Middletown transcript., 1897-04-24

uttered in German.
"How charmingl' size exclaimed,
coming into the room with a little
rush. II have got my first point al
ready. You are familiar with the mod
ern languages. !" and she made note
"Madam," said Jeremy Grigsonr
with severe bow, "I have an excel
lent memory, but / cannot recollect
having made your acquaintance Oh
any previous OCCASION"
"You have an excellent memory
Thanks" She made another note. May
I sit down? l am rather tired. F."
"Certainly, madam" Jeremy placed
a chair for her. "And you will then
perhaps kindly let me kno v to what
am indeb I'd for the pleasure OF yOnl
company"
"Just let me take down"-she scrib'
bled rapidly, murmurlng To herself
"Frigid manner, stately, Old-Wolld
form of address, furniture chosen will
an eye to comfort rather than beauty"
Her pencil paused and she glanced
at him with smile apparently intend
to set him at his ease
81 am from"The Weekly Chatterer'
she said. "Can you let me have pho
tograph to 60 in with the interview
"Never had one taken in my life, "
said Jeremy. He was not a handsome
man, yet there was something in his
face better than good looks.
"Not even when you We're a babys
Almost anything would do"
mot even then."
s'AhI of course not. And you were
reared on''-"Green tea, believe.
Don't look like itP"
She wrote down. "Highly nervous,
rather dyspeptic," and went Oh, ''talk-
ing Of things that come after your
time-how old are you exactlyP or
course it is only women who are guilty
Of the weakness Of oljectiDg to tell
their ages. ;"
III shall be hundred if live to the
end cf this. Allow me one question
"What have | done that Ishould be in
terviewedp"
She wrote again, murmuring, Mod
est, and apparently unaware of his own
fame," and then answered:
"Don't you know that the whole
town is talking of your bookp"
II don't know anything about it,"
he said savagely "except that l sold the
copyright for 20 pounds, and that the
20 pounds is spent"
She bad got hold of an immense fact
but she dropped her pencil, and her
flippant aggressive air with it.
"What shamel she said; "what q
wicked shamtl Your publishers will
make hundreds and thousands out Of
that book. 1t is creating furor. Such
a case should not be possible; and es-
peclally when man really needs the
money"
He looked altentively at her for the
first time. He had seen already that
she was young and pretty; but be no
| ticed now that there was worn,
pinched look about her small very
pretty face. He had seen the same look
growing OH otter faces IN Bohemia; it
had grown upon his own; and he knew
the meaning of it.
"You un Ierstand. about needing
money!" he asked her.
II should think l do," she answered
sharply. 'Do you suppose l should be
here now if l didn'tp"
Sometimes people work at trade
because they like it.'
''If it were trade liked, every
thing would be different. aspired to
literature once, but could not even
make dry bread by it. Ever since I
have been hanging on to tue skirts of
journalism, and sometimes there is
great deal Of mud on them. If you
only knew how people treat me now
and again when Igo to interview theml
You may thank your stars and your
genius for having placed you above all
that any rate.''
''Are they often as brutal as / wasl
he asked gently. ~ am awfully sorry;
won't you forgive meP"
Don't mind about it," she said
huskily. 81 know very well what l
must have seemed like to you-an i'm
pudent, brazen little wretch. am hor-
ribly nervous by nature, and | put all
that side on just to cover up the fright,
and impress people with the idea that
l intendto get any information l want.
no matter how reticent they try to be.
Often they tell me more than they in-
tend-ss you did just now-merely to
get rid OF ne, because they think am
writing down whole lot that they
don't want said about them. / should
stand bad chance il they only knew
that I am quite as anxious to get away
from them rs tLty are t. get away
frm me-"
'If this interview is auy object 10
/ y0u.H ne said, IN an HW kwart sfIame-
faced way, Il will tell you all you
wa ut to know. am not quite such a
churl rs | pretended to be. Only
well am proud as well AZ poor, aud l
sdppose there is no need to make the
details II my poverty publicPn He
glanced first at the meagre furnishing
of the room, and then at his thread
bare clothes.
"Ohl" It was actually little cry of
pain. Do you think 90 badly OF me as
that ssilll I will 60 now. l wish I had
not come"