Under Lock and Key; or, Marion Marlowe's Last Role — page 25: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

for her! She mailed my letter to Reginald, you know, and so gave the very first inkling of my whereabouts to you!”’ “Then she shall have the reward!” spoke up Captain Canfield. “And she deserves it, too, for the way she cornered that rascal! You should have seen Dr. Fenn’s face when she showed him his own letter!’ “A rascal should be more careful of his correspondence,” spoke up Bert, quickly ; “but that letter was a dead give away! It made everything else easy! it was a great stroke of luck that the fellow dropped it.” “And that it fell into the hands of a friend and not an eriemy,” said Marion, quick- ly; then she glanced at her lover, a little shyly. | “What does your mother say of all this, Reginald?’ she asked, in a low voice, “or is she still too ill for you to tell her?’ “I have told her all—everything,” was.the smiling answer. “Of course, she is shocked at Mr. Carson's perfidy, but she is more than ever assured of my love for you and she will not breathe so much as a whisper against our marriage.” “And I am sure the rest of us won’t!” burst out Bert, impetuously, as he tucked his sweetheart’s arm in his own very tenderly. “No, we'll danee with light hearts at your wedding, girlie,” said Mrs. Buirnside, sweetly, “so-hurry, please, and set the happy day.” Marion blushed furiously as she mur- mured : “We have already’*set it!” “What!” gasped the others in chorus, while Marion glanced up to find Dr. Brookes look- ing tenderly at her. “Yes,” announced the doctor, his handsome face beaming with joy, “I don’t propose to give her a chance to get into any more scrapes. She has consented to be married two weeks from to-day.” When the congratulations were over, Bert insisted that it was “up to” him to treat the party to a dinner on the instant, and with- out waiting for any one to object he led the way to one of the large restaurants. . “T would like to go straight back and do something for all of those poor crazy people, said Marion, suddenly. “Do you think there will be an investigation, Reginald?” “T am sure of it, darling,” was the doctor’s quick reply. “In fact, the captain and I have already started it. Oh, I can just see the fun when Fenn gets to testifying against his superior officer ¢ [t’s plainly to be seen that he hates him for some reason or other ! “And T shall add my auota of information,” said Miss Thompson, smilingly, “for, thanks to you all, I need never go back into one of MY QUEEN, t | those places. I can live in comfort now, and, | perhaps, make myself useful to some one.” “As if you had not already been of use,” cried Marion, sweetly. “Oh, I would have died in that place, if it hadn’t been for you!” — “You would not have lived long in that — cottage, | admit,” said the ex-attendant, so- berly, “but I can’t help&miling to think what — a job I had getting you out. You see, I had to be ever so careful not to let the doctor know he had wakened me, and after I saw where he put you, I had to be more cau- tious still, so as not to let the night watch’ catch me. It was lucky the clothes room was near the hospital ward, for I was able to get — in there and get some clothes for you without .a soul so much as hearing me.”’ “And then we stole out and ran as fast as we could,” said Marion, “and, after endless walking, we ventured to stop at a little hotel, ees we wrote the letter to Captain Can- eld!” 4 7 . 4 “Well, I don’t wonder: that wretch looked - like a ghost when we came out of that cot- tage,” said Bert, indignantly. “Why, he probably felt like thirty cents when be saw the door of his trap had been opened. “He'll feel cheaper than that when that : investigation is over,’ laughed Miss Thomp- son. “There are things about the ‘Home Rest Sanitarium’ which, if they ever come to light, will send both Fenn and Lee to the penitentiary.” : “We'll dig them up, then!’’ remarked Bert, promptly, as they all sat down at the table and ordered their dinners. CHAPTER XIII. MARION’ S WEDDING. Marion's wedding day was one of those beautiful mild days which always come in the last of April. She had decided to be married in church, and now the last touch had been put on the decorations, the last detail of the service had been.arranged and nothing further remained — to be done before the service itself. Dr. Brookes had asked Bert to act as his best man, and Bert had consented willingly, but yet when he told Marion of his intention, he did it with a grimace that drew forth peals of laughter from the beautiful girl. Alma and her husband were still on their wedding tour, so Marion chose Miss Ellis as maid of honor. There were no bridesmaids. The ceremony was to take place at eight o'clock in the evening, but long before that hour the church was well filled with both her friends and many who knew Marion only through her reputation. : (ECO AMIE JOOKS % % €O ”