The Winslow mail., 1898-12-03
THE CONQUEST OF
MRS. VIVIAN.
THE BRISTCWE garden party was
BY CHARLES KENNETT BURRoW.

3
sense of duty, but when a rapid survey
failed to reveal the slight figure and
delicious irresponsibility of Jack Nivi-
/ an, the sense of duty theory collapsed.
Mrs Vivian, l thought, had been in
/ clined to treat me somewhat coldly,
ard l wondered, rather angrily, how
! she came 10 have such daughter as
| Jack. There was certain vague sem
| blance between them, certainly, but
nothing could convince me that Mrs.
Vivian had ever been slighsS, and my
imagination was not strong enough
even to suggest that she had ever been
irresponsible.
There were not more than half a
dozen people whom l knew, and of
them not more than two whom l cared
to talk to. Most of the men seemed
TO have got together in the middle of
tie tennis lawn. the ladies were Ian
| gushing in the shade of the beeches;
only one or two couples seemed 10 be
engaged liz occupation for which, sure
ly. garden parties alone were invented.
Mrs. Bristowe. my hostess. seemed very
much depressed.
why don't things move faster, Mr..
lIildmay?" she asked. plaintively.
WHY don't those wretched men do
something?"
"My dear lady," I said, "they never
do at these affairs. 1 don't know why
it is; perhaps there's too much daylight
for them"
but one must give garden parties" :"
she said.
Il thank Providence I have 70 gar
den," said. Il might manage a little
dance, a very little one, in my studio,
bat a bachelor can't do that kind of
thing, you know"
Il wish you'd go and talk to Mrs.
Vivian" she said; shes sitting ali
things to say aftervard-
] II lt III a
1 wanted to talk to Mrs Vivian, I
went The fact is, I knew that Jack
lad a great talent for drawing and
wanted to cultivate it, and L had
vague idea that L might induc1 Mrs.
Vivian 10 allow me to give her daugh-
ter lessons, particularly as it would
cost her nothing. 1t was a wild no.
ton, but worth trying, and Jack agreed
with me. / therefore strolled up to
Mrs. Vivian and sat down by her in a
casual way.
''The parties here are always so slow,
aren't they?" she asked.
Are they slower here than anywhere
else?"
81 trust ours are not so dull" she
snapped.
"Ah, but you have genius for social
organizatio / said, unblushingly;
"and so few people have even talent"
l do not wish to depreciate Mrs. Vivian,
but her love of fiattery was as great as
her capacity for small and totally un-
necessary lying. She condescended to
smile upon me. "People are so differ
ent," she said.
"You would notice that all the more
after your stay in the country" / said.
How charming the coast is at Pen
quite, and what glorious sketchiLg
ground? l suppose Miss Vivian did
some work there?"
She ignored the last part of my ques-
tion.
do you know that part of the
world? ?" she asked.
"Oh, yes" 1 said, perfectly.
THAT reminds me-" she said, smiling
again, "that 1 met a Col. Mildmay at
my cousins house. 1t did not occur
to me that he might be relative of
yours. Is hep"
Hes my uncle, and a dear old boy,
too; but l don't see much of him now"
Her manner instantly thawed; 1 be-
lieve she had an idea that an artist
must necessarily be the son of fraud
ulent bankrupt or fourth-rate actor,
or something of that sort. Then she
condescended to answer my previous
question.
Indeed, how strange that we should
meet in that way! Phoebe painted
good deal while she was there"
| wondered, for a moment, who
Phoebe was-I had called her Jack for
quite three months.
felt that was getting on famously,
and was just arranging in my mind
how to make the next step when Mrs,
Vivian spoke again.
What a charming place Lord ST.
Alleyn has at Polgarth," she said.
very" answered, eying her fur
lively.
And what a delightful man he is"
she said; 1--WE dined there twice"
Hes an old chum of mine l said;
"we were up at Oxford together" L
saw her vince, and her manner re-
laxed even further. / felt profoundly
sorry for Jack.
How interesting," she said.
Il see almost more of him than of
any of the old set," 1 said. 1--WE used
to get into glorious scrapes together.
He never did any work
And l suppose you did?' she sug-
gested.
"a little" I admitted.
"Oh, you young men," she laughed,
and wagged her false old head.
l have not, as a rule, been particu
larly lucky man, but certainly that aft
ernoOn the fates were On my side. AS
L turned to see what had become of
Mrs. Bristowe I beheld the familiar