The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-10-04

mother was already in the dining-room,
with Webber IN attendance.
=" / hope l haven't kept you waiting?" he
asked.
Not at all, she said, and began dispens-
ing the soup.
The matronly tone she had adopted at the
conclusion of their interview had now given
place to her earlier one, and this continued
until the sweets had been removed and they
sat tete-a-tete discussing dessert. Then she
gave little approving nod:
Admirable" she said "you look admi-
rable, Gerald-you may go far"
He realized that she was taking moth
erly interest in him again and referring to
his appearance.
"You may peel me a pear" she said; cor,
stay, you want one thing mOre-I must give
you buttonhole.'"
She selected a rosebud with great delib-
Grafton and fastened it in his coat.
"And now, l will have some coffee and
benedictine, and you may smoke"
THANK yoa." said Gerald. "You are GER
tain you don't mind 2"
mind! l will keep you in countenance!"
She lapsed all at once into her gayer tone.
" l shan't shock you, know l was always
allowed to have just one in private, and
She popped cigarct between her lovely
lips and blew ring of smoke daintily into
the air. Gerald began to find these sud-
den transitions ST srtling.
"What do yos say TO "a hundred up'?"
she inquired. "Pii play you level for half
a crown. Or would you rather have some
music in the drawing room ?"
well" he said, " prefer the music just
now, if you'll be so kind; it's rather too soon
after dinner for billiards."
"I'll give you points, of course, if you're
doubtful of yourself" she said, quickly.
"But between strangers, don't you know, l
always think level games the fairest."
Ipay billiards pretty well" said Gerald,
"thanks; but Pm fond of music, and if it's
all the same to you -
"Music be it," she responded promptly.
Finish your curacao, my dear young friend,
and come on"
When she took her seat at the piano she
asked him what his favorite songs were, and
lifted her eyebrows ut his answer.
"Oh! I'll sing you something better than
those" she said. Listen !"
She dashed into a cadenza, and then with
flash of her eye across her shoulder at him,
burst into Knocked 'em in the Old Kent
Road"
Cant you join in the chorus?" She
said "Oh, you are q duffer! Have you
heard Chevalier do it?"
Forsaking the music-stool, she sprang to
her feet, and, continuing the verse with
out an accompaniment favored him with an
impromptu imitation
" Lauged-there, | thought should ha' died
Knocked 'cm in the Old Kent Road"
Her voice filled the room her attitude
was indescribably funny. There was some
thing so infectious in her gaiety that he did
join in the chorus, and they gave 1T out to-
gether till she threw herself exhausted in n
chair. When Gerald Singleton retired that
night he looked at the wall, in stupeiaetion,
and asked, "Can these things be?" and the
walls returned no answer; and he put the
question next day to the heavens, and
the heavens were silent also; so that he
abandoned the interrogatory at last, and re-
marked that it was one of those puzzles "no
fellah could understand" Mrs. Singleton,
on the other hand, appeared disturbed with
no misgivings about her conduct whatever,
and treated him in one moment as if he
were man and the next as If she were 100
wears old, with unimpaired serenity.
"You ought to marry, she said to him
one afternoon, as she sat in big armchair
cracking filberts; "you ought to marry,
Gerald. You have every thing in your favor.
A nice girl with money might be found for
you easily enough"
MARRY" he aehoed the notion has
never entered my head"
"You should think of it, then," she per-
sisted; "we must see what we can do for
you. I hope-I do hope-you have no
ridiculous ideas on the subject. no romantic
tendencies, mean to stand in your way?"
81 have no tendencies at all" he replied,
shade irritably. Her worldly wisdom sat
oddly on her. "But shouldn't marry q
girl didn't care for if she had the wealth
of the Indies"
"Then you have tendencies2" she ex-
claimed. allow trying Of you! OF course
you are very young still but imagined