New-York tribune., 1907-06-02

OF Lady Vale Avon and the Duchess. Standing
in semidarkneSs the landlords face was a
blur of brown shadow, teatureleSS, save tor d
pair Of enormous eyes burning with emotion
which was no longer hospitality. his wife,
whose broad shoulder was pressed against her
husband As If TO form line OF defense, was
dark browed, Gipsy like woman, who must
once have been beautiful, and might now be
formidable. Behind them were grouped
handsome boy and three four very pretty
girls with red and white roses in their hair
"T They wouldn't dare turn us out!' ex-
claimed Lady Vale Avon They can never
have had persons Of our sort before"
" If You asked, they'd probably retort that
Dukes and Marquises were thick as black
berries" said |.
She glanced at Carmona, hoping for sup
port but ne shrugged his shoulders in despair;
and a look from me was a signal for the Cherub
to step forward
The atmosphere had begun 10 tingle. and in
a few minutes more IT might have been too late
to make peace with these proud and self re-
spcotIng people, who had never submitted TO
lndlgnltv. But in the space OF SIX seconds the
magnetism of the Cherub had begun TO do its
work. He murmured, nodded, and smiled.
took the family into his confidence with few
vivid gestures, explained that the ladies were
upset by an accident appealed TO the land
| lords Chivalrv and the laudlady's heart.
| Gathering trownS were chased away by smiles;
| and when Monica showed her dimpleS to the
| boys and girls with a look which pleaded for
| kindness. the battle was fought and won.
| They had not many bed rooms. Several
were engaged by commercial travellers; but
| these should bc slowed into one room, their
| clothing and luggage moved at once. Oh,
| they would not object when they learned that
| II was 4 question of accommodating ladies'; or
| II they did, they must eat their objections for
supper; it was no matter. And the landlord
| and landlady would give up their ROOM good
| one, their worshipS need have no fear All
should be ready in the opening and closing of
an eye But would we meanwhile have sup
| per- There was always enough for few unex-
| peCted ones.
Having listened so far, the Cherub turned
| bandly to Carmona. These arrangements
need not include the Senior Dukes party, unless
| he liked, of course but-his palms were ex-
| tended as If to receive the decision. Plump it
| fell into them. Everyone must stay, and make
the best of it. So the ladies were bundled into
a room where they might get rid of the dust,
and the men into another: clean rooms, with
| whitewaShed walls, bare save for a pictured
saint or two in vivid colors; floors covered with
coarse, bright mating; and iron beds with lace
| frilled and embroidered pillows.
In 4 quarter of an hour everyone was ready
| for dinner; but five out of fifteen minutes had
| given to the hasty scribbling of penciled note
| for Monica. | hoped to slip it into her hand in
| the dining room; but she was closely under
| guard; and Carmona annexed four seats at
| the head of the long table, by which maneuVer
| he secured isolation for his party. 1t was safe
from any sortie of ours, there was a scattered
contingent of commercial travellers already
earnestly engaged in dining either side of
| the table.
Such charms as Pillars, though unsurpassa-
BILE of their kind. went for nothing with these
| ardent men, who were paralyZed by Mon
| icas beauty; and even the landlords son,
daughters, and nieces. who waited upon their
guests, forgot half their duties in abject ad-
miration. And when the object of their
worship was snatched away by her mother
and the Duchess, before the goats milk cheese
had been brought round, gloom fell upon the
| room. The commercial travellers galloped
| through the remainder of the meal and went
out, hoping perhaps. if they promenaded the
street, to have the JOY of seeing light in the
radiant beings window. The pretty girls of
the household vanished with murmured ex-
cuses, leaving us at the mercy of the boy, who
sighed grievously, dropped sugar bowl, and
spilled coffee within an ace of the Cherubs
shoulder.
Pillar presently disappeared also. leaving us
three men alone at the table, observed only by
a few dozen eager faces pressed against the iron
bars protecting the open window.
Soon we heard peals of laughter from the
patio; the pretty girls were sallying forth on a
foragng expedition in search of a warming pan
to heat the beds of the three great ladies, who
rod IVN