Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26

and no one saying I4us pay, / presently
| breathed more freely. / could see that my
| companien's beauty.a though greatly hid
| den by her mask, was this subject Of gen.
erai remark, and that it drew on her looks
and regards more or,aess tinsolent. But as
| she took no heed of these, but, on the con-
trary, gazed about hHr upmoved and with
| indifference, hoped flor the best; and, eX-
! cited by the brilltahae and movement Of q
| scene so far above my widest dreams that
l already anticipatedthe pride with which
l should hereafter describe it, 1 began to
| draw fearful joyG from our escapa1e.
Like Aeneas and Ulysses, I had seen men
and cities! And stood among heroes! And
seen sirens! To which thoughts was pro-
| ceeding to add others equally classical,
| when gentleman behind me diverted my
| thoughts by touching my companion on
| the arm and very politely requesting her to
! lay on the table guinea which he handed
| to her
| She did SO. and he thanked her with a
| loW-spoken compliment; then added, with
| bent head, but bold eyes: Fortune cannot
surely have been unkind to one SO fair!'
And yet think l have seen you PLAY"
| he answered. And affecting to be engaged
| In Identifying her, he let his eyes rove over
| her figure.
age; yet, even this considered, her wit and
resource astonished me- You do not
know me- she said coolly, and with a
proud air.
guinea!' he answered bluntly. "See, they
have swept it off. And as l staked it for
nothing else but to have an excuse to ad-
dress the handsomest woman here
You do not know what l am---behind nv
mask she retorted.
No" he replied. hardly, land therefore
l am golngI am going
so am r. my mistress answered, with
a quickness that both surprised and de-
lighted me. Good night good spendthrift.
You are going, and l am going"
Wei hit he replied. with grin. And
well content if we go together! Yet Lthink
know how l could keep your
"1es?' she said, rdifferently.
By deserving the name, he answered
You called me a spendthrift."
On that l do not know whether she
thought him too forward or saw that
was nearly at the end of my patience
which it may be imagined was no little
tried by his badinage-but she turned her
shoulder to him outright and spoke word
to me in low tone. Then, ''Give me a
guinea, Dick!'' she said pretty loudly. Il
think I'll play"
Chapter v.
She spoke confidently and with a grand
air, knowing that 1 had brought a guinea,
so that 1 had neither the heart to shame
her nor the courage to displease her.
Though it was the ninth part of my in
come, therefore, and 1t seemed to me sheer
madness to stake such a sum on single
card, and win or lose it in a moment,
luSged it out and gave ii to her. Even so,
Knowing her no more skilled in the game
than L was l was at a stand, wondering
what she would do with it; but. with the
tact which never fails a woman, she laid
II where the gentleman had laid his. With
better luck, however, for in a twinkling,
and before I thought it well begun, the
deal was over. the players sat back ard
II. OIL lit,
mere and there, thrust a guinea over to our
guinea L was in sweat to take both up
before any one cheated US, but she nudged
me, and said with her finest air: lie If
lie. Dick! Do you hear? Let 1t lie"
RMS was almost more than l could bear
to see fortune in my grasp, and not shut
my hand upon It, but she.was mistress and
let 1t lie, and in a., moment, hey, prestot
as the Egyptians say, the. two guineas were
tour, and those who played next rs, seeing
Ter success, began to pass remarks on her,
making nothing of debating who she was,
and discl ssing her shape and complexion
In terms that made my cheeks burn.
Whether This open admira ton turned her
head or their freedom confused her, she let
the money lie on the table and when
would have snatcLed II. up not regarding
her. the dealer prevented me, saying it
was too late while she with an air, as if
was servant, tuEped and sharply rated
me for fool. This caused a little dis
laughed. However, the event proved me no
fool, but wiser than most, for in two min
utes that pretty sum. which was as much
as had ever possessed at one time in my
life, was swept off, and for two gufheas
the richer, which we had been moment
before, we remained one-and that my
only one-the poorer!
For myself. I could have cried at the
misadventure, but my mistress carried it
Off with shril laugh, and, tossing her
head in affected contempt--Whereat, I am
bound to confess, the company laughed
again--turned from the table. 1 sneaked
after her, as miserable as you please and
in that order We had got halfway to the
door when the gentleman who had ad-
dressed her before stepped up before her.
beauty so reckless" he said, speaking
with grin and In tone of freedom
needs some one to care for it. Unless i
am mistaken, mistress, you came on foot"
And with sneering smile he dropped his
eyes to the hem Of her cloak.
Alas, l looked, too, and the murder was
out. To be sure, Dorinda had clothed her
self very handsomely above, but, coming
to her feet, had trusted to her cloak to hide
the deficiency she had no means to supply
Still, in spite Of this, all might have been
well if she had not in her chagrin at los
ing, forgotten the blot. and, unused to long
skirts raised them SO high as to expose a
foot, shapely, indeed, but stockingless, and
shod in an old, broken shoe!
Her ears and neck turned crimson at the
exposure. and she dropped her cloak as if
1t burned her hand. I saw that If the
stranger mad looked TO tngratiate himself
by his ill-mannered jest he had gone the
wrong way about it, and 1 was not sur
prised when she answered in a voice quiv-
ering with modification, Yes, on foot;
but you may spare your pains. 1 am in
this gentleman's care, 1 thank YOU"
oh" he said. this gentleman And he
looked me up and down.
l knew that it behooved me to ruffle 1t
with him, and let him know by outstaring
him that at word 1 was ready to pull his
nose. But l was boy, in strange COM
pany and utterly cast down by the loss of
my guinea; he a court bully in sword and
lace. bred to carry 1t in such and worse
places. Though he seemed to be no more
than thirty. he had long and hard face
under his periwig. and eyes both tired and
melancholy, and he spoke with drawl
and curling lip, and by the mere way he
looked at me showed that he thought me
no better than dirt. To make a long story
short I had not looked at him a moment
before my eyes fell.
"Oh, this gentleman" he said again, in
tone of the most cutting contempt.
well, 1 hope that he has more guineas
than one-or your ladyship will soon trudge
it, skin to mud. AS it is, I fear that de-
tain you. Kindly carry my compliments to
Farmer Grudgen. And the pigs!''
And smiling-not laughing, for a laugh
seemed alien from his face-at jest which
was too near the truth not to mortify US
exceedingly, my lord-for a lord thought
he waS-turned awav with an ironical how