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

factory manner; but you must really come
and judge for yourself"
On night between the coming and going
OF their brilliant house parties Sir Jasper
and Lady Conyers dined alone.
Her ladyship as she smiled at her hus-
band across the long table glittering with
silver anu glass looked wholly brilliant,
gracious and correctly fashionable. Her
gown was inimitably beautiful and appro-
pirate. and she wore some of her exquisite
diamonds.
How we'll you are looking tonight,
Mabel" Sir Jasper remarked in the same
level tones he would have used to a friend
in commenting on the weather.
Yes, am not she answered. 'Dia-
monds and white velvet suit me exactly.
and there's not one woman in five thou
sand who ought ever to touch them"
Lady Conyers was a very clever woman,
so consciously so that she always said what
she thought and never affected the innocent
airs adopted by her weaker sisters. When
they were finishing dessert she remarked:
I've just had a letter from mother by this
evenings post, Jasper. and she wants me
to go to Shallowdene for Easter. Joyce is
coming home. you know, and 1 haven't seen
her for ages; she must be quite grown up
now"
Who's Joyce?' asked Sir Jasper in his
forgetful, well-bred way. I've never heard
of her. have I?'
Why, of course you have, my dear boy.
| gave you her letter to read when our en-
was announced, don't you re-
member? Dear little Joycel Il was too
bad that she had developed those horrid.
troublesome measles just at the time of the
wedding. l did want her for one of my
bridesmaids. Mother sent her to Paris, you
know, when my old governess married and
set up a school there. She was such a
dreadful little pickle that nobody could
manage her except Madame Delhane, so
mother gave her up as hopeless. L haven't
seen the child for nearly two years. 1 won
der what she's like now; children alter so
at her age. Why, she must be seventeen
by this time
Indeed said Sir Jasper.
shall I write and say we are coming?'
Yes. by all means if you wish to. We
have no one coming until after the 18th,
have we? We can go down to Shallow
dene on Saturday if you are ready" And
Sir Jasper rose to open the door as his wife
left the room.
1t was very, very sad, indeed, the saddest
thing, in fact. that had ever happened in
all the seventeen years of Joyce's happy
life. In one short week the term would
come to an end. and her school days would
be over. She did not like to think of it at
all, nor did madame either. The tears would
well up into madame's dear old eyes, leav-
ing them red and dim. when she spoke
about it to monsieur. But, with the COM
plete and blessed optimism Of youth. Joyce
would thrust the unpleasant thought away
from her.
Never mind, madame, darling" she
would say. finging her impulsive arms
around madame's neck with a hug. II shall
come over and live for months and months
with you, and you will come and spend all
the holidays with us at S~hallowdene and
it Will be almost exactly like being at
school all the time. only heaps and heaps
nicer, because there won't be any bother
ing lessons. And, oh, isn't it just a lovely,
lovely, beautiful world to live in, full of
nice people and pretty clothes and things
isn't it?"
She was the h~appiest little being in crea-
ton; she was always so gay and so wholly
irresponsible that you couldn't help loving
her. They all did, girls and governesses
alike, though her fingers were always inky,
and she had been born with an irresistible
tendency to break the rules. She could
never walk downstairs, she always had to
jump, and the same force impelled her to
shut doors with a bang. and her long black
legs, under her short serge frock, were al
uva We all nvar the n1aoa Che mo,,1J ~
knowledge to you openly that her chief
aim in life was to do as few lessons as pos
sible. She hadn't come to school to learn
especially French. She was always in a
scrape. Somehow her misdemeanors were
committed so openly that they were in
variably found out.
'..Ch, it is perfectly. perfectly dreadful to
be leaving you all, =" Joyce said as she lifted
her face to be kissed on the last night of
her schoolgirl life. Il nave been so happy
here. and 1 love you all so much. and
just hate to think I'm going away
And she looked up TO madame with an
April face of smiles shining through the
tears filling her eyes, which were not laugh
ing then, but very wistful. And the next
day, when home-going, excited girls and
tired, cross governesses reigned over ma
DANES usually orderly household, Joyce
departed in a cab amid a heap of boxes,
a chattering maid and heart-broken sobs.
Monsieur and madame. after they had
watched the carriage drive away, turned
with a sigh together into the house, which
felt lonely to them then, for they had loved
the blithe, quicksilver Joyce very much
indeed, and it was sad to feel tina she had
gone from their lives.
They hoped very earnestly that the world
about which Joyce knew so little and hoped
so much would prove merciful and kind to
her.
And in an incredibly short space of time
Joyce developed into a young woman. The
wavy brown hair was twisted up into a
fashionable top-knot. and the impertinently
short frocks were abandoned for those of
more decorOus dimensions. And when one
day she entered Buckingham Palace in a
beautiful white gown, all bilOwy and soft
with chiffon and lace and lilies of the val
ley. with three feathers nodding on her
pretty brown head. TO make her curtsey TO
the Queen. she was candidly acknowledged
10 be the very p~rettiest debutante of the