Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-09-14

news, W. DC bolsv1iie naturally figuring
prominently in it. Naturally. too, the at
tractivo foreigner aroused his strongest in
tcrcst. The Pcarsons did full justice TO
the vicomto's powers Of fascination No
weak Jealousy ina,lo thom minimize Ro-
sic evident conquest Of the Frcnchinan.
John Vnvasour heard nothing but the
truth-it wS1 his misfortune rather than
thei- fault IL il ranked.
The rankli ig process became very evil
dent In the drawing room after dinner.
Tho c=cursionists had not returned. Va
vasour'a distraction OF mind and uncnsi-
ness were Hrconccalcd. After fid:eting
for Sonic tine he finally jumped up and
went out ON the terrace. From the end
tho road winding up TO tho hotel showed
clearly in the moonlight.
just MS tie first sounds OF a carriage ap-
preaching the hotel reached tho drawing
Iooia Navasour rcappcarcd~ There was a
curious change in his face, though he in
quirctl, with affected indifference:
what other man, besides the Vicomto
dc Boisviiic, was with the Trubseo party"
mo other man. said Mrs. Pearson.
Have you seen them: Arc they coming:"
Yes; / saw the Carriage on the road be-
low. De- Boisvillc is dark. with straight,
strongly marked eyebrows"
That is he" said Mrs. Pearson. Very
foreign looking as TO the face. His man
ner and his tailor are moro English"
Under tho circumstances John Vava-
sour S undoubted popularity of speech and
expression seemed natural, though the
Pcarsons were puzzled to detect the feel
ing that prompted it. Was no jealous
piIucdy How would he meet the Euntcrsi
Ho was not likely to make a scene, but
ti.,,rt b., "a IN MT, in,
tho train of triumphant rival The stu
alton could hardly fail TO have interesting
developments.
John NavasCur faced II at cncc with
characteristic determination. When tho
Trubscc party entered tho hall from their
carriage, he stcod there to greet them
Both mother and daughter instantly rec
ogniZcd tho importance Of tho moment.
No surprise had Oycrtakon them; they were
fully equipped with the arnor of fOrewarn-
ing. Lady Hunter mothcrly manner was
unchanged, except Tor subtle shade OF
difference - between universal and par
ticular LiothCrlinCss. EosiC's composed
greeting was q triumph in its way-thc
smile and outstrctc.cd hand apparently US
Of old, and yet how glacially different!
Plain words might haze conveyed to Va
vGsour more coarscly, but NOT more clear
ly, that all WAS changed since the parting
IN tho Cannes railway station, not many
months before; changed, too, since the
dispatch Of n charming Eissivc, which
bore an Engclberg postmark not yet q
month old.
NJ. dc louisville mad politely passed on
during tho interchange Of greetings, and
VavasoUr had not been brought face to
face with his successful rival. Lady Hunt
4 a xI<l
ing:
"Au rcvoir! We shall meet again in tho
drawing room, and you must tell me all
your news, the dear old homo news from
England. We have had no dinner and are
starving. Wo arc going to dino with VI
do Bo:syiiic. You must know him. I
quite charming"
The suggestion Of gracefully dealt
coup do grace in her ladyship's words had
not been lost on John Vavasour. Tho
Parsons had necessarily missed the meet
ing In tho hall. They wero able to form
very accurate guess OF what had occur
rcd, however, when Navasour Joined them
In the drawing room as they sat there
with Lady IIuntCr. They had not expect
cd such prompt action on the Hunters
part. Mrs. Pearson realized with a sharp
pang what a complete triumph Of Rosie 1t
meant. Tho vicomtc must have all but
declared himself John Nav.sour had
como too late to create even complication
or doubt, for ut that moment, while Va
vasour sat with them, calm, but pale, Ro-
sic was walking outside in the moonlight
with tho vicomtc, the young people having
gone out on the terrace from the dining
room. allowing Lady Hunter to join the
party I'm the drawing room alone.
Il hope Miss Hunter Is not kept in her
room by fatigue" John Vavasour had
formally said TO Lady Hunter, who had
then explained her absence with somewhat
elaborate deiibcrntion.
Mrs. Pearson was not in an amiablc
! mood naturally enough. II was hard, con-
sidering tho numerical disproportion Of
tho sexes, that Rosie should have had a
choice of two men, and to the ousting of
Amy. Navasnur' position, instead of ex-
| citing compassion in Mrs. Pearson s
| breast, moved her in the other direction.
She showed Il decided disposition to turn
| the conversation on tho vicomte-"rub
| him in" rs il were.
"Who is ". dc Boisvillc?" Vavasour In
| quircd ut last
You must hear Lady Hunters elo-
| qucncc on tho subject" said Mrs Pear
son, with u meaning smile. Mine would
hardly do him JUSTICE
Lady Hunter was not to be drawn. She
merely responded by saying that she
would presently introduce the vicomte to
| Navusour.
II have boon n good deal in French So
ciety this year, Navasour remarked. Il
was staying with Woodtown ut tho en-
bassy. His father is the ambassador tc
| Paris, you know, and his mother is 4
FreBchwcman. Does your friend know
the embassy pcoP!c."
! He knows every orc, all the right pco.
pie, so many of our friends. OF course he
knows the FORESTS in Paris, Lady Hunt.
or said.
"iic has c!tcn spoke of Lord Wood
town." struck in Amy, and seems quite
intimate will: him
| "Oh, indccd!' exclaimed Navascur
The peculiar dryncss of his tone escaped
observation, for just at the moment Rosie
and the vicomte passed on the terrace
| The face of the latter, happening to bt
turned toward; the hotel was caught by tn.
light of the electric lamp on the veranda
II showed quito clearly to the party in The
drawing room.