The Last Woman

  CHAPTER VIII

  BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAYLIGHT

  Sally Gardner had found time during this short scene to recover fromher moment of excitement. She had heard, and she thought sheunderstood. Being a many-sided young matron, the best one of all cameto the surface now--the one that even her best friends had neversupposed her to possess. Underneath her fun-and-laughter-lovingnature, Sally was gifted with more than her share of ruggedcommon-sense, inherited, doubtless, from her Montana ancestors.

  Even as Duncan bent above Beatrice's unconscious form, and before hespoke to her, Sally had started to her feet and pressed theelectric-button in the wall, with the consequence that, at the instantwhen Beatrice became unconscious the second time, two of the servantsentered the room.

  "Miss Brunswick has only fainted," she told them, rapidly. "Lift her,and carry her to my room. Tell Pauline to care for her, and that Ishall be there, immediately." She stood aside while they carried outher commands; then, she turned upon Duncan.

  "You are a great fool, Roderick!" she exclaimed, without stopping toweigh her words. "I thought you had some sense; but it seems that youhave none at all. Leave the house at once; and don't you dare to seekBeatrice Brunswick, until you have settled, in one way or another,your affairs with Patricia Langdon. Now, go! Really, I thought I likedyou, immensely, but, for the present moment, I am not sure whether Ihate you, or despise you! Do go, there's a good fellow; and I'll sendyou word, in the morning, how Beatrice is."

  "Sally, what a little trump you are!" he exclaimed. "I know I'm afool; I have certainly found it out during the last twelve or fourteenhours. You'll have to help me out of this muddle, somehow; you seem tobe the only one in the lot of us who has any sense."

  "Then, help yourself out of the house, as quickly as you know how,"she retorted; and she ran past him up the stairs, toward the roomwhere she had directed that Beatrice should be taken.

  Duncan sighed. He looked around him for his hat, to find that it wasstill crushed down on the back of his head, and, smiling grimly tohimself, he passed out of the house upon the street.

  * * * * *

  Only one of the great dailies of New York City, published that Sundaymorning, contained any reference whatever to the supposed incident ofthe wedding ceremony between Roderick Duncan and Miss Brunswick, at"The Little Church Around the Corner." The editors had been afraid touse Radnor's story, without verification. To them, it had seemedpreposterous and unnatural, and especially were they reluctant toprint anything concerning it when Radnor was forced to admit to themthat Jack Gardner had ultimately denied the truth of the story he hadfirst told.

  But there is one paper in the city that is always eager forsensations, and unfortunately it is not very particular concerning theuse of them. This paper published a "story," as a newspaper would callit, which was told so ambiguously and with such skill as to precludeany possibility of a libelous action, while the suggestions itcontained were so strongly made that the article was entertaining, atleast, and it supplied, in many quarters, an opportunity fordiscussion and gossip. It hinted at scandal in association withRoderick Duncan and his millions. What more could be desired of it?

  The story was merely a relation of the events as we know them, at theoutset. It told of the party in the box at the opera-house, of thedeparture therefrom of Duncan and Miss Brunswick and of theirdestination when they entered the taxicab; after that, everythingcontained in the article, was surmise, but it was couched in suchterms that many who read it actually believed a marriage-ceremony hadtaken place. During Sunday, Duncan was sought by reporters of variousnewspapers. He readily admitted them to his presence, but would submitto no interview further than to state that the rumor was absolutelyfalse, was utterly without foundation, and that he would prosecute anynewspaper daring to uphold it. Miss Brunswick could not be found bythese news-gatherers. Old Steve Langdon laughed when they sought him,and assured them that there was no truth whatever in the rumor.Patricia, naturally regarded as an interested party, declined to beseen.

  Radnor himself sought out Jack Gardner, but it is not necessary thatwe should relate the particulars of that interview. Suffice it to saythat no further reference was made to the supposed incident by anynewspaper, and that it was quickly forgotten, save by a very fewindividuals, who made it a point to remember.

  During the day, Duncan sought to communicate with Sally Gardner overthe telephone, but succeeded only in obtaining a statement from one ofthe footmen, to the effect that Mrs. Gardner presented her complimentsto Mr. Duncan, and wished it to be said that she would communicatewith him by letter; and that, in the meantime, there existed no causewhatever, for anxiety on his part.