The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-12

cept that it depends on the cook. That
ball anyhow, tho perhaps the same
people had been to twenty other balls,
and that the ingredients were the same,
was the ball Of the wear, and it was
useless for others to compete. That
might have had something infnitesimal
to do with it; that glorious diningroon,,
not turned upside down and smothered
IN flowers, might have helped, for the
chic of not decorating room at all.
but keeping it as it always was, so that
apparently you could have this sort of
entertainment without fuss or bother
of any kind, was undcniable. Yet,
again, nobody could turn their staircase
into bayfield, without bother. SO the
upshot was that Lady Thurso alone
knew. how to do it, what to keep as il
"a few friends only were coming in,
what to decorate and how to decorate
it, what to say, how to look, what to
wear. She had looked, it may be re-.
marked, magnificent and wore. rubies.
as a. musical glass.
But much as the ball was talked
about, she knew that Count Villars and
she were talked about more. Wherever
people met together during the week af-
terWard, the ball of course had, TO
be mentioned, but afterward ansinvari-
able question came, Is he still devoted
to her9'' And the number of comments
would have satisfied any Of those my
Rad women whose ideal Of life is to be
talked about in that sort Of way I'm
fortunately, Lily Thurso did not be-
long to those ranks; it give her, not the
slightest pleasure to know that situa-
ton that concerned her like this, con-
cerned anybody else. Had She, when
hnI l1o~ n
to herself, st.Can it be he? l. should
never have known him!' she might not
have cared in the smallest degree what
anybody chose to say. But she had not
said that; instead, something within
her, independent Of her own control, it
seemed had said Rudolf.V The emo
tional history which had been inter
page had gone on: just where it left off.
That vague girlish excitement and: trou-
blea JOY was hers again. But now her
twelve years Of womanhood wrote their
comment on the test. Passion had not
been awake in her then; the potential
fire had not been supplied with fuel. But
now-in this hour of her life-was the
ready to blaze into midday? Already
she feared to ask herself that.
The pretence Of playing at being
strangers S;m when she at the bazaar had
broken down with singular complete
ness. That very night he had estab-
lished a footing Of old friendship to
fectly entitled. She could not defend
herself against that, she could not re-
sent it. Years ago he had loved her,
and had asked her to marry him, al: if
that does not entitle man to take the
attitude of an old friend when next
relations of any sort are resumed, there
is nothing in the world that does. Also
and this was not minor point-she
had accepted him and thrown him over.
Neither by look nor by word did he
appear to cast that up against her now.
Yet tho in the week that had passed
he had assumed iustly-his right
OF friendship, he implied much more.
Size knew perfectly well that he still
loved her, and on the night of the ball
then never referred to it again. But
as he went away then, he said:
They told me you. were more beau
tiful than ever, and said it was not
possible. But they were right
flo 9rid perhaps his
been little ford. But he was al
ways sincere. He felt things wildly,
and thus expressed them.
It was characteristic Of her and of
the worldly wisdom with which. she al
ways ordered her life that she crammed
into the week that followed the ball
things which would ordinarily have
taken even her ten days to get thru.
She had seen at once that question
of some Importance would some time
have to be answered, and having made
up her mind as to what her answer
would be-. she also made it impossible
for herself, as far as was in her power,
to leave herself any time for reconsid-
ering it. She had, as has been said,
no real moral code to refer it to-; she
had been born, as many people are,
without moral sense, and her up
bringing and environment had not
spontaneously generated it. She did
not, for instance, steal, not because It
was wicked to steal, and the command.
ment told you not to, but because it
was mean and nasty, like going about
with dirty gloves. And as regards 9TH
er things, no sense Of morals dictated
decision now. To put it BADLY and
bIanklY, as she did tn harsolf harn