Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-02-20

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S-s- ~ COPYRIGHT
CHATTER VI. fContinucd.)
Well, WELL" said General Armour,
calling down at them, escort his i'm
pcrial highness to the chariot which
awaits him, and then, no! for London
town. Come along my daughter, he
said to Lali. Come up here and take
the last Whit Of Greyhope that you
Will have for six months. Dear, dear,
what lunatics we all are, to be sure!
Why, were as happy as little birds in
their nests out in the decent country,
and yet we scamper off to smoky old
city by the Thames to rush along with
the world, instead of sitting high and
far away from it ard watching it go by.
God bless my soul, I'm old enough to
know better. Well, let me help you in,
my DEAR" he added to his wife, land
in you go, Marion, and in you 60, your
imperial highness" he passed the child
awkwardly i'll to Marion-"and In you
go, my daughter. he added as he hand
ed Lali in, pressing her hand with
brusque fatherliness as he did So He
then got in after them.
Richard came to the side of the car
riage and babe them all goodby one by
one. Lali gave him her hand, but did
not speak word. He called cheerful
adieu, the horses were whipped up, and
in moment Richard was left alone on
the steps Of the house. He stood for q
time looking, then he turned to go into
the house, but changed his mind, sat
down, lit cigar and did not move
from his seat until he was summoned
to his lonely luncheon.
Nobody thought much of leaving
Richard behind at Greyhope It seemed
the natural thing to do. But still he
had not been left alone-entirely alone
for three years or more.
The days and weeks went on. II Rich.
ard had been accounted eccentric before,
there was far greater cause for the term
now. Life dragged. Too much had been
taken out of his life all at once, for in
the first place the family had been
drawn together more during the trouble
which Lali's advent had brought Then
the child and Its mother, his pupil, were
gone also. He wandered about in a kind
Of vague unrest. The hardest thing in
this world to get used to is the absence
Of familiar footstep and the cheerful
greeting of familiar eye And the
man with no chick or child feels even
the absence Of his dog from the hearth
rug when he returns from journey or
his days work. It gives him sense of
straAEeness and loss But when 1t is
the voice Of woman and the hand Of q
child that is missed you can back no
speculation upon that mans mood or
mind or conduct There is no influence
like the influence Of habit, and that Is
how, when the minds Of people are at
one, physical distance and differences,
no matter how great, are invisible or
at least not obvious
Richard Armour was q sensible man,
but when one morning he suddenly
packed o portmanteau and went up to
town to Cavendish square the act might
be considered from two sides Of the
equation. If he came back to enter
again into the social life which for 80
many years he had abjured, 1t was not
very sensible, because the world never
welcomes its deserters. It might II men
and women grew younger instead Of
older. II he came to zee his family, or
because he hungered for his godchild,
or because-but we are hurrying the
situation. It were wiser not to state
the problem yet The afternoon that he
arrived at Cavendish square all his
family were out except his brothers
wife. Lali was in the drawing room
receiving q visitor who had asked for
Mrs Armour and Mira Francis Armour.
The visitor was received by Mrs. Fran
CHS Armour. The visitor knew that Mira
Armour was not at home. She had by
chance seen her and Marion in Bond
street and was not seen by them. She
straightway got into her carriage and
drove up to Cavendish square, hoping
to find Mrs. Francis Armour at home
There had been house parties at Grey
hope since Lai had como there to live,
but this visitor, though once an init.
mate friend Of the family, had never
been guest
The visitor was Lady Haldwell, once
Miss Julia Sherwood, who had made
possible what was called Francis Ar.
mour's tragedy. Since Lai had come to
town Lady Haldwell had seen her. but
had never met her. She was not at
heart wicked. but there are few women
who can resist an opportunity Of anato-
MIXING and reckoning up the merits
and dement's Of woman who has mar
ried an old lover. When that woman IL
in the position Of Mrs Francis Armour
the situation has an unusual piquancy
and interest Hence Lady Haldwell's
Journey Of inquisition to Cavendish
square.
As Richard passed the drawing room
door to ascend the stairs he recognised
the voices.
Once sort of heather as Mrs Fran
els Armour had been, she still could
grasp the situation with considerable
clearness There is nothing keener than
one woman's instinct regarding another
woman where man Is concerned. MrA
Francis Armour received Lady Hald-
well with a quiet stateliness which, II
it did not astonish her, gave her sufh-
Gent warning that matters were not In
this little comedy to be all her own
way.
Thrown upon the mere resources of
wit and language, Mrs Francis Armour
must have been at q disadvantage, for
Lady Haldwell had q good gift Of
speech, pretty talent for epithet and
no unnecessary tenderness. She bore
Lali no malice. She was too decorous
and high for that. In her mind tho wife
Of the man she had discarded was .
mere commonplace catastrophe, to b
viewed without horror. maybe with
pity. She had heard tho alien spoken
well Of by some people. Others had
seemed indignant that the Armours
should try to push "a red woman" into
English society. Truth is the Armours
did not try at all to push her. For over
three years they had let society talk.
They had not entertained largely in
Cavendish square since Lan came, and
those invited to. Greyhope had a chance