Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-15

10 the queen lie VINO was not
eur in fashionable places wasted solid hour
in waiting for Mrs. Arden's carriage. for
although the ladies were early the gentleman
impotence made him earlier, and he had been
standing about nearly an hour when the new
neatly appointed landau came in view, and he
wasted another ha.f hour in lettering along with
the slowly crawling line of carriages and stop
ping to talk to Mrs Arden and her daughter
whenever there was an opportunity.
Il wanted to see you both in your court
plumes." he said. smiling at the two fair faces,
framed in snowy feathers and flashing gems.
II could not conceive the notion of Miss Hat
rell in a court train"
You should have come TO Grosvenor Square
for an early luncheon. and then you might
have seen the train, answered Clara.
.'Oh. 1 can see it now. only it is transformed
into biiiowy background for the young lady )
throat and shoulders. like the drapery of a
water nymph riding on nautilus she'll. as
painters love TO paint it. assure you, Hiss
Hatrell. it is infinitely becoming"
..You Elvs caught the tone OF st. James Park
in the days Of Steele and Addison" said Mrs
Arden.
1T is the influence of the genus loci. feel
as if | were one of the characters in Love in a
"OOu Al, luOSt RdIlaHt, ttnttr.
days are gone, Mrs. Arden-the days when
love and gallantry ruled the worid-when bat
ties were won and lost for a petticoat and when
all mankind lived and died for love. We are
much wiser nowadays and ever 50 much more
prosaic. / am going back to my den in the
Champs Elysees tomorrow Is there anything
in this world can do for you in Paris?'
'Only to follow up the inquiry you began SO
~
BE sure will do my uttermost but fear
the road has ended in a decided no thorough
fare And for you, Miss Hatrell. viii you not
intrust me with some little commission which
shall be TO me as a lady's glove in a knights
helmet? Have you no refractory shoe maker or
dilatory glover on the other side of the Channel
whom / may harry for your
No. Mr.. Florestan. mother and are British
enough to find all we want in London"
Another instance of the degeneracy OF the
times. IN Lady Mary Montagus day man
who went to Paris carried string of delicate
commissions from his fair young friends. The
parcel post has demolished that particular
branch OF gallantry. / shall send you box
of chocolate carameis as a reward for good
behavior if you get yourself out of the royal
presence without tripping over your train.
Good BY.
He stood with his hat lifted as the carriage
moved slowly on. They were close to the
palace gates by this time.
Why is he going back to Paris so soon
wonder" specialized Daisy with piteous lit
tie look which startled her mother with sug-
gestion of danger that had never occurred to
her before.
My dear Daisy. he lives in Paris. What
more natural than that he should go back"
Why should he prefer Paris to Fountain
head. Ii seems unreasonable"
He viii settle at Fountainhead by and by,
no doubt. when he Inarries.'
is he engaged to be married, do you think
mother"
Il have no idea; but fancy if he were en-
gagged he would have talked about his tiancee."
Il don't know, Some men are so secret and
reserved Uncle Ambrose, for instance. See
how he went on adoring you IN secret for
years"
Mr.. Florestan may have some attachment
but If he were engaged i think he would have
spoken about his sweetheart. What does it
matter, dearest! He is nothing to US except
friendly neighbor."
NO only friendly neighbor, but one wants
10 know all alb out him."
Gilbert Florestan went back 10 the bachelor
lodgings and the bachelor life. He had STAYED
nearly three weeks at Fountainhead and he had
seen good deal of DAISY and her mother, both
before and after their migration, for Grosyenor
Square is within little more than an hours
journey of Lamford for him who Will take an
express train and fast hanson, and Mr. Flor
estan had dined once and taken afternoon tea
three times In the new house and had hap
pened to meet the two ladies at three different
picture galleries.
He had studied Daisy's character and dispo-
sition as il she had been one of Shakspeare's
herolnes and he found her perfect as BESIDE
mona IN her meek purity. spontaneous as Juliet
IN her girllsh transparency of mind and SOUL
She was all this, but she the pllghted wife
of another man. whom she no doubt adored
IL was not because she was somewhat cold and
careless In her treatment of her lover that she
loved him the less, Mr.. Florestan told himself
They had been companions from childhood and
love had become a matter of course
He went back to Paris where the season was
still at its height, although the worldlings were
beginning to talk of their favorite maladies
and TO discuss Anvergne and the Pyrenees
AK and the Austrian 1yrol Florestan in his
present humOr cared very little about fashion
lOnable society. He had his friends and COM
panlons III the world of literature and art, and
IN this particular world he tried to discover the
character and antecedents of Duverdier, the
man he met in Madame Quijadas salon. He
also made certain inquiries about Madame
Qullada herself.
The ultimate result of a good deal of trouble
was as follows: VI. Duverdier Was not known to
literature Oh art The painters and literary
men had never heard of him. but he was known
Is an habitue Of the Boulevard theaters and
VI some OF the Iastest ana most furious OF the
restaurants. He said to be a Spaniard and
to have only appeared in Paris within the last
two years; and yet this description of him
seemed strangely at variance with his modes OF
speech. which were essentially argotic and
Partisan. albeit that his accent was not Partisan
He was described as idle visionary, with
pretentions to be a man of science aud an in
Sentor. but he had never been known to take
out = patent TOR so much a new kind of cork
screw He had been known also to dabble in
mining speculatiOns. and had more than once
been obliged TO swim for his life in troubled
waters.
OF Madame Quijada nothing was known ex-
cept that she had beautiful daughter whom
she Kept as close as a nun. IL was supposed that
tnere must be some one in the background some
Que who kept dark and who was the source OF
that magnlhcence i'll jewels and that luxury in
dollhouse flowers which contrasted so curiously
with the ladys unpretending manner of life
There was something in this little household
OF the Rue Saint Guiliaume which interested
florestan, although he had not the slIghtes
disposition TO fall IN love with the beautiful
Dolores. He was only interested in her as ,
study IN human nature. a leaf in the great bool
OF humanity. For personal feeling he was NOR.
moved by the faded gray-haired cousin thai
by Madame Quljada's daughter.
He might have been still more interested i,
Louise Marcel could he have been present a
an interview between her and Leon Duverdie
which took place on the morning of his return
to Paris.
Ii Was nearly a month since Duverdier's ur
gent application for loan and since his threa
n fhraat which haA NOT baa "a.