The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-19
me az you have been to see your father"
u went last nlght---altiost straight
from the station, The FIRST person I
spoke to In London, except u cabnan.,'

lToIu tlne BtallOT,s u le llrBl person 1
spoke to In London, except d cabman.n
30 sl,o shook hands.
You know" she said, wltl1ou. looking
at lilm--ndecd. carefully avoiding doing
so--.life lis too short to quarrel WITH
ones father. At least 1t may prove too
short to mako II up agnitl--thnt Is the
danger"
She sat down with graceful swing OF
her silken skirt which was liabtual with
hcr--t the remnant OF n past day.
Jack Meredith WINGED. Ito had seen
difference In his father. and Lady Can
tourne was cortobrating It.
"'rhe quarrel was not mine" he said.
II admit that Il ought to have known
him better. ] ought to have spoken 10
him before asking Mlllicent 1t was
mistake"
Lady Cantourne looked up suddenly.
What was mistaken"
Not asking his--oplnicn 1rst.''
She turned to tho table where his let
ter lay. and fingered the paper pcnsively.
thought, perhaps, that you had found
that the other was a inistake--the en-
gagement."
no" he answered.
Lady Cantournes face betrayed noth-
Ing There was no sigh. OF relief or dis
appointment She merely looked at the
clock.
''Millicent will be in presently" {nha
aaid; "she is out riding.
shc did not think 1t necessary to add
that her niece was riding with6n very
youthful officer In the Guards. Lady
Cantourne never made mischief from
sense OF duty. or any mistaken motive
OF that sort. Some people argue that
there Is very little that Ia worth keeping
secret; to which one may reply that there
Is still less worth disclosing.
They talked Of other things-of his
lifo In Africa, OF his SUCCESS with the
simlacine. Of which discovery tho news
papers were not yet weary---unti the bell
was heard In The basement, and there
after Milllcent's voice In the hall.
Lady Cantourne rose deliberately and
went downstairs to tell her niece that
he was in the drawing room. leaving
him there, waiting, alone.
Presently the door opened and Mills
cent hurried In. She threw her gloves
and whip--anywhere--on the floor. and
ran to him. III
"Oh. Jack" she cried. $8
Il It was very prettily done. In Its way
1t was a poem. But while his arms were
still around her she looked towards the
window, wondering whether he had seen
her ride up to the door accompanied by
the very youthful officer in the Guards.
And. Jack-do you know" she went
on. call the newspapers have been full
\ OF you. You are quite celebrity And
are you really as rich as they say7"
Jack Meredith was conscious OF very
slight check-it was not exactly jar.
His feeling was rather that Of IN man
who thinks that he is swimming in deep
water, and finds suddenly that ne can
touch the bottom.
II think / can safely say that am
not" he answered. ss
And 1t was from that emincntly prac-
teal point that they departed into the
tfuture-arranging that same. and filling
up Its blanks with all the wisdom OF
lovers and the rest OF us.
Lady Cantourne left them there for
nearly an hour. in which space OF time
she probably reflected they could build
up as rosy a future as was good Tor them +
to contemplate. Then she returned to tho
3drawng-room. followed by full-sized
footman bearing tea,
She was too discreet woman-too
deeply versed In the sudden changes Of
the human mind and heart--to say any
thing until one of them should give
her distinct lead. They were not shy
and awkward children. Perhaps she re-
flected that the generation to which they
belonged is not one heavily handicapped
by too subtle dellcacy OF feeling Jack
Meredith gave her tho lead before long.
'.AIilicent,' he said. without a vestige
OF embarrassment, "has consented to he
openly engaged now.
Lady Cantoufre nodded comprehen-
svely.
II think she is very wise" she said.
There was little pause.
II know she Is very wise" she added.
turning and laying her hand on Jacks
arm. The two phases had quito dif-
/ferent meaning. "she will have good
husband
I 80 you can tell everybody now
lchimed in Mllllcent, In her silvery way. she
was FLUSHING and looking very pretty
with her hair blown about her ears by
her last canter with the youthful officer.
who was at that moment riding penslyely
home with n bunch Of violets In his coat
which had not been there when he start
ed from the stable. 68
she had found out casually from Jack
that Guy Discard was exiled vaguely 10
the middle OF Africa for an indefinite
period The rest-the youthful officer and
the others--did not give her mucl, a ii
fiety They she argued to herself, had
nothing to bring against her. They may
have thought things-but who can pre-
vent people from thinking things? Be-
SIDES, II thought" is always poor pos.
Stion. I'D
There were, 1t was true. good many
men whom she would rather not tell her
requesting Lady Cantourne 70 tell every
body. Everybody would tell !, everybody z,
else. and would. of course. ASK II these
pnrticular persons In question had been
told: If not. they would have to DO told
at once. Indeed. there would be quite
competition to relieve Millicent OF her
little dificulty, Besides, she could not
marry moro than one person. BESIDES
misunderstanding last word OF Mll-
llcent and her kind
Lady Cantourne was not very commune"
cative during that refined little tea
trols. hut she listened smilingly TO Jacks
optIrnistic views and Millicents somewhat
3yalueless comments
"Iam certain, said Millicent, atlength
bodily attacking the question that was
IN All their minds. "that Sir John will
bo ali right now. OF course, It Is only
natural that he should not like Jack to-,
to Get engaged yet, Especially before
when 1T would have made n difference to
HMM money mem, But now that
Jack is independent-,you know, anntie.
that Jack Is Richer than Sir John--is II
not nlce?"