Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1893-11-08

seated comfortably peIOre the HTe III d
luxuriously furnished drawing room in
Carlton house terrace, were discussing
the chief conspirator after fashion
which it may safely be assumed that
that self satisfied nobleman would not
have liked if he could have heard it.
Lord Guise," Lady Belvoir was say
ing, is one of those unfortunate men
who fatter themselves that they thor
oughly understand women. have
noticed that people of that kind invari-
ably end by coming to signal grief. Some
times they marry their cooks. sometimes
they do even worse, but they always
marry. Lord Guise has holy horror OF
me, and loses no opportunity of telling
me SO. If it were at all worth the trouble
really think | would marry him myself,
just to show him how very easily the
thing can be done.
Lady Belvoir was under the impress
sion that she could marry anybody; and
it is not for a very humble member of the
opposite sex to assert that she was mis-
taken. That she had not married Percy
Thorold was doubtless due to the cir
eumstance that, after full considera-
ton, she had not chosen to do SO. that
she had married that utterly disreputa-
BILE and almost uncivilized parsonage,
the late Lord Belvoir, was a proof that
her powers of fascination were of DO
mean order. The power of beauty at
all events she possessed to its fullest ex-
tent Tall, superbly modelled and gifted
with pair of large, liquid brown eyes,
which were of nature las eyes so often
are) to mislead physiognomists, she had
shone without a rival during her first
season, and now, at the age of fourand-
twenty, was very generally spoken of as
the handsomest woman in London.
Her mouth was perhaps trifie hard
at times, though rather in expression
than in form, and it might have been
predicted that in another ten years her
nose would be too decidedly aquiline
and the line of her jaw too strongly de-
fined. However, as she herself would
have said, it really cannot matter much
what woman's nose and jaw may look
like after she has passed her thirtieth
year. She was believed to be extremely
wealthy, but as matter of fact her
jointure did not reach the figure common
ly ascribed to it and she lived extrava-
gantly. OF suitors she had no lack. nor
was she likely to lack them for long
time to come.
"But of course it wouldn't be worth
WHILE" her companion said quickly. 81
don't understand why you ever think it
worth while to make conquests of men
whom you don't care for. The process
must be very disagreeable for you,
should think, and everybody knows that
you can do it if you like"
"Oh, the process isn't so disagreeable,"
answered Lady Belvoir laughing: land
as for Lord Guise he doesn't know that
could do it if liked That's just the
point"
"Are you really going to take the
trouble Of convincing him them" Miss
Leslie asked with somewhat disguised
look
Dorothy Leslie was girl of Is, who
had been brought up to London by her
mother 10 be presented at one of the
first drawing rooms of the year, and to
make her debut in society, in so far as
society might prove willing to open its
doors to people who had not a great
many influential acquaintance Wheth-
or Lady Belvoir ought or ought not to be
included in that category Mrs. Leslie
was not quite sure. nor had she felt alto
gether easy about the intimacy which
had sprung up between her daughter
and the notorious lady whose dover
house was situated near their home in
the north.
Dorothy, however, was given to form
ing her own opinions and choosing her
own friends, and Dorothy liked Lady
Belvoir, although she so little resembled
her What was perhaps more to the
purpose was that Lady Belvoir liked
Dorothy. Lady Belvoir may have had
her good qualities-if so, they were not
very perceptible to the ordinary male
intelligence; still. she may have had
them, because almost everybody has
and it is conceivable that freshness. can
dor and an unquestioning faith in the
precepts and doctrines of the Established
church may have been attractive to her.
as reminding her of days when she her
self had been equally unsophisticated.
In any case she had made a friend of
this girl, who, it would perhaps be both
ungracious and unfair to remark. was
not pretty enough to be her rival.
The standard of beauty seems to vary
as much and as often as do the points of
a dog, so that it is really impossible TO
tell from year to year what will take a
prize; but even in these days, when ir-
regularity of feature is esteemed charm.
it is probable that few people would
have said in so many words that they
considered Dorothy Leslie pretty girl.
On the other hand, great many people
admired her very much Her iron gray
eyes, at all events, were worthy of ad-
miration, and her dark hair grew abun-
dainty. She had. moreover, neat little
figure and singularly pleasant voice.
In answer to her question Lady Bel
voir said:
''Oh, don't know; most likely not.
have known him for a Lowe +;,x,o .--:Al