Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-08
Copyright, 1907, by
;. N. and A. M. WILLIAMSON,
All Rights Reserved.

shocked to hear what my inner lite has
| BEEN
If | We're shocked. no doubt tile feeling
! would be more than half conventional one
| hardly knows how conventional ones opiu-
ions are until one stops TO think" said /
| Once l gloried In the work" Maxine
| went on. But that was before Tell IN
| love. You and | have played a little at
| being In love. but that was to pass tho
! time. Both OF us were flirting. Ia never
| met Raoul then. and I've never really loved
| any man except him. II came AT first sight
| for me: and when he told me that h. cared
he said 1t had begun when he first saw mo
| on the stage; so. yoH see. IL Is &c We
were meant for each other. From the mo-
ment | gave him my promise | promised
| myself that the old work should be given
| up for ever; Raoul's tiancee. Raoul's wife.
! should not be the tool OF dplomatists. Re
| sides. as he's Frcnchman. his wife would
| owe loyalty to France. which Maxine ds
| Renzie never owed | wanted-oh. how
| much l wanted-to be only what Raoul be-
| lieved me. just "A simple hearted
| woman. with nothing to hide. 1t made mo
| sick to think that there one thing l
| must always conceal from him. hut | did
| the best l could. l vowed TO myself that
| I'd break with the past and | wrote a
| letter to the British foreign secretary. who
| has always been a good friend of mine [
| said l was engaged and hoped to begin my
| life all over again in a different way
| though he might be sure that "a know how
| to keep his secrets well my own. Oh.
Ivor. to think that was hardly more than
a week ago. was happy then. l feel
| twenty years older now.
| "A week ago. You've been engaged only
| a week. | broke in.
Not many days more. I guessed. I
hoped, long ago that Raoul cared. but he
| wouldn't have told me even the day he did
| tell me IL he hadn't lost his head a little
| He hadn't meant To speak. IT seems for
he's poor. and he thought he had no right.
But what's a man worth who doesn't lose
IA sh..r. lnA
adored him for IT. We decided not TO let
| any one know until few weeks before We
could marry as | didn't care TO have my
enga cement gossiped about for months on
end. There were reasons why-more than
one; but the man of all others whom [
| didn't want to know the truth found out.
| or, rather, suspected what had happened
the very day when Raoul and came TO an
| understandlng-Count Godensky of the Rus
sian embassy. lie called and let in by
mistake while Raou was with me- and
Just as he must have seen by our faces that
| there was something to suspect. | saw
| by his that he did suspect. Oh a hateful
person! I've refused him three times.
There are some men so vain that they can
never believe woman really means to say
| no to them. Count Godensky Is one OF
| those. and he's dangerous, too. I'm afraid
of him since I've cared for Raou, though
| l used to be afraid of no one when Ia only
myself to think of Raoul was going away
that very night. He had an errand to do
| for woman who was dear and intimate
| friend of his dead mother. You must know
| of the Duchesse de Montpelier? Well it
was for her. and Raoul is her godson. She
| has no children OF her own"
Il don't know her." / said but I've seen
| her: a charming looking woman. about
| forty-five. with gloomy faced husbands
fellow who might be rather a Tartar to
| live with. They were pointed out to at
| Monte Carlo one year. in the casino, where
| the duchess seemed to be enjoying herself
| hugely. though the duke had the air OF be-
| ing dragged In against his will
| No doubt he had been-or else he was
| there to fetch her out Poor dear, she's
| dreadful gambler. It's in her blood. She
lost. l don't know how much. at Monte
| Carlo on an infallibe system she had.
| She's afraid OF her husband. though she
| loves him immensely. and lately a craze
| she's had for bridge has cost her much
| that she darent tell the duke, who hates
| her gambling. She confessed to Raoul and
begged him to help her-not with money.
| for he has none, but by taking a famous
7 and wonderful diamond necklace of hers
| to Amsterdam, selling the stones for her
| there and having them replaced with paste.
| 1t was all to be done very secretly, OF
course. that the duke shouldn't know,
and Raoul hated 1t. but he couldn't refuse.
| He had no idea of telling me this story
| that day when he lost his head. while we
We're bidding each other goodbye before
his journey. He didn't mention the name
| of the duchess, but said only that he had
| leave and was going to Holland on BUSH
ness. But while he was away a dreadful
| tune-and, as we were engaged to be mar
red, he felt obliged when he came back TO
| let me know the worst
What was the dreadful thing that hap
pened?" l asked as she paused, pressing
| her hands against her temples.
The necklace was stolen from Raoul by
thief, who must have been one of the
most expert in the world. Can you imagine
| Raouls feelings? He came to me in de-
| spair, asking my advice. What was he to
| do? He dared not appeal to the police
! the duchess secret would come out. And
| he couldn't bear to tell her Of the loss, not
| only because it would be such a blow to
| her. as she was depending on the money
from the sale of the Jewels, but because She
knew that he was in some difficulties and
might be tempted to believe that he'd only
pretended the diamonds were stolen-while
| really he'd sold them for his own use"
las she's fond of him and trusts him,
probably she would have thought no such
| thing, l tried to comfort Maxine. But
| Certainly 1t was rather bad fix"
Rather bad fix! Oh. you laconic crea-
| lures. Englishmen. All you think of is to
hide your feelings behind Icy words. As
for Newell. there was nothing l wouldn't
| have done to help him-nothing. My life
would have been small thing to give.
would have given my soul. And already
thought came flashing into my mind 1
| begged Raoul to walt and say nothing to
| the duchess, who didn't even know yet that
| he'd come back from Amsterdam. The
! thought In my mind about the COM
| fairs. AS L told you, I'd just sent him
| word in the usual cipher and through the
usual channels, that couldn't do what he
wanted. He'd offered me eight thousand
| pounds to undertake the service. and four
more IL L succeeded. l believed l could
succeed if l tried. And with the few thou
sands I'd saved up and selling such jewels
| as had. l could make up the sum Raoul
had been told to ask for the necklace. Then
he could give It to the duchess, and she
! need never know that the diamonds had
been stolen. All that night l lay awake
thinking, thinking. Next day, at time
when l knew Raoul would be working in
his office, l went TO him there and
cheered him up we'll as l could. I told
him that in a few days 1 hoped to have
eighteen or twenty thousand pounds in my
hands-all for him. To let him have the
money would make me happier than I'd
ever been. At first he said he wouldn't
take 1t from mel knew he would say
that. But. at last, after I'd cried and
begged, and persuaded, he consented; only
1t to be a loan, and somehow. some
time, he would pay me back.
(To be Continued Next Sunday.)
Helping the Jew "Back to the Land"