The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-06

| explosions OF applause
Meantime Gwendolen was losing her morn
| ing and many dollars She supposed Tracy
| was coming in the forenoon-a conclusion
which she had Jumped to without outside help.
| SO she tripped down stairs every little while
| from her work parlor to arrange tho brushes
| and things over again and see II ho had ar
rived. And when she was in hor work parlor
| IL was not profitable. but just tho other way
as she found out TO her sorrow She had put in
| her idle moments during the last little while
back in designing n particularly rare and capa-
bic gown for herself and this morning she set
about making 1t up: but she was absentmind-
ed and made an irromediablo botch OF 1t.
When she saw what she had done she knew
the reason OF 1t. and the meaning OF 1t. and she
put her work away from her. and said she
would accept the sign. And from that timo
forth she came no more away from the au-
dience chamber. but remained there and
waited.
After luncheon she waited again. whole
hour. Then great JOY welled ur In her heart.
for she saw him coming. so she flew back
up stairs thankful. and could hardly wait for
him to miss the principal brush which she
had misaid down there. but know where she
had misaid It.
However. all in good time the others were
called in. and couldn't find the brush. and
tnen SIe was sent lOT anu SHe CouiuH Y huu
1t horself for some little time. but then she
found It when the others had gone away to
hunt in tho kitchen aud down cellar and in the
woodshed and oil those other places where
people look for things whose ways they arc
not familiar with.
so she gave him the brush and remarked
that she ought to have seen that everything
was ready for him. but it hadn't seemed neces-
sary. because 1t was SO early thut she wasn't
eXpecting-but she stopped there surprised
Mt herself for what she was saying; and he felt
caught and ashamed. and said to himself. Il
know my Impotence would drug mo here be-
foro was expected and betray mo. and that is
Just what it has done: she sees straight
through me. and is laughing at me, inside. Of
course"
Gwendolen was very much pleased. on one
account and little the other way in another;
pleased with the new clothes and the i'm prove
ment which they had achieved; less pleased
by the pink in the buttonhole. Yesterdays
pink had hardly interested her; this one was
Just like it, but somehow it had got her imme-
diate attention and kept II. She wished she
could think OF some way OF getting Mt its his
tory in q properly colorless and Indifferent
way. Presently she made venture She said:
Whatever a mans age may be no can re-
duce it several years by putting bright-col-
OTeu uoWcT III HE DuttOHuOle. uuNo Olleu
noticed that Is that your sexs reason for
wearing boutonniere?"
Il fancy not. but certainly that reason would
be n sufficient one. I've never heard Of the
idea before"
You seem to prefer pinks. Is 1t on account
Of the color or the form -
"Oh no." he said simply. they are given to
me. don't think have any preference
"They are given to him." she said to herself.
and she felt GOODNESS toward that pink. II
wonder who it is and what she Is like" The
flower began to take up good deal OF room.
1t obtruded itself everywhere: it intercepted
all views and marred them: 1t was becoming
exceedingly annoying and conspicuous for
little thing. :" wonder If he cares for her."
That thought gave her quite definite pain.
CHAPTER XXI.
She had made everything comfortable for
the artist: there was no further pretext for
staying. So she said she would 60 now and
asked him to summon the servants in case he
should need anything. She went away unhap-
py. and she left unhappiness behind her. for
she carried away all the sunshine
The time dragged heavily for both now. He
couldn't paint for thinking OF her: she couldn't
design or millinerize with any heart for think
ing OF him. Never before had painting seemed
SO empty to him: never had millinerizIng
seemed so void OF interest to her She had gone
without repeating that dinner invitation. an
almost uncomfortable disappointment to him.
On her part-well she was suffering. too. for
she had found she couldn't invite him. It was
not hard yesterday. but 1t was impossible to-
day. thousand innocent privileges seemed
to have been flched from her unawares in tho
past twenty-!our hours. To-day she felt
strangely hampered. restrained Of her liberty.
To-day she couldn't propose to herself to do
anything say anything concerning this
young man without being instantly paralyzed
into non-action by the fear that he might
suspect" Invite him to dinner to-day? 1t
made her SILVER to think OF it. And SO her af-
ternoon was ono long fret, broken at intervals.
Three times she had to go down stairs on
errands-that is. she thought she had to go
down stairs on errands. Thus. going and
coming. she had six glimpses Of him. in the
aggregate without seeming to look In his d.
rection: and she tried to endure these electric
ecstasies without showing any sign. but they
fluttered her up good deal. and she felt that
the naturalness she was putting on was over
done and quite too frantlcaly sober and hys-
terically calm to deceive. The painter had his
share OF the rapture He hud his six glimpses.
and they smotc him with waves OF pleasure
that assaulted him. beat upon him. washed
over Hllu uelclOuSly, anu drowned out I'LL con-
seriousness Of what no was doing with his
brush. So there were six places in his canvas
which had to be done over again.
At last Gwendolen got some peace OF mind
by sending word to the Thompsons. In tho
neighborhood. that she was coming there to
dinner. She wouldn't be reminded. at that
table. that there was an absentee who ought
to be presentee-a word which she meant to
look out in the dictionary at calmer time.
About this time tho old Earl dropped in for q
chat with the artist. and invited him to stay to
dinner. Tracy cramped down his Joy and
gratitude by a sudden and powerful exercise
of all his forces. and he felt that now that he
was going to be close to Gwendolen and hear
her voice and watch her face during several
precious hours. earth had nothing valuable to
add to his life for the present.
The Earl said to himself: This spectre
can cat apples. apparently. We shall find out
now II that is specially. Think myself. it's
n specially Apples. without doubt, constitute
the spectral limit 1t was the case with our
a n Les,