The Van Buren press., 1898-11-12
THE CONQUEST OF
MRS. VIVIAN.
THE BRIsToWE garden party was
BY CHARLES kENhETT BURRoW.

eellSo VI uulAs pul WneH Tapld survey
failed to reveal the slight figure and
delicious responsibility of Jack Vivi-
an, the sense of duty theory collapsed.
Mrs. Vivian, l thought, had been in
clined to treat me somewhat coldly,
and l wondered, rather angrily, how
she came TO have such a daughter as
JACK. There was certain vague SEM
blance between them, certainly, but
nothing could convince me that Mrs
Vivian had ever been slight, 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 1 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
the tennis lawn, the ladies were Ian
| gushing in the shade of the beeches;
only one or two couples seemed to be
engaged in 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..
MildmaX?" she asked, plaintively.
''Why don't those wretched men do
something?"
MY dear lady," said, "they never
do at these affairs. don't know why
1t is; perhaps there's too much daylight
for them"
"But one must give garden parties"
she said.
81 thank Providence I have no gar
den," I said. 81 might manage little
dance, very little one, in my studio,
| but a bachelor can't do that kind of
thing, you know"
81 wish you'd go and talk to Mrs.
VIVIAN" she said; shes sitting all
alone there, and thinking of nasty
things to say afterward."
| wanted to talk to Mrs Vivian, so l
went The fact is, l knew that Jack
had a great talent for drawing and
wanted to cultivate it, and | had a
vague idea that [ might induce Mrs.
| Vivian to allow me to give her daugh-
ter lessons, particularly as it would
cost her nothing. 1t was a wild no.
tion, 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
organization, l said, unblushingly;
"and so few people have even talent"
I do not wish to depreciate Mrs. Vivian,
but her love of fattery was as great as
her capacity for small and totally un-
necessary lying. She condescended to
smile upon me. "People are so differ
emit" she said.
"You would notice that all the more
after your stay in the country" l said.
"How charming the coast is at Pen
quite, and what glorious sketching
ground? I suppose Miss Vivian did
some work there?"
She ignored the last part of my ques-
ton.
"Do you know that part of the
world ?" she asked.
"Oh, yes" / said, perfectly,
"That reminds me-" she said, smiling
again, chat / met Col. Mildmay at
nv cousins house. 1t did not occur
10 me that he might be a relative OF
yours. Is hep
Hes my uncle, and dear old boy,
too; but | don't see much of him now"
Her manner instantly thawed; l be-
lieve she had an idea that an artist
must necessarily be the son OF a fraud
ulent bankrupt or a 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 a
good deal while she was there"
I wondered, for a moment, VINO
Phoebe was-I had called her Jack for
quite three months.
felt that / was getting on famously,
pnd was just arranging in my mind
how TO make the next step when Mrs.
Vivian spoke again.
"What charming place Lord ST.
Alleyn has at Polgarth, she said'
every" 1 answered, eying her fur
lively.
"And what delightful man he Is
she said: 1--WE dined there twice"
Hes IN old chum of NINE sald
1--WE we're up at Oxford together" l
saw her vince, and her manner re-
Iaxed even further. felt profoundly
sorry for Jack.
"Iiow interesting" she said.
"I see almost more Of him than OF
anv of the old set" l said. I'VE used
TO get into glorious scrapes together
He never did any work.
"And I suppose you didY' she sug-
gested.
"a little" l admitted.
"Oh, YOU young men," she laughed
and warged her false old head
7 have not, as a rule, been a partlcu-
larlv lucky man. but certainly that att
ernoou the fates were on my side. AS
turned to see what had become OF
Mrs Bristowe I beheld the familiar
Ggure Of my old friend st. Alleyne
come round from the west side Of the
borse He was strolling along in his
usual dreamy, casual way, very well
dressed. perfectly at ease. apparently
thinking Of nothing knew the a'il-
/ 1T &. -,,aort that he was In