But even with their
greetings came the explanation, to fill the newcomer with a horror too
sudden for concealment.
It appeared that Mrs. Steel's identity with the whilom Mrs. Minchin had
not only leaked out in Delverton. Langholm gathered that it was actually
in one of that morning's half-penny papers, at which he had not found
time to glance in his hot-foot ardor for the chase. For the moment he
was shocked beyond words, and not a little disgusted, to discover the
cause of his own temporary importance.
"Talk of the devil!" cried a comparative crony. "I was just telling them
that you must be the 'well-known novelist' in the case, as your cottage
was somewhere down there. Have you really seen anything of the lady?"
"Seen anything of her?" echoed a journalist to whom Langholm had never
spoken in his life. "Why, can't you see that he bowled her out himself
and came up straight to sell the news?"
Langholm took his comparative crony by the arm.
"Come in and dine with me," he said; "I can't stand this! Yes, yes, I
know her well," he whispered, as they went round the screen which was
the only partition between pipes and plates; "but let me see what that
scurrilous rag has to say while you order.
Pages:
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258