I Dut even now there wns no proot thnt
these /lurmillos were corrcet , IIml HOBO
couldn't lellvo the mnHer where It WIIS.
i "Mr. Yarborough , " she ald , "I nm determIned -
termIned thnt I will find thIs nctor who
" cnlls hlmselr Wilson , nnd lIeo for lUyaelt
' , Ir ho III lilY hUHbnnd. I cnn't refit now
until I know the truth , however torrlblo
I thnt truth mny bo. "
, Tom Yarborough went bnck to 1.ollllon :
: ho hOlI his bUKhlCII to aHcnd to , but HORO
went to the hotel IInl1 Btayed In the IIltlo
I town. She determined t find out from
! . the cOlllpany I\nd from the landlady of Mr.
, WIIRon' lodglng whnt I < lnd ot mnn this
1\Ir. WIlKon wns.
She wont next dny to the 1011llngll. The
Inndll\ly could tell her very IIltle. Might
. sbd eo the rooms ? eortnlnly.
> ' They were poorly furnl hed , dull , un-
comfortllble-Iooklng roomslIIlIlI pnrlorll
dIvided by II folellng door. They were whllt
l known In the IlrofesBlon II "thentrlcal
dlg/Ing" / . " and they changel ) theIr oecu-
pnnts IIlmost weel ( by week. Some of the
tcnllnts were cllreful , but Homo were not ,
IInd the /OIlOrnl / appcllronco of the oport-
ments bespoke rough usngo nnd neglect.
Hose looked IIbout the roolM In vnln for
IIny RIIn or token by which /lho mllht know
thllt the Inst occupllnt hnd been her hUB-
bnnd. She didn't know whntlho hnd expected -
pected to find , but she hnd n vnguo Idea
thnt Rhe might Ihht upou a clew In lama
Rhnpo or form.
1.'lnlllul ; nothlnl ; , Hose Sml'dloy bl'gnn to
IIPk queHtlons of the lanllllldy. What lIort
of n lool < lng mnn WIIS 1\Ir. WIIRon ? lIow
I old dill ho apponr to be , ote" etc. The
Inlllllndy couldn't sny muclr nbout her lost
lodger. She hnd 110 mnny comIng and goIng
thnt thl'Y wcro Ilr ty nenr nil nllko to
her , IInd she snw very IHtlo of them. Dut
she did notlco 1\Ir . Wilson : : IIho wns a
very _ prolty , rllther dellcnte-Iooklng Indy : :
IIho 110tlcell her pnrtlculnrly beelluse when
llito cllmo to pny the bill nnd to SIIY they
\\'ero going away , /lho seemed nervous nnd
, If trllhtelloll aud her mnnnor 'uttrllcted ntt.n-
tlon. .
. . Hose felt n 3hnrp pnng of jealousy as she
listened to the landlndY'1I description of the
) 'OUU' ' ; Wnnlll.1. ' Ilorfionill nttrMtlons. For
Iho firat tlmo It occurred to her that even
. If aho traeod her husbnnd ho was utterly
lost to her. ' 1'hls gIrl , who enlle.l IJorBolf
hili wlfo , hnll usurped her pi lice , and all
thnt WIIS left to her now was to prove the
fllct of her hu bnnd's trenchery , sue for r. .
dIvorce and bo n free womnn ngnln.
Orullulllly she begnn to sea thllt wall whnt
she ought to do. Why should she sponll
the rest of bor IIfo bearing the nnmo of a
_ mnn who hlld treuted her 1\0 InfllmouRly :
who hnd commItted a crllJllnnl net , nnll loft
her without a word , only to como bnck
ngaln nfter mnny years with nnother wo-
mnn aa hlR eompnnlon"
Yes , /lho hnd nnoth"r motlvo In findIng
, Tohn 'VlIson , the netor , now. I.ove wns
delld , nnll rev ngo blld tllken Its pI lice.
Dut how wns she to find the man ? She
hnd no clew , not a slnglo thrend to guldo
her , The mnn hnll left no IIddros8 nt the
lodglnga : : no ono there hnd the allghtest
Idea ns to where ho wnn going when ho
left , _
Hosc went bnck to the thenter nnll snw
tbo mnnllger. She cxplnlned that the Mr.
WlIsoll who hnd O mysterIously IIIRnp-
penred waa , she believed , 11 frlenll of her
fnmllY'R and sIlo wnR very anxlouR to dls-
cover his wherenbouts. The mnnnger wns
paille. but be Imow nothIng of Wilson : : he
hnd engnged hllll for the tour , which com-
1I1enelI nJout 11 month previously. 'VII son
hnd nnswored nn IIdvertlsoment nnd hnd
npplled for hlmROlf IInll wife.
"lInve you the letter ? " saId Hose. She
thourht to bersoU thnt Rho would recognlzo
the hnndwrltlng , nnd thnt would set her
doubtll lit rost.
The mlI1agor : couldn't sny : : probably It
wns . destroyed : : but ho woulll look nmong
his II pors nndll'e. . lIe was IIbsent for
nbout tl'n IIIll1nteR , and then ho returned.
"I cnn't find tbo IcHor , " ho snld , "but
I'vo found n photogrnph helent with It. "
"Ills photogrnpb 1" cried Hoso. "Let mo
see It : : I hllll know It nt once. "
"No , not hIs photograph-tho pbotogrnph
of hili wife. "
110 placell In Hoso's hnnds the photogrnph
of n young woman , IInd Hose looked at It
with mIngled feelings of curIosity nnd ro-
pugnnnce.
The landllllly was right. The gIrl wns
cortlllllly protty. There WIIS a look of doll-
ellcy nnd refinement In her fontures , nnd
the eyes were vl'ry Inrgo IInd beautiful.
" 1\ny I-mny I kl'ep thlll 7" gnsped Hose ,
liS with a deep High she lifted her eyes from
her rlvnl'R fneo ,
"Certnlnly , If you wIsh It. A 11I1 now I
must nsk you to excuse 11I0. 'Ve nro plny-
Ing a now picco to-night , nnd I'm wnnted
on the stllge. "
HOBO thnnked the manager nnd loll the
thl'nter with the photograph of MrR. Wilson -
son In I\f.r pocket , She bnll mlllle up her
mlllll whllt to do. "I shall know this woman -
an nguln , " she Rnld to herselr , "whorever
I see ber , IInd when I do see her I sbnll
not bo long before 1 find out where thIs
"lIInn Is who pnRses ns her husbl1nll. "
1 lvo mlnutoR after i\lrs. Smedley hnd loft
the tholltor a gontlomlln nrrlvell nnd sent In
his cnrd. There were two word In the
corner which procured him Instnnt nllmla-
Hlon. These two words were "Scotlallll
Ynrd , "
The gentlemnn oxplalned hlR IJIIRlneRR In
a few worlls. He wnntcd some Informntlon
IIbout a Mr. Wilson , I1n nctor In the eom-
pnny.
"Why , thero's just been a IndY hero on
the snm errnnd , " saId the nstonlshed mnn-
agl'r. , "What's 'VlIson been doIng ? "
"A Indy I" exelnlmell the Scotlnnd Yard
gontleman. "Whnt wns she IIko ? "
The mnnnger told hIm.
"So , " thought the detectlvo , "Mrs. Smod-
loy's beard of It , too. Well , between us 1
fancy wo shllll find hIm : : but ho lUustn't
know I'm going to help her , or It mlgbt
UPROt tbo IIppleenrt , "
Tom Yarborough ball done a very toollsh
thing. lie'hnll gene bnck to the city nnll
montlonell thnt ho bellovcd ho hnd seen Jnck
Smedley acting nt a theater.
110 dill It Innocently. 110 hnd qulto forgotten -
gotten thnt the rownnl at .1:1,000 for Smed-
ley's nPl1rehenslou , which waS issued nt the
,
limo hla trnud9 were dlseovercll , bnll neVer
been wlUldrawn , and that the warrant wns
RtllI In the hnnds of the pollee.
Some Dno who owed Smeilley a grullgo In
the city-a tormer clerk of the firm ho had
r bbcll-benrd the lIews nnll went strllhht
nwny to Scotland Ynrd with It , nnd a detective -
tective wont down at 011 co to the town
where Ynrborough thought ho hnd lIeen the
cUlprIt nt the thellter. And so It eamo
nbout thnt IIftor a lallso of yoara , durIng
whIch Jllck Smellloy' crhne anll hla mys-
torlou9 filght had nhnost dropped out at
remembrance , Tom Yorborough'H chnnco
vIsIt to a IIttlo provlnclnl thentor sUddenly
lIet the hounds of jU9t1eo 01lCO moro on biB
trnck.
Hose Smedley , convinced that the mnn
wbo WIIS netlllg with provlnclnl conlllnny
IIndor the nnmo of WlIsolI wns her mIssing
hURband , wellt back to l..ondon wIth the
photograph of thIJ wOlllnn who enlled her-
lIelr 1I1rs. Wilson fn her 'pocket.
The photogrnph WIIS the clew by whIch
she hoped to trnce the mall. She thought
all tile elrcumstnnces over , IInd mnde up
her , mind thllt her husbnnll , alnrmell at
bolng , recbglllzed by Yarborough , would not
rlsk..a public oPllearaneo IIgaln yct awhile ,
but the womnn would probably get nnothor
engagemcnt. They were evIdently poor and
would hnvo to IIvo on her salary.
Mrs. Smedloy's first vIsIt WIIS to n big
thentrlcal ngency nenr the Strand-nn
IIgoncy through which mnnngers nil ever
the country ellgago tholr compnnles. She
pretended that IIhe wns In senrcll or a
young frleuel , nn lIetreRs , whoso where- .
IIbouts she hnd lost 81ght of for some time.
The agent mIght bo IIblo to give her some
Informntloll. Hose showed hIm the photo-
grllph , but he Illdn't recognlzo It. lie ex-
plalnOlI that he hlld such nn enormous
number of clients It WIIS qulto Imposslblo
thnt he should remember them nil. Many
of them ho did not even see , but obtnilled
them engagements by corrosllondonce. However -
ever , Ir she would lenvo tbo photogrnph
with him he would mllko InquIries and ho
might bo nblo to let her kllow somethIng.
She might call agnln In a day or two It
she liked. ,
1\Irll. Smedley nllowe a week to paRS ,
allll thell IIho cnlled upon the agent ngnln.
The clerk took In her nnmo nnll came ! Jnck
with the IInswer thnt Mr. - wns very
busy : : wou1l1 she kIndly excuse him not
IIcclng her ? 110 had 110 Informntlon to glvo
ber.
ber.Hoso
Hose was dIsappoInted , nlthongh she hlld
hnrdly hoped for anythIng bettor.
"Thllnk ) 'OU , " she lIald , "I'm sorry to
hnve glvon Mr. - 1'0 much trouble.
Will you kindly nsk him to lot me have the
Ilhotogrnpb I left with him ? "
The clerk went Into the prlvnto room
and presently returned with a photognph
whIch he handell to Hose.
Hose was just goIng when the ngent came
bnstlly out of hlR room.
"I beg your pnrdon , " ho snlll , "but I'vo
glvl'n you the wrong photograph , "
"Oh. no , " repl10d Hose , "thIs Is the one
I left , "
'l'he agent looked nt It.
"Thnt's curious , " he salll , "for I'vo an-
otber on my desk now. 1 dllln't look closely -
ly nt what I was givIng my elorl ( , nnd I
fanelod thnt 1 must have mndc a ml&tnke.
" 'nit a moment , "
HE' went Into hll ! room nnd returned with
a letter.
"I see bow It's hnppened , " he said. "Tho
photograph I bave came this mornlnIn a"
letter which my clerk openl'd and put with
a number of others on my desk , "
"A leltor Cram 1\Irs. 'Vllson ? "
"No , It Is from a MIss Elmore , but thIs
Is the photogrnph , because my clerk endorsed -
dorsed It with the nnme nnd IIddress nHor
tnldng It out of the envelope , "
Ho sbowed Hose n photogrnph. It wns a
fellow one to the pbotograpb sboheld In
ber hnnDoth were photogrnphs at the
snmo womnn.
"I've ndvertlsed tor n Indy and gentle-
mnn to go out willi a company to the Capo , "
silld the ngent , "nnd tllla Is In reply to It.
Miss Elmoro Is evldelltly your missing
friend. She Is anxious to secure nn engagement -
gagement for her/lelr and husband. She
does . not enclose hIs photogr ph , but snys
bo will call upon mo by nppolntment , It
the vncnlley Is not alreaely fillell , "
"Oh , " exclnlmed Hose , endeavorIng to
nppenr cnlm , "how tortunnto : : will you
kIndly gIve mo MIlls Elmore's alldress1"
The asont hesitated. There was a lool (
InIrR. ! . Smedley's fa co thllt mnde him do
so. IIo was a mnn of the world , nnd ho had
known Instllnees before In whIch anI ! lady
wnnted nnother Indy's prlvnto nddress for
the purp so of n trlenelly greeting.
"It's hnrdly the thing , " ho snlll , "for
mo to do without 1\IIss mmoro's pormlsslon : :
but ns the engarement Is stili open nnd 1
thInk she will Just suit the pnrt , juelslng
by her nppearance IInd the press notices she
onelose ! ' , I shnll " , .Ite to her to como anll
Reo me , nnd then I'll glvo her your aeldress
If you will len\'e It. Thnt will nnswor the
lIame purpose , I presum07"
"Oh , certlllnlr , " replied Halle. bIting her
lips with dlsnppolntment. "I'll-I'll send
a lolter here for her which you cnn gIve
her or forwnrd to hor. "
"Certnlnly. Good morning , "
The ngent dlsnppeared Into hIs prIvate
room ngnln , nnd Hose went out Into the
trl'et tully dotermlned whnt she would do ,
She hadn't the slightest Intention of
writing toIlss ! Elmoro or of leavIng her
nddrl'Rs tor her. That woulll hnve put the
young la ly on her guard nnd hnvo IIpollt
thl ! IIUle ( llot which Hose was cnrefully
thInkIng out for her rlvnl'R di/lcolllfiture.
As ItWI15 , IIho was atralll thllt the ngent
merely telling the nctress thnt a Indy had
been asldng for her mIght IIrouse her sus-
Illelons. She didn't think they woulel remember -
member hQr nl1me nt the office. She had
npt wrltton It down or loft a card. Even
\ [ they dtd , the gIrl mIght not thlllk It of
IIny I'l'rlous Import , It WnR qulto IIkoly thnt
she dill not know what WIIRon's renl name
Willi or thnt ho hnd a wlto In l..ondon , lie
hael Ilrobably told her that ho dill not want
his frlonds to recognlzo him for some famIly -
Ily renson , nnd that hnd enused the girl's
-lIgltntlon nfter the visIt of Tom Ynrborough ,
nil descrIbed by the Jnndlndy.
Looklni : on the _ bruss plate outsille the
Page
I
- - - . .
"
.
ngent's oor , Hose snw thnt the buslnosR
hours were from 11 to 4 , except on Sntur-
daya , when they wore 11 to 2. She cnlcu-
lated thllt the ugent would wrIte to Miss
Elmoro thfll nternoon nnd mnko an appoIntment -
poIntment tor the next dny or the dny nfler.
On ono at thORO two dnys , between the
hours of 11 nnd 4 , MIss Elmoro would enter
that office and leave ngaln and return to
the plnco where she wns livIng. She might
COIIIO II10ne , she might come with " 1\Ir. '
'VilHan. "
Under nny clreumstnnees Hose woulll be
there. 'rho IItreet WIIS II wIde and a busy
one. She would eaally bo able to keep the
agent'H front door In observntlon wIthout
beIng noticed herself. With her veil dowlI
IInd her pnrnsol up "Mr. 'VlIson" could
'hardly recognize her , and MIss Elmore
didn't know her.
The only dlfilcully wns about following
her , but It would bo tlmo enough to got
over that when the time cnme. The gIrl
wns probnbly hnrd up nnd wouldn't tl1ke a
hnn ! < om : : she would either wnlk or go by
'bus , nnll In olther cnse Hose egUld bo her
traveling companIon without excIting sus-
pIcion. _ _
rr Jack came the ense would bedurer -
ent. She shoulll go up straight to hIm ,
confront hIm , nnd nsk for the pleasure of
a tew momenta' conversation with hIm. All
that C'o'cnlng nnd tnr Into the nIght Hose
thought ever the Eceno thnt she might hn"o
to tnke PlIl't In on the morrow. She re-
hellrsed It to horsolr allll spoke her
8peechell aloud ns she lay tossIng from sille
to sIde , wnlllng for the dnwn , She wns
too foverlsh nnd excited to sleep. She was
not going to be vIolent or mnke a lIeene.
She had a few words of witherIng snrcnsm
ready for 1\IIss Elmore , who would probably -
ably stare to see n strnngo Indy nccost Mr.
Wilson rather uncoromonlously nllll InsIst
upon a prlvnte Interview , but with Jnck Rho
wns goIng to bo cnlm , cold and dignified.
Dut IIho wns going to let him understnnd
that ho would hnve to nnswer for his
wicked , henrtless conduct , nnd that Nemo-
sls hnd overtaken hIm nt Inst.
And , erushlng her recrennt h'ushnnd with
words of dlgntfiedlcorn , Hose fell nsleep
at last , nnd wok a so late that by the tlmo
she had hall her brenlttnst IInd rellehed the
sIde Rtreet off the Strand In which the
IIgent's office wns IIltui ted , It was on the
stroke of cloven.
As she got out of the _ 'bus she noticed
a gontlemnn who got down from outsldo
the snmo conveynnce look nt her rather
curIously , and she wondered where she had
seen hIm beforo. She thought It must bo
/lomo ono sbo hnll been Introduced to , and
1'0 she boweel slightly , but the gentlemnn
took no notlco of her snlutntlon , but looked
deliberately the other wny.
Hose knew then thllt she must have mnlle
a mIstake and she colored slightly nt tbo
Idea' of bnvlng bowed to a strange mnn
who hnd stared nt her. ThIs little clrcum-
stance sot her thInkIng of the man ns sbe
walked up the street , and she gave Quito
a little jtnrt when a quarter of nn hour
Inter , ns she wnR loitering near the office ,
she snw this same mnn como nlong on the
opposlto sldo anel enter a public-house.
She wntehed tor him to come out , but ho
dhln't do so , anll so she decided ho must
be the Inndlord , nnd then she fixed her attention -
tention on the agont's doorwny , and forgot
nil nbout the strnnger to whom she had
bowed In mIstake.
For two hours Hose watchell the agoney
without any result. Plenty of ladles nnd
gentlemen went up nnd came down the bIg
stano stalrcn&e-actora and nctresses most
of thorn , she could tell by theIr stYle-but
nobody In the slightest wny resembling the
photogrllph of 1\lIsl ! Elmore , nnd eortnlnly
no ono In the slightest dl'greo IIIte Jack
Smodley.
Oneo she bad a fnlso alnrm. A lady and
gontlemnn came nlong from the top ot the
Rtreet : : the ml1n was just Jnck's heIght nnd
build , but when ho came nenrer she saw
that he was a man wIth grny bnlr , nnd
Jllck'a wnR as black ns night. lIe was an
I1ctor , she thought , because of hIs shnven
taco , but when they got to the agent's door
ho lort the lady , who went In nlone , wlillo
be went over the road to the public-house.
lIe wns In there nbout a qunrter of nn
hour , nnd when bo eamo out Hose thought
ho looked nt her rather hnrd. Dut she wns
11 preUy IIttio womnn stili , and had a slim ,
grnceful figure , nnll when Indies with slim ,
grnceful figures go nbout closely veiled there
Is nothIng In gelltlemen lookIng at thorn ,
liS though they would IIko to I < eo whit Kart
of a tnco thnt tnntnllzlng voll Is bIding.
It must hnvo been renlly two o'clock , nnel
Rose wns thinkIng thnt Rho sholfld have
to find out some plnco wbere she could sit
down , tor she waa getting terribly tired ,
when a tnll , thIn girl , plnlnly , nlmost shabbily -
bily dressed , came up the street , lookIng
up at the number as she wnl1ed nlollg.
This nctlon It wns which first attracted
Hose's nttentlon , nnd then In a moment ,
IlIstillctlvely , and before she wns nenr
enough for Rose to recognize her fentures ,
the deserted wire know that she nnd her
rival were about to meet.
It wns MIss Elmore. There was no doubt
of thnt. Hose soon forgot her cnutlon In
her excitement , llnel stood stili nnel let the
gIrl pass hel' so c10Mely that th lr dresses
touched. Miss E1moro evidently suspected
nothing. She snlel , "I bl'g your pnrdon , "
as Rhe nccldontally touchell Hosl' , but only
gnve her a passing glance.
The hot blood rURhed to Mrs , Smedley's
fnce , anll 11 hard. cruel look came Into her
uyes. It wns tortunnte that her v l1 wns
clown RIHI thnt. It wnR thlcle. OtherwIse she
woulll ulllloubtellly hnvo altracted atten-
tion.
tion.The fnce of her rlvnl wns a beautiful
one-so benutlful It mlldo Hose hnto her
all the moro. nut It wns very pnle , nnd
there wns a melnncholy look In the Inrgo
lustrous eyes which told m'on Hose , blinded
nl ! she wnR with jealousy nnd passion , that
her rIval hllil suffered , anll wns sufferIng
/ltllI , mentnlly ns well as physlenlly.
The pnle face , the lIorrowful eyeR , the
ahnbby dress , the tbln frame , nil tel 1 a tnlo
to one who cnn rend a IIfo story In the
crowded street.
Such n ono woulll hnve lookell ntter the
tllll , beautiful gIrl nnd have said , "Tbnt
girl Is III nnd ullhappy , " Hose only thousht
Two
. .
.
- - - -
, , , . , , . - - ' ] , . " ' -
'
' : .
- . . .
of her as the womnn who hnd usurped ber
plnco by her husband's slllo and hnd been
hIs compnnlon In the misfortunes she hnd
not been nllowed to shnre. She wns Sled
In her heart of henrts thnt her rIval looked
III , moro glnll thnt she looked unhnppy ,
She never stopped to nsk herself whether
thlu girl might not bo In utter Ignornnce
of the true story of Mr. Wilson's "life , "
utterly Innocent at the knowledge thnt she
was InjurIng any ono but herself.
Ho o _ wntehed her enter the doorwllY nnd
go up the stano steps thut led to the agent's
offieo. Then sbo went 11 IIttlo 'wny down
the street IInd stooll just whcro n bulhllng ,
juttlnl : out , hid her from the BIght of ni1Y
one coming out of the house whleh she wns
watchIng. She Itept her eyes fixed Upon
the doorwny 80 engerly , so stendfnstly , thnt
the strnln mndo her eYl'lIds ache. She wns
terrIfied leilt she should not deteet MIsEl -
more the first 1I10ment she emerged , Rnd
so let her mIx with the erowll and set nwny
. ere ho hnd' time to follow her.
IIor attelltlon JVns so fixed on thIs one
pnrtlculllr poInt Ulnt she dill not notlco the
gentlemnn to whom she hlld bowed In the
mornIng' come -quIetly to the publle-houso
d or , looK up and dow the street , catch
sight of her nnd then go In lignin qUlcltly.
The tlmo passl'd slowly 8 Hose stooll
nnd wntched. When a qunrter ot nn hour
hnd pnRsclI It seemell to her thnt 1\IIss El-
more hnd been wltb the IIgont an hour.
She hnll never tllken her eyes from the
doorwny , nnd yet "bo found horselr fellr-
Ing thnt the gIrl mIght have eome out Into
the street aguln anll got awny unobserved.
But just ns Hose hnd worked herself up
Into n fovel' of supense a lady emerged
from the doorwny and wnlked rnpldly IIwny
In the direction of the Strnnll.
It wn : , ! 1\IIss Elmore.
An Instnnt nfterwards another lady , the
lady who hlld parted with the groy-bnlred
mlln nt the door , enme out too. Hose
dnrted forwllrd nlmost with a run In her
eagerness not to lese Right of 1\IIss Elmoro
now , but quIckly checkIng horselr , she
crossed the rand null wnlkell rnpldly till
she wns au a level with the girl. the rond-
wny dlvlellng them.
1\lIs11 Elmoro turned down Into the Strnnd
nnd walked along until she cllmo to South-
-nmpton Strl'et , then she crossed the road
nnel mnde tor Wnterloo Drldgo.
Hose followed thIs time keepIng on the
! 'nme I'ldo of the rend , but II IIttlo wny be-
hlnll. It wns not an hour when the Drldgo
was crowded and It was qulto easy to keep
anyone In vIew.
"The gIrl Is eIther going to walk homo
or to tnke the trnln to Wnterloo , " thougbt
Hose. "Whlchover It Is , 1 hnve her snfo
now. 1 shall find out wherc she Is lodgIng
nnd then 1 believe 1 shnll find my hus-
band. "
SUddenly a shriek r.ng : out just behind
Hose. Everybolly Instnntly turned to see
whnt was the mntter , Hose among them.
A IIttlo boy hnd run neross the rand nnd
fnllen jU/lt ns on omnIbus wns comIng rnp-
Idly on to hIm. It wns a womnn who hnd
aeen tbo occurrence who uttered the cry.
The driver pulled up nnd the boy wns
snved. Then everybody went on theIr WilY
agnln.
Dut In the second thnt Hose turned bcr
head aha hnd Reen somethIng thnt nston-
IBbed her. Close behInd her was the wo-
mnn who had como out of the ngent's Im-
medlntely nfter MIss Elmore. Anll on the
opposlto IIldo at the rend wns the gentlomun
she hnd bowell to In mistake. IIU1l who hnll
gene Into the public-house opposlto the
agent's office.
Swlrt aR lightnIng a suspicion of truth
nnshed 'neross 1\Irs. Smedley's braIn.
Sbo wall bolng followed herself. She and
1\IIss Elmoro too.
The womnn WIIS following MIss Elmore ,
the > IIInn was following her. lIe had evidently -
dently followed her from her house thnt
morning , taken the IInme 'bus ns herselt ,
nnd wntehed her whllo she wntched the
IIgent'R office ,
. She saw It In a moment , and she knew
by n finsh of InRplratiou whnt It meant.
Some one else besIde herself hnd a suspicion -
picion thnt .Jllck Smedley had returned to
l..ondon , And they hnd been wntehlng ber ,
hIs wire , believing thnt she would know or
It , nnd communlcato wIth hIm. . .
The pnrt of his story whIch she hnd tor
the tlmo forgotten enmo bnck to her at
once. She wns trying to finll hIm to re-
proneh hIm to' hIs offenses ngalnst her.
Dut theRe people were tryIng to find him
to malte him nnswcr for his offenses IIgnlnst
the Illw.
The warrnnt whIch h ll been Issuell for
John Smedley's nrrest wns stili In force.
She and the gIrl were beIng followell by
pollco ngents , allll together John Smedloy's
wire and hIs mIstress were guiding them
to their prey.
Inl < tllntly Rose telt a revulsIon of teeling ,
All the wlro In bor rose up ngnlnst the
Idea of seeing the mnn she hall once loved
Elnnd In the felon's dock. -
She would hnve punished liIm herself ,
but she would protect blm from others.
In n moment she had mndo up her mIni !
what to do. QuIckenIng her pnee , she
cllught up with MIss Elmore.
As she clime level with her , without
lookIng nt her she Bald In an undertone ,
"Don't look at me. You are being followed -
lowed , " -
The gIrl gl1vo n IIttlo stnrt nnd turned
her bead townrd the person who had nll-
drOBsed her. .
"Hush ! " whispered Hose : : "take no no-
tlco of me. nut don't gO home , 1 tell you ,
) 'OU nro follow" , "
Hal'o coulel see thnt 1\IIss Elmoro's tnce
wns uow moro deadly pnlo thnn ever nnd
her IIPR trembled.
"Whnt IIbnll 1 do 1" she snld.
" ' Ilon't home , "
"An'thlng-but go
At thnt moment nn omnIbus passell them.
The conductor helel up hIs hnnd. "Hoam
for two InsIde , ladles , " ho shouted.
"Yes. Get In , " snld Hose.
1\IIss Elmore , trembling nnd nlmost
speechless wIth ngltatlon , oboyed. She wns
too bewildered to tblnk for hcrsclt ,
CCOII'r'tlllrd 01ag 14) )
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