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WILD MARGARET. ~~ 98
.‘*Hang the title!’ she exclaimed, carelessly, ‘‘it’s Blair
I’m thinking of. .And—and when will you want me?”
““T can’t tell you now,” he said. ‘‘I may want you at
any moment, so that you must hold yourself in readiness.
I suppose you will dress the part carefully?” ,
~ She looked up and smiled.
-**You can trust me to do that,” she said. ‘‘ Wait!
Take another cigar; there’s some more whisky there. I
won't keep you ten minutes,’’ and she got up and ran
from the room.’’
She was scarcely gone more than ten minutes when there
came a knock at the door. .
‘*Come in,” he said, and a fair-haired lady, dressed in
black, with a pale face and dark hollows under her eyes,
with quivering lips and shaking hands, nervously and tim-
idly entered the room. ;
Austin Ambrose rose with some surprise and embarrass-
Ment. \ ;
‘‘Do you wish to see Miss Belvoir?’’ he said quietly. |
The lady threw.up her hands to her face and broke into
assionate sobs; then suddenly they changed to peals of
aughter, and, whipping off her bonnet and wig, Lottie
herself stood before him.
_* Will that do?” she demanded.
Austin Ambrose nodded emphatic approval. ;
“Excellent! You nearly took me in, my dear Lottie,
and I was prepared for you. Capital!” oo,
‘Oh, I can do better than that!’ she said, half con-
temptuously, as she wiped the paint and powder from her
face with her handkerchief. ‘‘But it isn’t the make-up I
shall rely on so much as the acting. I flatter myself that
Tecan play the part to a nicety. It mustn’t be overdone,
you know; and it mustn’t be taken too slowly. Oh, I
know! -You leave it to me, Mr. Ambrose!’’,
‘“That’s just what I meant to do!’’ he said. ‘‘ I place
every confidence in you, my dear Lottie!’ ;
‘* And you’ll come and see me in prison on visiting days?”
she said, with a smile that was rather serious. ©
‘ Yes,’’ he said, laughing lightly, ‘‘T’ll come and see
you, and bring you a tract. But all that is nonsense!
There is not the slightest risk of such a thing. Once you |
‘have played your part, you shall be off to Paris and take
your fling for a month or two.” -
' 1 All this will cost you something,” she said, thought-
ully, So
_He shrugged his shoulders.
‘It isn’t a question of pounds, shillings and pence on
such an occasion as this,” he said; ‘‘and as to money, I |
dure say Blair will be only too glad to pay all the expenses |