Evening star., 1896-12-19

His Speech Broke OF In Sheer Aston
ishment.
to make sure she was not bareheaded. She
was of his generation. if anything his ju-
nior: in sef-possession she could teach him
lessons. He furtively withdrew his hand
from the bottle. and bowed low toward the
nrelfght which framed her in a ruby haze
1T is the merest accident that We are not
acquainted"-she was speaking now In a
curlousiy measured voice. the cadence and
quaint suggestion of accent in which
seemed somehow familiar to his ears-.but
l have been much abroad and now that |
am here in this absurd London, an equally
absurd mischance sends me to be blown in
the middle OF your studio. without even so
much as a letter of Introduction about me
Yet l will not apologize for bursting in
upon you thus unceremoniously. since l
perceive that you have recovered from your
original distress of mind"
PasSy had indeed regained his conan;
ity Moving forward to a point wher,. the
hrelight helped him he made discovery
well.
Il hasten to share with you my relief"
ne answered. rejecting the tone of banter
which lurked vaguely beneath the surface
of her speech. I'VE are not such hone
lessly complete strangers after all. In
deed, we have spoken at length together.
have walked side by side, have even whis-
pered to each other. Would you be sur
pI ised to learn that I possess a portrait
OF you-that 1 was examining it only this
afternoon"
The smile on his face was met now with
a lcok of blank astonishment. The lady in
turn stepped back and bent her head to
get better light upon Passy's counte-
nance. Oh-h" she said, wonderingly
after moments inspection. was 1t you?
At-what's the plaee-ghere every old rose
bush is:-were you the one? Oh, yes, 1
recognize YOU now. How curiously small
the world is."
1T was much too large just then" he
rejoined. courageously. for l lost you al
most Immediately"
Upon reflection she did not resent the re-
mark, and even laughed little-a restrain
ed small laugh. with afternote of in
creduity. AS if to soften the edge of this
she Seated herself in the big chair and
looked UP at him. The warm light upor
her throat and chin transferred itself in
his minds eye to a picture he was recon
structing in thought.
For every memory you have of Hide
sheim." he said, lingeringly, Il could pro-
duce a hundred. You could not credit it
if 1 told you-how it all engraved itself
upon my brain-and 1 should hardly dare
make the attempt
''Oh, you must not assume that I failed
to appreciate Hildesheim-up to the limit
of course, of my primitive feminine canac-
ity. At the time. indeed, 1 confess that
imagined myself more interested in the
place than you We're"
How easy it would be to explain that"'
Passy smiled down lpoE her and softenad
his voice. Il remember" he went On.
lifting forefinger to plead against inter-
ruption lit was in the front Of old Bern
wards iron doors
Dear me, thought they were brass"
Brass, iron, tin-whatever YOU like
talked about them, learnedly. fuenlly
enough at the time, as / remember it. but
l was thinking of something else There
was where l first saw you. just by those
doors, and the gentleman who headed your
party made some remark to me- and tnat
was my opportunity. and l seized ii with
both hands. talked for dear life to keep
my place in the company. 1 delivered a
lecture under the candelabrum so long that
l expected it would fall on us. / ba-
rangued you and your friends on Byzan-
tine art il the cathedral treasury; / re
viewed the whole literature of German
market-place Rolands and the entire sys-
tenn of medieval guilds while We wake
about In the square. We stood very close
to each other when we were locking at the
famous rose husband next year l went
again and bribed the sacrstan to give me
blossom and / have 1t still-and do YOU,
remember the little church where vespers
were being sung when we went in? And
there l was even closer to you-it was in
the dim light, and the air was full of in
cense-and We whispered together"
He finished in murmur surcharged With
invitation TO sentiment. but she shook her
head abruptly. as If conversing with her.
self. and gave little laugh Of plainly arti-
ficfil hardness. Dear me. this is very en-
couraging." she cried TO think how ex-
tremely young l was only two years ago.''
She rose as she spoke, and looked hard at
the wet cloak. steaming where it hung over
the corner of the screen.
"Of course. 1 had an errand when I came
here she said, almost brusquely, all at
once.
Il only know that you came-that is
enough" he replied. holding at once def
antly and pleadingly to the emotional mur-
muir. THE brave, good, clement wind lifted
you, and held you, and brought you here
and what an migrate should 1 be to de-
mand explanations! Hark, how II shouts
and sings about US! was in love with tts
voice an hour ago, though knew not a
word of what 1t was saying-but now that
1 have caught its language-now-"
He halted with a sigh. and looked at the
gloved hand she had put upon the cloak
TT is still very wet" he urged, yacu-
ously.
She laughed outright and he could not
tell If amusement or petulant yexation wa q
uppermost in the sound.
$50 you are unable to interest yourself
then" she went on. coldly, and with avert
ed eyes, 'in the question why came here?
1t awaken $ no curiosity In your mind-this
extraordinary appearance at your studio
unattended and in the dark, with a hurri-
cane and sheets of rain outside, of lady
whose name you are ignorant Of
"Oh. no; / learned your name I found
the hotel you had been stopping at he
interposed.
well. them she continued, in the same
chilled tone, "of lady who at least was
unaware that she had ever seen you Pos
sibly studio life 10 30 crowded with actiy-
tty-and-color-that sueh an incident