Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-10-18

ha,r may snap n any moment
 She was not thinking of Guy Oscard. Him she had never loved. He had only been one of her experiments, and by his very simplicity. above all. by his uncompromising honesty, he had out witted her.
 It was characteristic of her that at that moment she scarcely knew the weight of her own remorse. It sat lightly on her shoulders then, and It was only later on. when her beauty be- gan to fade, when years came and brought no joy for the middle aged unmarried woman. that she began to realize what 1t was that she had to carry through life with her. At that moment thousand other thoughts filled her mind; such thoughts as one would expect to find there. How was the world to be deceived? The guests would have to be put of, the wedding countermanded, the presents returned. And the world-her world-would laugh in its sleeve. There lay the sting.
 ..Where are you going?" asked Mere tlith when they were in the street.
 "Home."
 They walked on a few paces to- gether.
 May I come with your asked Meredith again.
 Certainly; have good deal to tell you"
 They called cab. and, singularly enough, they drove all the way to Rus sell square without speaking. These two men had worked together for many months, and men who have a daily task in common usually learn to perform it without much interchange of observation. When one man gets to know the mind of another, conversa- I tion assumes place of secondary i'm portance. These two had been through l more incidents together than usually fall to the lot of man: each knew how the other would act and think under 1 given circumstances; each knew what the other was thinking now.
 The house in Russell square, the quiet house in the corner where the cabs do not pass, was lighted up and astir when they reached 1t. The old butler held open the door with smile of welcome and faint aroma of whis- ky. The luggage had been discreetly removed. Joseph had gone to Mir. Meredith's chambers. Guy Oscard led the way to the smoking room at the back of the house-the room wherein the eccentric Oscard had written his great history-the room in which Vic- tor Durnovo had first suggested the simiacine scheme to the historians | son.
 The two survivors of the originating trio passed into this room together and closed the door behind them.
 ''The worst of one's own private tragedies is that they are usually only comedies in disguise" said Jack Mere dith oracularly.
 Guy Oscard grunted. He was look ing for hls pipe.
 "If we heard this of any two fellows l except ourselves we should think 1t an excellent joke," went on Meredith.
 Oscar nodded. He lighted his pipe, and still he said nothing.
 Hang It." exclaimed Jack Mere dith, suddenly throwing himself back in his chair, Tt is a good joke"'
 He laughed softly. and all the while I ais eyes watchful. wise. anxious, wera studying Guy Oscard's face.
 "He is harder hit than f'am." he was retecting. Poor old Oscard"
 The habit of self suppression was So strong upon him-acquired as mere social duty-that 1t was only Aatural for him to think less of himself than of the expediency of the moment. The
 social discipline is as powerful an
 agent as that military discipline that
 makes a man throw away his own life for the good of the many.
 Oscard laughed, too. in . strangely
 staccato manner.
 "It is rather a sudden change" ob
 served Meredith, "and all brough
 about by your coming into that room
 at that particular moment-by acci dent"
 Not by accident" corrected Oscard speaking at last. "I was brought ther' and pushed into the room." q
 By whomf"
 By your father" Jack Meredith sat upright. He drev his curved hand slowly down over hil face-keen and delicate as was hi' l mind-hls eyes deep with thought.
 .The guv'nor." he said slowly. 'Th' ] guv'nor!" He reflected for some seconds. "Tell me how he did IL" he sai' l curtiy.
 oscard told him. rather incoherentiy . between the puffs. He did not attemp r to make a story of it. but merely re lated the facts as they had happene' [ to him. It is probable that to him ts act was yelled which Jack saw quit : distinctly.
 ? sThat is the sort of thing" va 5 Meredith's comment when the stor
 was finished. "that takes the cancel i out of fellow. I suppose l have nor . T | C