The Two Miss Carrs

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 73, 17 June 1927, Page 16

The Two Miss Carrs

By

Thomas Cobb.

SYNOPSIS OP PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS I. to XV.—Mrs. Fcndman flatters herself that she does not look her 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 as private secretary to Sir Edwin Shackel. Mrs. Fentlman returns from a visit to her mother and sees Dick Warrender with a young lady companion. She is handsomely dressed, and bolds a Sealyhani by the leash. Later In the day Mrs. Fentiman entertains Dick and taxes him about this young lady, whom Dick owns he does 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 comes across another lady with a Se&lyham. The dog recognises him. and Pick scrapes acquaintance with the girl He brings up the tonic of Mary Carr, and his companion asks whether she has yet obtained a situation. Dick *s astounded, and asks whether Miss Carr toft her last situation on Saturday “Yes. last Saturday.” is the reply. Having made up his mind to forget Mary, Dick does not take her home on Sunday, but, believing she wants a situation, lie gets a Mrs. Harborough to call on the girl. Mary says she does not mind being a lady 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 Sealyhani go to the house of Sir Timothy Carr, who left £250.000 and jumps to the conclusion that Mary is the heiress. If that is so. she is eligible for marriage with him. He plans accordingly and tells Luke be wants a job, then he calls on Mary. Tie suggests that sheh should accept a position in a newspaper advertisement and later makes sure that Sir Timothy has left his money to "Mary.” Luke in response to an invitation calls at Virerinia Cottage and learns that the two “Marys” are cousins. After another interview with the lady of the Sealyham who calls herself “Molly,” Luke has a new interest in life. Following his plan Dick inserts an advertisement for work for himself and tells Mary and Mrs. Fentiman that he intends to get married. CHAPTER XV.— (Continued). Will you come in?” she suggested. "Did you want to see me?” she asked, offering her hand. “Very badly,” he returned, had other, less disinterested reasons for regret—reasons which brought blushes to her cheeks, but the fact remained that she did not understand Miss Carr, to whom Dick Warrendcr’s modest capital might, however, appear a prize worth winning. It happened that while Mrs. Fentiman was speculating about Mary Carr on Wednesday evening. Luke Harborough was becoming to some extent enlightened.

Aathor of *' Joanna Sots to “The Late Mr. Beverly &c. f &c

On leaving the Temple, he had turned in the direction of Constable Street, intending to look in at the Hypatia Club on the chance of finding Molly there, whom, as it chanced, he met a few yards from the corner. “If I proposed to walk your way,” he said, “you might imagine I was playing the amateur detective. But, really, as long as I have the privilege of seeing you at the club, I’m fairly contented—for the present.” “I’m generally there three or four times a week while my cousin’s at Highstead,” she answered. “You can ring me up if there’s any important news.” He walked to Hyde Park, partingfrom her where Mrs. Fentiman had first seen Dick with Mary. There Molly had come to a standstill, smilingly dismissing him, blit on his way to the station he admitted that she was candid enough save where the other Miss Carr was concerned. She had not, for instance, pretended that he would be unwelcome at the “Hypatia,” and. on the whole, Luke took his seat in the train and lighted his pipe in excellent spirits. As he leaned back his eyes scanned the opposite advertisements* when suddenly he sat bolt upright, startling the elderly gentleman on his right. He was staring at an advertisement which he must have read hundreds of times before: “©arr’s Capsules, If well, they make you better, If you’re ill, they cure you.” Never until the present moment had he associated the well-known nostrum with Mary Carr. Now, however, he began to speculate. He remembered seeing the will of the proprietor in the newspapers some time ago. Sir Timothy Carr had left something like a quarter of a million of money to his only daughter. Could she conceivably be Mary? That she could be the other Mary, of whom Luke had always thought as Molly, he did not for an instant imagine. She did not strike him in that way, but for her cousin anything seemed possible. In any event he warned himself that he was jumping more rashly than usual to a conclusion. There was in fact nothing to connect either Miss Carr with the late Sir Timothy and the much advertised capsules. Still Luke marvelled that the notion had never occurred to him before —or to Dick Warrender! The thought flashed across his mind; perhaps it had occurred to Dick. But, no! He could never have kept the knowledge to himself, besides there were his efforts to find Mary Carr

a berth, and his advertisement in “The Times,” for convincing evidence that he was entirely in tlie dark. On the way out of the station, close to the booking office stood two public : telephone boxes, with a directory hanging outside the door of one of them. On the spur of the moment Luke Har- 1 boepugh stopped, opened the book, hastily turning the leaves till he found the desired name. There it was—- “ Carr, Miss Mary, 4 Quinton Gardens, Kensington.” It seemed just the sort of house the proprietor of Carr’s Capsules might have been expected to live in, with a rental of five or six'hundred pounds a year at least, though as a matter of fact, Sir Timothy had bought the lease. Apparently it had been kept on by his daughter, who surely would never have chosen such a dwelling place after his death. Probably there had been circumstances in connection, with the estate which interfered with its immediate disposal. Obviously it was occupied by a Miss Mary Carr at the present moment, but which Miss Carr? And did she live alone or had she persuaded her cousin to share her magnificence? Luke had no doubt, however, that Dick Warrender would find himself unexpectedly in clover. No man could be more competent to assist in the enjoyment of her fortune! Having ascertained that he had some coppers in his pocket, Luke entered the telephone box, took the receiver from the hook and aske*l for the number. Molly, if she were in the house, would no doubt be surprised to hear his voice again so soon. If she did not live at Quinton Gardens, no harm would be done. He had only ring off. “Put two pennies in,” said a voice from the exchange. Luke dropped them into the slot and turned the handle. "You’re thr-rough.” “Hullo,” he heard a moment later. "Miss Carr, yes, sir. Who is speaking? Mr. Harborough? Hold the line., please.” Luke stood with the receiver at his car till presently he heard Molly: “Is that Mr. Harborough? What a tiresome person No, of course, I’m not angry, still I wish you hadn’t found me out. You’re going to see Mary this evening? Well, please don’t give her away to anyone else.” He smiled as he left the box, and soon reached Sycamore Gardens, explaining to Mrs. Harborough at dinner that he was going for a stroll afterwards. It was nearly nine when he rang Mrs. Dale’s bell, and Mary looked surprised when he entered her sittingroom. Rising from her chair, she held out her hand. “Well,” exclaimed Luke, “I’ve found you out at last.” “In what” she demanded. “Living at Number 4, Quinton Gardens.” She looked into his face with a frown for a moment, but then, raising her hand to brush back her hair from her forehead, began to laugh. “Anyhow,” Luke persisted, "I have rung up your cousin there ” “What in the world,” she demanded, “has that to do with me?” “Your name is in the telephone

directory,” said Luke. “There are two of us, remember, Mr. Harborough,” she returned. “And pur names are the same. Of course it’s rather confusing.” “Oh, but you’re not going to deny that Sir Timothy Carr was your 'father! ” “Certainly not. I shan’t deny anything—nor admit anything. Why should I?” ‘.‘lt’s certain,” Luke insisted, “that if the house if not yours, it’s—‘-Molly’s.” “That would be quite a different thing, wouldn’t it?” she suggested. “Still,” he said, “I can’t imagine her in the part.” “Why not?” cried Mary. “Do you assume that a rich person always looks rich? What have I done? I should have thought you knew better than to judge by appearances.” Although she seemed perfectly good humoured he began to feel tantalised and a little annoyed. You must forgive me for intruding,” he said, as he turned toward the door. “I will forgive you anything as long as you keep your promise,” she answered. “I’ve not the least intention to break it,” he assured her, but went away, feeling .that she only half-trusted him. Nor did it seem that she placed perfect confidence in Dick Warrender, whom he met half-way between Virginia Cottage, and his own house, striding along the road by the common and stopping only for a few seconds to explain with great excitement that the last post had brought an answer to his advertisement. He was in too much haste to show the letter to Mary, to enter into details, nor did Luke think it necessary to say that he had left her five minutes ago. Dick put the letter in her hands, insisting that she should master its contents to begin with. “Now I feel I’m on the job,” he exclaimed. “I’ve made a start. It’s true the blighter wants five hundred pounds down on the nail, but I can manage that if I find he’s straight.

You see whae he says. He’s ready to guarantee an income of the same amount for the first twelve months.” “Doesn’t it sound rather too good to be true?” suggested Mary. “I don’t know,” answered Dick. “There is such a thing as luck, you know. Still, I’m not a fool. I mean to keep my eyes open. It’s not the time to fling away capital. Anyhow, I’ve posted a line to say I’ll meet him at his office—somewhere by Westminster Bridge Road, at eleven in the morning.” “You must let me hear liow you get along,” she said. “Why, rather,” he cried. “Trust me for that. But after all, it’s astounding when you come to think of it, how little .we really need. A loaf of bread, a cup of wine, and thou ” “It’s not very easy to picture you in the wilderness,” 'said Mary with a laugh. “Ah, but I wonder whether you know the sort of chap I really am,” he urged. “My real self, I mean.” “I—l wonder,” she murmured. “You see,” he continued, “pretty well all the things that really count in this world are just waiting to be taken advantage of.” “Are they all femipine?” she asked. “The wind on the heath, the sea, the sun, the moon, the stars,” returned Dick. “Come to think of it there’s a lot to be said for the simple life, though I know I’ve scoffed at it often enough. I shouldn’t half mind a cottage in the country—at the edge of a wood, you know.” “With a gun licence,” cried Mary. “With the woman one loves, and a kiddie, perhaps, and that sort of thing.” “Delightfully pastoral,” she said, and carried away by his own eloquence, he was by no means for the first time almost tempted to take her in liis arms. But not quite. Ravishing though she looked, leaning back in her chair, her eyes raised to his face he fancied there was a note of something like mockery in her voice, as if she failed entirely to believe him. (To be continued.)