The Press., 1898-11-17
BREAKING THE NEWS

DIGEA IN A1NU l 11H IN E w O
 "Do you think he'll take it very bad ly, Nora?" Nora Helmsley shrugged her shoulders.
 My dear Betty, you ought to know more about MT. Markham's powers of endurance than l."
 "But what do you think he'll do? What do you suppose"- "Why waste our time in supposition? He'll be here most likely this afternoon, and you will be able to judge for your self ''
 Betty Oakhurst sprang to her feet.
 "Ted is coming here this afternoon? Why on earth didn't you tell me be- fore?" And she fidgeted nervously with her hat before the glass as she spoke.
 "But you knew. Betty, where are you going?"
 Anywhere out of this, cried the girl. laughing nervously as she stopped to kiss her friend.
 Nora, however, caught her arm. Nonsense, Bettyl You'd much better tell him straight out now and get it over. It will be ever so much more awkward for you if the news reaches him from outside.
 ''I don't sec that at all, ; returned Betty quietly as she drew away from her companion. ''I am sure that Tiff you''-
 She paused tentatively.
 "You don't mean to say that you ex- pect me to tell Ned Markham that you've tilted him?''
 'I certainly don't expect you to put it in that way, :" replied Miss Oakhurst, with little laugh, but I am quite certain that you would explain it to the poor fellow much better than any one else. ''
 "Explain!' exclaimed Nora, impa- tiently. II don't know that there s anything to explain except that you've lous position.
 "Nora!''
 ''I wish I'd never had anything to do with it. never felt so uncomfortable in my life as I have done since you dragged lue into this pre- cious scheme of yours.
 'Poor old Nora, !" murmured Betty sympathetically while she cast furtive glances at the clock.
 "You came here and shed any num- Der of tears; declared that you adored Ted Markham; that your father would not hear of an engagement, but that if you only had little time before you you were sure everything would come right.
 ''So it has. ' remarked Betty sotto voce. Its only question of point of 1 view.
 Nora flashed an indignant look at her
 ''I think you might be serious now, and at leastpretend that you re ashamed of yourselfs You begged me to help you to get my apnt to ask him here, to act as screen in fact, so that your people might imagine it was all over and that l you had both changed your minds, and | now-now''-
 The sound of bell broke in upon Miss HelmsAey s eloquence, and Betty caught up her gloves.
 I'm awfully sorry, Nora. Abuse me as n uch as you like. Goodby."
 And before Nora could stop her she ! on her way down stairs She let her go 1 After all, it never was of any use to ar que with Betty. She was one of those delightfully."- irresponsible creatures who always manage to shift the blame of their shortcomings on to other people s shoulders and whom no one-no man, at any rate-ever dreams of judging by ordinary standards Nora wondered, as she stood there idly looking into the street, how she could ever have been foolish enough to take Betty's love trou- bles seriously.
 Meantime that same folly of hers was going to bear some very unpalatable fruit In less than ten minutes young Markham would be there. He had ar ranged to call for Miss Helmsley and her aunt, Lady Hewitt, to escort them to an afternoon concert. The eNer lady had declared at luncheon that the weather was far too depressing for it not to be madness to risk the probability of further tall in one's moral barom eter by couple of hours of orchestral music and that Nora must give him some tea and her excuses.
 Nora was conscious that this was a neat pretext for giving the young man the chance of a tete-a-tete with herself. Lady Hewitt was too indolent natural ly not to be heartily weary of her du- ties as chaperon to her niece.
 An attractive heiress was a respongi- bility little to her taste, and the girl felt that, ineligible as most mothers and responsible people would have termed Ted Markham, with his post in the foreign office and his meager per- sonal fortune, Lady Hewitt would open her arms to him gladly if he would but relieve her of her onerous duties oi watchdog and would declare that Nora had money enough for them both.
 Nora sighed as she stood at the win dow. It was topsy turvy world, and the wrong people were always being thrown together. If only
 "Am I disturbing you? I was told to come ill here. ''
 Nora started, and the color rushed to her face
 "Oh, hadn't heard you come in. Do sit down. Aunt isn't we'll. am so sorry you should have had the trouble of calling for nothing, but she hoped to be able to go until the last moment. Won't you let me give you some tea?' She spoke with nervous hurry, scarcely pausing for an answer.
 Ted Marlxham took the chair aha 0S- rered him and listened ill silence while she rattled on. Suddenly she stopped, conscious of his fixed glance
 ''Is anything the matter?" she asked in slightly alarmed voice It was sure. ly not possible that he could already have learned Bettv's treachery.
 A Rona Eide R~na@rl,,