"Horace, quit your fooling!" she said, coldly.
"I am not fooling, madam."
"Oh, such a man! Perhaps you"ll say next that I am not your wife!"
continued the lady, with a black look.
"You certainly are not my wife, for I am a bachelor, madam," and now Mr.
Garwell began to grow more embarra.s.sed than ever, while Nat was completely mystified.
"Not my husband? Oh, you wretch, to say such a thing!" The lady turned to the child. "Lulu, who is this?"
"Why, that"s papa," answered the little girl, promptly.
"Now, Horace, do you hear that?"
"I--I heard what she said," answered the real estate broker, feebly.
"But--but----"
"If you are not her father, why did you buy her candy?"
"Just to keep her from calling me papa."
"Indeed! Did you want to bribe her? Oh, Horace, this is infamous!
I--I--have you lost your mind?"
"No, but I think you and this child have."
At this the lady stared, and gave a gasp. She fainted, and would have fallen to the pavement had not Nat caught and supported her. Instantly a crowd began to collect.
"What"s the trouble here?" asked one.
"The gentleman"s wife has fainted," answered another.
"Excuse me, but she is not my wife," said John Garwell. "I don"t know her."
"Certainly, she is your wife," cried a bystander. "I"ve seen you together lots of times, Mr. Mann."
"Wait," put in Nat. "Did you call this gentleman Mr. Mann?"
"Yes, and that"s his name."
"You are mistaken. This gentleman is Mr. John Garwell."
"Go on with you, I know Mr. Mann too well to believe such a yarn."
"I don"t care what you say, this gentleman is Mr. John Garwell, and he is from New York City."
"Then he has been playing a part here in Trenton, where he is known as Horace Q. Mann," said the bystander.
By this time the lady was coming to her senses. She clutched at the real estate broker.
"Take me home!" she murmured. "Oh, this is too much!"
"Better take her home," said several.
"I don"t even know where she lives," answered John Garwell, blankly.
"She lives at 19 Hallock Street," said a boy in the crowd. "I"ll show you the place, mister."
"Why not take her and the little girl home?" suggested Nat. "Perhaps you can clear up this mystery there?"
"All right, I will," answered his employer. "Nat, call a coach. I"m going to see this affair through. It"s the oddest thing I ever had happen to me."
The coach was called, and the lady and the girl got in, and John Garwell and Nat followed.
"I knew you were coming home to-day from that trip to Washington," said the lady, with a tearful look in her face, "but I never dreamed you would act this way, Horace."
"Madam, will you answer me one question. Have you a husband who went to Washington?"
"Oh, Horace!"
Seeing he could make no headway, Mr. Garwell became silent. Inside of ten minutes they reached 19 Hallock Street, and the coach came to a halt. A servant let them into the mansion. As she did this she stared at the real estate broker and gave a low cry of surprise.
"Why, I--er--I thought Mr. Mann was in the library!" she stammered. "I didn"t know he went out to meet you, Mrs. Mann."
"Let us go to the library," said John Garwell.
The lady of the house was willing, and hurried hither, followed by her daughter, the real estate broker, and Nat. As they entered, a gentleman who had been seated in an arm-chair, reading a book, arose to meet them.
"Well, Clara, I"m back," he said, cheerily.
"Oh!" screamed the lady, and fainted again, and not without good reason, for before her stood a gentleman who was almost the exact facsimile of Mr. Garwell in face, form, and general appearance.
"Why, which one of you is my papa?" cried little Lulu.
"I"m your papa!" answered the gentleman of the house. "Why--er--who--who is this?" he stammered, looking at John Garwell.
"Let us attend to your wife first," was the answer, and soon the lady of the house was restored to her senses. Then began a series of explanations.
"It was dreadful of me to make such a mistake," said Mrs. Mann, hysterically. "But--but----"
"I don"t wonder at it--now," answered John Garwell. "Your husband could pa.s.s for my twin brother."
"I can hardly tell one from the other, myself," said Nat.
"Never mind; he bought me some candy," put in little Lulu, and this made all laugh.
"I am going to ask you to do something," said John Garwell, to Horace Mann. "I think you owe it to me to walk down town, so that your fellow citizens can see that there are really two of us."