feeling of disappointment it was a mere for work i am in need of a person in the capacity which you mention he replied but as i have said nothing about it in this village i am at a loss to understand at mr stopped short in his speech and a gleam of recognition came into his face why he exclaimed it is miss no it is mrs now she answered quietly i do not wonder you did not recognize me it has been a long time since we met and so you you have been married he responded now speaking with complete cordiality and excuse me you are a widow she bowed it has become necessary for me to earn mj living mr and i think i could suit you i should certainly try very hard he looked at her in some doubt i do not like changes he said i want a person who will be permanent i want one who will remain as long as i live now you are young and the probability is will marry again a shadow crossed the lady s features oh no i never shall i assure you she replied gently and you have no no she hesitated a moment fearful lest what she had to say would prejudice him against her cause only a child a daughter i know what you will think but she is not the least bit of trouble she is fifteen years of age a very good girl too let me show you her picture upon which she handed him the photograph of a little with the sweetest expression and with hair hanging in a mass about her shoulders the housekeeper s my husband did not leave us much continued the mother but with economy we have kept along until now it is evident that i must soon get employment and as i knew you the old man was holding the child s picture in his hand and gazing upon it the little one had pleaded her mother s cause successfully his heart went out to her at once when can you come he asked the mother drew a deep breath of relief then i am really engaged but you won t refuse me leave to bring will you i want very little wages of course she added doubtfully if you insist i shall have to board her somewhere in the village he put the photograph on the table as if he accepted it as his own is that her name is part of the contract said he where are you staying at present we arrived at the hotel an hour ago then i suppose you can come in the morning mrs smiled an affirmative your salary will be fifty dollars a month the same that i paid mrs martin i will send a carriage for you at nine o clock he rose and accompanied her to the door are you alone he asked seeing that no one was in waiting i think i will walk back with you it is late this is how and her mother for it was always in this order that they appeared to him became of the mansion of love at seventy for some weeks after s departure his uncle had missed him nothing but shame kept him from writing to request his return even when at school the boy had come home at least once a fortnight and nearly the whole of his had been passed there at no time was he so far away that a few hours ride would not have to reach him in an emergency now with thousands of miles of land and water between them a feeling of intense loneliness would often the foster father but for the coming of the he surely would never have consented to the long tour that his

0Arthur Conan Doyle

nephew made little galloped into the affections of the old man with as much facility as she galloped about the roads in the neighborhood on a pony that he very soon bought for her she even filled a in his heart which the boy had never quite succeeded in doing he found the greatest delight in her society and thought nothing finer than to take her little hand in his and stroll through the grounds or down to the village or over to the works gossip that plant which in all seasons and at all times took up the subject and many were the observations and regarding the strange fancy of the man for the child of his housekeeper as he never heard any of these things however they did not trouble him his servants with indignation the which came to their ears declaring that the master s life raised him above criticism having nothing to feed on the soon subsided the housekeeper s daughter mr met his nephew at new york and welcomed him cordially though with rather less than the latter expected when they spoke of mr suggested that the young man would probably find much better at the hotel than at the family mansion i live like a sort of he explained taking my meals at random and i m afraid it would be dull for you when you get ready to come up i will arrange with mr to give you the best rooms he has and i can meet you every day at the counting room so far from being disagreeable to this plan entirely met his views he felt that it would be necessary to pass considerable time at for the looks of the thing and he regarded the whole affair as a species of penance from which there was no means of escape he had grown a great deal older in the past three years he dreaded the air of his uncle s house and at the prospect of bed at nine and breakfast at six which he recalled as the rule of former days life at the hotel though it must be dreary enough would not involve these he could come and go when he pleased with no one to interfere he felt certain that mr would not spend much time in attending to things which were none of his business he accordingly responded to his uncle s evident satisfaction that he would be content with any arrangements that were made for him love at seventy you have your letter of credit on s still of course remarked the elder gentleman oh yes i believe it is not limited in amount no sir i hope i have not drawn more than you thought proper by no means was the reply i left it altogether with i wanted you to have enough how long do you mean to stay in was surprised at the question and wished he knew how best to answer it he stole a glance at his uncle in hopes to find some guide in his expression but that gentleman was looking at the carpet i do not know exactly he replied at last have you any suggestions he asked desperately n o said mr and here the conversation changed to other subjects and the matter was not taken up again had never mentioned in any of his letters to that he had changed the man knew nothing of the child who had gone so far toward taking his place in his uncle s house and heart he must know it at some time but the one most interested wanted to the day as late as possible why should not everything have been revealed at once what reason was there for this secrecy so foreign to everything else in the old man s character was now an experienced man was seventeen quite a woman perhaps that had something to do with it miss is shocked chapter v miss is shocked s recollections of the character of mr who ran the hotel at were entirely correct the house over which he presided like almost everything else in was owned by as was the favorite relation and probable heir of his uncle was glad to see him and had no idea of letting anything interfere with his contentment the day before his arrival the landlord spoke to each of the in turn bidding them make every effort to please the young gentleman who was to come he has travelled a great deal he said and may appear unreasonable in some things but there is to be just one rule for him whatever he asks for he must have to this mr added a mild hint that it would be very disastrous for any particular servant with whom mr came in collision and an air of not to say awe the entire household as the critical day drew near the number of was naturally small as the establishment seldom had a dozen transient guests at one time there was a female cook who never came into any portion of the house where the guests would be likely to encounter her but who played a love at seventy most important part for all that in the economy of the concern there was a middle aged woman who in the double capacity of chief and head table a maid a boy who did odd and one or two men whose duties were mainly at the stable to this had recently been added the pretty girl whom met on his way from the counting room on the morning when he first saw young she was under general instructions to be ready for any emergency and never having had the least experience in a hotel was considerably exercised over the prospect the chief and head whose name was partly the fears of this young in relation to mr by saying that she the would answer all of

0Arthur Conan Doyle

his bells in person and that it was doubtful if she the pretty girl would even so much as get a glimpse of him made up his mind as he was to be forced to remain for some time in that he would get all the fun possible out of his residence at the hotel before he had been in the house an hour he had the cordial ill will of every person with whom he came in contact except the landlord who could not afford to harbor such a feeling against a guest of his description nothing done in anticipation of his arrival suited him in the least these are your rooms sir said the smiling miss when she had him up the stairs miss shocked i say the smiling miss but it was the last smile that fair creature wore for many days rooms echoed the heir of rooms these are not rooms they are no human being could exist for five minutes in this atmosphere throw open those windows every one of them or knock them out or something we thought began the that i was a very likely but i am not unhappily i have lungs which are set in motion by supplies of he walked to the window as soon as it was opened and took in a deep breath of the frosty air what in heaven s name are these things he continued in allusion to the lace curtains that had been arranged with great care across the upper panes pull them down quick i want to look out without sitting on a stool then he glanced around the walls and uttered an exclamation of horror what are those dreadful things in frames not pictures don t tell me that whatever they are have them removed immediately i would not sleep in the same room with them for a fortune miss much agitated by this gladly seized the opportunity to escape to the lower floor and inform the landlord of the strange which his new guest had made mr promptly called william and two of his male and ordered them to go to s room and execute as rapidly as possible every order that he gave her take these off first called to the love at advance guard as the appeared in sight he tossed toward them several bed known in the as what under the blessed sun do you call those they would a man in about thirty seconds miss thought it time to make a stand why sir they are the very best we have in the house they were bought on purpose for your room they might do for retorted mr but they are totally unfit for any other purpose have you no blankets yes sir but then get them out that he added to the man alluding to the pictures and what is this a stove as i m alive a stove with a red hot fire in it and an unused fire place drop those and take this stove out first no wonder i was william the who had taken up several articles in succession and let them fall again started for the stove as if with the intention of removing it forthwith but miss sprang toward him with a scream declaring that the fire must be extinguished go down and get some she said to the boy and start a blaze in the fireplace we shall have to wait till the stove is cooler before removing it she remarked to in a shaking voice mi s shocked traveller felt a keen delight in the commotion ne was causing there is enough here he said pointing to the pictures that lay in a heap on the floor those frames would burn i should think the woman felt compelled to enter a feeble protest to this proposition will be here soon with plenty of better stuff she ventured but they must be burned some time replied the last gentleman who had these rooms retorted miss under the impression that the entire house was being assailed never said a word against them he was a sick man too and had to lie here all day with nothing else to look at stared at her with alarm where am i he demanded is this a hospital i thought it was a hotel he was sick was he he died i ll bet a guinea and he lay there in that bed day after day looking at those pictures and they called doctors and prescribed for him no one suspecting the dreadful cause that was gradually the foundations of his existence his voice began to tremble did he have this stove too the woman s teeth yes sir in the fall we put it up when it began to grow cold turned away and buried his face in his handkerchief love at seventy poor fellow poor fellow he wiping his eyes came up with the the fire in the stove was subdued sufficiently to admit of the removal of that piece of furniture blankets were for the heavy the that had been carefully arranged to hide the magnificent view were taken down and then miss ventured to inquire humbly if that was all he wanted all echoed looking at the woman as if about to break into another rage it seemed as if he could never reply to one of her questions without repeating something she had said no it is not all f it is not half doesn t it occur to you that a man who had his dinner two hundred miles from here may want something in the way of food i meant all in the room faltered the her heart ready to burst she had never imagined that anyone would address her in this manner before william and who had hitherto regarded her as a person of superior position then you should have said so what have you in

0Arthur Conan Doyle

the house that is fit for a christian to eat anything you like to order sir but i shall not order sir i am not going to spend my time attending to your business you can bring me what you think best only he paused and looked more darkly than ever at his attendant if it should happen to be a and it was cooked more than one minute on each side on a over coals i would not touch it if it hiss is shocked was in a spider as i have known your countrymen to cook it i would sue the landlord of this house for assault and battery and i would get judgment too if there is coffee and i don t say there will be it must come up here half cream and very hot or it will go down again if there are potatoes they will have to be brown but not burned mind you and if anyone should offer me v not merely to night but at any time during my stay there would be blood you may go miss delivered this message of its to the cook and then went to the rear door of the kitchen for air she was actually dizzy from the shock to her feelings at her strange reception as soon as she was out of the room young threw himself into one of the easy chairs the only articles of furniture present of which he fully approved and laughed he muttered talk about your your it takes a free born american to bow before the power of gold as long as i have plenty of money to over the wounds to their sentiments i can wipe my feet on any of them there is not a de in europe who would endure half the insolence i gave that woman i shall be ashamed of my country if does not come up here and toss me out of the window the cook who had heard all that william and could tell her of what had passed upstairs was in a nervous state lest the she was preparing should be returned as unsatisfactory but had exhausted for the moment his love of lots at fun and ate his supper which was really very good without comment when it was finished he walked the to watch the stars which shone brightly over the still mountain and valley and in the pleasure of the contemplation forgot his loneliness foi the time his uncle was away on business when he arrived at but returned within a day or two and came promptly to the hotel noticed as he had in the interview at new york that there was something for which he could not account in the manner of this relation he felt that he had in some unknown way displeased him and expected every time mr opened his mouth to learn the cause of his changed attitude he feared that he had delayed too long to suit his uncle s ideas in deciding what to adopt as a profession but he had become so used to doing nothing that he did not like the thought of giving it up though the conversation lasted for more than an hour however it bore no reference to this subject it ran backward and forward at random among things native and foreign and not a word was spoken conveying the least hint that anything disagreeable was in mind could not help wondering whether he had alarmed himself could it be that his busy uncle was willing he should lead a life of entire idleness i hope they make things agreeable for you here said mr after one of his long pauses quite so responded having miss is shocked in countries where the manners are so entirely different things seem a little odd at first but is doing the best he can the elder man seemed relieved at the answer i live so plainly myself said he that i fear you would not be comfortable at my house however some day before you go if you would like to come for a dinner i i could arrange it that is of course with time for preparation laughed lightly that sounds awfully formal said he i would be glad to take pot luck with you but the hotel is just as well when you get a chance you might come in and dine with me and save all the trouble i will do that then responded the other drawing a long breath on the whole it would be better yes he added it would be much better although mr had dined twice with his nephew after this he had said nothing in relation to the dreaded subject up to the time when he sent the pretty to call him as detailed in the first chapter of this story lots at seventy chapter vi i m sure i can trust you mr had nothing of special moment to communicate to his nephew beyond the message in the words of miss a matter connected with his business had suddenly occurred which made it necessary for him to take a journey that might occupy a fortnight or more he only wished to say good by to and to inquire whether he would probably find him at on his return had this question been asked an hour sooner at any time in fact before he met the charming girl the young man would have answered without hesitation that he would spend the time of his uncle s absence by taking a trip to new york he cordially disliked and remained merely from motives of policy nothing but his interest in the face he had just seen would have kept him there over night but to such a man this reason was amply sufficient he had no idea of leaving a village containing such a worthy object of attention and he told mr

0Arthur Conan Doyle

he thought he would stay where he was for the present you arc still satisfied with the hotel asked the uncle i m i can trust you d quite replied with the pretty girl in his mind there would be nothing for you to do at the house continued mr it is a dull place i have locked up most of the rooms and taken the keys he exhibited a bunch as he spoke then he noticed mr crossing the yard and tapped on the window him to enter do your best to entertain my nephew he said to the landlord when he appeared he has travelled in lands where every comfort is given to the stranger almost as a matter of religion he must not find his native country less hospitable responded that he hoped he had already done what was required of him to which answered that he had no fault to find mr then shook his nephew s hand cordially not as warmly as he had done when the boy started on his foreign journey but still kindly enough and getting into the which his man had in waiting he was driven towards the railway station no sooner was the vehicle out of sight than turned upon mr with a savage air may forgive me the lie told to that good man he cried i would not for the world let him know the outrageous way that you have treated me you know what i mean you rascal why have you allowed me to be slowly tortured to death by that when you had all the time under your roof the girl in the country carefully kept out of my sight and hearing the landlord began to ve at seventy i did not know don t you can t do it well enough but really mr stammered i am quite innocent of any wrong intention miss is experienced in waiting upon people while the other has never before worked in a hotel i certainly meant to give you the best one the young gentleman gazed at his companion with a comic look of contempt the best one he repeated as was his wont experienced i should say so she must have had half a century at least don t let her answer my bell again if you want me to stay another day under your roof either expect me to take the evening train or give orders that no one but miss is to respond to calls from and the landlord replied that he would certainly do so if that was the wish of his guest miss is a nice girl i have no doubt he added her parents died some years ago and was left to the care of a guardian who seems to have turned her out as soon as her money was gone i agreed to let her board here this winter though i really did not need her and but his guest had left him abruptly lost all patience at the story he went to his rooms and for the next hour mused upon the fate that had thrown such a lovely creature upon the awfully cold of the world his breakfast was invariably brought to his chamber the other meals he usually took in the public fm sure i can trust dining room to day he decided to have his dinner brought up and rang the bell for that purpose as he stood with his hand on the rope visions of the sweet face which would respond to his come in filled his mind he heard in imagination the little feet of his divinity ascending the stairs and the voice inquiring what did you wish sir but the knock revealed quite a different order of person none other in fact than miss s surprise and disappointment were sufficient to cause him to utter a vigorous exclamation not of the utmost serenity of mind who sent or you he cried somewhat i thought you rang sir did you well for once you were right i did ring i rang for miss and remember hereafter whenever i ring it is for the same person and never under any circumstances for you miss did not intend to abandon the field so easily she is busy just now sir in another part of the house won t i do just as well the young man turned from the window to which he had gone and surveyed the won t you do just as well he repeated i should say not let me ask you candidly if you call that a sensible inquiry the woman evinced signs of a disposition love at seventy i m sure i don t see what you ve got against me sir i ve tried in every way to suit you well don t try any more he answered sharply then as she showed no intention of leaving he added the doctor has positively forbidden me to get excited and you must not me it can t possibly do you any good to sweep my room and make my bed i shall give you the same amount in fact much more if you will kindly keep away here he handed her a bank bill as he spoke is something on account i will send you the same sum each week if you will never present yourself before my vision miss took the money but it did not make her happy she still lingered will you find miss and request her to come here demanded or will you not i had an appetite and it is disappearing shall i have to go down and see the proprietor i will go at once replied the woman only if she does not suit you she is so you can let me know he opened the door and held it in the attitude of one who wishes to the departure of his guest yes i can

0Arthur Conan Doyle

he repeated but that is quite different from saying that i shall now miss perhaps i ought to say good by as we may never meet again if you consult my wishes and your own interest it will be a permanent farewell miss if you please without unnecessary delay he had time to throw himself into a chair and i m i can you laugh heartily at what he considered his excellent joke before a second knock sounded come in he called somewhat roughly he did not intend to make love to and frighten her again that day he had gone farther in that direction when they met in the road than he thought wise on mature reflection he inquired what there was for dinner and gave his order without raising his eyes from a newspaper which he had hastily caught up you may spread the table here if you please he added as he heard her leaving the chamber lay back in his chair by the window and placed his feet on an he was content to the fragrance of the air her presence had his appetite had vanished except as an excuse to bring her to him he would have eaten nothing he gave himself up to dreaming presently the girl returned with a table cloth and dishes she again at the door and he responded that she might enter but still he did not turn his eyes toward her she set the tray on the table and drew that article of furniture into the centre of the apartment then she hesitated a moment what to do next she was in truth wholly unused to making preparations of this kind without assistance and not a little confused at being alone with a young gentleman of the disposition which she had found in this one she shot a mute glance of appeal for information in his direction but he was silent as a stone apparently wholly engrossed with his newspaper it was at seventy clear that she must remove the tray from the table before she could lay the cloth and there was no stand in the room upon which she could place it at last that such an article was sure to be found in the bedroom adjoining she went thither to get it this to asking any questions of the into which mr had suddenly changed brought out the stand first removing from it various articles of gentlemen s attire which she put for want of a better place upon the bed then she carried the tray to it and proceeded to set the table although the young man did not look up once he felt every thrill of which his experienced his highly sensitive organization responded to hers like the strings of a harp to the touch of a when she left the room to go for the he her preparations a smile stole over his countenance as he saw that the cloth was the dishes laid and the table quite out of the place where the careful miss had always put it fastidious to a degree he had insisted upon the utmost in these things and had given his former attendant many a pang by the sarcastic remarks with which he hi directions now all was quite different but had the meal been spread on the carpet he would hardly have cared the food and the manner in which it was served were secondary considerations it was the who brought it that absorbed his attention a l m i can you miss and the dinner soon made their appearance when all was ready and the girl courage to inform him of that fact he rose slowly and took his seat at the table he was obliged to make a of eating because she was watching him after his soup he drew the cork of a bottle of and filled a glass but his appetite for food would not come and presently he pushed the dishes away you may take them he said i am not hungry is there anything else that i can get you sir nothing thank you as he did not rise she asked him presently if she should clear the table and he responded in the affirmative taking up the newspaper he had laid down and pretending again to become deeply interested in it she gathered up the dishes passing around him as her duties made it necessary he was oppressed by her presence and felt that he could not bear it much longer one may admire the perfume of roses and yet feel a sense of when shut up in a room that is full of them had learned to hate the world that had used him so well long before this day but at this moment he hated it worse than ever why he demanded of himself should so many ugly and ugly formed women ride in their carriages while an like this served a common in a common hotel he remembered the white maids of england rosy with health bright of eye and round of limb putting to shame love at their fat and he could recall a hundred houses of wealth in which he had been made welcome on the continent where the last vision of beauty disappeared with the hall maid he had seen the at paris and at prettily in the with their charges and thought how a better civilization would have made them the mothers of the little creatures who could never know such grace of face and figure as their temporary slaves possessed then his thoughts shifted again and took in the workmen at his uncle s every one of them better men than he away his existence while they supplied him with the abundance of which they robbed themselves practically was an he was an i do a thousand things which i never will argue are right was one of his favorite sayings

0Arthur Conan Doyle

cleared away the dishes put the table and stand where she had found them and quietly left the room he said no more to her and she began to think he would prove a less disagreeable person to wait on than she had feared if she had known all that passed in his mind she might have had less cause for an hour later sauntered into the hotel office and found the proprietor at his accounts everything is satisfactory now i hope remarked mr with the brand of smile which we give to those from whom we earn our u has improved at least was the response i m sure i can you what do you think of the price you get for my board is it large enough the landlord who had charged this guest his very highest rate was somewhat disturbed at the question i do not think it is continued the young man before the other could frame a reply i want a good many and i expect to see them in the bill for one thing i want miss to wait upon no one else while i am here when i ring for her i do not wish to hear that she is engaged in other duties her time must be mine exclusively do you understand mr bowed a slow assent it shall be as you desire but you will not forget i hope that i am careful of the reputation of the house and broke in upon him savagely in the midst of his sentence what do you mean by that he demanded your statement is a reflection upon the character of that young woman which i do not believe you have the slightest cause to make i surely did not so intend it stammered the landlord in great confusion terrified lest he had his guest beyond repair on the contrary i am positive she is innocent and i should not like he paused of his own accord this time uncertain how to end the sentence he had begun oh go on go on cried finish i love at seventy i meant nothing mr hastened to say i m sure i can trust you you can trust me echoed who the devil are you to trust anyone i shall leave the house to night don t do that sir the landlord greatly distressed at the prospect you can do what you like sir i am sure it s no business of mine had not the slightest intention of leaving the house but he wanted to give a fright how much further he might have gone in this direction can only be for at this moment a man entered the office hastily and inquired for young mr on being told that the individual he sought stood before him he handed one of the latter s address cards a young fellow was found in the snow by the side of the road several miles east of here an hour ago said the man with this card in his pocket some of us thought you might know him and i drove over to tell you mechanically drew out some money and gave it to the messenger he rightly believed that such an errand had been prompted by expectations of reward go on he said i don t know as i can tell you much he applied at a factory near there for something to do and they told him there was no chance and soon after some one saw him lying in the snow and took a i m sure i oak trust you it him into a house then they got a doctor and he says it s an even case looked up much startled you don t mean that he thinks it dangerous well that s what he seemed to say responded the messenger perhaps it ain t so bad but that s the way he talked reflected a moment is there anything to prevent your going back with me to show me the house he asked that is of course if i pay you for your trouble i don t know s there is harness up a double as quick as you can said to forgetting his announced intention of the hotel let william go with me if that fellow is alive or if he s dead for that matter we shall bring him back with us love at seventy chapter vii old tom the most privileged character at aside from its principal proprietor was tom father of the he had long been a favorite with the senior on account of a certain bluff quality in his nature which well with the latter s own disposition on all occasions was a welcome guest at his employer s mansion the close friendship of the men dated from an occasion thirty years previous to the opening of this tale when then in charge of one of the minor of the works made so pronounced a stand against one of mr s projects that he was discharged in anger from his position on the very next day the repented of his act he sent word to that if he would for the language he had used he could resume his place and as soon as the could reach the office he was there did you send word that i could be if i would to you he asked as soon as he stepped foot in the counting room why yes was the pleasant reply i know you were excited and did not mean what you said do you think i am excited now inquired in his ordinary tone old tom no tom responded his employer with the utmost have you any doubt that i shall mean what i say this time no tom well i shall not or anything of the sort i came here to tell you to go to the devil the employer looked at the

0Arthur Conan Doyle

speaker with consternation he had never heard such words addressed to a man who was worth a hundred thousand dollars what could the fellow mean do you imagine continued that you are any better than when you worked by my side over in for a dollar and a quarter a day do you think you are going to run over me with your high talk of apologies i am as good a man as you ever dared to be and i will see you in only he used the old fashioned word before i will ever to you when i am right and you are wrong he turned abruptly and was about to leave the room when rose and stopped him with a word tom well r you d better go back to your work tom and about that matter perhaps it s as you say after all i know it s as i say there s not the slightest doubt about it all right tom and tom you were speaking to me about your boy the other day he s a smart little fellow and when he gets old enough love at want to give him a place in the office don t forget it tom no replied without so much as a thank you then he asked as if nothing had happened do you want anything else for i have got enough to do down to the works no that s all tom good day tom when the man had gone the employer sat for a long time in silence pondering over the occurrence it s a good thing this happened he mused i ve been up money pretty fast and i m afraid i ve been getting into the habit of saying sharp things to the men just because i m a little better off than they are tom was right about the apology he did a good thing to recall me to myself i must cultivate tom i must keep him near me where he can act as a when i get to going too fast on this slippery road to prosperity getting a good deal of money in a hurry is apt to make a man if tom finds me becoming too airy he will certainly take me down yes i must find a new place for tom where we shall meet oftener tom was promoted gradually until he became general of the entire establishment next to or in any of his temporary authority was complete he never changed in the slightest degree the character shown in the incident he would always express his opinion of anything in the business or out of it as freely as if equal owner and partner nearly every evening he went to his employer s mansion and old tom indulged in a smoke with him a game of or a talk on various matters as the whim happened to seize the old nothing of importance came into s life that tom did not know about and in relation to everything he expressed his views at considerable length he was consulted when the baby was brought to when he was sent away to school and when he was given his freedom to travel around the world mr did not necessarily adopt all of his friend s opinions but he argued each matter over with him in a quiet style that enabled him to make a better decision after hearing all sides of the case presented advanced the strongest opposition to the new housekeeper and her daughter when he learned of their arrival no good could come of it he said what mr needed was another old like martin who would keep him in order there was always danger of a man s falling in love with a woman of mrs s youth and attractions i am over sixty years old smiled the other and i think i am quite safe there s no fool like an old fool quoted wisely and there are no women so shrewd to get a man as these young well let us suppose the very worst should take place and i should marry mrs said what great harm would result you are a married man yourself tom it seems love at seventy inconsistent for you tc argue against the state in which you are living pulled at his long pipe which he was smoking at the time until his head was enveloped in a cloud that well nigh hid it from view if a woman you now will he said what will be her object your money and nothing else and if you were not an old you d know it the glanced at his in a mirror that hung opposite to where he sat and his white beard complacently i don t know about that tom i don t know about that he answered there is a good deal to me yet besides my ejaculated his companion contemptuously it s the thing that you old men was at least five years the elder of the twain always deceive yourselves in that way you are forever thinking it is you and not your cash that these creatures are after now let us imagine this young widow how old is she should you say oh thirty five or six let us imagine her given the choice between you with your fortune and a fellow of something like her own age who hadn t a cent why she d marry you of course let us imagine the case reversed and say that the fellow of about her own age had the money she d marry him then as sure as you live let us imagine once more and say old tom that you and the other fellow had an equal amount which would she choose in that case why me of course laughed who found in the whole matter nothing but a very entertaining joke not by

0Arthur Conan Doyle

a damned sight exclaimed with so much that the other roared aloud but i don t want to marry and i never shall marry and that is all there is to it said the when he grew sober again i ve got to have a housekeeper if i live here and i ve had enough of your with across the sea i m glad to have this woman and her child to up the house a little you are getting to be a of the first water tom and you growl at everything puffed away at his pipe perhaps i am he replied perhaps i m always wrong and perhaps you have had occasion to know that i m pretty of ten right human nature is the same the world over and i m going to make a right here either this woman will make trouble for you or that little girl will make trouble for the little girl exclaimed staring hard at his companion yes sir said he is about twenty years old she is fifteen or sixteen she and her mother will get a here and you won t be able to them when he comes home they will make a dead set at him you ll see mr at this calling it at ridiculous but with the of his nature persisted in his the owner of could not connect such a probability with the slender golden haired child he had welcomed so willingly but at that time even had he believed that worst fears would come true he would not have been alarmed at the prospect he had at heart only the most notions and he did not see anything terrible in the idea that his nephew might marry the daughter of such a woman as his housekeeper mrs went about her duties in a way that pleased him much the dining table did not seem at all like its old self when she sat at it with him the child between them the sunshine thus brought into his life gradually reconciled him to the prolonged absence of his nephew and finally made him apprehensive of his return it was such a nice family party at that board and around the fireplace of an evening he used to think of as so much older than when he went away and agreed with tom that there would be a vast difference between the school boy and the young gentleman who would return from his travels he is getting a great deal of experience said one evening and nothing a young man like that he will learn all the good things and the bad ones to be found over there the bad ones echoed with a start to be sure do you suppose he is going to come home with the down still on his cheek he s old tom seeing the men of many lands ay and the women too and it s a nice chase they ll lead him chuckled behind his pipe like some of old while his companion shivered from a sensation he could not repress he is not a boy of bad mind he said with an effort to appear positive stuff growled a young duck is bound to swim if it s allowed to get near the water i ll write to him to start home to morrow said the uncle anxiously you ll do nothing of the kind the best way is to let him alone he ll get sick of it all the sooner and settle down as steady as anyone when you want him years from now somehow the time never seemed right for mr to cut short s he developed such an interest in that before he was aware of it his nephew s affairs became of secondary importance he ascertained that the child had been very well taught for her age and proposed of his own accord that she should be sent to a boarding school a short distance away when mrs expressed a guarded doubt whether she could afford the expense he remarked that he intended to double her salary though the widow knew that the increase in her compensation was made entirely on s account she appreciated the kindness of the proposition and felt herself justified in accepting it went to the boarding school but she did not remain long mr missed her quite as much as love at seventy her mother did and when she came at the end of her first term he suggested that it would be better to engage a and arrange with professors from the boarding school to visit her at his house it will cost more very likely he admitted when this objection was raised by mrs but never mind i have noticed that the absence of the child wears on you and i had rather pay the extra sum than to exchange you for another housekeeper mrs had had a hard struggle to make both ends meet before she obtained this position she had lain awake many nights wondering what would be the ultimate result and what would happen to her young daughter when she was no longer able to provide for her the comfortable place into which she had drifted the ease with which everything was now over was very grateful after those years of doubt and anxiety she did not look much into the future beyond the needs of the present hour and was very far from being of the nature which tom imagined within a year she had come to have no further thought about than that mr would see to everything you are a pretty crop of trouble to reap one of these days said tom to his employer when had come home from the boarding school and was receiving instructions from special masters how is that inquired the other aren t you bringing up this housekeeper s daughter like a lady old tom i

0Arthur Conan Doyle

am trying to was the gentle answer i mean you re teaching her to regard herself as above her proper station that s not a kindness to the girl nor a piece of wisdom for what is her proper station inquired the station of a girl who ought if she ever to be a poor man s wife what comfort will she get in that position after you have filled her head with all the airs that the french master and the german master and the dancing master will give her she won t be worse on account of her education i hope blew a cloud from his ever present pipe when you get her fixed up she ll your nephew wait and see if my words aren t true when he comes home she ll wind him around her finger mr gazed into the fireplace what did he see there perhaps a happy young husband and wife and other little children that looked like and spoke like do you really think so he murmured as sure as you live said impatiently what makes you so blind when he comes here this widow and her daughter will be ready for him they ve pulled the wool over your eyes nicely and they ll do the same with your heir they ve planted themselves here and they ll own everything before they ve done yes all the and all love at seventy is only sixteen said and even as he spoke she came in to say to him and as no one saw her turning his face to the fire she placed her fair arms around the neck of her foster father and let him kiss her on the brow as was his wont then out of the room like a fairy she left him again to his companion the clouds of tobacco smoke and another of dreary in regard to her future you mean the young lady chapter viii you mean the young lady i cannot help agreeing with the reader that it is hardly fair to leave young any longer in his condition and we will proceed as fast as mr s best team can take us to the house where he is lying under the care of the country doctor found him conscious but very weak though able to take the ride necessary to convey him to supported on extra pillows and covered with warm robes he rode as easily as if in the most perfect the doctor came with the party and before he left gave minute directions in relation to care and he said the young fellow was merely suffering from exhaustion caused by lack of nourishment and that he would come out of it all right if given proper care so you wouldn t come up and dine with me eh said half half seriously when he had put his charge in bed but i ve got you and i shall keep you you had your way this morning now i m going to have mine was not long in recovering the ordered by the doctor combined with the warm atmosphere of his new quarters and the food that was given him put him on his feet inside at seventy of three days indeed had his host permitted he would have left his bed sooner he had a naturally strong constitution and this was his first serious illness every time he spoke it was to express regret that he had put his new friend to so much expense and trouble i must go to morrow he said every morning it will be time enough to see about that when to morrow comes was the smiling reply on the fifth day the lad declared that he was quite able to take his departure he was impatient to begin again his search for employment i suppose i shall have to let you go if you insist upon it said when all arguments failed i will make out your bill at once looked much troubled i have nothing to pay you with he said but as soon as i earn anything i will send it if you will trust me oh i can t do that replied with a stranger you know one must always have the cash or reasonable security alas i can give you nothing but my word it will not do said the other shaking his head with decision when a is unable to pay the has a right to hold his body that has been the custom in all ages you admit that you owe me some odd dollars and cents you say you have no money very well i shall hold you for the amount you will have to remain here until the debt is discharged you mean the young lady the lad could not tell exactly how much seriousness and how much humor there was in these peculiar words the debt would never grow smaller in that way he answered it would constantly be on the increase the price of my board would be added to i already owe you then laughed but if you are allowed to leave he said there will be various other to charge you with supposing you go away to day this evening i shall receive word that you have fallen ill at some point on the road and have required the services of another doctor i shall be obliged to hire a to bring you back here and go through all this nursing again then there will be a second bill for and the et no my boy it would really make you too expensive cast down his eyes pained at the levity with which his misfortunes were discussed you think because i did not get work before that i never shall said he the trouble was i was nearly starved and had no strength or courage when i was refused at the first place i

0Arthur Conan Doyle

fainted in the road yes and you would faint again was the reply there is no work for you in all this region the only situation you can find in a year s search is right here at your disposal refuse it as often as you please you will have to accept it at last protested that it was no situation but simply charity that was offered him love at seventy you are quite wrong said if you leave me when i want you so much i shall think you very ungrateful until within the past week i have been going insane now there are two people who may save me from that fate you and had heard the latter name frequently during the past few days you mean the young lady who brings up our meals he said there is but one in the world said possibly there are thousands who bear that name but there never was and never will be any other for me i believe he continued as if in a reverie you have never seen replied that he had only heard her voice did you ever hear another so delicious replied that he thought it very agreeable it is the music of an angel cried when i listen to it i forget that i am on this cold earth and imagine that a bit of heaven has been let down and her face is sweeter even than her melodious tongue i cannot describe it you will soon see for yourself he said this so earnestly that his young companion was silent for want of something suitable in the way of reply how old are you asked presently twenty two years indeed as old as myself i shouldn t have thought it did it ever occur to you that this is a miserable selfish world to let such do its you mean thb young lady its luxury and for women not fit to tie her shoes i am ashamed sometimes to live in it and accept its for i am no better than the rest why was i made to want food and clothing to desire delicacy and ease if only i could bring myself to those things there is in me the making of a hero who owns this hotel this village that grand estate which you can see from the window the yonder where they had no place for you even the bodies and souls of the workmen and their families who have helped him build up this gigantic possession is my uncle of what use is it all to him and when he is through with it it will go to an ungrateful nephew protested mildly against the which made of himself he was certain that his kind host had not so mean a quality in him as ingratitude and your father he asked have you been long an orphan s face grew bitter my father he replied has sense enough to know that there is more pleasure to be got from books than from children to him i am only an unfortunate accident it is my uncle to whom i owe all i have and the only return i am likely to give is annoyance and disgrace interrupted to say he was sure this was not so and i am equally certain it is what do you think he would say if i told him i thought of marry ing love t seventy could not repress a start of astonishment and you do he exclaimed not at all being the heir of a great fortune makes it an impossibility i only say supposing i did intend it and went to this man who was once as poor as she mind you and told him i can hear him now in imagination you young rascal is this the way you my throwing yourself away on a common working girl never sir never will i give my consent if you marry her you may cease to expect another penny from me s imitation of his uncle s wrath was so striking that he could not help being moved to laughter by his own perhaps you him said mildly i know him well enough not to try it was the reply and i am sure consequently he added very slowly that the natural result will follow his guest looked up with astonishment in his dark eyes what result he as if you did not know responded with good natured sarcasm how can it be otherwise when she has learned to love me i shall go my way and leave her the younger man s lips opened slightly and his attitude of strained attention relaxed a little at the answer he looked more like a child with his white face than a man of twenty two nothing more he whispered i hope not was s reply our are with the gods come you have talked enough you mean thi young lady for one day if you are going to leave to morrow you need rest can you spare me for an hour receiving an affirmative reply went out for a stroll desirous of breathing the cool air of the beautiful winter day he wore in which his trousers were and a hat and fur trimmed overcoat giving him the appearance of a he walked up the road taking his direction at random and paused opposite the great residence where he had passed so much of his boyhood the grounds were surrounded by a high wall thinking that he would step inside for a moment he went around to the massive gates and found them securely locked this surprised him much as he had never known them in this condition except at night time as he was revolving this matter in his mind he glanced up the road a little farther and saw a man at work with and walking slowly toward the man he soon recognized

0Arthur Conan Doyle

him as butler who had been in his uncle s employ much longer than he could remember he said the man paused in his work and for an instant surveyed the with an expression of doubt don t you recognize me cried i do now sir answered the man taking the hand that was offered him it s a good while since i saw you mr i heard tell that you had come to but i wasn t thinking of seeing you up here love at seventy the young man paused to this statement what are you doing he asked well you see sir replied the man the drain is out of order and we couldn t very well wait i don t like to go to the expense of a regular pipe when your uncle s away until i ve made sure i can t do it myself the workman evidently expected something in the way of but was silent for a moment how long have you worked for my uncle he asked presently i began sir over forty years ago when he first opened the works you are not a young man nigh on to seventy sir but hale and hearty you have worked pretty steadily never missed a day in all that time you must be pretty well off now the man looked in a puzzled way at his you must have a good deal of money laid away the workman shook his head decidedly not a blessed penny sir i have always thought i did pretty well to bring up the children seven of them and take care of the old woman was not as much surprised as he pretended but he was in the mood for this kind of talk and he proceeded i suppose you remember when my uncle was about as poor as you yes sir we worked side by side at he has something laid away i believe a tou thb young lady the old man leaned on his you may well say that sir how much does he pay you a day pursued the a dollar and a half and how much does he get shook his head as if to imply that those figures were beyond the reach of his powers of more than you at least now can you tell me why does he work any harder do you think he really a hundred times as much murmured that mr did a big business that s true assented his business is large but how long would it run without you and such as you and you only get a dollar and a half a day the man looked grateful at the interest taken in him i would like it if i could get a dollar seventy five he said you might kindly speak to him when he comes home not saying i asked you he has treated me so well i wouldn t want him to think i was complaining grew do you know what you were doing the first time i ever saw you just what you are doing now you were working with a pick and i could not have been more than five or six years old but i remember the very place in the grounds where you were digging here you are at the same kind at seventy of occupation when will you quit it when some one else has to use the same tools for you over there in the and he gives you a dollar and a half a day just the wages he would give a man whom he had never seen before one with whom he had not eaten the black bread of poverty the speaker raised his voice he ought to give you ten dollars a day and tell you never to work again as long as you live butler who had been surveying the young man with wonder shook his head as if to imply that this was not likely to occur what are those gates locked for continued pointing to them doesn t any one live there when he is away only the housekeeper and her daughter and the servants was the response her daughter repeated surprised he glanced up at the windows that were nearest to him and saw a fair face that disappeared almost instantly from view td the post office chapter ix around the post office fire the next morning when spoke again of leaving answered him quite sharply he declared that if he carried out his purpose he would have nothing more to do with him no not if the news came that he was dying on the road affected by this earnestness the young fellow yielded and promised to remain for the present it required a more prolonged struggle of mind before he would allow his friend to order him a suit of clothing from the village tailor but finally he accepted that also the new garments made a striking change in his appearance that he was not wholly to his good looks a long stay in front of the mirror on the morning of their arrival wished he knew more of his history for he was certain that he had not always been in his present condition but he had too much politeness to annoy his guest with questions at a time when they could hardly help proving disagreeable the two young men took their meals together in s sitting room now that was able to be about the first morning that they together asked his friend what he thought of their at seventy is she not a beauty he exclaimed the instant miss shut the door behind her i did not observe her very closely responded don t tell me that laughed the other i had my eye on you and i feared by your expression that you considered her part of the men has she not been in the habit

0Arthur Conan Doyle

of sitting at your table asked to divert his companion s attention for the last few days yes it was here with no one to speak to and lying in the room yonder she sat down with me and pretended to eat but i know she didn t enjoy jt she is intensely sensitive and inclined to be easily frightened the young fellow looked up with a pained expression in his eyes i can t see why you want her to do i was disagreeable laughed lightly can t you he asked it does not seem like the other things do what other things your on my account for ne said in a shaking voice studied his companion s face intently but you see is a woman he very slowly i do not understand was the quick re n ly why that should lessen your kindness to her should repeated the other with a the office fire is a great word probably s sex should not lessen my consideration but it does that is the thing at issue it the kindness of every man to every woman the moment she becomes dependent upon his purse i suppose i am as bad a man as ever lived but in this respect i am no worse than the rest shook his head slowly as though far from convinced still he did not like to enter upon an argument with his benefactor shall i prove it to you asked after a pause you are not a child though sometimes you put on the look of one i want you to come with me some evening to the village post office or one of the stores and listen to the talk of the men who gather there they may discuss politics or business while a dozen women come and go but presently one will appear at whose advent all conversation while she remains little is done but staring her in the face or some to call his attention to her what has happened why gossip has begun to connect her name with scandal has hinted that she is not as good as she might be young has been driving with her and everybody can guess what that means she has been seen in another town late in the evening walking with a man not known in the group in the store or post office stare at her as long as she remains and when she goes out they discuss her alleged faults with glistening eyes and mouths leaning over each others shoulders fearful love at seventy lest they should lose a word is a town of more than average virtue but i have seen this here even in the brief time since my return and what happens here occurs in increasing in towns of larger size all over the country all over the so called civilized earth an expression of the deepest horror spread over the face of the listener these men who sit around the stores and in these continued apparently pleased to find that he was making an impression have many of them daughters of their own if one of them saw a dog worrying a neighbor s sheep he would leave his work till he got the animal into its fold if he heard that a wolf had been seen on the he would mention it to every farmer he met that they might bring in their young cattle if his neighbor s daughter was going for a sail on the lake and he knew that the boat was or noticed a storm coming up he would run a mile to save her but when he hears something that may wreck her life forever how seldom will he warn either her or her parents it is notorious that the father and mother of a girl who goes astray are the last persons to suspect that anything is the matter everybody else will tell you they have been suspicious for a long time but to her own family her fall comes like a clap of thunder the mother will say i knew was fond of company and a good time but i never dreamed that anything could go wrong with her yet these men at the post office knew some of abound the post office them had talked with her in a way which showed they did not think very severely of her had there been opportunity they would have joined their guilt to hers as freely as if they had not known her in her cradle as if she had not played with their children in the listener sat like one i have made a study of this thing my boy and i speak by the card continued i presume i have talked with hundreds of girls in all countries for i have been a great traveller until a little while ago i had not seen my native land for three years when i went abroad i was as innocent as you seem to be could hardly believe that i should find in the united states what had so astonished me on the other side of the world now i know there is no difference or if there is it is not to the credit of america if i were to proclaim aloud what i have seen there would arise a howl that could be heard from here to san the speaker rose and took a few steps up and down the room and found words to ask if had any remedy to suggest for the state of affairs which he pictured suggest echoed young suddenly dropping his sober manner and breaking into a laugh i would be a nice sort of individual to suggest things wouldn t i my residence is made of crystal i am not going into the stone throwing business to any alarming extent but something must be done persisted earnestly love at seventy some one has

0Arthur Conan Doyle

said smiled that the best way to reform the world is for each person to reform himself it is easier for the child who never tasted wine to from than it is for the confirmed it is rather late for me but you can set the world a shining example he meant to bring a laugh to the countenance of his guest but was as sober as ever you began this he said hesitatingly by a reference to miss surely it has no connection with her indeed it has was the reply is poor as a church mouse pretty and our wretch of a landlord her to my especial use because he knows that my bills will be paid no matter how large he makes them and also i hope because he has confidence in you nothing of the kind he knows that is in danger stared wildly at his companion but she is not in danger from you he whispered hoarsely looked earnestly at the impetuous youth do you think so he replied you cannot mean don t get excited my dear boy said with a trace of weariness in his tone i only know what results follow certain conditions had risen and taken a step nearer his companion where he stood with folded arms abound the post office him he was as picturesque a figure thought as he had ever seen you shall not he cried will prevent you i certainly give you leave laughed and i assure you you have my best wishes for success looked into the amused face and heaved a sigh of relief forgive me he said i forgot what i was doing it is plain that you were don t be too sure replied putting on his overcoat but i am going out to take a walk to morrow if it is pleasant you ought to be able to stand a ride with me it was to the counting room of the company that the young man took his way before he returned he had made tom promise to offer a place in the in such a manner that the young fellow would not suspect he had any hand in it two hours later miss came to young mr s apartments to see if anything was required and found courage to say a few words to her i fear i am making you double work while i stay he ventured that s nothing i have very little to do she said i believe you have only these rooms to see to said he only these replied the girl with a slight blush love at seventy are you glad i came demanded earnestly or would you rather he were here alone the question startled her it seemed almost impertinent but as she regarded the eyes that looked into hers she could not take offence at this juncture came into the room what already he exclaimed gaily glancing from one to the other i am said hi chapter x i am said he the engagement of young as assistant in the works was hailed by him with the great est delight he had severely at his enforced idleness and at the which he was up congratulate me he cried to i am the happiest fellow in the world not only can i earn my bread and repay you what i have borrowed but i shall still be where i can see you often with all my heart if you wish it was the response and so i am sure will blushed at this which made laugh heartily you will share these rooms with me just tha same i hope he said if you go elsewhere will be no one to keep an eye on me and the pretty answered hesitatingly that he feared he could hardly afford so expensive a home that s an original idea said the other a man who is going to draw a salary can t afford as good quarters as he did when he was earning nothing stay where you are and i will see that makes it all right he charges me enough for or four as it is and really i need the restraint of at your presence and example more than i can tell you so it was settled that would stay at the house for the present had been thinking a good deal of that face he had seen at the window of the mansion the face as butler had told him of the housekeeper s daughter it was the kind to appeal to his love of the beautiful and there was another element which had its full effect on a mind so susceptible as his there was a decided mystery connected with the affair why had his uncle left orders that the great gates to his grounds should be kept locked during his absence could remember them from his earliest years standing wide open all day there could be nothing in the grounds which needed the special protection of their strong arms unless it was this like creature the housekeeper s daughter she surely was not the daughter of the housekeeper that he remembered mrs martin must have gone away what kind of housekeeper was it who could be mother of such a creature and what had the confirmed bachelor the man who had always avoided feminine society to do with either of them determined not to leave until he had found an answer to these questions his heart or what miss had left untouched of it had gone out to the face he had seen at the window for the occasion in the course of his brief l am said he life he was entangled in what he believed a genuine case of affection the first time he found butler alone he stopped for another talk with him do you know what became of mrs martin who was housekeeper here so long was his

0Arthur Conan Doyle

inquiry he had already heard from people at the hotel that she had left i believe she went west to live with one of her sons responded what a cross old lady she was exclaimed with a laugh i used to think sometimes my uncle was really afraid of her not much like the one he has now he added at a venture i think everybody likes mrs replied the old man though she keeps indoors so much but of course miss s not being well makes a difference replied with a wise look that it did indeed miss does not go out much either much repeated never it is months since i saw her outside the grounds she doesn t mix with the town people you see and since she left the boarding school her teachers always come on the train and go directly to the house she has had all the they can give her but if she doesn t live to grow up it won t do her much good at seventy the young man felt a blow at the heart could it be that his idol was stricken with a fatal disease what is it that her he found strength to inquire they can t find out replied they ve had every big doctor there is and every one of em is puzzled she looks well enough all but the but she is failing every day it s my opinion she ll go sudden cried out as if he had been struck don t say that then in return to the surprised look of the old man he continued it seems dreadful that one so young should be destined to death not only for her but for he hesitated being about to add her mother but misunderstood him and innocently revealed another secret yes he does take it to heart pretty badly mr having never been married and so having no children of his own this little girl sort of filled a in the place he on with much more to the same effect but the young man hardly heard him he knew what this girl had filled he saw as if by the drawing away of a curtain why his uncle had endured his absence so well why he had shown such a mild joy at his return why he had preferred to have him live at the hotel why he had locked the big gates but with all these reflections no feeling of selfishness came to the surface his interest in the face he had seen at the window was too great for that l am said he when went away it was with the determination to see miss even at the risk of his uncle s displeasure though he haunted the neighborhood for a good part of each day it was nearly a week before he had an opportunity such as he desired he wanted a private interview with the girl which he had no reason to believe he could obtain unless her mother was absent from the premises at last his patience was rewarded by seeing a lady driven out by the coachman who had served the family ever since could remember she he had no doubt must be the new housekeeper the gates were closed and locked promptly after the passage of the carriage and ten minutes later the rang the bell at the lodge entrance a lame and aged answered the ring and stared with much surprise when he saw who had given the summons ah it s you is it mr he said with an attempt at cordiality i heard you were in the village but i did not expect to see you and you have changed a great deal you are looking finely though i suppose you thought your uncle had returned but he has not come yet we expect him now in a day or two there was nothing in this plausible address that implied a welcome to the heir of the house on the contrary the porter seemed impatient to close the interview and the gate at the same time decided on a bold front i want to get some books said he f love at seventy brushing by the man u i know exactly where they are there is no need for you to go with me the porter was in a though mr had said nothing which absolutely directed him to his nephew from the house he had implied by that he was not expected there had a grave fear of his employer and on the other hand no one could tell how soon this young fellow might become master of did not give him long to debate these questions for he started off at a good rate of speed toward the house you cannot get into the library called after him his not permitting a faster gait the master locked up everything when he went away the young man did not his pace in the least mrs must have the keys he called back mrs has gone out sir protested the man nervously well she will probably soon return no sir she will be gone several hours she has gone to to consult the doctor this was exactly what wanted to know feeling that undue haste was no longer necessary he paused till the old servant could reach him i hope miss is not worse he said and in spite of all he could do he looked anxious no sir not specially replied thrown i am he off his guard by s familiar manner she is no worse but then again she is no better and the doctor has to be consulted frequently he comes here twice a week but mrs had not been out for some days and i think she wanted the ride it is for her sir just now stood for a few moments in thought where does she keep

0Arthur Conan Doyle

the library keys he asked finally i i think it will be better stammered the man if you will wait till she returns she does not like to have anyone go into the house when she is out had no sooner said this than he before the glance that met his when i want your advice said severely i shall probably ask for it you have a great deal of assurance to offer it you know where the keys are kept as well as you know where your tongue is feeling that he had done all that could be required of him and reflecting that after all mr had given no positive directions in the matter began to make the most apologies oh drop that replied shortly and tell me where those keys are i think miss has them sir shall i go yes when you are asked to interrupted the young man stopping the servant as he was starting toward the mansion and let me tell you now once for all that i will not stand your love at seventy show me where i can find miss and then return to your duties the old man was plunged into new alarm while it was true that no directions had ever been given upon the subject he knew by that and law on which tradition is based that no person ought to make his way in such a manner into miss s presence teachers had always been through the house and not even her had been permitted to meet her felt that his situation might depend on this unlucky and yet he saw no way to escape from it more sternly than before demanded in what part of the house he might expect to find miss the old man in great began to move slowly toward the dwelling no i will not trust you said you had as report some invention of your own as the truth go back to your lodge i will ring the house bell myself glad to escape at any cost away and proceeded up the walk toward the front door before he reached the edifice however a young girl came forth it was the vision which for so long had haunted his waking and sleeping hours seeing a stranger the girl paused and seemed about to retreat but he pressed eagerly forward i am said he l am said hi why so you are was the reply delivered in a voice of wonderful sweetness then without more she came to meet him and as frankly as an old friend put her hand m bis ix vi at seventy chapter xi a of innocence miss though eighteen years of age looked considerably younger on account of the illness from which she suffered she appeared more like a child than a young lady and her manner completely charmed the young man who had made such an effort to see her you speak as if you had met me before said he as soon as the first greetings were over i saw you once she replied you were talking with old mr butler out there in the road one of the told me who you were and besides there is a large picture of you in your uncle s room which i have often looked at in his uncle s room she was evidently on pretty familiar terms with her mother s employer that picture was painted a very long while ago he responded it can t look much as i do now oh yes it does and i ve heard a great deal about you he bent upon her his brightest glance what have you heard about me he why i know that you have been a great traveller and that you are staying at the hotel and but won t you come into the house i can t remain out long on account of the a of innocence he accepted the invitation though much surprised to receive it this young girl had not been brought up so very strictly or she would have declined to meet him thus alone i have been in two months he said when they were seated i suppose you think it strange that i have not called here sooner she shook her head no i did not expect you at all that requires an explanation didn t you know this was the home of my childhood in fact the only place which could be called a home that i have ever known miss bowed thoughtfully yes i knew when i first came here your uncle was always talking of you he read a great many of your letters to me at that time he seemed so wrapped up in you that i thought he would soon send for you to return a sigh escaped from the listener but he never did said he i was gone more than three years and he seemed to get along without me very well yes assented the girl he got reconciled after a while we can get used to anything in time i think he could not help uttering the thought that was uppermost in his mind and he had you to help him you know yes she said with a bright smile he had me then was ever a girl of her age so she had love at seventy stepped into his place in the uncle s regard and talked as if he ought to be rather pleased to hear it they tell me you are not well he said with a touch of anxiety in his tone what seems to be the matter i don t know the doctors don t know either though i have had a dozen of them but i ll tell you what i think it is too dreary for me here seeing the same things and doing the same things day after day i need something to excite

0Arthur Conan Doyle

my mind to stir my blood your uncle has tried to do everything for me before i had been here a month he bought me a pony to ride but when i am on his back i have nowhere to go they don t like to let me outside the grounds it is very dull through the same roads and back again then i have my language teachers and music masters and i get so tired of them if i was ever to put their teaching to any use it would be different but tells me i must do nothing that i am to be a lady and it all seems so selfish i am not really sick there is no pain in me anywhere unless it is here at my heart like that of a bird that pines to escape from the gilded cage that is killing it she clasped her hands over her left side the expression does my uncle how you feel he asked oh no i could not talk to him as i am talking to you indeed i hav never said as much before a of innocence ill not even to my mother something betrayed me into it for which i cannot account perhaps it was because i have envied so much your opportunities to travel to know what the world is by actual observation i m afraid my chief sin is that of envy why i envy even the servants in this house who have their regular when they can go out alone without giving an account of every moment i have actually dreamed of running away to become a happy shop girl or to ask in the street for the very beggars have more freedom than i what a wild idea to enter the brain of that child i if you are to be a lady said thoughtfully you must take the of your position along with its advantages the girl laughed softly but i did not ask for any of these things though we were very poor when we came here i was contented we had only two gowns apiece but that was quite enough mr on all these extra expenses and i wish so much that he wouldn t i can t make mother understand the way i feel about it she says it is very hard for a woman to earn a living who has only herself to rely upon but i had rather live like a than the way we do was getting information with a vengeance it was evident that his uncle had practically adopted this girl and her mother he began to wonder if a new will had been made them to a large share in the estate which was to have been his not a hateful sensation came with the thought however only astonishment that the staid old bachelor could love at seventy have had his heart so much affected by anything in the shape of my uncle did not intend i should know you were here he said exchanging confidence for confidence i only learned by accident that he had changed when he met me at new york after my return from abroad he suggested that i should go to the hotel when i came to and as soon as i arrived in town he had his gates closed and locked as if you were some criminal that i might assist to freedom that is very odd commented the girl with her astonishing frankness very odd indeed when people used to say that he intended you to marry me the statement nearly took the young man s breath away there was no change in s voice or manner as she uttered it she spoke as if the idea was the most ordinary one imaginable people used to say that did they he managed to repeat yes it seemed to be generally understood but they don t say it any more he ventured n no she replied not lately he noticed the tone in which she uttered this and thought it about time to say something humorous i suppose you are sorry he remarked smiling well i knew i should like you when i heard them talking in that way i used to go and look at your picture if he me i thought he a of innocence will take me away and i shall be glad of that of course a married woman has more freedom than a young girl in all his travels he had never heard anything half so entertaining it is rather a pity he said with a smile that the who your fortune should not have carried it to completion with her face as sober as ever she seemed to entirely agree with him he resolved on a bold stroke do you like me still yes mr he leaned toward her with his most expression prove it then by giving me a kiss she a little for the first time if you were going to marry me i would she said i should not like to have two men in the world who had kissed me he was so by her manner that for a moment he did not know what to do all that had been said was evidently of the utmost seriousness to her it would hardly do for me to marry against the wishes of my uncle upon whom i rely for everything he remarked the color faded from the fair cheek we could not marry without his consent could we he insisted she fixed her innocent eyes intently upon him not unless we ran away she replied slowly love at seventy would you leave everything your home your mother all for me he cried astounded her was asserting itself her eyes had left his face and were gazing at the carpet yes she said in a voice scarcely audible as he looked at her the full knowledge

0Arthur Conan Doyle

of his nature swept across his brain he was in love of course but he had been as much in love many many times and had awakened to find his passion at an end he resolved to use a little more sense with this girl for might not be a good man to trifle with there are many things to think of he said in a grave voice i like you very much and i want to see you often that we may talk this over you are such a prisoner that we shall have to invent some method of communication have you no servant who can be miss looked pleased at the suggestion that he would meet her there are none of them who would take your money i am sure she answered but she is my maid would do anything i asked there is a rear door in the high wall that is very seldom used and to which i have a key would you mind coming at a very late hour when else is a bed the innocence of the face she turned toward him was a marvel it surpassed anything he had ever seen or heard of to meet such a in the manner she described was like a chapter from a a of innocence story book whatever the risks involved was not the man to refuse this invitation i will come at any hour you wish he responded only be very careful there must be no doubt of your maid s nor of her thorough judgment the next half hour was spent on details which were satisfactorily arranged called who gave evidence of being wholly devoted to the service of her mistress a way in which notes could be exchanged the first thing of importance was provided for then remarking that risk enough had been run on the present occasion parted from the two girls and sought the library in order to carry out the with which he had entered the house as he expected he found the room notwithstanding the fable that had invented the rows of volumes familiar to his boyish eyes began to interest him and he was soon seated in one of the leather covered chairs engrossed in pages that he had read long years before the adventures of bias of delighted to con again that of fiction especially as he had since reading it visited many of the places described by le sage he did not hear the opening of a door nor see a man s form enter it gave him quite a shock when he looked up from the page he was reading and saw his uncle standing within a yard of him why how long have you been here he exclaimed rising and speaking nervously i did not hear a sound did his best to conceal the love at seventy he felt he had just left who had told him of the young master s in entering the house in spite of all his efforts to him he would have given a good deal to know whether had seen but there was no way to find out except by asking one of them which he was too proud to think of doing i have just arrived from new york was the quiet answer business detained me longer than i expected could see that his uncle was troubled but he affected not to notice it as mr remained standing he considered this a hint that he had best be going let me take a few of these books he said picking up several i will send them back when i have finished them it almost my boyhood to see these dear old authors again mr bowed it is nearly time for supper he said won t you remain and take the meal with me no thank you unless you are particular replied the nephew that a refusal was the better part of judgment expects me the was growing relieved he began to feel certain that no meeting between the young people had taken place as you like said he by the way have you decided how much longer you will remain at it was as plain as if the words had said it that a of would not regret the day when his nephew turned his back on the village the young man felt a severe wound to his t but he was too much master of himself to show it would rather leave that to you sir he answered i must admit there is more going on in the way of entertainment at new york than here if it is quite the same to you i shall run on there within a few weeks though i can return at any time should you desire a few weeks mr wondered what was the reason for this delay but he could not lessen the time without exciting suspicion there seemed nothing more to say and the relations parted at the door when reached the hotel he was met with the startling announcement that miss left suddenly giving no intimation as to where she would make her future home he made no comment upon this news but young received it with consternation when he returned from his work i am afraid this means something disagreeable said to his friend when he had for a long time upon the matter d n it yes it means to wait on me was the only reply that vouchsafed he did not intend to convey his suspicions to anyone else at present but he was as certain as that he breathed that s hand was in this love at chapter xii t playing a game of i the second evening after the day when mr came home he was sitting in the library where he had met his nephew and this time he had old tom as his companion was occupied in puffing clouds

0Arthur Conan Doyle

of smoke from his pipe after his usual fashion and a board that had served them for a quarter century stood between the two men do you suppose came here for anything but to get those books asked mr pausing between the moves shouldn t wonder responded mechanically what if he did the instrument maker made his next play with caution i shouldn t like to have them meet he replied why not that s a queer question to come from you looked up sharply from the board you ve done everything you could to prepare her for him he said vehemently getting a little doubtful of your own work are you i m afraid is not good enough for her replied deliberately in disgust a game of good enough he echoed he s good enough to be your brother s son that s all you need to know i call him a very decent young fellow what s the matter with him it s no crime that he doesn t want to down to business every other generation has a right to take a lay off if it can and if it s anyone s fault it s more yours than his you encouraged him to keep up his long journey you know why you did it too there was something in this statement and in the manner of its delivery that made mr forget the game he was playing why did i do it he demanded you seem to reasons of your own to everything lately pointed out the fact that his opponent in the game had not taken a that fell to his share and then made his next move i ve a good mind to tell you why he said removing the pipe from his mouth by will you ll need a guardian if you keep on not good enough for her indeed isn t a man s flesh and blood of as much account as the children of his hired help mr controlled himself with an effort never mind he s going away in a few days he said you didn t used to be so favorable to a match between them he added no nor i don t favor it now snapped it s only when you talk as if the goodness was all on one side as if that housekeeper s girl would have to stoop to marry your nephew that you stir me love at up i told you when she and her mother came here that they d get around you till you wouldn t know whether your soul was your own and now look at it comes home and is sent to the hotel while this child no relation to you whatever gets the cream of the mansion i tell you will you ought to be ashamed the other player made a very ill advised move that immediately resulted to his disadvantage you say a good many things when you get to talking he answered you never heard anything against laughed you ve taken fine pains to keep her shut up he replied she hasn t been allowed to go outside the gates without some one at her heels do you know what is certain to follow that kind of treatment if she gets a husband who gives her the least freedom she will be the prey of any man who wants her why the proprietor of the house rose from the table and spoke in a stern voice that will do tom you can t talk that way to me the of the company did not seem in the least disturbed he merely said knight takes and waited for his to go on with the game no i will not play exclaimed mr there are bounds that you have no right to pass you have hated my housekeeper and her child ever playing a game of since they came here for no better reason than the contrary spirit that s in you now when it gets to making like the one you just uttered it s got to stop do you hear me tom the affected to be engrossed in the condition of the men and his employer repeated the inquiry do you hear me tom oh yes i hear you responded the other but whenever i think i have a duty to perform i shall speak out you will talk till you re than you are now before you put a chain on my tongue when i see people you as these are doing mr was in doubt what to say next however unpleasant the words of his old friend he knew the motive that prompted them was devotion to his interests as understood them tell me one thing he said you spoke just now about my keeping abroad and said you had a good mind to tell me why i did it i want you to explain what you meant by that you don t want anything of the kind was the reply come sit down and make your moves at this rate we shall be here all night i tell you i do want it retorted almost angry if you have anything to say to me let it out anything is better than your everlasting hints realized that it would create no ordinary commotion if he revealed what he had in mind when he made use of the terms referred to but his dogged at seventy ness was not proof against this demand he pushed the table away from him knowing there would be no more playing that evening and after drawing two or three long from his pipe he took the article from his mouth you re an old fool will said he you ll tell me i m wrong but i know you better than you know yourself and i ve been watching this thing for a long time why didn t you want

0Arthur Conan Doyle

your nephew at home why did you keep him away from your house when he came to the reason is not a very creditable one to a man who has seen almost seventy and has a business reputation as a fellow of common sense but it s the real one you re in love with that little girl yourself for several seconds looked as if he was going to strike the author of this bold declaration he raised his arm and clenched his fist while a terrible expression his countenance more than half expected that the blow would fall but his sturdy character would neither have allowed him to retreat nor to make any effort to the stroke then a sudden change came across the face of the and staggering to the chair he had he dropped weakly into it perhaps you haven t the extent of your own feelings pursued as his employer gave no sign of replying in words to his accusation but it s as i tell you as sure as you re alive to put it plainly you were afraid that young chap a game of would excite sentiments in her heart that would lessen her affection for you and you re seventy and she s eighteen her grandfather if he were living might be about your age i know how it is you ve lived a solitary life and she has herself around you little by little until you don t understand your own mind the seated figure made a clutch at the air as if to save itself from falling it s not true murmured hoarsely i love her as a daughter no more it s not true tom no i swear to you it s not had no idea of in the least why don t you invite him here then he it s not my notion of the way to dispose of him mind you but you ve shown in a hundred ways that it is yours why don t you have him up here and let them get acquainted and watch the result mr roused himself slowly like one who feels the first effects of a painful injury there are reasons enough he answered faintly is not well to begin with the doctors say she must avoid every species of excitement but there are other things which i have disliked to mention to you because is my near relation he hasn t the kind of character i could wish his experiences have given him a light opinion of women i sent him to the hotel till i could ascertain if he was fit to associate with this white flower that i have watched so tenderly and from what i learn i fear he is not love at these words came with difficulty and there were many pauses between the sentences had a sneer in his voice and on his face as he replied what the devil did you learn i ll tell you i told to keep an eye on him and to report everything that he saw it seem there was a very pretty servant there upon whom my nephew cast his eyes he immediately demanded that she should wait on no one but him and has taken his meals in his own apartment with her for his companion his every act showed that he was quietly meditating her ruin then a miss who in the house found an immense collection of female photographs in his some of them dressed in which prove the of his taste knowing these things how could i introduce him to such a child as tom had risen and stood leaning against the mantel with his hands in his trousers pockets is an ass of the first water was his comment that is a who was probably driven to lies on account of jealousy because very properly preferred that the prettier girl should attend him goodness will i never should have thought such things of you sending the boy to that confounded hole and then putting such a set of on him well what s the worst they found believing all they tell you a few pictures of youth and beauty that the lad would have to be blind not to like and a conversation with a over his and coffee a game of that s all isn t it they don t accuse him of actually doing any harm to the girl mr was very haggard the discussion was wearing heavily upon him she s been sent away he said had a talk with her and gave her some money to take the journey the s lip curled in scorn where has she gone he asked i don t know so cried with a rising to save her from a fancied danger you ve sent her where she ll be almost sure to run into a one you re a very moral man are if any harm happens to that girl the blame will belong at your door how do you know but he meant to marry her mr looked at his she has neither property nor family has your housekeeper s daughter either of those the maker of instruments paid no attention to the sarcasm in this remark has not evinced the least interest in her fate he answered that of your supposition in one word it also of yours smiled if he was so desperately set on her ruin he would not let her escape him so easily there was something in this certainly that mr had not thought of but he replied that probably the nephew had found victims too plea at seventy to feel the need of pursuing one in the manner indicated anything to fan your dislike said where that boy is concerned you hare no leaning toward the merciful for the past three years through your neglect he has had no but himself if he has found amusement

0Arthur Conan Doyle

in looking into the eyes of a pretty woman now and then is it anything for which he should be hanged drawn and mr was silent he seemed too exhausted to debate the subject any longer you say the housekeeper s girl is not well continued i shouldn t think she would be you d be an invalid yourself if you were fastened up as she is there s nothing in the world the matter with her except a lack of something to interest her mind bring your nephew up here and you ll see a difference from the start keep your eye on them if you think they need it set the whole household to as you did s precious crowd but for god s sake don t steel your heart against one of the best boys that ever wore shoes a young fellow you ought to be of than anything else you own the lamp in the room gas was not one of the luxuries of at that period had been gradually flickering and had at last gone out the moon was full however and its beams furnished sufficient light mr showed his through the outer gate of the premises and parted from him there without another word this one i met chapter xiii this one i met in as it was apparent that mr would probably be in new york before a great while for either a longer or shorter period he consulted with the as to the of getting young transferred from to the principal office of the concern at the metropolis who had never grown any of the young fellow and who would have sent him flying without hesitation had he had his way was glad enough to make any arrangement which would relieve him from his presence correspondence with the main office soon resulted in the manner desired came to the hotel one evening positively radiant with joy and told his friend of his good fortune it is better than anything i had dreamed of he cried and as you are so soon to be there we shall not be entirely separated after all you must have very uninteresting dreams was the response if you see anything attractive in a seat on a high stool with a pen in your hand up somebody else s profits out of your labor what salary are they to pay you twelve dollars a week to begin with and more jn a short time if i give satisfaction is it not generous love at seventy noble laughed in fact i should say magnificent on that sum you ll be able to live like a prince over on tenth avenue there are places where you can get an bedroom and something they call food for seven dollars which will leave you five to on clothing amusements and other unnecessary trifles declined to be disconcerted by the tone his friend assumed i shall do very well he said positively i know all about and ordinary fare for i have tried them before i suppose those places you speak of those on tenth avenue are perfectly respectable indeed they are was the humorous reply they don t throw in much sin at that price in new york that comes extra like coffee in paris you will find out it takes the country boy the one with high purposes and great to sound the depths of a large city if i should be a month behind you you will be able to take me anywhere ah what an awful bad lot you are for a moment the younger man looked troubled but the prospect before him was too bright for a cloud to remain long on his face you will probably discover before you have been long in the office pursued that you are receiving a few dollars less each week than other clerks who are doing the same kind of work of course you will not mind that you may be giving more faithful service may be more prompt at your desk in the morning and less anxious to thi one i met in leave at night and yet get half that they do a little matter like this would never breed discontent in such a head as yours no i think it would rather please you than otherwise replied brightly that he should not consider it his affair what the others got he should do his own work as well as he could and let the rest take care of themselves just what i said replied his irrepressible friend do that and according to all the story books they give boys to read you will succeed you start without a single bad habit you do not drink anything i believe not even a of wine he lifted a as he spoke and filled a glass with which he put to his lips that is an excellent thing i mean the principle not this you do not use tobacco in any form he took up a cigar and bit off the end which is also to be commended i do not see how anyone except myself of course can be so foolish as to their brains with the vile of that weed he lit the cigar tobacco puff is undoubtedly a curse puff which should be by our ancestors drank wine and smoked puff and we show the results of their habit if we should quit both of these things puff puff our descendants might possibly look as beautiful as those of our modern he held the cigar in his hand as he finished the sentence but the greatest reason why i have such complete love at seventy confidence in you continued after blowing a vast quantity of smoke in rings to the ceiling is on account of your exceedingly correct views in relation to the sexes you must know i was joking a few minutes ago when i intimated that

0Arthur Conan Doyle

a residence in new york might the most beautiful trait in your composition it is my conviction that you will be absolutely to temptation which you to me with such especial tenderness rising from the chair in which he was sitting the speaker proceeded to take a collection of photographs from his trunk here are some of the women that made my life on my foreign journeys how can i look on their countenances now but with melancholy from every one is reflected the glance the questioning the trembling mouth be thankful my dear boy that you will never have on your heart the heavy load these pictures place on mine it was impossible to tell how much seriousness and how much irony there was in these expressions could not help a natural curiosity which led him to examine the collection this one i met in said taking one of the loveliest from the group you could not imagine a prettier creature i was in the bloom of my youth then and she was hardly sixteen you know the women earlier there than here how well i remember the last hours i passed with her we drove to a resort in the outskirts where we had supper she took rather more than i should have this one i met in advised of the warm rich wine of the country as we rode back in the early morning hours she lay in a half stupor with her fair head in my lap at the rear entrance to her father s house a faithful old was awaiting us with some alarm for papa would have made it unpleasant for all concerned had he detected us just before we reached her home i aroused her from sleep and those arms those bare arms you see there around my neck she vowed that nothing should ever tear us apart as i had planned to go away on the early morning train i could not very well with this view it required all my powers of persuasion to induce to enter her abode a temporary expedient promising to return the anxious listener i think likely but oh how could you be so cruel cried or having done it how can you have the heart to tell me feigned surprise i think i acted quite he replied would you prefer that i should continue taking a young girl on such excursions with no chance whatever that good would result i thought my sudden departure quite creditable all things considered but as far as escaping temptation is concerned i might as well have remained for i had not been a week in italy when i met this one he took the picture of a dark eyed beauty from the pack and held it up where he could study its exquisite outlines love at seventy i shall not tell you her story he said because you are such an listener it was much more romantic than the other poor he was interrupted by an exclamation from who took another picture from the collection and held it up to his gaze here is one that should not be put in such company he said with feeling it was a photograph of had placed it with the others in order to note its effect on his companion i am glad you found that said he for i want you to take it with you it is quite likely you will run across her in new york such girls often toward the large cities and you might need it to make the positive do you think i could forget her asked the other such things have happened however if you don t care for the picture you may leave it but had already placed the photograph in his pocket the outstretched hand laughed and turned the conversation into other channels i shall not stay much longer at he said you will find me in new york before many weeks you must be anxious to see your father suggested oh very i was the response just about as anxious as he is to see me if i were a a this one i met in s book of poems or an essay written by some famous man himself for example i might interest him being only a son however makes it quite a different matter he has only one quality in my eyes he is picturesque looked disappointed not to say shocked at this statement it is the truth he once sat as a model for a painting of benevolence shines from every muscle of his placid countenance his very beard is a study of grace and generosity and yet i know that no distress could be so deep and no agony so as to stir his calm eyes he writes the most exquisite articles upon and if he had a million of bread he would not give a crust to a blind beggar but like yourself my dear he is unquestionably picturesque and to that extent worth calling upon occasionally as paused his companion said reproachfully still he is your father yes unhappily but i would rather own for my a half clad tramp who did not know where to lay his head or to find his next meal than such a well kept finely carved block of senseless marble there was moisture in s eyes as the two friends waited at the railway station the next day was affected even while he laughed and said that tears were only for women and that reminds me he added feeling the need of raising his spirits by a i want you to be sure to avoid everything that wears love at seventy for therein a of course should you happen to run across you will try to ascertain why she left here so suddenly tell her i thought it very shabby after all the pleasant hours we spent together tell her but

0Arthur Conan Doyle

the train was starting wrung his companion s hand so sharply that he bruised it and with a hasty good by left him alone caught in thb act chapter xiv caught in the act for various reasons nearly a fortnight elapsed after the meeting which had with in his uncle s library before he accepted her invitation to enter the grounds late at night she had not been as well as usual for one thing and her mother had remained with her a good deal the impatient lover was obliged to content himself with the daily that contrived to to him and he thought than ever during the days after s departure at last however a time was set for the long delayed meeting he was to wait near the wall door at the rear of the mansion until after had seen mr s light extinguished and was sure tom had finished his game of and gone home the habits of the household as the girl knew from experience were very clock like mr seldom remained long out of bed after the departure of his regular visitor having allowed a half hour from the time she saw the light put out sent to find the anxious all the innumerable adventures which the young man had experienced seemed to pale into in comparison with this one he had climbed j love at seventy by a to the window of a wealthy beauty in had been disguised into the of a great official of had barely escaped with his life from an husband in but this possessed a strangeness equalled by none of the others to be around the walls that had enclosed his head in boyhood walls destined to be his own in the course of time to creep like a across these well known walks and into this familiar house to meet in this manner this of innocence when stepped into the room where miss was waiting his heart knocked so loudly against his ribs that he could almost hear it well i am here he said in a low voice to the most musical accents of which he was master upon conducting him to her mistress the maid had retreated into the closing but not the door behind her no sooner had she disappeared than overcome with joy stretched out his arms to my darling he cried in tones of the deepest passion will you now refuse me that kiss which i have waited for so long the young girl seemed quite composed making a marked contrast to his you must have forgotten what i told you replied gently he caught both her hands in his that you would only kiss the man who be your husband behold him she hesitated still regarding him intently aught in thb act do you swear that she asked do you swear that i shall be your wife only a minute before this the young man had been firm in his resolution not to say anything to commit himself the dependence that he had upon his uncle was so absolute that he had meant to be in his words however careless his conduct might appear but he was with the sweetness of the creature before him and to save his life he could not have made her a different reply with all my soul he answered earnestly waited no longer but permitted him to clasp her in his arms and press a kiss upon her lips have you thought how we are to arrange it she said as soon as she could escape from his caresses to arrange it her thoughts were not to be turned even for a moment from the subject of marriage that will be all right in time he responded after a slight pause for the present is it not wisest to take the happiness that comes to us and leave all difficult problems for the future such meetings as this ought to be devoted to the of love not passed in sober calculations how to escape the happiest period of life she looked slightly troubled and does the of love end with matrimony she asked in her way why no he replied confused for the moment but lovers usually like to as much as love at seventy that delightful time when they have become all in all to each other and yet are by legal ties in our case there are a hundred to marriage which must all be broken down to our love there was but one and that and her keys has easily opened showed the greatest interest in every word he said are there really so many to our marriage she asked tell me what they are well the two greatest perhaps are my uncle and your mother she brightened at this for she had feared that his answer would reveal some terrible obstacle of whose existence she had been unaware those are easily surmounted she smiled my mother would not stand in the way of anything i insisted upon and as for your uncle he has no legal control over my actions wished that she would not be so precise and positive he blushed as he felt that he could not explain his own situation without laying himself open to the charge of selfishness my uncle could refuse to do anything more for me in a pecuniary way which to say the least would be embarrassing the girl knit her brows and into thought you could earn a living could you not without his aid i supposed any man of education and talent could do that we shall not need much and i will gladly do all i can to help you she looked so as she uttered these caught in the act words that could not help embracing her again i wish with all my heart he replied and he had never spoken more earnestly that i had been brought up to do

0Arthur Conan Doyle

something useful to tell the truth i have no idea how i could turn my slight talents into bread if all else fails my dear i will make a effort to convince the world that i am a much needed individual for whom it has long felt a keen desire it would be much better though if we could convince my respected relation that he ought to give us his blessing as clasped her hands behind her head and leaned back in the arm chair she made a very pretty picture i am not so sure he wont she said he seems to care very much for me if i tell him i love you and wish to be your wife i think he will want me to be happy she was so hopeful that did not like to disturb her serenity though he had little faith in her conclusions i sincerely trust you are right he answered for if he does not if he positively us we shall have to wait a altered the expression of her pretty mouth to wait she repeated how long kissed her again thinking her more than ever we must be sensible he said is it not better love at seventy to let a little time go by during which he j induced to the girl did not take kindly to this suggestion you don t know how tired i am of my existence she said wearily oh i want so much to get out to go where i can see the world if they keep me shut up much longer i shall never live to be your wife the conversation along the same lines for another hour but nothing definite was reached he could not make her understand why he was so cautious her ideas of love had been obtained entirely from certain old fashioned novels that she had found in the big collection downstairs in those the ardent dared everything to possess their and the parents and invariably in time to make everything lovely at the close before came to let him out it was understood that he would come again within a few days and that in the meantime the lovers would exchange letters regularly with the most joyous feelings that he had known for many months set out to return to the house he had only gone a short distance however when a most unexpected and unwelcome f confronted him in the highway for a few moments neither the uncle nor the nephew uttered a word saw that his evening s was known and from the set expression on mr s face realized that he had little cause to hope for mercy caught ih thb act i am a straightforward man came at last in hard tones from the elder gentleman i know where you have been i will listen to no explanations for nothing can your offence to morrow you must leave and never return to it without my leave under no circumstances must you hold communication with any person dwelling in my house you rely on me for your income if you obey me you will continue to receive it as in the past if you do not here mr made a significant pause you may expect nothing more from me a thousand thoughts rushed to s brain during the delivery of this speech all that he owed this man the kindness shown him from his infancy the sweet face and figure he had just left the hardships experienced by those who are as shown in s case he did not dare begin an argument with his uncle in that gentleman s present state of mind it was a hard choice but he must take the safer way he could do as he was ordered trusting to the future to right him i will go sir he said quietly mr had expected a different answer he had prepared himself for harsh expressions and when he heard his nephew s dutiful reply he could hardly refrain from embracing him and letting forth the torrent of tears that struggled to his eyes but he restrained himself and the two men parted without further early the next morning with all his took a train for new york love at seventy chapter xv now don t say you re sorry s feelings as he rode toward the city were far from every revolution of the wheels under his car was taking him farther and farther from the one he loved best he believed he cared a great deal for she had made a most vivid impression upon his ordinarily nature he had really convinced himself that he was to find with her the true peace of mind and serenity of life that comes from an ideal marriage she had led him to hope that his uncle would consent to remove the difficulties in their way under the eloquence of her bright eyes and sweet voice now everything was changed he had fallen under the displeasure of a man whose power over his income was as absolute as that of the over his subjects he had been sent away with strict directions not to return under the penalty when he heard his sentence he accepted it himself with the belief that some fortunate circumstance would eventually to save him he had to admit however that there was very little clear sky on his horizon the offence of which he had been guilty must seem upon the surface a one he had no reason to doubt that the very suspicions were entertained in now don t say you re regard to his conduct should this be the case how unpleasant s situation must be it was unlikely that mr would take any pains to explain matters to her she would send her letters to the usual place and when there were no answers would make an investigation and report that the man who had

0Arthur Conan Doyle

professed the warmest tion for her so short a time before had coolly left the place without sending a word to explain the reason or an address to which she could write oh it was scandalous even the fear of being of losing the immense property which his uncle had accumulated could hardly the young man from leaving the train at the first station and returning at any risk to the girl he had deserted but prudence conquered for the moment and he decided to continue his journey to new york where he might confide the whole story to and see if together they could find a way to the knot it was on a holiday that he reached the city and the office of the company was closed as he did not know s house address he was obliged to wait until the next morning before he could see him strolling about at random during the afternoon he happened to pass through east ninth street where he encountered as he had often done an evidence of the fact that this world is a very contracted place on the a little ahead of him was a female figure whose outlines seemed strangely familiar and he was not long ia lots at seventy deciding that it belonged to the late of the house the pleasure of meeting anyone he knew combined with curiosity as to the sort of life she was now leading induced him to follow her fearing that if he made his presence known too soon she might decline to him with her place of residence he in the rear until he saw her enter a dwelling three minutes later he rang the bell the girl who answered his summons directed him to a room up two flights of stairs leaving him to make his own way to that locality now don t say you re sorry to see me he exclaimed the expression with which he was received giving rise to this suspicion why you don t even ask me to enter at this who had stood stock still in her surprise moved to one side and allowed rather than invited him to pass in let me quiet your fears at once if you have any he said in a tone i found your abode by the purest accident in fact by seeing you on the street just now and it seemed only a act to call i thought you and i were too good friends for such an abrupt leave as you took of me at which i left yesterday morning no one seemed to have the slightest notion where you were but now i shall learn all about it what are you doing in new york and what drove you away in such a hurry he glanced hurriedly at the furniture as he spoke now don t sa t tou ke sorry she had not found anything very luxurious at all events cloud that had gathered around the girl s eyes deepened at his question i came away because because i thought it best and because i believed i could earn my living better here i hope you have succeeded he said kindly not yet she told him with a sad frankness i find there are many others as much in need of work as i still i am not discouraged i shall keep trying it requires money to live in a city even in the manner and began to wonder where she had obtained enough for her wants he had good reason to believe her purse was empty when she lived in you must be well provided with funds to be able to wait so long he said boldly i i had a little she stammered much confused it does not cost much here but the little it does cost he said with sudden conviction comes from my uncle he sent you away for fear i should lower his great name by a marriage with you his name he who has wheeled a in his day coal and handled a that s where the money comes from you do not dare deny it a tumult raged in the girl s breast as she heard him a marriage with could such a thing have been for a moment in the thoughts of the wealthy this was not the story love at seventy that had told her when he pressed the into her hand and asked her to leave on the very next train he had represented that a scandal was imminent that their close relations were causing talk and that she would either have to go in this quiet way with sufficient funds to relieve her present necessities or be turned out in the face of the village you do not answer said in this case i shall consider that silence is confession you me so much that i do not know what to say she responded i never dreamed of meeting you and you must not call here any more for really i cannot see you his mind was too full of now to mind much this rather cool dismissal for with the words miss rose from the chair she had taken as if to bid him farewell i shall respect your wish he replied with a smile though i think you would be wiser to confide in me a little i am not half so great a villain as i have been represented if my uncle is supplying your purse and if he from any cause ceases to do so and you need anything my city address is at his office on third street you will be very silly if you don t let me know and let me tell you though it may not seem encouraging the chances are that you will i don t suppose you have a relation or acquaintance in town but he walked slowly out into the as he

0Arthur Conan Doyle

talked i am my welcome i wouldn t care so much if you hadn t got into this scrape on my account he added now don t say be sorry the girl had a severe struggle with the conflicting motions which these expressions brought forth it was true as lie that mr had made a bargain with her through by which he was to send her what money she needed until she could obtain a satisfactory position in exchange for which she was never to see or speak to his nephew she had been too overwhelmed at the landlord s when he made her the proposition to attempt the least defence but had followed his suggestions blindly not knowing what else to do she was practically and though mr s money almost burned her fingers she dared not decline it her main thought was to get away as quickly as possible away from away from away from all those people to whom she had become as was represented to her an object of distrust by some mysterious fate the person she had promised to avoid had found her in this large city on the very day of his arrival and without effort on his part the short interview she had had with him could not be as a of her word to mr but should she have given such a promise i will keep your card she said while he wondered why it took her so long to answer by the way said as he was turning from her our friend is here in my uncle s office is he in your bad books as well as i if he isn t and you happen to run across him it will love at seventy be a charity to give him a kind word he always seemed to like you then he went out upon the street and walked to his hotel the next morning he went at an early hour to find and arrange a lunch together at one o clock how happens it that you are here without giving me the least warning asked as soon as he could control his delight oh the devil is in it was the response i ve had a set to with my respected uncle not a falling out cried with eyes something mighty like it i ll tell you everything at noon and at noon he did tell him everything he related the whole episode from beginning to end concealing nothing isn t it a fine kettle of fish he said at the conclusion i m in a condition of mind to kill somebody and poor little she must by this time have me the and most man if i wanted to mail her a letter at the risk of my uncle s wrath there is not one chance in a hundred it would ever reach her are undoubtedly on the watch ready to anything addressed to her name come old man tell me what to do you ought to have an idea in that head of yours was much affected by this of his friend s misfortune he patience expressing the belief that mr would not long hold himself in such an attitude toward his nephew now don t say you to the at present would be merely to invite ruin nor was it wise he added timidly to the financial considerations as long as the uncle held the purse strings he could control s conduct as readily as a pilot could handle a boat through the but you don t realize what a burning affection i have developed for that dear girl cried i have been in love with a thousand women and never really had my heart on fire till now i am afraid you never loved any of them was the sober reply it is not so very long ago that you seemed wholly wrapped up in another young lady a loud laugh greeted this statement what the pretty little he replied she did entertain me in that dull but i don t think i ever meant anything serious even if i had i could not but see how little chance there was for me after she caught sight of you and that reminds me that you must run over and call on her she lives but a few minutes walk from here and would welcome you warmly miss cried rising from his chair she is here in new york exactly smiled i will cheerfully give you her address the younger man drew several long which he slowly he was evidently much surprised by the news i do not understand he stammered you say love at seventy you love miss then why have you st miss here it was some seconds before could grasp the full meaning of this question you are wrong in your brilliant he answered miss is the victim of another ridiculous move on the part of my he had her sent away from the hotel on account of a silly notion in relation to me i learned of her residence only yesterday afternoon and then quite accidentally oh i give you my word she is of no use to me now and i shall take great pleasure in passing over to you all my right title and interest shrank from these careless expressions as if they were so many blows upon his shoulders don t speak like that he pleaded it hurts me does it really asked looking at his companion in a puzzled way then i am right and you are not entirely indifferent to the girl you see i saw in the street and followed her home without letting her know she was watched when i called at her room she treated me with the civility and even had the supreme impertinence to remark as i was going away that she did not care to see me again of course i lay

0Arthur Conan Doyle

all that to the lies or possibly to the truths that had been hired to tell her about me whatever the reason my mind is now too full of my to let me shed many tears as i am barred from s society and as she is entirely alone in the now don t sat you re sorry city i know she would be delighted to see you often and although i don t think i am much to blame for her present situation i would like to hear from her occasionally and even render her assistance if she ever needs it made a number of inquiries in relation to miss which his friend could not answer positively all he knew was that she meant to secure a position of some kind by which she could earn her living and he had no doubt that was supplying her temporary wants when the friends separated had in his possession the number of the house on ninth street and that very evening he called there did not conceal her pleasure at the sight of his face and gave him a very different reception from the one found before an hour had passed the last of had disappeared from both of them and they told how pleased he was with his place in the company s office where he had been promised without any on his part a rise in salary at end of six months service and had that very day made an engagement with a which would give her almost enough to live on in the economical fashion she was though intensely anxious to learn the exact connection of the elder with her affairs did not think of questioning her in relation to that matter he was sure whatever it was that it reflected no upon her when they parted it was with an understanding that he would call love at seventy frequently the next evening they took a long walk together and within a week had dined at a cheap french where a dinner was served for forty cents several days later they had even viewed a play together from an upper gallery at a cost of half a dollar as for he took rooms in a swell bachelor apartment hotel and set about drowning his regrets with the aid of several young gentlemen afflicted like himself with too much spare time and endowed with a sufficient quantity of he was not happy but he could no plan to get out of his difficulties theatres rides in the park and such light entertainment as was furnished by one or two clubs which he joined helped to pass the time away whom he generally met at lunch time still him to have patience and to do nothing rash how much patience do you think you d have in my place used to answer exasperated at the long delay and chapter xvi uncle and nephew the disappointment felt by when she received no answers to the letters which her maid left for young mr was not over estimated in the most vivid dreams of the absent one all that could learn when she made a tour of investigation was that he had left town on the very morning following their last meeting the two girls talked it over for hours at a time but they could not account for the circumstance felt that her mother s employer had had something to do with the matter but she could not ascertain the truth of her suspicions except by direct inquiry which she was naturally to make it was incredible that the ardent lover who had seemed hardly able to control his fond emotions should have taken a wilful resolve to desert her she believed that he would write at least explaining every thing but a fortnight elapsed and nothing was was a girl of naturally strong mind notwithstanding the peculiar moods into which her strange and confined life had led her she did not give vent to her feelings in tears nor did she lose courage when it was apparent that did not intend to explain his conduct by letter she determined to at seventy speak of him to his uncle the first time she could find the latter alone all at once however such opportunities seemed to have disappeared the senior became visible only at meals and as her mother was always present on those occasions she did not like to refer to the subject evenings mr spent with old tom in the library as formerly at last she could wait no longer and one day at dinner she abruptly broke the ice i hear that your nephew has left town she said isn t it rather strange that he should stay so long in and never visit you here mrs looked up in a startled way she knew that had been to the house and that he had talked with there mr had discovered the fact of their meeting by a more thorough questioning of and had thought it wise to convey the information to the girl s mother in order to put her on her guard against a possible repetition but he had not told the lady of the visit made to her daughter s rooms and he would not for anything have had her learn of it to s remark he answered quietly having himself to expect something of the kind that his nephew was master of his own movements and in the habit of selecting his places of residence undoubtedly responded but it does seem odd to me when i think how fond you used to be of him t and nephew m used to be interrupted mr without raising his eyes used to be she repeated with added emphasis when i remember that he is the only child of your only brother that this was his home for many years that he was gone abroad a very

0Arthur Conan Doyle

long time and that on his return you have not had him here once even to a dinner and that now he has gone away i cannot help being very much surprised pardon me if i speak too plainly mr s eyes were turned affectionately upon the speaker i will pardon you almost anything he said gently but if this is your fault i will not pardon you replied the girl with the freedom she was accustomed to use toward him do you know what are abroad it is said that have taken his place here that i am crowding him out of his position such gossip is not pleasant to me i assure you the was evidently much disturbed by this remarkable statement while mrs uneasily on her side of the table afraid to say anything but wishing heartily that her daughter would select some other topic for conversation i do not see how we can keep silly people from talking replied mr after a pause he had been wondering who were the guilty parties and thinking he would make the village too warm for them if he could discover their identity the public has nothing to do with my private affairs at seventy and i heartily wish it would attend to its own business he said this in his ordinary tone but felt that he was very much in earnest i have only one thing to say she remarked if it is true that i am creating a coldness on your part toward any of your relations i wish to go away at once this was startling enough to make mrs drop a plate that she was filling with fruit while some tea that mr was about to convey to his mouth upon the table cloth you will compel me said mr as soon as he could command his voice to say things in reference to my nephew that i had rather keep to myself if i have not invited him here it is on account of matters i have learned which are not to his credit mrs growing more and more apprehensive touched the foot of her daughter under the table but the message though thoroughly understood had no effect had never been much under her mother s control and of late years she had acted quite of her she answered the last speaker as boldly as if there were not fifty years difference in their ages of course i do not know what you refer to she said but i should think it a poor way to improve him if he needs it to send him forth again into the world with no one to advise or direct his course had you brought him here he might have found influences that would have him and nephew mr could not refrain from looking at with an expression that she could not mistake she knew instantly that he was aware of the visit that had paid to her room with this knowledge came the certainty that he had sent his nephew away on account of it she had learned more than she expected and not caring to the conversation in the presence of her mother she made no further reference to the matter it being now morally certain that her lover had been forced into the action he had taken she determined to write to him and assure him of her sympathy and continued devotion the first thing was to ascertain his address faithful to the utmost discovered an opinion in the village that was in new york knew that a letter addressed to the general delivery in that city would be very unlikely to reach its destination when she was nearly in despair learned another fact which seemed of more account she discovered that s friend was now employed at the new york office of the company believed he would be almost certain to know her lover s whereabouts filled with new hope wrote a letter without delay telling him to direct his answer to an assumed name in care of s sister mrs who lived in the village of believing that she had entered upon what would prove a solution of the great was in the highest spirits she had known for weeks when she love at seventy met mr at table that day she could hardly conceal her gaiety the maker of instruments was not however to be so easily as the young girl imagined the who was practically his own had agreed to let him see all of the mail that left the village there were only two bags each day one closing at two o clock in the afternoon and the other at nine in the evening aside from the letters of the company the correspondence that went through the office was trivial and it required but a few moments for mr to examine it he knew that would do her best to learn s address and he had no intention that she should succeed in communicating with him here s a letter that may interest you said on the evening of the day when had suddenly appeared so radiant took it eagerly in his hand yes it was in s handwriting it was not addressed to his nephew however but to esq care company no third st new york the name was wholly to him and he turned in an inquiring manner to the do you t this gentleman he asked mr why yes was the answer he is a young fellow whom your nephew and kept at the hotel here for some time he was hired finally at the works and at last was sent to the head office that looks sufficiently suspicious said mr and nephew with a bright gleam in his eye to justify me in getting at the contents of this envelope at once he took up a paper which lay on the desk but the turned livid

0Arthur Conan Doyle

excuse me he exclaimed to open a letter after it has been deposited is by a heavy penalty you must find some other way sir i can at least take it to her mother mr answered his face darkening as her daughter is a minor she certainly has a right to it the was in great distress he disliked to offend this man on whose his bread and butter depended but he had a fear of the law that was even greater i beg your pardon he stammered but what is there to prove its even are sometimes mistaken in relation to handwriting it has been committed to the mail and i dare not do anything but forward it if you wish to know what is inside there is a much safer way you can take the train to new york and get possession of it at your office i am very sorry but i am under oath mr uttered an impatient exclamation and strode into the street in the morning he was a passenger on the earliest train he had merely told his housekeeper that he was going away on business something too common to attract any attention he arrived at his new york office in advance of the mail and directed that all letters received be brought to his private office when they arrived he found the one for which he specially waited after love at seventy a little he rang a bell and requested that mr be asked to step in when this message was given to he was thrown into a state of agitation he had seen mr at the office once before and knew he seldom spoke to anyone except the head clerk or the messenger boy he tried to think of something he had done to merit criticism for he did not imagine his employer would send for him on any other account when he presented himself in the inner office there was a bright red spot in each of his pale cheeks mr looked up at his entrance and told the young man to sit down is your name he asked responded with a faint affirmative he had marked the serious look and his increased how long have you been employed here about a month sir though before that was for some time at your works yes yes i know said mr now i have a little business to with you it is in reference to this letter which has just arrived in the mail showed his astonishment as he gazed at the envelope he had no regular correspondent and could not imagine who had sent it do you recognize that handwriting no sir responded the young man after examining it with care it was at you see uncle and nodded vaguely do you mean to tell me asked mr that you were not expecting a letter from that place the young man s countenance grew still he felt like one charged with an unknown offence like a man put on trial without being told of what he is accused i beg your pardon sir he answered but won t you tell me the reason for this strange series of questions that letter judging by the appears to belong to me i have no idea who wrote it but if you will hand it to me i can easily ascertain then perhaps we shall get on better mr s brow darkened very likely he said very likely but you will not read it until i have opened it i mean to learn its contents before i give it to you as he took up a paper from the desk s attitude changed instantly you have no right to open that letter he cried hoarsely there was but one person that the instrument maker had ever permitted to speak to him in that way old tom for an instant he was disconcerted but he had no idea of giving the to the one who claimed it with such a show of be careful young man he replied this letter is in the handwriting of a girl who is under my protection i have reason to believe that it contains a message for an individual with whom i have love at seventy forbidden her to hold any communication i do not propose mr to have one of my use his position to me in the wise and proper management of my affairs heard and understood it was as plain to him now as the the letter was undoubtedly from who had written to him because she could not write to having come to this conclusion the young man determined that mr whatever his financial or social position should not possess himself of the sacred secret contained in that envelope had he been the president of the united states he would not have allowed him to open it give me that letter he said the elder man was trembling under the strain he had not closed his eyes all night one minute he answered i want you to understand what you are doing i have told my nephew that if he ever attempts to communicate with this young lady i shall him shall cease treating him as my relation from that day forth i think you call him your friend consider then before you do an act that may ruin him give me that letter the outstretched hand was still claiming the when an unexpected arrival complicated affairs still more had happened to call at the office for a word with on learning that his uncle was the young man in his private office he immediately suspected that uncle and nephew something of interest to himself was going on there with this thought in mind he had no hesitation in walking boldly into the room give me that letter he heard say and his quick eye took in the address on the envelope that his uncle

0Arthur Conan Doyle