The Princeton union., 1894-12-27

ward. She was still standing there's
slim, dark figure against the patch of
sky.
''Oh, my love, God bless you," he
whispered
And through her ears kept ringing
non, tt scorlar di me"
i
Five years later. The curtain at
the Grand opera house in Paris rose
on as fine an audience as had ever as
sembled within it's walls. In one of
the boxes on the grand tier sat three
gentlemen. One, a tall, bronzed, sol
dierly man, noticing many glasses
being leveled at an opposite box,
lifted his lorgnette and looked across
the stage.
A lady with a little coter1e of ad-
mirers had just entered. She wore
some soft, silken dress, all aqua
marine and silver. There were water
lilies in the golden hair and emeralds
on the white neck. A childish face
for all its pride, and that peculiar
poise of the head. A face with lumin-
Gus blue eyes, a snowy, stately throat
and cheeks just dashed with rose.
'sWho is she?" Max Marsden ques-
toned breathlessly.
os'Ma fol" cried a vivacious little
Frenchman, "you do not know? She
is compatriot of yours-la belle
Americaine. Her name is Lester
Mademoiselle Lester"
"Ah" And then, after a pause,
''Who is that ge ntleman leaning over
her chair?' -Ez. -..<
''Ah, that is Savagneau," answered
member of the American legation.
"The comte de Savagneau. He is
heir to half a dozen princely estates,
and is mademoiselle's devo tee slave.
But she will have none of him. She
is beauty and an heiress, and half
Paris is mad about her. But one
might as we'll adore statue. No
marble is colder than she."
Max Marsden, tn e celebrated jour-
nalist, the literary lion of the day,
! lo.>'ci with keen eyes across to that
du.Aty vision with water lilies in her
hair Dreamily he murmured a few
lines of Meredith's:
she was tnere. ana was mere,
And the glittering horseshoe curved be-
'What the deuce are you mum bling,
Marsden?" demanded the attache.
"Never mind!" curtly.
He was thinking of that other
night when together they heard
ssl Trovatore. It was the same
! opera tonight, but how differently
she listened now, languidly, almost
inattentively, leaning back in that
graceful way of hers.
| During the last act she arose and
! gathered her rich wrap around her.
! All the pretty bloom had faded from
her cheek.
Half an hour later Max Marsden
stood in her hotel.
| "When Mile. Lester arrives say
that an old friend Graves moments
audience"
Mademoiselle, trailing her sheeny
silks and laces along the corridor,
paused in amazement at the message.
Then she bowed wearily and.passed
on to the grand saloon.
maxi" she cried, "Max!"
Her face was transfgured. She
held our both hands in her old frank,
fearless way. -
He caught them tightly in his own.
All his soul was in his eyes as he
looked on the lovely lifted face. Just
one glance. And over brow and cheek
and white throat famed a rich color,
Cora" still holding her little
hands in his own and speaking hoarse.
ly, "to-night has recalled the Other
night-when I left you for your owl
sake-because dared not stay. Per
baps the music has made me mad, fo1
4 I am daring, oh, my love, to bring
you now the tribute could not offe1
five years ago"
For one moment she was silent
Then she lifted those truthful eyes O
hers.
"Max, think that night my sou
awoke; for since then''-ah, me, the
womanly shyness that crimsoned he
cheeks-''for since then 1 have bee1
-waiting!"