The Washington herald., 1907-09-22

We'll. confouHd me as much as yop /
Ike. I've been at all the trouble Of com
ing down from town on purpose to see
what sort Of a scrape you've got your
self into this time
'Ince. if you say another word, 7 shall /
forget that you're decent fellow. that /
you're devoted 10 me, and all that bosh |
and throw You out Of the window"
As James Ince was sitting so close to |
the low bow-window Of the sitting-roonri /
OF the Cowes Hotel, where his friend /
Massey St, Quintin. was staying. that 1
the latter might have carried out his ex- 1
pressed intention with very little diff |
Guilty and as that hot-headed yOuEg /
man was becoming greatly irritated at |
his friend want OF enthusiasm. rnce re- /
treated hastily to the innermost recesses /
Of the room, with an expression of com /
zeal terror upon his thin. intellectual |
face
The friends offered something Of |
contrast James Ince, barrister. living /
IL London on q narrow allowance. and
with his way in she world still 10 make /
looked. AZ two-and-thirty. as grave and /
as Iurrowed as q man of forty. an inn /
preston which was helped BY the fact
mat He was already somewhat bald.
lie had dark blue eyes. almost hol- /
low cheeks, and a straight mouth scarce |
Iy hidden by a slight black mustacbe /
Thin and spare of frame. and with /
slight stoop. he had look of extreme |
aeIcacy. which was scarcely borne out
by the facts Of the case, while Massey
st Quintin, Lis junior by nearly ten
years, slight and boyish Of figure and
quick Of movement gave an impression
OF robust health which was almost
equally wrong.
me younger man, with his fair hair.
light eyes beardless face. and expres-
sion peculiarly sweet and winning might
nave passed for the SON. rather than the
contemporary, of the older man. who's.
close friend he had been from The rim.
three or four years previously. when IDca
Aad peen II. Quintins tutor before tba
latter Went up 10 Cambridge.
81 Quintln laughed when he saw tba
rapid retreat OF his friend from the
window. They had been eDiovinp -bs
sight OF the yachts thar Law close -
the shore on this perfect July evening
or moved laziIy through the water fDT-
iper ou- scarcely helped by faint
breeze II was but few davs before
lie CoWes week and craft Of all sizes
Were gathering together in the neighbor-
mood or the pretty, oId-fasEioned. and
not over-cle3n town.
81 QuDtin laughed.
Touching act OF seIf-deri2l"r said
he mockingly. TO leave Fleet street
~ July for run down here. could
shed tears Ince. at The depth Of vour
devotion. that I could "
The Joke had. restored his good hu-
NOR Fl he hadA ever lost IL Bur tho
other wanted to bring back the con-
NerSation 70 the subject they had left
Well he admitted. there are com
pensati5ns. even If the Journey was in
convenient and tedious But had ex-
pecJed 20 be entertained on the Burmah
Girl Are YOU living on sh0re2'
Wen. ] am at present" admitted the
young man with q rather conscious ex-
preston
Ince laughed
I see. Miss DeHsiey is at the hotel.
and you can't tear yourself awavl I
wonder You cOndescended 10 dine M
here with me. I should have thought.
III the circumstances. the table dhote
dinner was more attractive"
well, you see, Miss Densiev doesn't
dine at the table dhote." said 81. Quin-
tin, ingeniousy; she and her governess
have private room.
GOveTneSs. eh- Rather an odd thing
for a grown-up girl 10 be staying with
a goveruess at an hotel at Cowes in the
season, isn't it?"
odd. Not at ALL" retorted St. Quin-
tin. quickly. She IS an orphan. re-
member"
How do you know that. if. as YOU
say, she doesn't speak 10 strangers?"
We'll the fact iS-of course know
its very undignifed 70 get information
IN an underhand way. but what's a
fellow 20 do when he can't get IL any
other way?-my man Saunders has
struck up sort Of respectful Irritation
with Miss Densley's maid. Rose. and
he's told me several things that Rose
has told him"
What things?" asked Inco inquisi-
torialy.
well that she's an heiress, for one
thing"
Ince drew himself Up
THAT about settles IT," said he. "Peo-
PIE don't go about giving themselves out
as heiresses like that-decent people, that
is
st. Quintin came over to him with his
eyes ablaze.
Please don't speak in that way Of
this lady, said he quietly. because
won't stand for il. Remember. YOU have
no grounds whatever for iusinuating
anything against her. All I've said in
my letters was that there was a beau
tiful girl staying at TIE same hotel
with me, and that I was trying TO get
an introduction. The fact that I can't
get it, try as l may. proves that she is
what she is represented 10 be, what
I've always felt her TO be-a girl whom
any one would be proud TO know
Then how do you account for the
strange circumstance Of her stay here
at this time Of year?"
Her aunt is In Paris. and Miss Dens-
ley herself has been III and needed a
change. And the doctors said that she
must 80 somewhere where she could
have life and gaycty round her That's
the clew 10 what YOU choose TO think a
mystery, though I can't for the life OF
me see why YOU should"
James IHce saw that he could do no
good, and might do harm. by irritating
ST. Quintin with any further expression
Of his doubts. So he made no answer
10 his attack, but shrugged his shoul-
ders with al air of assumed acquies-
cence and a-cwed the matter 10 drop
When. however. on the following
morning. the two men We're on the sea
front together looking alternately at
the yachts and at the pr0menaders on
shore Incc eXcla&ned suddenly:
BY Jpves what pretty girl,'
81. Quintins eyes were, he now per
ceived, already turned in the same di-
rection. And the half-shy laugh with
which his words We're received con
WINGED him at once that be was looking
at the object Of his companions infat-