Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-07-03
WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT MoNDAY JULY g. 1905

for dinner at the DeMilles'. As she entered in her sweeping golden gown the sight of Monty Brewster at the oth- CT end of the room gave her futter at the heart, but 1t was an agitation that was very carefully concealed. Brew ster was certainly unconscious of 1t. To him the position of guest was ikea disguise, and he was pleased at the prospect of letting himself go under the mask without responsibility. But 1t took on a different color when the butler handed him a card which signi- fled that he was to take Miss Drew in to dinner. Hastily seeking out the host ess, he endeavored to convey to her the impossibilfty of the situation.
 Il hope you won't misunderstood me-" he said. But is 1t too late to change my place at the table?''
 Tt isn't conventional, I know, Mon- ty. Society's chief aim is to separate engaged couples at dinner" said Mrs. Dan, with laugh Tt would be pos itively compromising if man and his wife sat together
 Dinner was announced before Monty could utter another word, and as she led him over to Barbara she said: Be hold generous hostess who gives up the best man in the crowd so that he and some one else may have happy time. I leave it to you, Barbara, if that isn't the test of friendship"
 For moment the two riveted their eyes on the floor; then the humor of the situation came to Monty.
 T did not know that we were SUD- posed to do Gibson tableaux tonight" !" he said dryly as he proffered his arm.
 T don't understand" And Barba- ra's curiosity overcame her determina- tion not to speak.
 Don't you remember the picture of the man who was called upon to take his late fiancee out to dinner?"
 The awful silence with which this remark was received put an end to further efforts at humor.
 The dinner was probably the most painful experience in their lives. Bar bara had come to it softened and ready to meet him halfway. The right kind of humility in Monty would have found her plastic. But she had very definite and rigid. ideas of his duty in the premises, and Monty was too simple minded to seem to suffer and much too fippant to understand. It was plain to each that the other did not expect to talk, but they both realized that they owed a duty to appearances and to their hostess. Through two courses at least there was dead silence between them. It seemed as though every eye in the room were on them and every mind were speculating. At last in sheer desperation Barbara turned to him with the first smile he had seen on her face in days. There was no smile in her eyes, however, and Monty un- derstood.
 I've might at least give out the i'm pression that we are friends" she said quietly.
 More easily said than done," he responded gloomily.
 "They are all looking at us and won- dering."
 q don't blame them"
 We owe something to Mrs. Dan, I think"
 T know"
 Barbara uttered some inanity when ever she caught any, one looking in their direction, but Brewster seemed not to hear. At length he cut short some remark of hers about the weather.
 What nonsense this is, Barbara" he said. With any one else 1 would chuck the whole game, but with you it is different I don't know what I have done. but l am sorry. I hope you'll forgive me-"
 Your assurance is amusing, to say the least"
 But I am sure--I know this quar- rel is something we'll laugh over. You keep forgetting that we are going to be married some day"
 A new light came into Barbara's eyes. "You forget that my consent may be necessary" she said.
 You will be perfectly willing when the time comes. am still in the fight and eventually you will come to my way of thinking"
 "Oh, I see it now" said Barbara, and her blood was up. You mean to force me to it. What you did for fa- ther''-
 Brewster glowered at her. thinking that he had misunderstood. "What do you mean?" he said.
 He has told me all about that wretched bank business. But poor WM\ NM N