The record-union., 1895-07-20
THE INTERMEDIARY.

Duchess, Will All eA pteS1ifo SANS0 @'
Captain Ives, her companion IN the Dill
iard-room at Appleford. His father
well. of course. needn't tell you. Young
men know everything nowadays; but IL
ia easy to see that NoePs weakness Is
hereditary, and I must say" she addeo
abruptly, restoring the chalk to lis re-
ceptacle under the table with little jerk,
shis taste is certainly better than his
fathers. At least this girl Is not Great
ure who dresses in-who appears In pur-
lesaues. But 1 dare say she Will wnen
she gets chance"
While the Duchess of Cldersnlre
achieved a small break, playing with an
absence of judgment which in itself De-
traved her state of mind, her cousin (the
kinship existed. although he was conslo-
erably her Junior and the degree remote)
pernitted himself little inward laugh
ter at the laCy's discreetly indiscreet al
lusion to her husbands escapades. he
had so often wondered how much the
Duchess knew of the Dukes youthluA
vagaries which even now had hardly
ceased TO form topics for vagrant olscu3-
sion in boudoirs and smoking-rooms. II
LUeES Was al LILLE III AAOASA'NJ,
Lord Noel Ciderton's s infatuatlon for Syl-
via Faunthorpe, the charming lngenue
of the Imperial Theater, was quite ade-
ouately accounted Tor. but his rlends,
and especially his parents. were none Tue
less disposed to view the case with tne
keenest dlsapproval. The fact that MISS
Eaunthorpe mo one ever called her MIS-.
Hibbard, even before her dlVorce) Aau
acquired certain celebrity some people
caiH nnfOrIarVA did not I'M
prove matters; the Duchess. IN particular,
complained that an ingenue had no busi-
ness to DO celebrated it involved some
how a contradiction IN terms. Ana, as
regards the paternal precedent, IL was
true that the Duke had shown himsell on
more than one occasion a femafhapIy
easy victim, but his liberality never eX-
tended so far as q serious offer OF mar
riage to an actress. he would cheeriully
have shared his fortune with any orna-
ment of the stage who had won bis adtnl-
ration, but he was moro scrupulous Wheh
il came to choosing a partner III the Dear
ing of his title. 1t WAS hard on Loro
Noel, Captain Ives reflected. that MS
more honorable Intentions should aggra-
vate the enormity OF his aberraton' nuI
after all one could sympathlze with MS
family, especially if (and this was the
Captains enviable poSltion) one was en-
gagged to marry Lady Hilda, Lord Noel' s
twin sister, girl with a long neck and
q fine air. who could talk for hours
about politics. and phagocytes. and Knew
thirteen variations of the barn dance.
The Duke had called MS son fool-a
peculiarly qualified tool. expressing him.
self with more ardor than elegance; and
Lord Noel, after receiving from MS
mother, in somewhat potter language,
an assurance that her estimate OF ms con-
duct was practically Identical with that
of his other parent, had packed his port
manteau, turned his back on the pneas-
ants which were waiting in the coverts
to be shot, and retreated to town. Inc
position was therefore desperate. and
Captain Ives, deity accomplishing dill
cult cannon, could not wonder that his
opponents nerve was shaken. In SDlle
OF her curious passion tor the pastlne
(she had taken IL up originally because
the billiard room was the incest room IN
the house, and the game afforded such
opportunities for the display OF pretty
hand and wrist, which had never de-
served the epithet better than now, al
though she was frankly middle-agedJ-
in spite OF her enthusiasm, and the fact
that the red bail lay blushing In a coyiy
inviting position over the rlght-hano
middle pocket, the Duchess paused alb
stractedly when it was her turn to play.
"Then you will make one more eftort?''
she said, half apologetlcally, glanclng
across the table at Ives. \ OF Will go
up to town tomorrow and demonstrate
with that wretched boy? There is no
Time to be lost-he talked OF marrying her
at once! And-&nd don't you THINK you
might see the creature?"
Captain Ives raised his eyebrows. "Of
course / will do anything l can. | will
see Noel, though [ can't say l think it
will be of much use. But"
nnhna6 tho [1nnbQ5S ha
paused. "Are you afraid of the actress?"
Captain Ives laughed uneasily, brush
ing o chalk mark off the sleeve of his
coat 'Well, what on earth could | say
10 her2 You don't want me to ask her to
let him Off ?"
"Oh," said the Duchess hopelessly,
''tell her that Pm a perfect hend-that L
should lead her q lie; that Noel hasn't
any money-he hasn't much, you know.
Tell her that-that she wouldn't be re-
ceived."
"Much she would mind thatw COM
mented the Captain candidly II don't
suppose she expects 1t. And, you know,
she isn't really such bad sort; she's
very pretty, and pve never heard much
against her,"
II like your 'much' Hasn't she been
divorced?''
Yes; on her own petition"
"Oh, we'll" cried the Duchess, "Pve no
doubt she's an angel-for mountebankl
But as Lady Noel Ciderton, as my daugh-
ter-in-law! Ughl l should like to shake
them both.'
She made vicious stroke, driving the
red ball against the shoulder of the cush-
ion instead of into the pocket, and left an
easy cannon for her opponent, who I'm
ished the game with a brilliant break of
seventeen. Just then the dreSsing-gong
sounded, but the Duchess did not imme-
diately obey its resonant summons. She
watched Captain Ives while he replaced
the cues and rests in the rack and low
cred the lights; then, under cover, as it
seemed to her companion, OF the COM
parative darkness, she returned TO the at
tack.
Tell me. Philip" she asked softly, sis
she really very pretty?"
Haven't you seen her?" replied the
other. with glance family indicative OF
surprise.
"Oh, 1 suppose soon the stage. But
any one can look pretty-in paint and
things, on the stage.''
"Weil. l haven't met her in private
life," said the Captain impartially. But
I'm told that she's uncommonly pretty
and extremely amusing. Tells awfully
good stories, / believe. In fact, Pve
heard some of Them"
YES" said the Duchess dryly, "no
doubt" After a pause she continued:
Then you might-perhaps you would
not mind|'
'Wouldn't mind?" echoed Ives
well, if she's so pretty and entertain-
ing and all that, perhaps you could make
love to her without boring yourself very
much"
My dear Duchessi Forgive me if
don't quite follow you. Do you really
mean TO suggest And what about
Hilda?n
The lady gave little start.