Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-29

ing her desire was gone. She said .'Thank your
quite gIaciously when he removed the last OF
her traps"
Not such terrible undertaking. after all, is
II ?" he asked with amischievous smile. "And
dress"
But he talks to me as though were child
thought Miss Vane. In the cloisters she re-
gained all her usual happiness OF temperament,
whether by the influence of the place itself, as
the mason had suggested, or by the restored
confidence in herself and the newly awakened
interest. she could not determine But she lis
tened impatiently for the chipping to begin
again, and was sorely tempted TO pass into the
aisle and see if he were examining her work.
At the first blow OF the mallet she reentered the
building and walked to her work with bright
face and expectant eyes. Her apparatus was
restored to its original place, the canvas was
covered, and the mason was humming over his
work, as though he had forgotten all about her;
the romance was over, and serious business be-
gun. Miss Vaile was little disappointed by this
turn. and did not get on half so well with her
work as she had anticipated. II he had praised
only slightly, she knew she could have worked
better; but he Clipped on and on, and never
turned from his work.
perhaps he thinks have done-playing-fOr
the day, and he does not know am here,n she
thought, and gave little cough that he might
be undece1ved He took no notice; he did not
cease his monotonous humming. his continual
hammering until the big bell struck twelve;
then he laid down his chisel and mallet SIC,
now, kept her eyes upon her work, and would
not permit her glance to turn from the canvas
In his direction. Probably he would come and
crittciSe her picture; possibly he was now at
her elbow looking quietly at her. This latter
suggestion of her Imagination so confused her
that her painting became reckless and bad; this
he certainly would detect, and know she was
only assuming Inconsistencies of his proximity.
Every moment this idea intensified, and with it
her brush grew more and more unmanageable,
until at length. unable to keep up the pretense
longer, She looked round, convinced she should
find him behind her. No one was at her elbow.
GpDffrpytS
there sat the mason eating his dinner. 1t was
the workman'S dinner hour; on small napkin
and these with stone bottle, constituted his
meal He was drinking from the stone bottle
when Miss Vane looked, and she averted her
eyes with a spasm of intense disgust. Never
thelesS, she was presently tmpelled to look
again; this time she found him with a ragged
little book in one hand and a pencil in the
other, sketching. This was more interesting,
and Miss Vane regarded him with curious eyes.
He shifted the pencil from his right to his left
hand, and taking up a huge sandwich bit out
semicircle; then he laid down the hunk of bread
and meat, transferred the pencil again, opened
his book, and, still munching looked at her.
8 He is sketching me- thought Miss Yane, and
resumed her painting with a yet more uncertain
hand.
food, as If he thought Miss Vane had resumed
her position to suit him.
"Well, do call that impudence,n exclaimed
Mrs Champ, coming up d two minutes later and
do your" said he. 'Well, 1 call it devotion.
! don't see any suggestion of impudence in the
face of a beautiful girl who is studying art.
However, as you call it impudence, mother, |
suppose it must be So"
u beg you won't call me mother" replied
the verger's wife, and then going to Miss Vane
announced that the carriage had arrived, and
hoped she had not been annoyed by Mr. Chip
stones ''laborer." This appellation, pronounced
very audibly caused the mason to gr0an aloud in
mock agony; as he groaned he held up his sketch
and nl-n6 of ftritn fnl
Nane was cleaning her palette, with an amused
smile on her face.
MAY l ask you to resume your position for
one minute?" said the man. addressing her,
eyes, that will do; thank YOU"
She looked at him; he bowed his acknowledge
ment, thruSting the old sketch-bOok in the pOck-
ct of his blouse, and then lifted the stone bottle
to his lips again.
When Miss Vane had put on her bonnet and
mantle she inclined her head to the mason,
upon her; and he, rising from his seat, took off
his felt hat and bowed with the easy grace Of
an italian. Had he lived in Italy? Was he Ital-
ian by birth? His face and bearing suggested
that Was he a real artist, and holding that posi-
ton his manner asserted? And If he was indeed
an artist, how came it that he pursued the
vocation of an ordinary mason? These and
thoughts as she drove homeward looking be-
fore her abstractedly, and quite regardless of
the sunny corn fields she had longed to enjoy
d
not asked to look at her mornings work. it was
so bad. And yet she wished he had shown
further interest in her picture. That he thought
highly OF it she had no doubt, for had he not,
looking at 1t, acknowledged she was an artist?
She eXulted In the thought that her work had
undeceived him, and felt sure he would not al
lude to 1t as play, or to her tools as playthings
he took In her thoughts, and tried once and
again to dismiss his tall figure, his handsome
face his free speech, now pleasing, then annoy
ing; from her memory; but they would recur,
and she thought over and over again the trif1ing
incidents OF the morning as though they had
been OF vital importance to her. She wondered
II he thought OF her-clearly he had been struck
lowed by womans thirst for conquest Ger
tain passages in Boccacfo's story of '!Cyrnon and
Ephigenia' came to her mind, and she blushed
with the pleasurable anticipation of subduing
this man to absolute admiration of herself and
all She did. Then again she was ashamed of
herself: OF thinking OF herself in conjunction
with him-she an Independent young lady, with
twenty thousand pounds; he with nothing, per-
haps, besides his tools. But surely he could not
be mere artkan; he might-well, he was an
anomaly, and 1t was impossible to think any,
thing more definitely Of him. Nothing was
that she was impatient Tor to-
morrow.
The next morning she did not keep her pha-
ton at the door moment-she was on the steps
as II drove up, and her man-Servant opened his
round eyes in establishment. She herself took
the reinS and also the whip, as the ponies found
10 their COSTA Lady holding the whip uses it,
q remark which applies not alone to the man
agement of ponies. Like other anxious people
she expected to be disappointed; probably she
should find another man at work upon the
it was no qualification to think
he would be as respectful and humble as men In
his station should be-poSSibly, the work was
finished, and no one in the cathedral to inter-
1ere with her. That suggestion failed to afford
her pleasure; so contrary and changeable are
the moods of young ladies at the age of twenty
1t was an unacknowledged relief to her mind
when, the wheels ceaSing to deaden the lesser
sounds, she detected the sharp ''clink clip,
cllnk, OF the chisel upon Sir Geoffrey's tomb.
- Is that man here AGAIN." she asked of MIS-
champ, raising her.pretty eyebrows and trying
to look respondent.
s. oh lor,' yes Miss Vane, and worse than ever
What do you think he says now?"
.. can't tell" Miss Vane only hoped he had
said nothing disparaging OF herself.
:. lie says he shall tell my husband il get
taking 10 him. There's for you-an imperdent
vaCabond."
Miss Nane laughed, and the smile had not
quite died out from her eyes when she ap-
preached the mason; but she composed her fea-
lures, and made him the most formal and dis
tant bend in returning his salute.
lie dld not speak, a fact that Mrs. Champ felt
II her pleasure to comment upon as she arranged
Miss Vane'S things.
'Some people can hold their tongues in the
presence OF third parties" said She loudly.
It's pity all people can't-isn't it, nt1d;e2"
my names not Marjery Sir. / was chris
tened Martha, III let you know"
well, don't mind calling you Martha, If
Miss Vane did not quite like that he should
put himself on a level with tho yarrar,s xryifa