The Two Miss Carrs

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 70, 14 June 1927, Page 16

The Two Miss Carrs

By

Thomas Cobb.

Author of *' Joanna Sets to Wort £.** “The Late Mr. Beverly," &c., &c

SYNOPSIS OP PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS I. to Xll.—Mrs. Fentiman flatters herself that she does not look h£r age, although she is 10 years older than Dick Warrender. He knows he has only to say the word and the lady and all her possessions are his. She is trying to get his a post a 3 private secretary to Sir Edwin Shackel. Mrs. Fentiman returns from a visit to her mother and sees Dick Warrender with a young 1 idy companion She is handsomely dressed. and holds a Sealyham by the leash. Later in the day Mrs. Fentiman entertains Dick and taxes him about this young lady, whom Dick owns ne floeti not know. On their way to tennis Luke Harborough notices that Dick Warrender waves his hat to a radiant-look-ing girl standing bareheaded at a cottage gate. On Monday Dick devotes the day to Mary Carr and on that morning Mrs Fentiman drives past in her car. She recognises the girl, and greets Dick with a distant bow. In Hyde Park Dick tomes across another lady with a Sealyham. The dog recognises him. and Dick scrapes acquaintance with the girl He brings up the topic of Mary Carr and his companion asks whether she has yet obtained a situation. Dick *s .'•sfounded, and asks whether Miss Carr left her last situation on Saturday “Yes last Saturday.” is the reply. Having made up his mind to forget Mary, Dick docs not take her home on Sunday, but, believing she wants a situation, he gets a Mrs. Harborough to call on the girl Mary says she does not mind being a ladv help. Luke goes to an at home at Lady Canningbury’s and there meets another Mary Carr with whom he takes tea. He finds that there Is some connection between the Misses Carr. Dick sees the lady with the Sealyham go to the house «»f Sir Timothy Carr, who left £230.000 and jumps to the conclusion that Manin the heiress. If that is so. she is eligible for marriage with him. He plans accordinglv and tells Luke be wants a job. then he calls on Mary. He suggests that sheh should accept a position in a newspaper advertisement and later makes sure that Sir Timothy has left his monev to -Mary.” Chapter XII. — (Continued). Luke Harborough, walking from the station the same evening, saw him with Mary Carr, and on reaching i home was bound to listen to his mother’s account of the interview at Virginia Cottage the same morning. Mrs. Harborough could not understand Miss Carr. She professed to be seeking a situation, yet refused the first definite offer. “It is not as if I had put myself forward.” said Mrs. Harborough. “But Dick begged me to do what I could, and this is all the thanks I get.” She was exercised in mind again to a minor degree when, on coming down to breakfast on Saturday morning. she saw a letter for Luke. It was addressed by a woman’s unfamiliar hand. He received few letters at home, and she thought she knew • j j

the writing of all his correspondents, but though this letter bore the local postmark, she felt confident it came ‘ from a stranger. ' When Luke entered the dining-room a few minutes later he put his arm round her shoulders and stooped to kiss her high, white forehead, but on hearing there was a letter he took ! it to the window, standing with his back toward his mother while he • broke the seal. Having read it, apparently more than once, he thrust it in his jacket pocket, and, curious as she felt, she scarcely liked to ask from whom it came. She would certainly not have been told. Luke had been astonished to see i Mary Carr’s signature, though it was true he had anticipated that Molly intended to write to her. He was asked to go to Virginia Cottage as early as possible, and as he generally came home to luncheon on Saturdays, he thought he would set forth directly after. He left Sycamore Cottage at half-past two. taking his golf clubs in order to avoid maternal inquiries. Mrs. Hale looked at him with interest as she opened the door. Some years ago she herself had been the subject of gossip at Highstead, for the reason that she said she was a widow, but had nothing to say about her late husband. She evidently had a small income, since she paid her way, although her rooms were often unlet for months together. She could not quite understand Miss Carr. Without deliberate eavesdropping it was difficult not to overhear an occasional word at least that Mrs. Harborough was trying to find her a situation. The landlady had unique opportunities of observation. She had greatly admired one or two articles on Miss Carr’s dressing-table, as well as other things which had arrived in the suitcase, and were not intended for public exposure. Moreover, Miss Carr had asked Mrs. Dale to undertake the commissariat, and arfter breakfast every morning hinted at what she should like for luncheon or dinner, entirely regardless of expense. She apparently did not care for the chops and steaks that Mrs. Dale had begun by providing. Spring chickens, lobsters, salmon, and soles were preferred, with a plentiful supply of early strawberries, and grapes, peaches, and nec- } tarines from the Dominions overseas. On the whole, Mrs. Dale could not I help feeling that there was something a little mysterious about this lodger, who would help to water the

plants, and yet conveyed the impression that she was used to be waited CHAPTER XIII. Mrs. Dale took a pride in Virginia Cottage. Just before Mary Carr’s arrival she had repapered the sittingroom with her own hands, a white background with small bunches of red roses with green leaves. And she had made new curtains of crushed strawberry colour, together with covers for the chairs fashioned of remnants bought at a sale in Tottenham Court Road.

The general aspect of the room was light and clean, with nothing modern about it save Mary, for whom, in Luke Harborough’s opinion this Saturday afternoon, it formed an admirable background, though perhaps he would have thought the same of any environment.

He had never seen her so dignified before, and he at once received ' the impression that she felt annoyed with him. The sunlight came in through the window, burnishing her chestnut-coloured hair, and she stood unusually erect, holding back her head and bowing without offering her hand. “I hear you have met Molly,” she said, as soon as Mrs. Dale had shut the door. “To my great good fortune,” he returned. “And, of course, you have been talking about her to your friends.” “I promised to do nothing of the kind—for the present,” said Luke, whereupon she shrugged her shoulders and looked rather contemptu"Mcn only keep promises to women as far as it’s convenient. You—you haven’t told Mr. Warrender, yet, then,” she persisted. “I’ve not said a word to anybody.” “I thought 1 should like to see you before you meet* 1 my cousin again,” said Mary,..sitting down, and inviting him to do the same. “It must be unusual,” he suggested, having already suspected such a relationship, “for two cousins to have precisely the same name.” “The explanation is perfectly simple,” cried Mary, slightly unbending. “Our fathers, who were of course brothers, had a wonderful mother. Unfortunately they were not good friends. One had no idea the other was married. They had not met for years. But each named his daughter after her grandmother. As I said, I thought I should like to speak to you,” Mary added, “before you meet Molly again.” “You wanted,” he said with a smile, “to explain why she told Warrender you were on the look out for a berth.”

“She has one vice,” returned Mary. “She calls it a sense of humour. When I should lose my temper, she loses her gravity, instead. That is ever so much more irritating. I would far sooner be scolded than ridiculed. She insists that it’s possible to laugh at those you love—all very well for the laughter! She saw that Mr. Warrender was trying to pump her, and couldn’t resist the temptation to ”

“To puli his leg,” suggested Luke. “Quite. I tell you frankly I was indignant. I wished she hadn’t gone so far, because I had no alternative. I was bound to back her up. And what is the consequence? Mr. Warrender, as sympathetic as usual, set your mother on to me, and personally brings me cuttings of advertisements every morning. It is really rather funny.” “Why did you come here in the first place?” asked Luke. “Oh, everyone likes a little change now and then. Molly finds it at her club. But few women are really club-able. She’s an exception. I’m not. I prefer to go away alone now and then —a kind of retreat, you know, Mr. Harborough.” “You must find it dull after your ordinary surroundings.” “How can you tell what those are?” she demanded. “Anyhow, I met Miss Carr —the other Miss Carr ” “For goodness sake call her ‘Molly,’ and have done with it!” cried Mary. “There’s nothing I should like better. I shall say you gave me permission. I met her at Lady Canningbury’s ” “She met you there,” urged Mary. “Yet you appear to lead an innnocent, secluded, suburban life. Besides, her circumstances are not necessarily mine.” “Whatever they may be, you seem bent on making a mystery about them,” said Luke. “Not at all. I came here because 1 had heard so much about your lovely

common. It’s true that I didn’t publish my family history. Why should I? Perhaps I’ve nothing to feel proud of. The fine weather made me long to get away from home, though I had an engagement that I didn’t want to miss. After I had been here a few days I went back to fulfil it.” “And none of us must be allowed to know where ‘home’ is,” exclaimed Luke. “Though,” he added, “it oughtn’t to be hard to find out if one gave one’s mind to it.” “I hate to be interfered with,” she retorted. “But you actually threatened Molly to tell Mr. Warrender ” “Can’t you imagine,” Luke interrupted, “what a humbug I feel when he talks about you?” Her manner underwent a swift change. Hitherto it had been a little antagonistic, certainly impatient, as if she resented his introduction to Molly, and accordingly blamed him. But now she leaned eagerly forward, resting her hand on the table cover. “Does he ever talk about me?” she murmured. “Does he ever talk of anyone else?” said Luke. “What —what does he say?” A few minutes ago she had appeared dignified, a little superior, but now she might have been a love-sick girl. Luke told himself that there were the two sides to her character. She was accustomed to command, but could stoop to obey. At all events, this seemed the opportunity to put in a good word for Dick. (To be continued.)