I Forbid the Banns! — page 387: what you’re looking at

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

ON PRIVATE INQUIRY. 377 that Mr, Charlton had called at his wife’s bankers, and had found that she had already been with them on that morning and had drawn a considerable sum in gold and notes—a sum that should be sufficiently large to prevent her being at the necessity of making another call at the bank for several weeks, unless she was a very extravagant woman. Mr. Tracey thought that he would be doing wisely if he were to assume that she was a very extravagant woman. His experience had led him to the conclusion that most women who had differences with their husbands entailing a separa- tion were extravagant women. He did not say anything to Messrs. Renard & Lupus, however, on this point; but merely told them that they must have the kindness to communicate with him in the first instance in case they found out. anything regarding the subject of their commission, otherwise he might not in future be able to put so many good things in their way as he had done in the past. Mr. Renard assured his friend Mr. Tracey that the firm would do nothing—except, of course, take money from Mr. Charlton—without first acquainting Mr. Tracey with wiat- ever they might chance to discover. As for Julian Charlton, he dined at his club, and went home afterward to dress, in order to put in an appearance among a few hundred other people in adrawing room. He would not give anyone a chance of suggesting that some- thing had occurred to interfere with the meeting of all his social engagements. Ina day or two at the farthest—for were not these confidential agents marvelously clever fel- lows ?—he would have Bertha by his side again, and there would not be a breath of scandal regarding her leaving his house. All that was necessary to be done was to maintain his even course in society until she returned. Consequently he thought fit to dress this evening and appear alone at the social function for which he had engaged himself. He CORNICLOOKS (E@)