The Two Miss Carrs

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 77, 22 June 1927, Page 3

The Two Miss Carrs

By

Thomas Cobb.

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. CHAPTERS I. to XVIII.—Mrs. Fentiman flatters hersell mat she does not look her age, although she ia 10 ydars 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. Fentiimm returns from a visit to her mother and sees Dick Warrender with a young k’dy companion. She Is handsomely dressed, and holds a Sealyham by the leash. Eater in the day Mrs. Fentiman entertains Dick and taxes him about this young lady, whom Dick owns tie 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 Sealyham. The dog recognises him, and Pick r,crapes acquaintance with the girl He brings up the topic of Mary Carr, and his companion asks whether she has yet obtained a situation. Dick is astounded, and asks whether Miss Carr left her last situation on Saturday. “Yea. 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, he gets a Mrs. Harborough to call on the girl. Mary says she does not mind being a lady help. Luke goes to an at home at Lady t-anningbury’s and there meets another Alary Carr with whom he takes tea. He hnds that there is some connection between the Misses Carr. Dick sees the lady with the Sealyham go to the house ® f blr Timothy Carr, who left £250.000. f”®. jumps to the conclusion that Mary ii hel **ess. If that is so. she is Eligible for marriage with him. He plans accordingly and tells Luke he wants a ♦k * th ® n he calls on Mary. He suggests that sheh should accept a position in a newspaper advertisement and later makes ? ur ® that Sir Timothy has left his money ary -” Luke in response to an invitation calls at Virginia Cottage and A?* rns tllat t * le two “Marys’* are cousins. After another interview with the lady of t 6 i who calls herself “Molly,” 7i uke .t S a new interest in life. Followr*B W« plan Dick inserts an advertisefor work for himself and tells Mary ana Mrs. Fentiman that he intends to t. t marr Icd. During a visit to Molly, «i U -* l® arns that Lord Rothnill was a Sf. 1 *® 1 " for Mary and that she went to stead to make up her mind. Dick r*! ,s on Mary and finds that she is just Ruing to town. Later he tells her he loves r and she agrees to become engaged, r® the news to Mrs. Fentiman Mrs. Harborough and goes to see Mar y again. CHAPTER XVlll.—(Continued). As she showed no sign of speaking lead bought he would give her a 4 he said, “I want to LT 1 ® you to choose a ring. Though 3 true I can’t offer anything worthy m y darling, I know she will be kind “It to ma^e allowances.” ha ,, * suppose,” she murmured, “w*» ••nail often have to do that for each «.the r> Dick.” .. .^l la t is life,” he whispered. “Unthe strongest love in the • ona doesn’t bar pain. But my chief •i!n leC * * s to shield you, Mary. And Pon my soul, I’ve never wished for T ney till now I want it for you.” ar ning to glance at her face, he h-j a see it only in profile, her eye*' fixed on the patch on which space to walk abreast.” w-v e shall have to make up' our Seat d' Vhere t 0 pitch our tent ’” he sI, S-

hut there’s not the least hurry ••V* ” she answered, u ~7 y dearest,” he urged, “you mustn’t me waiting. You will be my wife \VfJ>** 0n as Y e can fix things up? You w aise an y difficulty about that?” n, f°* she answered, strangely, he “none will be raised by me.” 1 me > do you imagine?” he cried, a laugh. a. scarcely know,” she said, with * 3 ‘gh. not hut be aware of a difp fit Quality in her voice and manner. n °ticed it the instant she «-n----the sitting-room at Virginia Se l_ a^ e hut in his arms, she had self e<i to rele ht, till now she appeared PI t»v'»?t n 3cious a & a *n, though the ext|°n no doubt was, her nervousCQnfe, R * : ” e l! huiinence of the important u " l ession. SetW 1 ” , you imagine our life toWas i he whispered, though there in ° dy to overhear him, nobody wher* have to be some“<=?v?rv.av'iay * rom London, I’m afraid.” dcm*» ,,oU i you P ref er to live in Lonshe asked, raising her eyes, and

Author of “ Joanna Sets to “The Late Mr. Beverly ** &c. t &c

now, he thought, she was coming to it. “Any desert would become an oasis with you,” he said, fervently. “But, taking me for granted, Dick—” “If I didn’t, Heaven only knows where I should be.” “Well, it deepnds on you,” she continued. “Should you like a house in London?” “A house! A house, indeed.” he cried. “That’s far too ambitious. A part of a house —or a cottage. Dinners of herbs, you know, Mary. But we should have the love. Still, if it were conceivable, yes, I should choose London. I can see myself showing you round, and besides it’s stunning to be in the swim.” Although he manoeuvred round the subject, she had not unburdened her mind by the time they drew near to Virginia Cottage again. She had refused peremptorily to let him take her out to dine that evening, but raised no objection when he followed her into the sitting-room. “What time shall I call for you in the morning?” he asked. “Oh, about eleven, or even earlier if you like,” she returned. “As if I should stay away an/ unnecessary second,” cried Dick. “We will take a taxi to Bond Street ” “And then,” she murmured, “I —I should like to take you somewhere.” Now, he told himself, at last it was coming, or did she intend to give him what she believed would be the surprise of his life? To drive to the door of No. 4, Quinton Gardens, the house which used to be Sir Timothy’s, and was now her own. She had net invited him to sit down, and herself remained quite obviously nervous and excited, while he warned himself to be additionally careful not to betray himself at this eleventh hour. “Hullo, where’s that?” he asked, raising his black eyebrows. She did not reply at once, and he could not resist an uncomfortable feeling that he was being kept under close observation. The light from the window fell upon his face, while Mary’s was in the shadow. “I suppose,” he added, “you were living somewhere at Kensington when I first met you. I was always dismissed on reaching Hyde Park Corner.” “At Quinton Gardens,® she said. # “I say, swagger houses, Mary!” “You—you know them?” she suggested. “Oh, well, I’ve passed that way once or twice.” “No. 4.” she explained, “used to belong to Sir Timothy Carr ” “The patent medicine man?” cried Dick. “Was he a relative of my darling’s?” He stood with his arms akimbo, his face slightly flushed, expecting to be

told that the late Sir Timothy was her father. “My cousin lives there at present,” said Mary. “I want to take you to see her.” Dick was beginning to feel bewildered. “What —what is your cousin’s name?” he asked. “Why, Carr, of course.” “Then there are two Miss Carrs,” said Dick, with a frown. “Two Mary Carrs,” was the answer, and that was the worst moment of Dick Warrender’s experience. (To be Continued.)