The Press., 1894-10-04

1asAAOu, huu su0 was very straight ana lissom- So many things she did jared on her relatives that they were not fully aware of the great improvement in her appearance. Even Richard admitted her trying at times.
 Marion welt up to town to stay with Mrs. Townley, and there had to face good deal of curiosity. People looked at her sometimes as if it was she and not Lai that was all Indian. But she carried things off bravely enough and answered those kind inquiries which one's friends make when we are in em- barrassing situations with answers so calm and pleasant that people did not know what to think.
 'Yes, she said in reply to Lady Balwood, ''her sister law might be in town later ill the year. perhaps be- fore the season was over. She could not tell. She was tired after her long voy- age, and she preferred the quiet of Grey hope. She was fond of riding and coun- try life, but still she would come to town for time" and so on.
 ''Ah, dear me, how charming! And doesn't she resent her husbands ab- sence during the honeymoon, or did the honeymoon occur before she came over to England?" And Lady Balwood tried to say it all playfully, and cer- tainly said it somewhat loudly. She had daughters.
 But Marion was perfectly prepared Her face did not change expression. "Yes, they had had their honeymoon on the prairies. Frank was so fascinut- ed with the life and the people, He had not come home at once because he was making she did not know how great fortune over there in investments, and so Mrs. Armour came on before him, and, of course, so soon as he could get away from his business he would follow his wife. v
 And though Marion smiled her heart was very hot, and she could have slain Lady Balwood ill her tracks. Lady Bal wood then nodded little patronizingly and habbled that ''she hoped so much to see Mrs. Francis Armour. She must be so very interesting, the papers said so much about her"
 Now, while this conversation was go- ing on some one stood not far behind Marion who seemed much interested in her and what she said. But Marion did not see this person. She was startled presently, however, to hear strong voice say softly over her shoulder, What charming woman Lady Bal wood is! And so ingenious
 She was grateful, tremulous, proud Why had he, Captain Vidal. kept out of the way all these weeks just when she needed him most, just when he should have played the part of a man? Then she was feeling twinges at the heart too. She had seen Lady Agnes Martling that afternoon and had no ticed how the news had worn on her. She felt how much better it had been had Frank cone quietly home and married her, instead of doing the wild, scan- dalous thing that was making so many heartburnings A few minutes ago she had longed for chance to say some- thing delicately acid to Lady Haldwell, once Julia Sherwood, who was there. Now there was chance to give her bitter spirit tongue. She was glad, she dared not think how glad, to hear that voice again, but she was angry, too, and he should suffer for it, the more so be- cause she recognized in the tone and afterward ill his face that he was still absorbingly interested ill her. There was little burst of thanksgiving ill her heart, and then she prepared very notable examination service ill her mind
 This meeting had been deftly arc ranged by Mrs. Townley, with the help of Edward Lambert who now held her fingers with kind of vanity of posses sion whenever he bade her goodby or met her. Captain Vidal had, ill fact, been out of the country, had only been back a week and had only heard of Frank Armour's s mesalliance from Lam bert at an lat home" 48 hours before Mrs. Townley guessed what was really at the bottom of Marion's occasional bitterness, and piecing together many little things dropped casually by her friend had come to the conclusion that the happiness of two people was at stake.
 When Marion shook hands with Cap tain Vidall, she had herself exceedingly well under control. She looked at him in slight surprise and casually remark ed that they had not chanoed to meet lately in the, run of small and earlies She appeared to be unconscious that he had been out of the country, and also that she had been till very recently in deed at Greyhope. He hastened to as- sure her that he had been away and to lay siege to this unexpected barrier.
 He knew all about Frank affair, and though it troubled him he did not see why it should make any difference ill his regard for Frank sister. Fastidious as he was ill all things, he was fas- tidiously deferential. Not an exquisite, he had all that vanity as to appear ance so usual with the military man. Himself of the most perfect tenn per and sweetness of manner and con- duct, the unusual disturbed him. Not possessed of a vivid imagination, he could scarcely conjure up this Indian bride at Greyhope.
 But face to face with Marion Armour he saw what troubled her, and he de- termined that he would not meet her irony with irony, her assumed indiffer- ence with indifference He had learned one of the most important lessons of life -never to quarrel with woman. Whoever has so far erred has been fool ish indeed. It is the worst of policy, to say nothing of its being the worst of art, and life should never be without art. It is absurd to be perfectly natural Anything, anybody, can be that. Well, Captain Hume Vidal was something of an artist, more, however, ill principle than by temperament. He refused to recognize the rather malicious adroit- ness with which Marion turned his re-