Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-23
CHAPTER TX.

Mr.. Glynn had sailed away again, and
preparations for the wedding had already
begun to absorb Miss Winstanley. She
had been gone for a week in Paris with
Lady CampstqYn when Mr.. Carstairs'
yacht, the Sans Peur, made it's appearance
in the harbor. Previous to this, 1t may
be told, Miss Blocker had privately re-
ceived and cashed a draft upon her bank
ers that had put the chaperon in unprece-
dented funds and spirits. She had re-
ceived also a telegram Of instructions
from Mrs. Carstairs at Gibraltar, direct
ing her to engage for their party a suite
of costly apartments at the Grand Hotel.
Full of Importance, she swelled here, there
and everywhere, detailing to all ears the
grandeur and Importance of her employ
ers, and basking in the rays of glory they
sent before them. She needed a little
cheering at this time, since Mr.. Winstan-
ley had remained infexible, declining her
offers to bear him company on his terrace,
and treating her persistently as worthy
elderly person beyond the pale of pleas
ures that do not belong to the late after
noon Of life.
For Helen the days preceding the arrival
Of the Sans Peur were profoundly sad
ones. Putting aside her feelings upon
another theme, her dread of reunion with
Mrs. Carstairs robbed her of all joy in
Blocker drummed into her ears how
nobler far 1t is to give than to receive,
how a self-sacrifice like hers would bring
it's own reward, how Helen was destined
joy and harmony would descend upon the
Carstairs family forevermore.
If a faint-ever so faint-hope sur
vived in Helen's mind that her step
mothers specious assurances of goodwill
to her and devotion to her father were to
be credited, this faded upon her first
visit to the yacht In the cabin where
she herself had once reigned as queen she
foN,v NC cfoir re a6 NJ
ably repellent, although still superb in
bloom and with a Rubens lady's plenitude
of physique. Around her were grouped
two or three men, making up the party
bulwark o. responsibility. One of them,
a Mr.. Danielson, Helen disliked promptly
and instinctively; none would she have
admitted into the circle of her acqua'nt-
ances at home. When Mr.. Carstairs,
after some delay, made his appearance,
Helen was shocked beyond measure to
behold in him mere weary wrath, beside
whom his wife seemed to f1aunt her
beauty ard splendid health with inso-
lence. His greeting of his daughter was
Indifferent. distracted. She found 1t i'm
possible to have a word alone with him.
The thought of the cruise before her lay
like ice on Helen's heart.
Before Mr.. and Mrs. Carstairs had spent
a week in Cannes the lady declared 1t to be
poky hole and wished she had gone to
Nice To Nice they accordingly repaired,
While Mrs. Carstairs ratified and joked
noisiiy with her other guests, she reserved
for the handsome cad at whom Helen had
taken special umbrage reserve of manner
more suspicious to an interested looker-On.
To Helen a petty agony of the cruise was
that Mr.. Danielson should conceive him
self obliged to devote most of his leisure
hours to attendance upon the owners
daughter, refusing with fatuous persistency
to be shaken off. A few brief scornful
words of remonstrance on this subject, ad-
dressed to her stepmother, were met by the
laughing assurance that there was really
nothing for Helen to apprehend, and that
man so universally run after as was Mr..
Danielson by what Mrs. Carstairs called
the fair SEX must meet the risk Of having
his casual attentions misnterpreted at
times.
Proud, wounded, scornful, feeling that her
standard Of life had dropped to an unendur-
able point, Helen got into the habit of keep
ing to herself as much as practicable. At
Naples she would take her own maid and
absent herself for hours from the yacht and
it's dubious company. To her father there
was actually no chance of being what she
had hoped. He was mostly captious pre-
ferrng to be left alone when his wife did
not vouchsafe him her companionship-
which was now rare event. The great
Mr.. Carstairs was: indeed, socially cipher
among these half-breeds, who drank his
wines and allowed him to pay their ex-
penses of travel.
Miss Blocker, under the infatuation of
Mrs, CarStalrS liberal HlOUey-SpeNulIlS, VI
their luxurious living and continual seeking
of pleasure and excitement in which she
was included when, as usual Helen refused
to go-became as a broken reed In support
lie, with some sense of the loss of refined
surroundings they had sustained and hear
ty dislike of the imperative chaperon, rang
ed herself exclusively upon the side Of her
Mrs Carstairs' maid, whom she regarded
as second-rate creature in every way, and
going through the routine of life in general
with a logged determination to endure
unto the end.
A day came at last when Miss Carstairs
went out to Pompeii with her maid, in
stead of to the museum in Naples, where
she had announced her intention or spend
ing the afternoon.
She left Eulalie sitting upon an immemo-
rial stone and wandered off alone through
the beautiful sad place. To the guardian
who would fain have followed her, she gave
a piece of money and a gracious smile, eX-
planning that she knew 1t all by heart and
wanted only to gain general impressio of
the dead city on that day of radiant spring.
She had been standing for some time near
the tomb of Mania, looking out over the
bay and mountains Of Castellamare melt
ing together in sunshine, and, recalled to
the present by the lateness of the hour.
started to walk back to where she had left
the monumental EulaEe.
Her resolution to leave the yacht, to aban-
don the party. and If needs be to forfeit all
that her acquiescence had secured for her,
was now definitely taken. To avoid discus
sion, she would simply ask her father to
allow Miss Blocker and herself to go up
to Rome where Mr.. Carstairs could never
abide visiting, on the ground that he did
not like living over catacombs and being
face to face with so many things already
done for. He knew Helens tender passion
for the Imperial City, and might excuse her
from going on with them to Sicily.
From Miss Blocker she felt sure of meet
ing fierce and stubborn resistance to her
plan. The dream of Miss Bleecker's life
had been a cruise in the Sans Peur," and
it was hardly to be supposed she would
easily relinquish it. But Helen felt that
upon occasion she could be stubborn too.