The Disentanglers

more since the Duchess of Richmond's ball on the eve of Waterloo. Miss Nicky Maxwell at first professed a desire to open her coffers, 'only anticipating,' she s

s a Disentangler, her lord being then absent in

brand to make an Ethiopian change his skin, and

ertainly be increased, morally speaking, if the Disentanglers were married.' But while he pigeon-holed this idea for future reference, at the moment he could not see his way to accepting Mrs. Brown-Smith's spirited idea. She reluctantly

er friend had no man, one Trevor, a pleasant bachelor whose sister kept house for him. His purse, or rather his cheque book, gaped with desire to be at Logan's service, but had gaped in vain. Finding Logan grinning one day over the adverti

outfits for the accomplices, and it is a legitimate i

money w

g of accomplices, was given in a priv

. The toilettes of the women were modest; that amount of praise (and it is a good deal) they deserved. A young lady, Miss Maskelyne, an amber-hued beauty,

your imitation of So-and-so, and forget that his niece is in the room! Do you know what they would have called people like me a hundred years ago? Toad-eaters! There is one of us in an old novel I read a bit of once. She goes about, an old maid, to houses. Once she arrived in

he talk round to sport, then to the Highlands, then to Knoydart, then to Alastair Macdonald of Craigiecorrichan, and then Merton knew, by a tone in the voice

faces round the table were plump and well liking. Miss Willoughby, in fact, dwelt in one room, in Bloomsbury, and dined on

up to Oxford n

of them at little reading parties. It gets one out of town in autumn: Bloomsbury in August is not ve

ou busy wit

cripts at the

citing

paid to Rome for their promotions. Se

s to poiso

oh, such long-winded pontifical L

t seem to l

way. But one is gla

s doing a book on the Knights of St. John in

ut embarrassed pause, and she turned from Merton to exhibit an in

Willoughby as safe, for Jephson, whom he had heard that she liked, was a very poor man, l

ensation, isn't it?' asked Miss Wil

man a professors

ughby, and Merton gave a small sigh. 'Not much larkiness he

little of the wine: the

awfully handsome

to this festival,' said the girl. '

e obvious reason,' said Mert

o that which most people don't find o

ship is on the sea and

er at Madame Claudine's, and stumpy purchasers argue from the effect (neglecting the cause) that the things will suit them. Her people were ruined by Australian gold mines. And there is Miss Martin, who does stories for the

ld roses grow

s that one used to see in the High. There is Mr.

lub. His income depends on his bat and h

handwritings of the darkest ages. Who is the man that the beautiful lady op

ode of Trinity' on t

does h

ming, or ranching, and come back shorn; they all come back. He wants to be an

be here. He can

n of his mother an

a man. I hate dawdlers.' She looked at him: her eyes were l

rk of the devil in you?' asked

illoughby. 'Perhaps this one will go out by fasting if not b

ux,' thou

d a cork. Logan interviewed Miss Martin, who wrote tales for the penny fiction people, on her methods. Had she a moral aim, a purpos

uation: 'I wish I could get one somew

said Logan. 'Besides they are f

so

' said Logan, laughing. 'But ho

of men in a darkene

séa

e dark that when arrested they ma

d swear th

en the door and the floor. Then the door breaks down under a hammer, the l

id he

Then the fighting begins. At t

is he? What w

ess. All writing. I crib things from the French. Not whole stories. I take the opening situation; say the two men in a boat

as in t

rms and legs, or with too many) to a model of a submarine ship, or political papers. But I am tired of corpses

the old

keray? Yes, I know

ou publishi

author? Don'

h,' sai

ss Martin, scruti

contribute,' she went on. 'I have two or three

was

d it h

d w

sh: in French he would be all right, a juge d'instruction, th

o that in Engla

dered bishop. So he takes advantage of his official position, and steals into the cell of the accused.

judge assassina

out the judge, who sat in the

oving sin?'

he bishop being inte

l about Mr

actly, still, yo

Logan. 'And t

w my subject-was somebody else. And the bishop was alive, and secretly watching the judge, disguised as

t me keenly'

ke freely. Our circulation goes up. I asked fo

an. 'It is like reading The British Weekly Bookman. Did y

ut, you see, there

re you serialisi

ou know a great deal about literature.

tured

s? You do not know everythi

Mys

e is. But he and the narrator had met in Paraguay. He, the murdered man, came home, visited the narrator, and

hy

ock reason. He

did he

g on a treasure originally robbed

s a treasure,

holic. And the murd

much

of course, could not marry. And the other man, being in love with the girl, threaten

Miss Martin, you are the

e the girl blushed lik

ow Mr. Tierney, your neighbour? Out of a job as a composition master.

ighbour, a fascinating lady laundress

in cookery, Miss Frere, was co

ty to such an alarming extent (no party being complete without her, while the colonels and majors never left her in peace), that her connection with education was abruptly terminated. At present raiment was draped on her magnificent shoulders at Madame Claudine's. Logan, as he had told Merton,

ster the oath, and prosecute delicate inquiries on the important question of immunity from infection. But, after a private word or two with Logan, he deemed these

, over Pall Mall the Blest. Merton kept straying with one guest or another into a corner of the balcony. He hinted that there was a thing in prospect. Would the guest hold hi

with Miss Willoughby and Miss Markham. The former lady (who needed it most) flatly refused the arrangement. Merton pleaded in vain. Miss Markham, the girl known to her contemporar

the lady patronesses, whose very names tranquilised the most anxious inquirers. The oath was commuted for a promise, on honour, of secrecy. And, indeed, little if anything was told that could be revealed. The thing was not political: spies on Russia or F

event and its promise, taking Trevor into their counsels

etty and flowering! "Cherries ripe themselves do cry," a line in

Logan. 'She is stopping with her. A country parson's d

f ever a young woman looked fancy-free it is t

Florry Blossom. Her godfathers and godmothers must bear the burden of her appro

e might distract, but then, after she had distracted them, she might recip

dedly ornamental. Merton, you'll want a typewriter for your business

hat garden in her face," for your cherry-ripe sort of young person.

tion,' said Trevor, 'so now let us

olds, Hoppner, and the rest. A sober opulence and comfort characterised the chambers; a well-selected set of books in a Sheraton bookcase was intended to beguile the

matrimonial engagements and entanglements. The advertisers proposed, by a new method, to restore domestic peace and confidence. 'No private inquiries will, in any case, be made into the past of the parties concerned. The highest references will in every

confidence,' said Merton

of it will do

Trevor, 'and a few good cloisonnés and enamel

e weedings of his