The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27
CHAPTER XVI
REBELL1oUs HEARTS
Constant you are.

Constant you
But yet a woman. and for secrecy.
No lady closer. FOR ! viii believe
Thou wilt not utter what thou dost not ksS~.
Win found his mother in her boudOlr
and delivered Mrs. Winers' letter to
her without comment. He saw her
read IL ard than sit silent. her broWs
drawn. looking into the fire beside
which she sat. It was impossible Just
then Cor him 70 alIUde to the subject OF
the letter. and. after standing BY the
mantelpiece awkwardly warming his
wet feet. he went upstairs to his own
rooms
At dinner the family trio was unu-
suaIly quiet Under the blaze OF lighs
that fell from the great crystal chan
delier over the table with its weight Of
glass and silver. the three participants
looked preoccupied and stupid. The
two Chinese servants. sOft-foOted an
cats. and spotIess in their crisp white.
moved about the table nOiselessly, Of
fering dish after dish to their impaa-
sive employers.
1t was one OF those irritating occA-
sions when everything seems to COM
bine for the purpose OF exasperating.
Bessie. annoyed by the contents OF Mrs.
Willers'Ietter.f found her annoyance aug
mented by the fact that Maud looked
particularly plain that evening, and
the Count de Lamolle was expected af-
ter dinner Worry had robbed her face
OF such sparkle as it possessed and had
accentuated it's ungirlish heaviness. She
felt that her engagement to Latimer
must be announced. for the Count dc
Lamolle was exhibiting those signs OF
a coming proposal that she knew well,
and what excuse could she give her
mother for rejecting him? She must tell
the truth, and the thought alarmed her
shrinking and peaceable soul. She sat
silent. crumbling her bread with a ner-
vous hand and wondering how she
could possibly avert the offer OF the
Count showed symptoms OF making II
that evening.
After dinner her mother left her IN
the small reception-room, a rich and
ornate apartment. furnished In an orr
entail manner with divans. cushions.
and Moorish hangings. The Zeal for
qhaperonage had not yet penetrated to
the West. and Bessie considered that
TO leave her daughter thus alone was
to discharge her duties as a parent
with delicate correctness. She retired
TO the adjoining library, where the
Count, on entering. had a glimpse OF
her sitting in a low chair, languidly
turning the pages OF q magazine. Ia,
on his part, had lived IA the West long
enough TO know that the disposal q
the family In these segregated units
was what custom and conventionaltty
dictated
The Count was a clever man and had
studied the United States from othsr
points OF vantage than the window Of
Pullman car.
With the murmur OF his greetings -
Maud in her ears. Bessie rose from her
chair She found the library chill and
cheerless after her cozy boudoir on the
floor above. and decided to go there.
Glaneing over her shoulder. as she
mounted the stairs. she could see the
Count standing with his back TO the
fire, discoursing with = snfls-a hand
. some, personable man. with his dark
face and pointed beard looking darker
than ever over his cleaning sxpanss Of
shirt bosom 1t would be an entirely
desirable marriage for Maud Bessie
had found out all about the Counts
position and title in his native land.
and both were all that he said thsy
were. which had satisfied and SUI
prised her.
In her own room she sat down before
the fire to think Maud's future was In
her own hands now. nOIding itself into
shape downstairs in the reception
room Bessie could do no more toward
directing 1t than she had already done.
and her active mind Immediately seized
on the other subject that had been en-
crossing It. She drew out Ma Wnsrw