Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-11-28

papers. He was the v. Z. OF the ias1
frontier outbreak.
Mrs. Marchmont and Margot made
their way silently towards the ball
room. They had a box, but the elder
woman intended her lesson to be
complete.
Towards the tiers upon tiers OF
filed boxes she gave only a passing
glance. Their occupants did not in
terest her. 1t was the world below,
this-the world which is to most
women, fortunately, a world invisible
in which the men whom they meet
socially find their distractions, which
was the keynote Of her sermon.
la vie est un carnival. on Ton est
toujours mieux GU NAL masque." But
as the evening wore away the elder
woman asked herself If she were
right in her methods? If Margot had
been her own child would she have
thus given her to eat of witches APP
pies? The girl was too old TO pass
unscathed through such an expert
ChNts i'ub tht AidHhCA law EdfN ~
clew to Margot's emotions; the close
Iy domlnoed form neither shrank nor
sweryed from the pressure of the
crowd.
The girls own first conscious i'm
preston was that everyone she knew
was present. Her next, that the room
was full of soldiers. Well set-up,
STRAIGHTFORWARD, clear-browed men
the men VINO would lead to the fore
front Of a battle, who would clear
Dargai heights; who would serve as
patriots and die as heroes.
Her second was the dominant hope
lessness that lined the women's faces.
Wreathed smiles were there, parting
lips, knocking repartees, eyes which
had been tutored to melt at will;
but in all the revels and laughter
there was no single laugh which had
not a false ring. There was no true
mlrth, no absolute enjoyment. This
orgie Of mems passions struck her as
more serious than a funeral, more
sad than a deathbed, and she could
have found it easier to dance over
the ashes Of what had once been liy-
ing men and women.
1t was phantasy, a nightmare,
a festival behind which despair
lurked. The electric light was
switched on to its full brillianey.
Jewels glittered, voices rose high,
women's white skins cleaned, and in
their satin setting exquisite per-
fumes blended. mere was the SHIN
mer of silk, the softness of lace: the
mockery of mirth; beautiful limbs
whirled past, as now one woman,
now another crossed her line Of vision
in the maddest, and yet IN certain
cases the most enhancing, dancing
which she had ever seen. II was
medley of passion, a gigantic game
Of emotions, where artificial hearts
were tossed in play. Tender glances
were turned towards the man who
piloted her through the crowd; words
echoed in her ears now and again,
whispers the full meaning Of which
did not reach her senses till later
Blinded by light, dazzled with color,
with sound she CROPPED her
way through a throng in which she
recognized many familiar faces. :.
In the alcoves there were people
sitting. She looked once, and did not
look again. At the bar men and
women stood together waiting for
drinks; many of them drank out Of
the same glasses. Some women were
leaning on the arms of the mems
chairs; two women sat by one man
he seemed a favorite. Discordant
phrases in French, English, German,
broken but unmistakable, reached
her.
The gowns were magnificent, IL
startling. It is only the inhabitants
of such worlds as this who can af-
ford to dress in perfection. The
scenery represented Spithead; the
band played upon the model of
ships poop. Men in uniform-the at
tendants stood beside. In the
"Lancers" the men seized the women
by their waists and twirled them
above their heads in the air. or lifted
them bodily off their feet, and set
them down again. In the crowd eager
eyes peered close, trying to pierce the
disguise of the masks; thick voices
spoke hoarsely. Men pressed near
and once Jack Arbuthnot put his arm
round the girls waist to withdraw
her suddenly. There was a clash of
broken glass! Some of the dancers
paused; the rest continued, laughing.
There was a rush in the direction of
the companion ladder. A woman
stood upon II, smiling, her arms. bare
to the shoulder. outstretched. One
of the attendants was behind her. He
tried to hold her back She was at
to make her way to the
poop, where the band was PLAYING. A
knot of men gathered below and
waved her on. Two out of the three
principal figures seemed rather the
worse for drink-one was drunk. The
skirt Of the woman's dress was torn;
there was a full yard of frllled scar
let silk dragging on the ground. The