, 1898-07-20
and seeing hat we all talked together

and seeing that We all talked together,
the effect was very striking.
Excuse me, remarked q thin, crisp
voice, sit is a Ii lie trouble about the
bill, is it not? Miss Llngton, l shall he
with you in a moir-nt. Don't be alarm
ed"
OF course it was old Turnbull, who
ought to have been miles away and had
been lunching here all the time instead.
I bowed, he looked me in the face, and
l understood that he remembered the
last occasion on which we had met. 1
recalled his terrible, Now, upon your
oath, sir, as l stood clutching the edge
of the witness stand, a bit of court
plaster over IL eye.
"You are doubtless aware that Miss
Langton is my ward?" he observed
when he had appeased the Teuton
sphinx.
81 learned it," l replied. Permit
me to congratulate you"
"And you will also learn now," he
retorted, shutting his pocketbook with
q snap, "that l wish the acquaintance
to end here"
On Wnat RrOunuS: salQ l.
eff on no other than that of the pres
ent-er-dissraceful scene. l should be
justified" he answered, "but l forbid
it observation-disclosures grounds"
Then he began to talk, ga IL man
of the world to another, !" about Arbus-
cula and her sisters. He was illogical,
but convincing.
What 10 tIa amount nf fhn hil1S'' T
asked shortly.
He handed me the receipted slip Of
paper. I put it in my pocket. He
smiled ~sardGnically, and gathering up
his black bag went out to Miss Langton.
while the waiter hailed a cab by whis-
thing through his fingers in u most tai
ented way.
Beyond the glass door l could see
Turnbull talking to Miss Langton as
she rearranged her veil. Some girls at
an adjacent table put their heads to-
gether, whispering and tittering. The
chariot pulled up at the sidewalk with
a flourish, and Turnbull touched Miss
Langton's arm. She made q step for
ward, but looked round and paused ir-
r~esolutely. l instantly went to her, and
taking the little warm hand she gave
me pressed it to my lips.
II am so sorry you were i%nconveni-
enced, " she said. "If I had only known"
and she actually laughed!
II shall easily get over the recollcc-
ton of the Inconvenience in the recol-
lection Of the pleasure l have had,' I
replied.
She blushed.
"But why did you not tell me?:" she
murmurcd.
at would have been commonplace
I replied. Il preferred to be a paladin,
though a comic one.
81 don't think it comic at ALL" she
replied, trying hard not to smile.
"What stupid people"
Miss Langton. as this gentleman is
rather richer in time than !, perhaps he
will excuse us if we economize, re-
marked Mr.. Turnbull. Here is the
cab. Get in, please"
She threw me n bright look and went
with him. Recollccting that l was with
out my hat, l returned for it and found
on the ground hard by a little black silk
glove. l picked it up, intending to re-
turn it, but when l reached the street
the cab was already several yards away.
Then the lawyers talk came back to me
with diabolical distinctncss, and l said
to myself that. after all, he was right.
I went straight to my bankers, sent
him the amount of the bill, answered a
pelfumed, badly spelled note 1 had re-
oairo1 ttnt ,p,rpinr 1ppIynl tho r1,.-n
with the photo away in n drawer and
took the next train for Paris.-William
Buckley in Black and White.