Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-24
, CHAPTER T..


 einvttations were sent out.
 These were delivered verbally by boarders deslrous of seeing their friends present ofl Friday evening.
 1t was really<a scratch party of mo- bodies, and they assembled as usual in the drawing room on this especial evening toplay and not to work. Mrs. Taine laid aside her eternal knitting; Miss Bull dispensed with her game of spqtience;" MT. Granger sang his one song of the early Victorian epoch sometimes twice when singers were ecarce-and MT. Hammer wore his an Hquated dress suit. In her black silk gown, her lace cap and ''the diamonds 4 Mrs. Jersey looked-so they assured her-quite the lady.
 Was she a lady2 No one ever asked that leading question, as it would have provoked an untruth or most unpleas- ant reply. She admitted in expansive moments to having seen better days" but what her actual past had been and from her looks she had one-none ever discovered
 Few friends presented themselves pn this particular Friday evening. for 1t was extremely foggy, and none of them could afford cab. Even those who patronized the nearest bus line had come distance to walk before they knocked at the Jersey door, and thus ran a chance of losing their way Either in light or darkness the house was hard to find, for 1t occupied the corner of a particularly private square far removed from the Oxford street traffic.
 1t was quite an asylum for old age. None of the guests was under fifty, nave newcomer who had arrived the previous week, and they wondered why he came among them. He was young, though plain looking, and he was fash fonabiy dressed, though stout. This was the first time he had been present at nadame's reception and he was cx- plaining his reasons for. coming to Bloomsbury Mrs. Jersey introduced him as Leonard Train, the distin- guished novelist" although he had pub lIshed only one book at his own cost, and even that production was unknown to the boarders
 Fashionable novelists, said he in still, small voice which contrasted cu- riously with his massive proportions, 4ltYU ONCA0OAE IAC OhS1AEoSs VI GOCAG&J and epigrams We must revert to the Dickens style. have therefore taken Iup my residence here for brief period |to study old world types. Here he looked around with q beaming smile. .'I am glad to find so rich field to glean."
 This doubtful compliment provoked weak smiles The boarders did not wish to be rude, but they felt 1t was Impossible to approve of the young man. Not being sufficiently modern to court notortety, one and all dsnked the idea of being .'put in book" Mrs. Haine, conscious of her weak grammar, looked uneasily at Miss Bull, who smiled gri1nly ana then giared at Train. Granger drew himself up and pulled lhis gray mustache-he was the buck lof the bhshment- Hammer nodded, saying, "Well, wellp' his usual remark when he did not understand what was going on. Only Mrs. Jersey epoke. Train had taken a sitting room as well as a bedroom, therefore he IEnust be rich, and as he had not hag- |gled over terms it was necessary that he should be lattered. Mrs. Jersey saw a chance of making money out of bim. How deiightfulr she said in her Emotherly manner. T hope you will say miee things about us, Mir. Train"
 T shall tell the truth, madame The truth does not fatter."
 Mrs. Jersey became still more moth erly and paid compliment. That de bends, MT. Train. If the truth were spoken about you, for instance"
 It was really very nice compli- Fnent, but Miss Bull with malice afore- Thought, spoiled it in the utterance by laughing pointedly. Train, who had already set his face for q smile, grew red, and madame darted q look at Miss Bull quite out of keeping with her motherly manner. More than this she spoke her mind. q hope, Mr. Train, that you will speak the whole truth of some of us."
 Miss Bull shrugged her thin shoulders and in direct contradiction to the tradi- ssons of the evening produced her pack Df cards. To abstain on Friday evenings always annoyed her, and since madame had been rude Miss Bull seized the op- portunity to show her indifference and %njoy by doing so her favorite pas lime She was small, thin, dry old 2naid, with 6 pallid face and bright black eyes. Her mouth was hard and pniled treacherously. No one liked Der save Margery, the niece of Mrs. Rersey But Margery was supposed to be queer, so her approval of Miss Bull mattered little.
 Perhaps MT. Granger will oblige us with song.' suggested madame, bmootiaAg her face, but still inwardly furious.
 MT. Granger, who had been waiting tor this moment, was only too happy. He knew but one song and had sung t dozens of times in that very room. lt was natural to suppose that he knew It by heart. All the same he produced his music and read the words as he .apg. Margery played his accom- paniment without looking at the notes. She was as familiar with them as she