The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-19


holdlng out one shapey gloved hand
All, milor! is it possible? The world is
not SO very large, after all This rencontre
nave take my breaths away. 1t is indeed one
great establishment for me-
MOT greater than for me, madame re-
pled the earl, politely, as he lifted his hat.
MY surprise is indeed only exceeded by the
pleasure L feel at meeting you again.
And you have recognized me without diff
hculty, after this long time what have passed
since we say adleu in Dieppe ten year
ago
You recognized me, madame did you not?''
! All, but dat is different Women age so
much more rapidement than the men. es-
pecially ven dey have passed la trentane-
thirty. L will be soon old.
''Heresy, madame! Women who have once
been beautiful as you were, and still are,
never grow DID,
The words were earelessly spoken-the COM
pretty speech" which falls glibly from the
lips OF a man of the world in addressing
pretty woman, and is accepted by her for
what 1t is worth-part of the current coin
OF society conservation. On most they would
have made but little impression.
Stephanie Laroque, however, took the light
~ uttered words III a literal sense, and at
tachlng to them meaning they were never
INTENDED to convey, she told herself, with a
thrill OF secret triumph, that her power over
this man was not lost-that in a few days
perhaps hourS-he w;:uld return to his old al
i1egiance, and throw himself at her feet offer
ing her this time what before she had not
been free to accept-hls fortune and his name
1t was, therefore, with a heart beating high
with hope that she turned to the earl, and
said, sadly
son Permit Unit me, miloi, to present to you my
son, Rene'-indicating by a gesture of the
hand that held the riding whip the handsome
young man who rode by her side. Il sup
pose not dat you be able to recognize
hlm He was only fifteen when you do see
him last, but he have grown up tall, as you
perceive, and he do speak English like one
Engeeshman."
On but L recognize him perfectly, mad
anne, replied the EARL although Monsieur
Laroque is no longer the boy that 1 remem-
per-and the two men exchanged the GUS
tomary salute. L am very pleased to renew
our acquaintance, madame, and to find that
you are staying in this neighborhood. May
hope that you and your son will dine with
US at Roseraye if you have no other engage
ment?''
MY dear milor. we are in the land of
strangers here. We have no acquaintance,
no friends, replied the Frenchwoman lap
sing into her native tongue, which the earl
spoke with fuency, if with a rather strong
English accent. 1T is a real charity to
throw open your doors to us. One does not
hunt every day in the week. My stock of
French novels 1 brought with me is nearly
exhausted, and my and l were beginning
10 wonder however we should manage to kill
time during the long autumn evenings Di-
rectly l caught sight of you 1 felt like the
drowning man who clutches at a rope
i am only too glad to find 1 can be of
service TO you, madame" was the polite re-
Jolnder. whenever time hangs heavily on
your hands, you and your son must come to
Roseraye, and play billiards or tennis with
my sister. By the way must introduce you
to her. Then turning to the young girl,
VINO was some yards distant, looking very
handsome and stately on her thoroughbred
hunter. he signed to her to approach, and
said
Lillian, let me make you acquainted with
two old friends of mine 1 saw a great deal
of Madame Laroque, and enjoyed her hospi-
tality, at Dieppe in the days when you were
sui wearing pinafores, and-your golden
hair was hanging down your back This
gentleman is madame's son-Monseur Rene
Laroque Madame let me introduce you to
my sister, Lady Lillian Hereward.''
| The F'renchwoman showed her beautiful
teeth in a dazzling smile, she bent her
head in acknowledgment of the young girls
bow; but the smile hid a grimace, for Lord
Roseraye's remark, containing as it did re-
hinder that she, Stephanie Laroque, had been
woman of the world in full maturity at the
time when the earls sister was still in the
nursery, was not all to her taste.
! Rene Laroque, meanwhile, had brought his
horse close up alongside of Lady Lillian, and
his brilliant black eyes, burning with passion
ate admiration, seemed if they could not
detach themselves from the delicate loveliness
| of her pink and white face, the coloring of
which was exquisitely transparent as that of
some rare SevreS Statuette.
And this is the girl 1 am to try to win," he
said to himself, as he glanced at her, taking
in, with the gaze of connoisseur, every de-
tail of her perfect form and her faultless
features "She is just the style of woman I
most admire. My mother will not find me
backward or indolent in wooing this time,
and if 1 don't win her it won't be through
any fault of mine.''
AS for Lady Lillian, in spite Of the natural
instructive antpathy and distrust of foreign
ers which seems Unborn in the Anglo Saxon
race, especially in the patrcian part of it, she