The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08

Joyce, as Sir Jasper came up to her, lifted
her big. truthful gray eyes to his.
$50 you are Sir Jasper, I've heard such
a lot about you that I almost felt as IL l
knew you before: but you aren't a bit like
what 1 pictured you,'' and she almost
laughed her happy, girlish laugh.
Not what you pictured me-" said SIR
Jasper. How am 1 different? Do tell me.
Do 1 suffer very badly by the comparison?
1 hope not"
"oh, 1 don't know; but you are quite.
quite different"
NOW, 1 believe from the way you said
that 1 am not half so nice as you expected
me TO be. Tell me. Joyce, what your Jas
per was like, and l will try very hard TO
live up to him. and Sir Jasper's eyes. as
they looked into hers, were quite grave,
as if the matter were a very serious one
indeed.
The big square hall at Shallowdene, with
it's somber, old-world furniture and its big
bowls of sweet, fresh-smelling spring flow
ers, echoed with the rattle of teacups and
the chatter of many voices as the flames
from the wooden logs flickered and cleaned
on the shining silver. There were plenty
Of pretty women and prettier frocks, but
most brilliant among the assemblage chat
tered the lovely Lady Conyers. Nobody's
laugh rang out quite so silvery and cor
rectly pure in tone as hers, and nobody's
teeth cleaned in quite such an even, pearly
row. She was smiling at Captain Dallas
with all her might.
Really" thought her ladyship, as she
regarded him with her usual languid gaze,
which, in reality, was as keen and piercing
and calculating as a hawks, hes about
the handsomcst man 1 ever met. Jasper
looks merely commonplace beside him.
That brown, leathery, Indianish look of
his skin is most delightful, and such a re-
lief after the rudely healthy, fresh-looking
complexion of the usual Briton."
Captain Dallas did not turn those keen
blue eyes of his on her ladyship with the
open admiration which men usually dis
played. 1t was extraordinary and some
what tantalizing that in the middle of her
most bewitching and studied glance his at
tention seemed to wander across the room
to one corner where Joyce sat, with her
clear, frank eyes lifted to Sir Jasper's face,
as she listened intently to what he was
saying TO her. After tea Joyce put on her
big picturelike hat to take Sir Jasper
round to the aviary to see her doves-for
Sir Jasper had suddenly grown very
learned indeed about the care Of doves.
AS Ahey walked through the garden, down
the perfectly kept gravel walks Sir Jas
per found himself telling this slim-fgured
girl all sorts of things about himself. 1t
was good to watch her eyes fill with alarm
at the story OF that narrow shave with the
snake and to see the tears well up at the
account Of the coolie woman's little black
pickaninny when the tiger carried it off into
the jungle.
She never said Really" and Indeed"
and How awfully sad in the same tone
that Lady Conyers did. And when Joyce
told him all about the school in Paris and
madame and the Euclid classes and the
funny little old professor Sir Jasper found
all that schoolgirl history quite the most
interesting conversation he had ever lis
tened to.
At dinner her beautiful ladyship in her
gorgeous yellow satin gown, with the dia-
monds cleaning all over her, which not
one woman in five thousand ought to
touch,' was the cynosure of all eyes, ex-
cept, perhaps, those belonging to two men
who had knocked about the world for years
and who knew a very great deal, and both
of these wandered somehow to Joyce all the
time-Joyce in her simple, almost childlike
chiffon frock, with not one diamond about
her. only a single string of pearls round her
slim, little white throat.
1t was a little bit unaccountable and Sir
Jasper, who understood most things,
couldn't understand quite why, whatever
was said or talked about or planned he
found himself always wondering wha
JOvce would think and how ToIyoa would
like it. Every time the door opened when
Joyce was not in the room Sir Jasper would
look up quickly as if he expected somebody
he wanted to see very much. 1t wasn't
altogether a comfortable feeling by any
means. And once or twice Sir Jasper had
felt the act that would have given him the
greatest satisfaction in the world would
nave been to get up and punch the good
looking head of Captain Dallas when that
gentleman had been gazing with more than
usual earnestness at a certain slip of a girl.
Lately Sir Jasper had woke up from his
dreams, not with the remembrance of his
wife's flashing eyes and ripping society
laugh, but of the truthful, clear gray ones
without a spice of coquetry lurking in their
depths.
And Joyce? Sir Jasper was not a bit like
what she had pictured him, only very, very
much nicer in every way. He was so big,
and strong, and manly, and handsome, and
so clever, too. He knew such a very great
deal about the world and everything, and
yet he was so kind, so thoughtful, so full
of chivalry. Just a man, in fact, to have
to love and protect one forever and ever.
"Ah, if there could only be two Sir Jas
pers in the worldT' thought Joyce.