Studies in Wives

ur uncle's? I take it yo

so strong a confidence, and who was the secret pride of

belonging to that disappearing generation of Englishmen who found time to cultivate the things of the mind as well as the material interests of life. A contrast, indeed, to

st confidential, ties of affection. And, as a matter of course, they were partners in the great metal-broking business of Josh.

es time to do on ordinary week-days, in the finely proportioned, book-lined dining-room of one of those sp

important to them both. The matter in question was the son's recent engagement and coming marriage, a marriage which was a source of true satisfaction to the older man. His father's unselfish joy in the good thing which had

lieve, many have the grace to reverence and admire the qualities in whic

t. Even as a schoolboy, Theodore had come to realise how much more he knew of the ugly side of life than did his father. But then, old Mr. Carden was quite ex

ater; she had left him a widower with this one child after five years of married life, and Thomas Carden, as he had himself on

woman-who was so soon to become Mrs. Theodore Carden would no

n mother had been, for he, unlike his father, in his dealings with the other sex could call up at will that facile and yet

aic question of his uncle's

ng us to find him the perfect clerk every man of business has sought for at some time or other. If I were you I should write and tell him that the man he wa

as he was himself, but such men, so Theodore Carden was able to tell himself without undue conceit, were

he silence with something entirely irrelevant to the su

al news is, I suppose, responsible for this?" and he pointed, frowning as he spok

moured smile quivered o

estly as indifferent as you are, father, to that sort of story. Now even I, who never met poo

ch of impatience, "as I know, and as yo

ed by his wife, is one of indifference to you! Now I submit that in this indifference you are really a little--" he hesitate

ll the details of the affair, and what shocked me, my boy, was not so much the question which, of course, occupied Lane-that is, as to whether that unhappy young woman poisoned her husband or not-but the whole state of things which he disclosed about them. Lane

rded him with considerable respect, and even with a feeling of gratitude. Some years before, the Head Constable had helped the young man out of a

arden had felt himself thoroughly condemned, and even despised, by the older man, and he had been made to feel that it was only for the sa

den with the hidden details of the Jarvice story. After all, what interested the public was not the question of Jarvice's moral character, but whether a g

views of the wide sloping garden, interspersed with the streams and tiny ponds, which gave the house its name of

an wondering what he should do wi

elatives in the south of England. The thought of going to any of the neighbouring houses where he knew himself to be sure of a warm welcome, and where the news of hi

ced as well as loved her, and hitherto Theodore Carden had never found reverence to be in any sense a corollary of passi

f this, as he stood staring with absent eyes into his father's charming garden, he found his mind dwelling persistently on the only one of h

ere his old father was sitting. How amazed, above all how shocked and indignant, the man for whom he had so great an

way the world wags. Accordingly, he was often surprised and made humorously indignant by the curious moral standards-t

him the astonishing adventure which reconstituted itself so clearly before him to-day-and yet not one of them but would have been ready to condemn him for having done what he had done. Theod

ened had been

y from the north to Euston, or rather, having taken a leisurely survey of the train, which was, as he quickly noted, ag

ed, when his eyes first met those of the fair traveller, that incommunicable sensation, part physical, part mental, which your genuine Lo

ithin an hour, he and the lovely stranger had reached that delightful stage of intimacy in which a man and woman each

he learnt, for instance, that she was the young wife of an old man, and that the old man was exceedingly jealous. Further, that she found the life she was compelled to le

s hours of their acquaintance, and even later, when their friendship-well, why not say friendship, for Carden had fel

her surname-she confided to him that her Christian name was Pansy-and her husband's profession. The third fact wh

re Carden's memory, but what had followed was still extraordinarily vivid, and to-day, on this holiday

here should be no parting at Euston between himself and the strange elem

ven now the memory brought with it shame-faced triumph as he remembered her quick acquiescence

n in the whole halcyon adventure-what i

t of court. Pansy, light-hearted, conscienceless Pansy-he always thought of her with a touch of easy tenderness-had run no risk of detec

theatre, and daily to one or other of the great restaurants. But what then? Excepting that she was quieter in manner, far better dressed, and incomparably prettier, Pansy m

k, Theodore Carden told himself that it had been a perfect, a flawless episode; he even ad

ttle surprised, that the heroine of his amazing adventure had not taken advantage of his earnest entreaty that she would give him the chance of meeting her

ine lore to claim an infallible knowledge of women, never remembered having m

she had chosen to tell him about herself and her private affairs was substantially true. No man, having heard her speak of it, could fail to understand her instinctive repulsion from the old husband to whom she had sold herself into bondage; and as huma

ise that she was the mother of children! Yet the little remark made by her, "I wonder how my little girls are getting on," had been very natural and even womanly. Then, in answer to a muttered word or two on his part, she had explained

o hide a smile; he had not been mistaken; Pansy was indeed the thorough-going little hedonist he had taken her to

n he had no desire, and, above all, must not allow himself to have any desire, ever to see her again, Theodore Carden felt, almost

the afternoon o

of his father and some other man, issuing from the square drawing-room always occupied by the father and son on such idle days as these. He stayed his steps, realised th

n elderly woman who had been in Thomas Carden's service ever since his wife's death

voice, and the young man stopped a

said quickly, "why not? Why ha

ere's firelight, to be sure, and it's only Major Lane in there, but he's been here since three

t off tea till he can have my company, you had better wait ti

m which was the only apartment in the large old house clearly associa

, one on each side of the fireplace, and when the young man came

od on the hearth-rug. "May Ka

s, I sup

ces from the fire; womanless Watermead was lacking in the small elegancies of modern life, but

e knew the tastes of his father and of his father's friend, he poured out

ped for a moment, arrested by t

I want to ask

unusual, and there was a note in Thomas Carden's accen

, fa

his morning that you h

-faced Major Lane, sudden

th the feeling that he was bracing himself to see something terrible take place, that he looked straight at

te unmoved, nay more, quite unco

w the old fellow by sight, but I certainly was neve

iosity, and then quite composedly handed h

, "there are several new developments.

aken, unless new evidence has turned up si

e to hand since Saturday,"

emnity, and again Major Lane, with an inward wincing, stared fixedly at the young man now s

u assure us both-that you

at his father with

somewhere or other, but I can't remember having done so; and I think I should have remembered it, both because the n

ly dropped the cup he was holding in his hand; it rang against the brass fender

e old man was stooping over the rug, and fumbling with the broken pieces. But Thomas Carden

e, and muttered in an urgent, agonised whisper, "Is it-can it

he said; "it's nothing of the kind. Your father's getting older, Carden, as we

ly, probingly,

ll tell you about it; in any case, I'd better go now and come back later. If you can spare

sk, and that not for the first time that day, for he had already set his own intimate knowledge of Thomas Card

catspaw of a clever, unscrupulous woman; in fact that there had come a repetition, but a hundred times more serious, of that now half-forgotten entanglement which had so nearly brought

his view of the matter. He realised that in any case Theodore Carden was no fool; for the first time that day the terrible suspicion came

Head Constable come across as good an actor, as cool

rue, and perhaps his father would be able to make him understand the gravity of the case. Major Lane felt bitterly sorry that he h

himself, the mask had fallen; Theodore Carden could not

mean to try and make father go to bed, but later I shall be quite free. If, however, you want to ask me any

nd before Major Lane could leave the room Thomas Carden had risen from his chair,

g gone so far, I think we shou

his friend were standing, and he p

of someone who bears a grudge against us, or else-what I think more likely-there are two men in this great town each bearing the name of Theodore Carden. But I appreciate, I d

Lane! What do

en's mind. Without waiting for an answer, he led the way back to the fireplace, and

t way are we, my father and myself, concerned in the Jarvice affair? For my part, Major Lane, I can assure you, and that, if you wish

l himself shaken in his belief, nay, in his absolute knowledge, that the young man was perjuring himself,

itted to himself, as to his eagerness to be brought face to face with the

er the young man's past relation to Mrs. Jarvice, nay, whatever his connection might be with the crime which Major Lane now knew to have been committed, Carden was certainly ignorant of the existence of these

ne withdrew his right hand, tha

e place before your father? I wonder if you remember"-he paused, an

e manner changed; a look of fear, of guil

ich he gave me his word-his word of honour-should never be mentioned to anyone, least of all to you;

have to consider now; to-morrow morning all Birmingham will be ringing with your name-with your father's name, Theodore-for

sitating voice: "And now, once more I ask you whether we had not

chosen to come and tell my father something about me, and I insist t

for support, and received it in full m

sure that the letters you have brought to show Theodore will puzzle him as much as they have me, an

Major Lane held out the folded paper; and then in very pity he looked away as his old friend's son eagerly unrolled

urious feeling of relief, that the documents (or were they letters?) regarded by the Head Constable as so damnatory, were but two, the fi

arning, Carden became the victi

ted. Sometimes only one word, one name-that of Pansy-stood out clearly, and then again he seemed only to see the other word, the other name-that of Jarvice.

e words, and they seemed to be coming from a long way off, "Theodore! Oh, my boy, what is the matter?" and th

back the sheet of foolscap to the Head Constable, he said

nts, read aloud the two letters whi

htwood

ary

am simply ill-worn out with worry. He-you know who-has found out something; such a little insignificant thing; and since then he makes my life unbearable with his stupid jealousy. It isn't as if he knew about you and me, that would be something real to grumble at, wouldn't it, darling? Sometimes I feel tem

a, Milliner," on it; push it open and go straight upstairs. On the first landing you will see a door with "Gone out, enquire upstairs," on it. Push up the door knob (don't try to turn it) and walk i

t will reach me in time. Of course, I'm running a risk in meeting you here, so near my home, but I must

y Ja

used a moment

ingham, for I saw your name in a paper before I wrote to you. I have gone through such terrible days waiting

y Ja

hat you know who wrote these le

pose they were writ

The question seemed to him to be, on the part of h

o whom they were writt

ravaged with a horror and despair to which the other two men had, so far, no clue. "And yet,"

se you recei

he young man seemed to hesitate, he added hastily: "N

ved a letter from her-that perhaps is

you understood that? What Lane has just shown you are copies of letters which purport to have been addressed t

ane; then he added,

ly the woman referred to in the first letter, are now in the hands of the news editor of the Birmingham Dispa

to hold them over, but it was no good. I was told that no Birmingham paper had ever had such a-'scoop', I believe, was the w

oke in with a to

l you that the whole theory of your having known Mrs. Jar

an spoke in a strong, self-confident tone, but the other, his gr

Jarvice's house once more searched, and nothing was found connecting you with the woman, excepting, I am sorry to say, this;"-a

don't mind doing so, where, when, and how

l certainly

e was beginning to realise the pra

dle of last October, in London, at

Major Lane with a strange feeling of relief, for on the flap of the envel

lmost kindly tone, that th

lue as to the person who helped her, but we have ascertained that for the last two months, in fact, from about the date of the first letter addressed to you, a man did purchase minute quantities of this drug at Birmingham, at Wolverhampton, and at Walsall. Now, mind you, I do not suspect

had to a certain extent regained his self-posse

the kind that may be necessary." He added al

ther, perhaps you would not mind my asking Major Lane to go