Evening journal., 1905-02-21

lcncc.
Avice was certainly struck by some
thing in the mans spirit which responded
to her own on the instant, though she
had never seen him before.
! lie had YOUTH and yet had maturity.
! The lines in his long, clean shaven face
indicated sternly masculine intelligence.
! Ayice could not help scrutinizng him fa-
vorably. In some ways il is not alto
/ gether disadvantage to possess the
cynics face. Ability is generally written
there, and power; there is penetration
in the eyes which illumine IL; there IS
passion even in the texture in the skin.
Avice was attracted, fascinated. al
most, and then quietly she set herself to
resist all foolish impetuosity; to remem-
bor that cruelty, for instance may have
its abiding place in the most sensitive
brain-that craft, which is a vice, some
minds bring TO such a pitch that their
vanity will transform it into a virtue.
So she resolved TO regard him with
caution with suspicion.
As the dinner progressed they eX-
changed views in the usual manner, with
out the faintest idea of meaning what
they said. Avice, in fact, began by mere
ly tossing him word now and then out
/ of politeness, reseryng her fuller con
iidences for the old colonel on her left,
who had known her father thirty years
before and was familiar with a side of
his character to which she herself was a
stranger, while Moore showed himself
peculiarly attentive to The spectral spin
ster on his right, who sat in grimmest
stiffness and drank in with evident APP
probation his acid comments ON the more
sinister aspects of the feast.
At last he chose to drop a few words
full of real meaning into Avices ear.
"You are unlike these people"
1T is an impeachment one cannot re-
sent l might return the compliment,
but, of course, you detest compliments" +"
81 hope" he said, eve are both of us
above the ordinary human weaknesses" ."
And he frowned.
Isn't it odd, she asked, "that people
should try TO enjoy themselves in a
crowd when they know that the more
they see of their kind the more they
must detest them2"
you might have lived in SAndwith all
your life"
"As for that, / don't think this place
touches the summit Of distastefulness."
you are not a man.
Does that really make any differ
ence ~
"A man wants scope
Doesn't womangn
eve all want what we cannot get It
is only fools who talk of making the best
of things"
They agreed in the end that the world
was worthy, on the whole, rather of pity
than of scorn.
After dinner Avice sang.
4. IL 4 q
Moore asked. 1T seems a concession to
sentiment
Il do it, she said. with an intonation
of sincerity, "out of consideration for
those who would grow more unhappy
still if they heard the music of ioy.'
Mrs. Saxon failed to extract any pleas
ure from the introduction she had thus
effected.
But the first meeting led to others.
Moore for all his gloom, was an accept
able person in Sandwith And Avice
know her duty, at least, to her hostess,
and never attempted TO shirk an engage
ment. Indeed, she welcomed the daily
round, which took her thoughts from an
irksome correspondence
For there were letters from her father
#, and letters from her mother and il
would be hard to say which of the two
gave her greater anxiety.
Things were, in fact, approaching a
crisis.
Lady Felicia had long kept up a con-
siderable town establishment. This was
now due entirely on Avices money. And
1 Lady Felicia wanted more. What she
liked was TO control men, women. chill
dren and things. Avice was now a wo-
man, but her mother held il a grievance
that the law did not keep her child.
+, As for dominion over men. herein lay
some explanation of the failure of her
own romance. SELL. il had to be remem-
bered that Horace Windlesham had given
her cause to complain. The rose leaves
, were crumpled almost from the first
Though Aviee might not care TO admit
il, She was fond of them both And now.
when they were both bombarding her for
further concessions, when she saw that
} they We're at her mercy quite as much as
d. She was at thers-when one talked of a
handy revolver, the other of a possible
overdose of chloral-her bewilderment
! grew, and, out of that, her bitterness.
i She felt miserable. Would that she
knew some one who could help herl
Mrs. Saxon was distraught and disap-
: pointed.
+ hN pan has failed, she said. "NOu
have struck up something more than an
ordinary acquaintance with Mr.. Moore
Instead of crushing your morose tenden.
a cies, he has actually confirmed them.
begin to think you have seen too much OF
. him."
o "ile interests me,' Avice returned.
C what concessioni"
| "he has always something suggesting
g congeniality of mind; he is not like Mr.
Folliele-Burdenstone, for instance
He is more admirable than Sir Alex
ander Smellie, perhapsYn
!. Il should not think of comparing hin
I with man who may some day be m,
T husband"
y Aviee was flushing mcomfortably. an,
n Mrs. Saxon quickly gave the converse
a tion another turn.
"Of course, what you really like I,
d think of in Mr.. Moore is his professiona
ability. One always likes to know tha
J. a man excels at his work. In that con
nection, Sandwith, / assure you, is liter
IT ally of one mind. We are proud of him
We think, in fact, that he is too good fo