, 1898-12-14

| gloved hand ne1t his and fingered for a
moment c~aressingly. Margot's eyes grew
tender. distracted. 1t was so pretty. so
natural. 1t woke her sympathy and
gave her a pleasant little feeling of COM
partnership. Almost unconsciously she
herself moved a little closer.
care you attending? Margot, 1 don't
believe you've heard a word I've said"
Margot started, her cheeks afame,
and turned to him in generous apology.
Dear, I'm SO sorry. How dreadful Of
me. It's all SO fresh and new and Won
derful to me, you see. I'm a bit scatter
Drained. Such intelligence as l have is
limited to only taking in one thing at a
time. Tell me all about it again. I'll
listen, truly. Do forgive me, Richard,
please"
Her pleading broke down even Chin
nock's indignation. But his shirt front
looked extraordinarily stiff and starch.
ed and white, rather like polished mar
BILE, she thought, or was it only papier
mache? And Margot moved instinctively
a little farther from him as he con-
tinued:
Foremost in the ranks of our latter
day satirists James Lee Hoey stands
u%nequaled. She it was who practically
founded the new school. She stands
alone. Her disciples initiate laboriously
her brilliant dialogue, her scintillating
epigram''-
Herr" the girl repeated vaguely.
"Her? Why do you speak of him as
her? Surely he is a man."
"Do you mean he asked. "Is it
possible that a living woman exists who
does not recognize the supreme fact that
this n of our greatest writers--I had
almost said our one great writer-hon-
ored her sex by belonging to it?"
81 never realized that to belong to
either sex was a question of ones own
volition, +" Margot said quietly. 81 cid
not know that James Lee Hoey war a
woman, and, what is more, I'm o as
pecially proud of the fact. l don't adj
mire her. She is cynical and hard and
morbid. like Rhoda Broughton far,
far better-I love her, in fact, she's SO
human and-Mrs. Hungerford, and dear
Mrs. Clifford and Beatrice Harraden
and heaps of others"
She choked a little in her excitement,
trying to keep back her tears. 1t was
all SO trivial, but she had been petted
and made much of all through her hap
py Is years, her criticism asked, her
opinion deferred to, and now Repuls-
ed, hurt, suffering, she shrank away
from him. His kiss on greeting had
been cold; his kiss on parting might
reasonably be expected to be frigid.
She sat in outward q%uietude, her
head averted, her thoughts tumultuous.
II this was the beginning, what, oh,
what would the end be? When the cur
tain rose at length, it wa a relief, but
the relief passed when it fell again. If
an hour of him was SO trying, what
would a lifetime prove? At the second
act he left her to have a cigarette in the
foyer. She sat listlessly. What a fool
she had been! What a mistake she had
madei Was it irrevocable? Ones peo-
pie knew something after all so much
she must admit. She had thought him
cultivated, charming. They had met on
a northern visit. and he had been out
deer stalking all day. At night he was
too tired to prose oyermuch, and his
priggishness had passed for culture.
Since their engagement they had met
for the most part at big functions, and
there it happened that until tonight
they had really seen remarkably little
of each other.
And what an awakening tonight had
brought She held her programme in
her hand, looking at it with unseeing
eyes. How blurred it was-how stained
how like her future life would be,
lived out with him!
A shadow crossed the page. She look
ed up. A we'll remembered presence
made itself felt.
"Margotl Crying!"
She sprang to her feet gladly. tri-
%umphantly, catching with her two
hands at the firm, protecting fingers
which gripped hers.
"Oh, DON, she said brokenly, "take
me back! Please take me home before
be comes again, dear. l can't stand him
any more. Talk nonsense, Don. Tell me
I'm ripping, and "A brick and Jolly
in all the rest of the dear, delightful,
slangy terms. And, CHI, Don, if you love
me, dear, make love to me, real love,
for alwaysi Don't ever, ever. be oultur-
ed or superior"
"If l love your he said.
And before the look Of his eyes her
fell. But it did not matter, for he
took her home.-Ladies' Field.