Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-04

sibls for any one to treat tsr roughly But there might be ways ot S,ins it There. time to think over the best way of doing it Supposing, however, she took offenses Sun posing. after Sunday next, she never speaks to either of us ngaini'
 ''OhP' said Wallace. wincinS. "I should give up the play at once if she really took it to heart. She attaches one to her. feel towards her as though she N ere n sister-only more interesting. because there's the charm of novelty"
 Kenda! smiled Miss Bretherton hasn't got to that yet with ne Sisters, to my mind, arc as interesting as anybody, and more 70 But how m earth. Wallace, havs you escaped failing in love with her sil this times"
 "Oh, had enough of that last year" said Wallace abruptly rising and lsnk n:; for his overcoas. wtile his tace iarkeEei; ''i,'s all experience don't take lightly
 Kendall wis puzzled. then his thoughts quickly put two and two together. ..e rs- nembered young Canadian widow who h..d been good deal at Mrs. Stuarts house. ,ls year before: he recalled certain suspicious oi his own about Ter enn his frier.l-ie- de parture from London and Wallace's long absence in the country. But he said nothing, unless there was sympathv in tho cordial grip of his hand as hs accorlpa nied the other to the door. z5 e- Fs ER 3a
 On the threshold Wallace turned irreso. lutely. "lt will be a risk next Sunday he said: "Im determined it shan't be anything more. She is not the woman, l think, tc make a quarrel out of thing like that"
 "Oh, no" said Kendall ''keep your courage up. think it may be managed You give me leave to handle 'Eivira' as like "r@'52
 ''Oh, heavens, yesI" said Wallace; ''get me out of tho scrape any way you can, and I'll bless you forever. What brute am never to have asked after your worki Does it get onT'
 now. must take it away with ms some. where into the country next month. 1, doesn't like dinner parties"
 Like me" said Wallace, with shrug.
 ''Nonsense!" said Kendall; "youre made for them. Good night"
 Good night. It's awfully good of you."
 ''Whati Wait till it's well overl"
 Wallace ran down the stairs and was gone. Kendall walked back slowly into his room and stood medirating. It seemed to him that Wallace did not quite realize the magnifi- cence of his self devotion. ''For, after all. its an awkward business" he said to himself. shaking his head over his own temerity. "How am to como around girl as frank. as direct, as unconventional as that, don't quite know. But she ought not to tave that play; it is one of the good things that have been done for the English stage for a long time past. It's well put together, the plot good, three or four strongly marked charac: ters, and some fine V yictor Hugoish dialogue, especially in the last act But ther. is ex travagance in it, as therc is in nll the work of that time, and in Isabel Bretherton's 8 hands a great deal of it would be grotesque; noth. ing could save 1t but her reputation and the get up, and that would be too great shame. No, DO; it will notdo to have the real thing swamped by all sorts of irrelevant consider, ations in this way, I like Miss Bretherton heartily, but l like good work. and if car save the play from her shall save her, too. from what every body with eyes in his head would sec to be 0 failure. "fS '' @
 It was a rash determination. Most men would have prudently left the matter to those whom it immediately concerned, but Kendall had Quixotic side to him and at this time in his life a whole hearted devotion to certain intellectual interests, which decided his action on point like this. In spite of his life in society, books and ideas were at this moment much more real to him than men and women. He judged life from the stand point of the student and ths man of letters, in whose eyes considerations, which would have seemed abstract and unreal to other people, had become magnified and all i'm. portant. In this matter of Wallace and Miss Bretherton he saw the struggle bet W cen ar ideal interest, so to speak. and personal in, terest, and he was heart and soul for the ideal. Face to face with the living human creature concerned, his principles, as we have seen, were apt to givo way little, for the self underneath was warm hear ted and i'm questionable, but in his own room and by himself they were strong and vigorous and would allow of no compromise.
 He ruminated over the matter during his solitary meal, planning his line of action "It all depends" he said to himself, Ion that; if what Wallace says about her is true, If my opinion has really any weight with her, shall be able to manage it without offending her. It's good of her to speak of mo as kindly as she seems to do; was anything but amiable on that Surrey Sunday. However, felt then that she liked me all the better for plain speaking; one may be tolerably safe with her that she won't take offense unreasonable What picture she made as she pulled the primroses to pieces-it seemed all up with one! And then her smile flashing out-her eagerness to make amends-to sweep away O harsh impression-her pretty gratefulness- enchanting!"
 On Saturday, at lunch time, Wallace rushed in for few minutes to say that he himself had avoided Miss Bretherton all the week, but that things were coming to a crisis. i've just got this note from her ,'' he said despairingly, spreading it out before Kendall, who was making Q scrappy bachelor meal, with a book on each side of him, at a table filtered with papers.
 'Could anything be more prettily donei If you don't succeed tomorrow, Kendall, 1 shall have signed the agreement before three days are overl"
 It was indeed charming note. She asked him to fix any time he chose for an appoint ment with her and her business manager, and spoke with enthusiasm of the play. Ut cannot help being great success" she wrote; Il feel that 1 am not worthy of 1t, but will do my very best. The part seems to me, in many respects, as though it had been written for me. You have never, in- deed, l remember, consented in so many words to let me have 'Elvira' 1 thought 1 should meet you at Mrs Stuart's yesterday, and was disappointed. But 1 am sure you will not say me nay, and you. will ses how grateful shall be for the chance your work will give men