The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-04-28

some young men, possessed OF money
and freedom, were and did: why might
not her brother Ed be like themY She
put the thought away from her: she
would not believe evil of her own brother.
He was Randolph and II gentleman.
He might be selfish and reckless. but he
would never do anything wicked or dis
graceful. II was more to be feared that
he would deem her to have disgraced
herself in stealing another woman's
name and reputation. II was all very
well to plead that she haG been per-
suaded into it half ignorantly. hali
against her will; the fact that she hal
done it remained. Well-it was too late
TO turn back now.
The long hours passed on, and rs tha
evening approached she found herself
thinking not of Ed but of another per
son, who had come into her mind. not by
her own invitation. but involuntarily; or
possibly he had been in the background
all the while, and advanced as the other
receded She had had no conversation
with Bellingham since that day mt the
theatre. but they had met several times
and exchanged few words and there
had been something in his manner that
had strengthened and reassured her, she
knew not why-something that seemed
to show that intuition was acquiring
more weight with him than reason. And
yet he had not seemed happy nor at ease:
but his uneasiness was of a kind that
soothed and inspirited her. 1t was like
the trouble of cloudy dawn. ont of
which the sun at last rises clear. He was
not treacherous nor intangible, like so
many men; his qualities were large and
firmly based; he could not play monkey
tricks, and talk one thing while he thought
another The process of his feelings was
honest and open; he was reserved and ret
icent precisely because he could not be
insincere.
The prima donna longed with all her
soul to be us frank and undisguised us
he. She felt that could she be so all
would be well between them; but that
until then all would not be well. an
she said to herself, how perverse mis-.
hap it was that this disguise Of hers
should have become necessary just when
they met; had she met him ut any other
time of her life he would have known
her as she really was, and his intuition
and his reason would have been mt one
But then, again, her pride arose, and she
vowed that if he did not care enough
about knowing her to discern her real
self beneath the false disguise he should
never know her mt all. But did Whit she
called her real self exist any longer? Had
not the disguise destroyed it. And if so,
could she expect him to discover what
Was no longer there? She pressed ,lel
handsSver her eyes and hreathed heavily.
The time of waiting was now over
however. Mime. Bemax was knocking
at the door, and coming in with made.
lnoiselles cloak and bonnet in her hand.
and saying that the carriage was ready
and that they must drive to the theatre
at once in order that mademoiselle might
have time to put ON Margucrites dress
before the curtain rose. The priina
donna stood up, and the realization OF
what lay before her came sweeping oven
her mind like storm. She vas slightly
tremulous and felt cold and feeble.
Nine. Bemax made her drink glass oi
wine, and conducted her down to the
carriage. She seemed hardly TO know
where she was, she could speak only
with an effort: a benumbipg preoccup,I-
tion had got possession of her. At the
carriage door II gentleman was waiting.
clad in evening dress, with ~ light over
coat. Her heart beat for an instant,
then became oppressed and tremulous
again; it was only Jocelyn. He helped
her into the carriage, and got in after her
and Nine. Bemax. He began to say vari-
Gus things in .caressing, encouraging
voice; she exclaimed sharply, Don't
speak to me! must think my thoughts!'
The rattle of tLse wheels on the pave
ment agitated her; she could not keep
her hands or her lips still. Sometimes
she fancsed they had been driving for
hours; sometimes that they had scarcely
started. When Mt length they arrived
at the theatre everything seemed at
once familiar and strange; she had seen
it all scores of times before, but never
with the eyes she saw it with now
Several persons addressed her, but she
walked on TO her dressing room without
appearing conscious OF any one. The
room was small, but prettily decorated:
there were two full length mirrors in it.
and it was fragrant with flowers. On
the table was lying a bunch of Mar
guarites. tied about with narrow blue
ribbon.
The knot by which the ribbon was
fastened caught the prima donna's eye;
she had seen something like it before,
1t was not an ordinary knot, but one
such as sailors make. She took up. the
little white and golden cluster aud
looked them over; there was nothing to
show whence they came-nothing but
the knot, While she was putting ON
her dress her mind occupied itself with
this little mystery, and the oppression
of her heart was relieved. She put the