The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-15

NVuOh u hNE hhhu Ou- HUT HnOuluGIs " II
going, to luncheon at Moreiand Hall to-day, my
why, wo were there only last wook," said
Undoubtedly" returned tho Duchess dryly,
!" and we may luncheon there next week and the
stay there i you choose, Helen, stared At her
%slipping hor arm around Hoion's waist. "Sir
James has hOnOred meas became my relations
given me souri, ~ suppose You have ns sG non ns's snd !
that am telling you news when l say Sir James
wishes lt to marry you" n.o., d. ,,-
eye satisfied the Duchess even before her voice.
But he scarcely knows me or anything Of
ON the contrary, my dear, he knows every.
thing about you. lhaye been particular in tell
ID TX know W and nds couldn tel sSIn him nnln For i i%nssaS SSs
d don! You Ioo Sre 90 a ss 5yya nice person. sT / .b SiE1% ne. ny , dear.
there's something In IL that l don't know. It's
not q laughing nor a crying matter yet. At pres.
ent it's only luncheon again with a civil man
country. Don't make the mistake. however, OF
refusing him before he offers, whatever you do
But stammered Helen"
"But-you, are going to say that you don't
love him and have never thought Of him as .
in your face-and III a proper thing to say"
1T is so Unexpected urged Helen.
these matters said the Duchess. I'VE women
=, aai;% PSFsiisted Helen, '" "fF'f' don't want to
should say, then, that IT Is a sign that you
ought; Il you we're eager; my dear. should GER
drawing Helen closer to her, said, with a certain
masculine tenderness "Aslong as i live. dear,
an old woman living on tho smallest OF settle.
ments; Death is as Inevitable to me US marriage
Nevertheless they did not renew the CONVEX
at Moreland Hall with a simplicity and frank.
mesa Inn hnxna tEnr Yaf ,-al arl
well-preserved man Of middle age. with the un.
ed on this occasion that slight consciousness Of
is Me apt to- in aha tsutISs the inVasion t9 t f1Sif fSnso which nsa.
duty as host toward the elder woman Of supe.
and for a moment left Helen quite undisturbed
to gaze again upon the treasures of the long
drawing room Of Moreland Hall. with which she
was already familiar. There were the half
dozen old masters whose, responsibility had
owners s. ANCESTORS; tfhsGesT were eee' tho an ns shers
by vandyke,, LEY Romney, and Gainsboronsh;
tresses in stiff brocade or short-waisted, cling
ing d-aperies, but all possessing that brilliant
and which seemed to have departed from the
dresses OF their descendants.
upon what might have been the appearance Of
the lime tree walk dotted with these gayly
plumaged folk, and wondered II the tyranny of
environment had at last subdued their brilliant
colors. And a new feeling touched her. Like
most of her countrywomen she was strongly
that all that she saw there might be hers;
that she might yet stand in succession to
herdesses. and. ike them, look down from the
canvas upon the intruding. foreigner, thrilled
her for a moment with a half-proud, half-passive
sense OF yielding to what seemed to be her fate.
A narrow-eyed, stiff-haired Dutch maid of honor
before whom she was standing sazed at her with
the portrait upon a fancifui easel stood a small,
deliberately framed sketch in oils. 1t was evi.
6sd' not ss seem It feSSe before. nHP s she raeSsdf Quickly ky
ostrander's sketch from the Paris orenier.
The wall, the room, the park beyond, even the
gray sky, seemed to fade away before her. She
was standing once more, at her attic window.
upward to the blue sky Of Paris. Through a
gap In the roofs she could see the chestnut trees
swallows s. W Vi the iesden thru Q Of the
gutter before her; the call Of a chocolate vender
or the cry of a gamin floated up to her from the
street below, or the, latest song of the cafe
workman on the scafolding, hard BY, The
and mingled with the scent Of the mienonette
81 am glad you like It. I have just put 1t up"
IT was the VOICE or Sir James. A voice that
had regained a little Of its naturalness. a calm,
even lazy, English voice, confident from the ex-
perience Of years Of respectful listeners. Yet it
somehow Jared upon her nerves with its com.
feelings. Nevertheiess, the Impulse to know
more about the sketch was the stronger. .,
asked &P0 Helen yHiH ms sfP,s y not E hayf 5q's bought itr'
p%snion;s interest. II bought It in Paris just
From the artist r. continued Helen in a
slightly, constrained voice;
poor chap well enough: You can easily see that
he was once a painter - great promise, 1rather
hospital by those incendiary. wretches. Irecog-
niZed it, however. and bought for a few francs
from them what 1 would have paid him a
"Yes sPSSs saia Sir !e james, h "The o fact : it was
Though In this case the man was a real artist,
and. believe, by the way, was a countryman of
I'm hospital!' again repeated Helen. "Then
Reckless, I should rather say; he threw him.
self into the fighting before Paris and was badly
wounded. But 1t was all the result Of the usual
love affair; the girl, they say. ran off with the
for painting; he never did anything worth hay
ing afterward
Sir James sshySnSssIsd hi his shoulders; He 10. dis,
the London pavement, with chalks! That
sketch, by the way, was one that had always at.
me in his studio, though no never would
that the girl had something to do with it. It's a
wonderfully realistic sketch. don't you see; and
i shouldn't wonder If 1t was the girl herself who
lived behind one OF those queer windows in the
"'she did live there!" said Helen in a low
voice.
Sir James uttered a vague laugh.
Helen looked around her. The Duchess had
quietly and unostentatiously passed into the
library, and in full view, though out OF hearing,
was examining with her glass to her eye some
books upon the shelves.
~ mean" said Helen in a clear voice. that
the Young girl did not run away from the paint
or, and that he had neither the right nor the
cause to believe her faithless or attribute his
misfortunes to her T. She hesitated. not from
any sense of her indiscretion. but to recover
from a momentary doubt II the girl were really
her own self-but only for u moment.
Then you knew the painter-as 1 did" he
said In astonishment.
Not as you did" responded Helen. She
drew nearer the picture. and. pointing a slim
finger to the canvas. said:
.'Do you see that small window with the
mignonettef'
Perfectly"
That was my room. His was opposite. He
told me SO when i first saw the sketch. / am
the girl you speak of. for he knew no other
and believe him to have been a truthful, hon
orable man."
"Rut xyhat were vou doinp there1 Surely