New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-02

she had ever seen on the same lips 1t struck her Dy
! ITS cold novelty.
"You called upon this adventures" he SAID;
lyon were wiling to do that"
| "Yes-to please you"
| "Allow that as your reason. You called on her
| In private to please me. You will not meet her ID
pn6dc tS please me- Is not that just how the case
She fixed her eyes on his face. Her feverish look
bad grown humid. He could plainly note that her
| lips trembled. She was SO alive, now, to sense OF
bis being indignant, thatthis realization fright
ened her, and she let him see. with ptiabe candor,
Just how much 1t frightensd her; .,o nr-
INJURED. "And-she is in love with you."
| She showed him the full scope of bis power by
| those few words. He walked toward the door,
| pausing on its threshold.
81 won't remain to hear you insult woman
whom respect he said; lyon called her an adven-
turess, which is untrue; you now say something
| "Will you deny il ~ she asked, rising.
Her question had plaintiye quernlous rine'
which the circumstances made something more
| than pathetic ,
will you reconsider your refusal'" he said, max
| ing the interrogation a reply.
She sank back into her seat again.
mo. never!D she exclaimed. ;,
Good night" he returned. He went immedi;;
ately out into the hail. put on his coat and hat and
"She will yield no told himself al am snre of 1t.
| She showed me that she would il were only hard
| enough. ! mean to be hard. can make 1t up IN
| He waited three days. No word came to him
| from Mrs. Lee. But on the fourth word came to
| him:
81 knew it," he thought. as he read her note.
Mrs. Lee went to the dinner in truly ma vellous
gown. 1t was some curious blending Of crimson
and black silks, that made her look sombrely clad
in attitude and luridly clad in the next. Her
only jewelry was Tina snake OF rubles about her
| slender throat, and the head OF the snake. set
directly beneath her chin, was big gold one, hav-
ing two large garnets for eyes All the women pro,
| nounced her costume rdiculously overdone All
| the protested to like it. She never appeared In
gayer spirits. Next t. Claire she was the most no
| table feminine guest.
| But Claire ruled absolute. She had never been
more beautiful perhaps because she had never felt
more secretly and VIGOROUSLY exultaut. The de-
licous music. the piercing vet tender odor OF the
lavish flowers, the insldIous potency OF the wines,
| which she slipped sparingly and felt dangerously
| tIngle through her veins-all these influences
wrought upon her a species of stimulating cntbral-
ment which made the whole splendid banquet seem.
| on the following day. like some enchanted dream.
| On one side sat Goodwin, tho genius who lad
created this lovely witchery, urbaue. devoted, allie;
| giant; on the other side sat man OF deserved
| eIninence, wit. scholar, statesman she talked
with both companions and 1T could not be sald that
| she thea charmed both. for one was already heI
| loyal devOtee. As for the other, though advanced
years and fTeighted with pungent experiences. he
coon tacitly admitted that he had 1T last found, at
| the most discriminating period OF his career,
woman who's graces of intelligence and beauty met
| in faultess unison As all the ladies' rose. leaving
the gentlemen their coffee and cigars, he leaned
| toward Goodwin, even before Clares draperies nan
swept the threshold OF the dinlng-room, aud sgnih-
! cantly murniured:
| That dinner was the steppng-stons by when
| Claire mounted into immediate triumph. From that
night she was the regnIng fayorte III just the realm
| where she mad aimed TO reign. Her father had died
"a pauper and been buried as one. She, the mistress
| of many thousands, having fixedly remembered
what a feeble disa ppOnt ted, obscure, brokend0wD
man had sand TO her in early childhood, now stood
| as the living. actual result OF his past counsel
| Years ago the seed had been sown In that dlDgY
little basement of One Hundred and Twelfth Street
| To-day the flower blo0mod, and beautiful The
| little girl had Climbed the hill 10 its top after ALL
She had 1ot grown tired and gone hone before the
| 81 h.1l har fat
| She was sure he would he glad II lie knew.
| Aud yet am quite sure she would sometimes
ask b rsef. WAS this what he really meant when
| She knew perfectly the folly of the course that
she now pursued. Her occasional self-questionings
| were q hy pocrsv that she realized while she ln-
dnIced H. But they were very occaso nal. She had
slight time for introspection, Tor analysis oi her
| own acts 49, ,
like the wealth that continued tn pour In upon
| her husband. The house IN Iwcnty-Elghth Street
was soon exchanged for a spacious mansion on
| Fifth Avenue. Claire ceased to know even The
| number OF her servants. sac had "a houseNeeper.
| who superintendcd their engagements aud dis
charges. She dwelt IN an atmosphere OF excessive
luxury. aud found herself loving IL more and more
a. she Welded To the spell OF It's subtle eneTyatlOn
The seasou like her sovereignty, at its height
As the phrase goes. she was asked everywhere. Her
bright caustic sayings were ever on me lips OF
| loyal quoters. Her toIettes were described with
| journalistic realism IN more than single ne"spa-
| per- Cards ior her entertainments were eagerly
sought and often yanly. Foreigners OF distinction
| drift.d into her drawn g-rOOnS II DY natural
| process OF attraction. Sac had scarcely moment
Of time to herself when she was not entertaining
| she was being entertained. Her admirers, women
aud men, Wed 10 Efforts to secure ber presence She
mad acquired as il by some magic instinct, the last
needed persona toach she had got the grand air 10
| perfection. DlplOnatists who had met ana known
! The most poled beauties OF European courts. had
| nothing but pTa to pay her serene elegance oil
| Department the unduatng grace OF her step, the
nice melody of her voice. the nae wlzardry OF hrr
| smile She had never seen Europe yet she might
have spent all the years of her youth on lis SOIL Win
| no oyelier results than those which now marked
| hor captivating manner. she was American, past
question, TO transatlantic eyes, yet these found IN
| her only the original buOyancy and freshness OF
that nationality, without CLEAN OF Its so-termed
| cOaTseneSs. ~
Foes of course rose up against her. There can be
| no suu without shadow. She had made bcrsei so
distinct rarity that che1pening comment could
not TAIL to begin It's assault 1t did So IN hot earnest
| Two women had denied their sanction 10 her
| sudden popularity. These we're Mrs. Van Horn and
| Mrs Ridgeway Leo. They were not open enemiesj
! neither TO all Appearances were they covert ones
| They were on speaking terms with her. hey met
| her constantly, yet they offered her no Difference
| Difference WAS what she now required, anu WIN
| widely admitted right.
| The invidious statements that stole into circula-
ton regarding her could not be trac5d either 10 the
| vengeance OF Beverley ThurstOns sister or the
| jealousy of Stuart Godwin's abandoned worshipper
Ii is possible that the most ea OF ClaTes defenders
never thought of so tracing them. But the state
| ments were made and took wing. She had been
vulgar girl of tho people. Her parentage was OF the
| most pebeIan sort. A lucky marriage had gwen
| her the chance, now accepted and enlarged. Her
maiden name had been this that and the other. She
| was absolutely nobody
| Claire heard none of these scorching comments
| She regned too haughtiy for that. Mrs. Digs
| heard item. but Mrs. DIggs betrayed no sign OF
| their existence. Goodwin was now devotediy at
Clares side they were repeatedly seen In pubic
together tie world IN which she ruled cOnsdercdi IL
| SD ell did subjugaton she had brought the great
| Wall Street King obsequousy to her feet:
But no breath of SANDER tainted the relation he,
tween them. Claire had been very clever; she had
| blunted the first arrow to speak She had done
| SO by means OF her complete In lOcence. Goodwin
| wasin love with her; no one doubted this. Ii was
| something notable to have said of one. But she
| was so safely not in love with Goodwin that she