The Mayor's Wife

ckard attended a conference of politicians. I felt my loneliness, but busied myself t

aid, Ellen. I now liked Ellen; she appeared equally alive and trustworthy; of the butler I could not say as much. He struck me as secretive. Also, he had begun to manifest a certain anta

ittle room up-stairs, till the clock verging on to twelve

is kind had been in Mr. Packard's mind and naturally found lodgment in mine. I was therefore much relieved when, sharp on the stroke of midnight, I heard the front door-bell ring, followed by the sound of her voice speaking to the old butler.

there rang up from some place below a laugh, so loud and derisive and of so raucous and threatening a tone that Mrs. Packard reeled with the shock and I myself was surprised in spite of my pride and usual impassibility. This, had it been all, would not be worth the comment. But it was not all. Mrs. Packard did not recover from the shock as I expected her to. Her fine figure straightened

g quietly, I caught at her wrap which was falling f

?" she panted. "Whose wa

the house its blighted reputation?" but I said: "Nixon let you in. I don't

he strove to show only the indignant curiosity natural to the

to settle my own doubts. And with a last glance at her face, w

xon coming from the library, where he had evidently been attending to his final duties of fastening windows and extinguis

own to see who laughed just

voice was restrained and apparently respectful as he replied

ome from somewhere here. I was on th

xcitement, as I have since learned-as with a

not. If any one laughed d

d quietly away and proceeded down th

ak to the mayo

ad eagerly followed me. "He

ightly inside and the door

n an hour ago. He often work

very threshold, I could not forbear giving the door a slight push,

at my intrusion, I had an excellent opportunity for observing again

ct upon the observer was instantaneous, but the heart was not warmed nor the imagination awakened by it. In spite of the perfection of the features, or possibly because of this perfection, the whole countenance had a cold look, as cold as the sculpture it suggested; and, though incomparable in pure physical attraction, it lacked the indefinable something which gives life and meaning to such faces as Mayor Packard's, for instance. Yet it was not devoid of

entleman I had just left, I ignored his presence completely, and, tripping lightly up-sta

sp on the balustrade; and though her diamonds shone and her whole appearance in her sweeping dinner-dress was almost regal, there w

er that inquiry by i

y other person I came upon down-stairs was Mr. Steele. He was busy over some papers and I di

nk y

I admired her self-control, for it was self-control, and was contrasting the stateliness of her present bearing with the cringing attitude of a few minutes