Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-05
XIII.

The fragmentary quarrel between the SIS
ters very suggestive Nances anger
and Clodagh's irritable reputation of her
advice had each been fraught with its own
significance. For, much as the former
might busy herself in the happiness of her
own engagement and the preparations for
her marriage. she could not blind herself to
the fact that Clodagh was acting, If not
with genuine folly at least with something
that might readily be mistaken for it; and
much as the latter might resent criticism
of her action. she could not mentally deny
that possibly the criticism was justified.
Yet, when the matter came to be sifted,
it was hard to say exactly the point to
which exception could reasonably be taken
Undoubtedly, Deerehurst did obtrude
himself with curious-with almost init
mate-frequently into the plans of each
day: but then the intrusion was so natural
so simple. so subtle. if one might use so ex-
IRENE a word. If London is large in one
sense it is socially as small as any other
capital, and the man who wishes to seek
the society of a member of his own set
finds his way rendered very easy.
And in all matters of tact and subtlety
Deerehurst was adept If in Nance's
eyes his comings and goings were things to
cavl at, he knew exactly how to arrange
them for Clodaghs consideration, so that
the gift of bunch of flowers. the offer OF
seats at theater. the loan of a house, Oh
the retailing of an amusing bit of gossip
seemed the merest courtesies from one
friend to another. For in one fact lay his
advantage the fact of a really great favor
secretly given and secretly accepted, In
comparison with which all trivial civilities
became nothing.
Not that he ever pressed this advantage
home. He was far too wise to allude to II
by look or word. But the very pasSvity OF
his attitude served to fix the consciousness
90 10. ip doc ", ,fr,1
Not that the knowledge of 1t CALLED her;
she was too exultantly happy in her owr
| life to be hampered by any debt. But the
knowledge of its existence was there-un-
consciously bearing upon her ideas and hel
actions.
On the morning following her return from
| Tuffnell a faint thrill of surprise and un.
easiness had touched her when her eyes
had fallen upon big, square envelope
bearing a black corOnet, that lay among
her letters on the breakfast table. And an
other remembrance of Venice had caused
her fingers to tremble slightly as she tore
the letter open.
But at the first line her face had cleared
her confidence in life and in herself had
flowed back in full tide. There was not a
word in the letter that Gore himself might
not have read.
So great had been her relief that new
wave of kindly feeling for Deerehurst had
awakened in her mind. and when, on the
following morning. he had Joined her In
friendly warmth.
/ And from that things had drifted until
Deerehurst's ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS dis
Greet. deferential. amusing personality
had become a factor in the days routine
The Estcoits had arrived from America
and. with their advent. she had been COM
PEELED to see less Of Nance; the majority
of her friends had already left town, so
that even. had she desired the old exist
ence, amusements and occupations were
less easy to find than they had been a
month ago. There was. of course, her
daily letter from Gore-the most precious
| thing in her existence-and there was also
her daily letter to him. But even a woman
in love cannot read and write-or even
dream-all day, and in the intervals of idle
ness there invariably seemed TO be-Deere-
hurst
But now at last the day had arrived upon
which Gore was to return to London. 1t
was O'Clock in the afternoon, the hot
summer air beating upon the green-and-
white sun blinds of the fiat, and Nance was
standing at table in the window, arrang-
ing a bowl of heliotrope. when Clodagh
opened the door of the drawing room.
She was dressed in her riding habit, her
riding crop was under one arm. and as she