Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-22

offense that man in this grade should venture thus to address, thus to ar raign her. As he laid the goldpieces down upon her table an idea of the truth came to her.
 .'T know nothing of what you com plain of. sent you no money. What is it you would imply?" she asked him, looking up from where she leaned back in the low couch into whose depth she had sunk as he had spoken.
 "You did not send me these-not as payment for the chess seryfce?"
 ..Assuredly not. After what you said the other day should have scarcely been so i'll bred and so needless of in ficting pain. Who used my name thus?''
 His face frightened with pleasure and relief that changed it wonder fully-that brighter look of gladness that had been a stranger to it for so many years.
 ''You give me infinite happiness, madame. You little dream how bitter such sights are when one has lost the power to resent them! It was Colonel Chateauroy who this morning.
 Dared to tell you sent you those coins P
 The serenity of courtly woman of the world was unbroken, but her blue and brilliant eyes darkened and gleamed beneath the sweep of their lashes.
 Perhaps I can scarcely say so much. He gave them, and he implied that he gave them from you. The words he spoke were these.'
 He told her them as they had been uttered, adding no more She saw the construction they had been intended to bear and that which they had borne naturally to his ear. She listened ear nestly to the end. Then she turned to him with the exquisite softness of grace which, when she was moved to it, contrasted so vividly with the naughty and almost chill languor of her habitual manner.
 Believe me, regret deeply that you should have been wounded by this most coarse indignity. I grieve sin cerely that through myself in any way it should have been brought upon you. As for the perpetrator of it, Colonel Chateauroy will be received here no more, and it shall be my care that he learns not only how resent this un- pardonable use of ney name, but how I esteem his cruel outrage to a de- fender of his own flag. You did ex- ceedingly well and wisely to acquaint me; in your treatment of it as an affront that was without warrant to offer you, you showed the just indigna- ton of a soldier, and-of what am very sure that you area gentleman" !"
 He bowed low before her.
 Madame, you have made me the debtor of my enemy's outrage. Those words from you are more than sufh- cient compensation for it. -
 "A poor one, fear. Your colonel is your enemy. then2 ' And where fore?" s> %fAsx.f He paused moment.
 .'Why, at first I scarcely know. We are antagonistic, suppose"
 But is it usual, for officers of his high grade to show such malice to their soldiers ?,
 Most unusual. In this service espe-. cially so, although officers rising from the ranks sthemselvesla lare more apt to contract prejudices@ ard i'll feeling against as. they are to feel favoritism to their men than when they enter the regiment in a superior grade at once. Since am here, madame, let me thank you, in the army's name, for your in- finite goodness in acting so munificent- ly on my slight hint. Your generosity has made. many happy hearts in the hospital." l "Generosity! Oh, do not call it by any such name! What did it cost me? We are terribly selfish here. I am in- debted to you that for, once you made me remember those who suffered"
 She spoke with a certain impulse of candor and of self accusation that broke with great sweetness the some what careless coldness of her general manner. It was like a gleam of light that showed all the depth and the warmth that in truth lay beneath that | imperious languor of habit. It broke further the ice of distance that severed the grande dame from the cavalry sol dier. He wholly forgot their respec- tive stations. He only remembered that for the first time for so many years he had the charm of converge with a wo- man of high breeding, of inexpressible beauty and of keen and delicate intui- tion. He wholly forgot how time pass ed, and she did not seek to remind him. Indeed she but little noted it herself. I At last the conversation turned back to his chief.
 You seem to be aware of some mo- tive for your commandant's dislikey' she asked him. ."Tell me to what you attribute it?'
 He obeyed and told to her the story of the emir and of the Pearl of the Des- ert, and Venetia Corona listened, as she had listened to him throughout, with an interest that she rarely youch- safed to the recitalS and the Witticisms of her own circle.
 ''This barbarian is your chief?" she said as the tale closed. His enmity is your honor. I can well credit that he will never pardon your having stood between him and his crime. But I have not heard one thing. What ar gument did you use to obtain her re- | lease?'
 'No one has ever heard it, he an- swered her, while his voice sank low q will tr.I1St va,l with if Tt will not