San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-27
CHAPTER XXI.

says, lightly, laying his hand on Ulic's
shoulder. The latter turns to him with a
bright smile that renders his handsome face
quite beautiful. Seeing its charm, Kelly
asks himself, in half-angry fashion, how
Olga can possibly hesitate for one moment
between him and Rossmoyne. But they
are all alike heartless," he decides, bitterly.
81 am feeling neither pale nor wan" says
Ronayne, still smiling. ut must be the
moon, if anything. Look here, Kelly, some
thing tonight has told me that 1t will all
come right in the end. l shall gain her
against the heaviest Odds"
"If you mean ROsSmoyne, he's the heavt-
est mortal L k know" says Kelly.
swell, he isn't suited to her, is heP' There
Is a strange excitement in Ronayne's man.
ner. putting me out of the question alto
gether, l don't believe he could make her
happy. If thought he could, of course l
should go away somewhere, and n con-
tentment in the thought Of her; but-yOu
don't think she would do well to marry him,
do you Kelly?" He has controlled his fea-
lures to an almost marvellous calm, but the
agony of his question in his eyes cannot be
hid.
81 think the woman who could even hest
tate between you and him must be q fool,
and worse" says Kelly, whose temper Is
not his own tonight. He is a pedantic ass,
more in love with himself thar he can ever
be with anything else. While you Look
here, ROnayne; l wonder if any woman is
UOrth it."
'Oh, she Is" says Ronayne, with tender
conviction. II don't think she is at all like
other people; do you? There's something
different-something speciaI~about her"
81 dare say" says Kelly, gently, which Is
rather good of him, considering his frame Of
mind.
you're an awfully kind sort of fellow,
Kelly, do you know" says Ronayne, slip
ping his arm through his. You are the
only one l ever talk to about her. And I
suppose l must bore you, though you don't
say ii. It's the most generous thing l know,
your sympathizing with me as you do. If
you were in love yourself, 1 could under
stand it. But you are not, you know"
"Oh, no; of course not" says Mr.. K lily.
"Is that your guitar, Mrs. BOhun? l wish
you would sing us something" says Miss
Browne at this moment.
Il don't sing much,-and never out of
doors; it hurts my throat So" says Olga,
smiling at her; but if any one else will
sing, l will gladly play to them"
"Mr. ROnayne,-Ulic-come here" says
Monica, half shyly, but very Sweetly. "You
can sing, l know"
Eyes, come here" says Olga, turning to
him, and away from Lord ROSImoyne, who
is talking to her in low, short, angry tones.
But the latter, laying his hand on her arm,
half cOmpels her to urn to him again.
Let some one else accompany him if he
must sing" he says; any n but you"
mo one else can"
81 object to your doing it"
you won't when you hear him he sings
so sweetly," with the pretliest, most enthusi-
astic smile. you really should hear him."
You persist, then? you compel me to be-
lieve the wOrst,-toregard you as lmplicated
In that story of Kelly's?'
Il compel you to nothing. And as for the
story, l thought it very amusing; didn't
you?"
Nor says RoSsmoyne, with subdued
fury.
'Do you know, l often said you lacked
humOr?" says Mrs. Bohun, with q little airy
laugh; land now 1 am sure of it. l thought
1t Intensely comic; such a situation! L
should like to have seen your face when the
curtain was drawn, if you had been the
young man."
Il must beg you to understand that such
a situation would be impossible to nc"
~ am to understand, then, that you would
not 'emb-' that was what he said, wasn't
it?-a woman If you loved herT'
Not without permission, certainly" very
stif1y.
'Oh, dearr' says Olga; what a stupid
mani Well, 1 shouldn't think you would
do it often And so you won dn't have liked
to be that particular young man"
This. is 4 poser; Lord ROssmoyne parties
the thrust.
would you have liked to be that young
woman,-who, as it appears to me, wasn't
at all PARTICULAR he asks, in turn.
THAT is no answer to my question:" says
Olga, who is angry with his last remark.
Are you afraid to say what you mean"
"Afra d. No. To give publicity to . thing
means always to vulgarize it; therefore, on
consideration, L should not have cared to be
that young man."
"AhI l should have thought otherwise"
says Olga, in an indescr babe tone. "Wel.
there must be consolation for you in the
thought that you never can be. Mr.. Ro-
naYne.' calling to Ulic lightly. "ar6 You