Evening star., 1907-09-01
CHAPTER I.
Lisa Drummord's Part.

been thinking about for days. / was going
TO have him all to myself, the only person
in the world | ever loved.
He had asked me to sit out two dances.
and that made me think that he really
must want to be with me. not just be-
cause I'm the pretty girls sister. but be-
cause I'm myself, Lisa Drummond.
Being what l am. queer and plain, L
can't bear to think that men like girls Tor
their beauty; yet l can't help liking men
better if they are handsome.
l don't know II Ivor Dundas is the hand
soonest man l ever saw, but he seems so
to me- / don't know If he Is very good or
really very wonderful, although he's clever
and ambitious enough; but he has a way
that makes women fond OF him, ana men
admire him. too. He looks straight INTO
your eyes when he talks TO you, as II ne
cared more for you than any one else IN
the world: and if 1 We're an artist, painting
a picture of dark young knight starting
off for the Crusades. | should ask lNoi
Dundas TO stand rs my model
Perhaps his expression wouldn't be ex-
actly right for the p.ous young CRUSADER,
for it isn't at all sanity, really. stlil' l
have seen just that wrapt sort OF Io"h On
his fac II was generally when ne was
talking To III. hut | wouldn't let myseif pe-
levr that il meant anything in particular.
He has the reputation of having made lots
of women fall in love with him. That was
one of the first things l heard when Di
and I came over from America to Visit
Lord and Lady Mountstuart And, of course
there was the story about him and Maxine
de RenZie Every one was talking VI IL
when We first arrived In London.
My heart beat very fast as L guided MIN
into the room which Lady Mountstuart mas
given Di and me for our special den. IL Is
separated by another larger room from the
ball room. but both doors were open and we
could see people dancing
told him ne might sit by me on the SOFA
under DIS book shelves, because we coulu
talk better there. Usually, l don't like be-
ing in front of mirror, because-well, be-
cause I'm only he pretty girls sister
But tonight didn't mind. My cheeks were
red and my eyes bright Sitting down you
might almost take me for tall girl, and
the way my gown was made didn't show
that one shoulder is little higher than the
other. Di designed the dress.
thought if l wasn't pretty, l did look
interesting and original. / looked as ir L
could think of things, and as II could
feel.
And was feeling. 1 was wondering why
he had been so kind to me lately, unless he
cared. OF course it might be for Dis sake.
but am not so uueer-looking that no man
could ever be fascinated by me.
They say pity is akin to love. Perhaps
he had begun by pitying me, because Dl
has everything and | nothing, and then
afterward he had found out that l was in
telligent and sympathetic.
He sat by me and didn't speak at first.
Just then Di passed the far-away open door
of the ballroom, dancing with Lord Robert
West. the Duke of Glasgow's brother.
THANK you so much for the oook,' !
said.
Gle had sent me book that morning
one he'd heard me say l wanted0
He didn't seem to hear, and then he
turned suddenly, with one of his nice
smiles. l always think he has the incest
smile in the world, and certainly he mas
the incest voice. His eyes look very kind
and a little sad. 1 willed him hard to love
me.
1T made me happy to get it, I went on
1T made me happy to send it, he said.
Does it please you to do things for me?'
why, of course"
You do like poor little me tiny bit
them" I couldn't help adding. Even
though I'm different from other glrls?"
Perhaps more for that reason" he said
with his voice as kind as his eyes.
'Oh. what shall 1 do if you go away" l
burst out, partly because l really meant it,
and partly because hoped 1t might lead
him on to say what / wanted so much to
hear. Suppose you get that consulship
at Algiers.'
Il hope 1 may" he said quickly. "A con.
sulship isn't very great thing-but-it's
beginning. i want 1t badly"
II wish I had some influence with the
foreign secretary said /. not telling him
that the man actually dislikes me and looks
at me as II / were a toad. "Of course he's
Lord Mountstuart'S cousin and brother-in-
law as well, and that makes him seem
quite in the family, doesn't 1t? But it
isn't as If l were really related to Lady
Mountstuart. / was never sorry before
that Di and are only stepsIsterS-no, not
a bit sorry, though her mother had all the
money and brought 1t to my poor father;
but now l wish | were Lady Mountstuarts
niece. and that had some of the coaxing,
'girly' ways Di can put on when she wants
to get something out of people. I'd make
the foreign secretary give you exactly
what you wanted, even If 1t took you far,
far from me-
With that he looked at me suddenly and
his face grew slowly red under the brown.
You are very kind Imp" he said.
Imp is the name he invented for me. l
loved to hear him call me by 1t.
"Kindv' l echoed. "One isn't kind when
one-likes-people."
l saw by his eyes then that he knew
But l didn't care. If only 1 could make
him say the words l longed to hear-even
because he pitied me, because he had
he had really too much of the dark young
crusader knight in him to break my heart.
i made UP my mind that | would take him
at his word quickly. If he gave me the
dreadfully in love with me. That would
make her writhe.
l kept my eyes on him, and / let them
tell him everything. He saw, there was no
doubt of that. but he did not say the words
i hoped for. moment or two he was
silent. and then, gazing away toward the
door OF the ballroom, he spoke very gently,
as II had been a child-though / am older
than Di by three or four years.
Thank you, Imp for letting pe see that
you such a stanch little friend" said
he. Now that l know you really 90 take
an interest in my affairs, think 1 may tell
you why / want so much to go to Algiers-
though very likely you've guessed already
you are such intuitive' little creature.
And besides. / haven't tried very hard to
hide my feelings-not hard as / ought,
perhaps. when l realize how little / have
to offer to such girl your sister. Now
you understand all. don't you-even If you
didn't before? / love her. and II 1 go to
Algiers-"
Don't say any more" managed to cut
him short. II can't bear-I mean, l under
stand. did guess before
II was true. / had guessed but /
wouldn't let myself believe. l hoped
against hope. He was so much kinder to
me than any other man ever took the trou-
Die to be In all my wretched, embittered
twenty-three years of life.
''Di might have told me-" l went gasp
ing on. rather than let there be long
silence between us just then. l had