The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-03-31
CONTINUED

any benefit to me that would not benefit
you ten times more said Mrs. Bemax
impassively
"You do me gross injustice: you are
like all women with gricvauCc!' re-
turned Jocelyn, whose temper was GER
tainly very easy My scheme is to put
You in receipt of an income of $1,000 II
year. Have YOU amy fault to find with
that
"What are the services for which this
is the payment" Mrs. Bamax inquired.
"To chapcron lady--nothing more.
"A LADY," repeated the other, Il pc
culiar smile drawing down the corners
of her mouth; II begin to understand!
Who is she;'
"The prima donna ut the new opera
house
"Ycs; in whom you are tenderly in
terested. Taking everything into con
sideration, Hamilton, that is very char.
acteristc of you; n very delicate piece
of kindness!"
"Bah! Meg, your cynicism is over
done; you are on wrong scent entirely.
In the first place, the lady is not the per
son she's supposed to be. She's the
daughter of an old friend of mine;
once intended to marry her, but
thought better of it. Circumstances
which you will be fully informed of
have led to her personating the Mariana
name and all-the coming season.
It's grand secret, of course, and Sc
lected you as the only woman who could
be trusted 10 keep it. You are to con
firm in every way that suggests itself the
idea that she is the bona fide Mariana; say
you've lived with her for years in Eu-
| rope, and so ON. But she is wholly ig-
norant of the world, and yen are to see
to it that none of the young fellows gets
ahead of her You may invent all the
adventures you like for her--ln the past,
but ON no account let her get into any
scrapes in the present, Do you see what
mean!"
IL think so. The young fellows you
speak of are to be kept out of the way
for your sake rather than for hers; and
she is to be instructed that any scrape
she gets into with You is no scrape at all,
! but n distinction and a blessing"
Upon my soul should fiatter myself
you were jealous if | didn't know you SO
well, said Jocelyn with IA laugh; Il only
wish TO protect the girl from annoyance
and TO insure the success of the whole
scheme. If you could make me believe
in your disnterestednes and virtue the
only result would be that | should serve
you less efficiently than Otherwise. Bgt
you always liked deception for its own
sake, and you are the same Hamilton
Jocelyn that knew in Richmond twelve
years ago. Well, shall know what tone
to take uyith her."
Take any tone YOU like, in the DEVILS
name, SO long as You take the position
and observe the conditions!" exclaimed
Jocelyn, getting up. with some signs of
impotence.
II will take the position on condition
of being guaranteed my outfit and twelve
hundred dollars" said Mrs. Bemax 1T
is not high wages for the devil to pay,
but ir's better than nothing, and to live
as comfortably as | can, SO long as | do
live, is the best have to look forward to
now. Tan not so fastidious in other re-
spects as sou do me the honor to imag-
ine."
well, Meg, when you've enjoyed q
few months luxury you'll take more
genial view of things, hope. Above all
things make as good an impression on
the lady as possible. She must learn to
confide in you, and to take your advice
in all social matters from the outset.
You can do anything with her if she
likes you and trusts you. and nothing if
she doesn't"
II understand; | am to be another
mother to her!" said Margaret Bemax,
in tone and with look in her eyes 80
quiet and yet so repellent that Jocelyn
made no attempt to reply, but took his
leave without further ceremony.
Certainly Beatrix needed a mother at
this epoch OF her career. The peculiar
conditions under which she was making
her entrance into the world rendered
her especially defenseless. She was not
only ignorant (as any girl brought up in
the seclusion of home is likely to be) of the
ways and wickedness of mankind, but
the strict necessity Of her incognito cut
her off from the support and society OF
both her father and of all the other rela-
tives and friends who should naturally
be around her She was not herself.
and she was somebody wholly different
from herself as well. Furthermore she
was singer, with all the sensitiveness
and the liability to emotional impress
sions that the musical temperament i'm
plies. Upon the whole a young woman
can select no career more dangerous than
that upon which Beatrix had just en-
tered, and the external circumstances
which attended her entrance could
scarcely have been more untoward.
Meantime the subject most constantly
present to her thoughts, since it gave
color to everything else, was her assumed
| charactar of tba Mariana Vo Ina barsalf