THE COUSINS.
CHAPTER XL,
The police pooh-poohed the idea of Mr Hurkle being able to obtain any information upon the question ot the elopement ; and Mr Hurkle informed her ladyship that if the case were taken ont of the hands of the police and entrusted to self and partner, they would soon gain all the information required. So her ladyship spoke to Tom, who gave it as his opinion that Mr Hurkle was a fool and refused to have any dealings with hira whatever, saying that if they must have outside assistance he'd have the real thing, and not the imitation. Then the house was divided against itself, and there being, a division of forces, there was no objection made when, two days later, an Italian gentleman with very dark eyes, very black beard, and a smile that reached from one ear-ring to the other, called for the organ that had been left in the area ; slinking dotyn to the kitchen door, and wheedling, theyjage a little. That, ypung gentleman - thought it rather fun to put the strap* over his , shoulder, and carry the instrument to the door, when it was borne oif, and in truth, entirely forgotten by all concerned. Tom obtained a little consolation from Tryphie,' but not much, for her ladyship took care to retain her as much as possible by her side. He had a few words of sympathy, though, from, his sister Renee who tried to comfort him during the weary hours when he waited for news, or come, back tired and dishenrtened from some unsuccessful visit ; and he certainly made' the most of the short interviews Tryphie managed to give him, for in spite of all the. trouble, it mußt be owned that a little lovemaking was oarried on. Tryphie Wilders' was not a very pleasant life at Lady Denver's., She felt that she had been adopted out of charity, and in her bitterness she would sometimes call herself hor ladyship's abuse block, for that lady would call her " little wretch " in private with as much vigour as there was sweetness in the " my dear" of publiolife.. Her ladyship had before now gone so far as to strike her. That very day Tryphie had her revenge, for, going into the drawing-room, she found Tom fast asleep on the sofa, and snipped off the ends of the moustache, wax and all. Tom awoke,.-and 'caught and kissed her, and she flew at him, boxed his ears, and then ran out of the room and upstairs to strike her hand against the wall for being so cruel. The girl's bright spirits, and unvarying tenderness to his father, for whom she was always buying Bath buns or finding snacks, made Tom desperately in love with her, but he had only received chaff as his amatory food in return. Tryphie meantime went on as a sort of upper servant, with the entree of the drawingroom, and while Justine was the repository of much that was false in Lady Denver, she alone was admitted to the secrets of her aunt's first and second sets of teeth, which she had to clean in her own room with the door locked, it being supposed that it was her ladyship's diamond suite then undergoing a renovating brush, while poor Tryphie all the time was operating upon what looked like a ghastly grin without any softening smile given by overhanging lips. ' I tell you what it is, Tryphie,' Tom said, one day, as ho met her on the stairs —' but I say, what's that ?' and he pointed to a little caso which she tried to conceal. 'Don't ask impertinent questions, sir,' was the reply. ' Now then, what is it ?' 1 Well, I was going to say—oh, I say how pretty you look this morning.' 'You were not going to say anything of the kind, sir.' Well then, I was going to say if I am worried much more, I shall hook it.' ' Slang !' cried Tryphie. ' Well, I must slang somebody. I must'nt swear. I'm half mad, Tryphie.' ' Poor fellow! you have been smoking yourself so.' 1 Nonsense !' he said, ' a fellow must do something to keep off the blues.' 1 Yes: smoke in bed.' ' I shouldn't if I was married. If I had a wife now' ' Married !' said Tryphie, ' without any money, sir ! What would you do? Keep a billiard table or open a,cigar shop. I suppose I might sit behind the counter ——' ' Go it,' sail] Tom, 'JHow down you are on a fellow.' ' While ray little liege lord wore his elegant shawl pattern smoking trousers, dressing gown and cap, and showed his prowess to customers at the billiard table.' ' Little, eh ?' said Tom. ' Well, lam little; but you must have some little fellows in the world, to sort up with. We can't all be great handsome black dragoons like Captain Garland. Jack Huish might well call him the whited sepulchre.' Tryphie winced. ' I don't care, I'm getting reckless,' he said. ' I own it all: Ido go to sleep with a cigar in my mouth. I can smoke as many cigars for my size as any man in London, and' there are not mauv men who can beat me at billiards.' 'How is the new cue, Tom?' said Tryphie, mockingly. ' All right,' he said. ' I tried it last night at the rooms, and played t a game with an uncommonly gentlemanly Frenchman who made the most delicious little cigarettes. I thought I'd met liim before. Who du think it was ?' ' Don't know, and ' ' Don't care, eh! Well, it was Launay, the barber.' j ' Tom!' ' Well, I don't care : home's wretched and I'm miserable. Glare has bolted, and Tryphie cuts me up. Perhaps I ought to aim higher than billiards, and keeping one's cue in a japanned case, hanging up in a public room. But look: at me : hang it, I hardly get a shilling, if I don't have some fellow at billiards. What have Ito look forward to? I'd rather be such a little cad as I am than such a black as Garland.' 'Is this kind, Tom ?' said Tryphie, gently. ' No, it isn't,' he cried. ' I'm a beast, Tryphie, and—' Tryphie had gone, though, teeth and all; but Tom felt better, and went to have achat with Ren6e, who had just left her husband's room. For, upon hearing of Frank's state, she at once went to his side, nursing him through a dangerous illness in a calm quiet manner, though her looks the while seemed to say that husband and wife were estranged, never to be happy more.
CHAPTER XLI.
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Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2310, 30 April 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)
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1,097THE COUSINS. Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2310, 30 April 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)
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