Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-19

sumed."
Aynesworth shrugged his shoulders,
| Travers entertaining"
| Wingrave reflected for a moment.
| You mean the lady with stock of
@nd or green not nd bs ne ee
| PERTAINING"
Your neighbor at table then. Miss
| Packer"
IF my affections have persisted" Win
grave answered grimly. my taste.
hope, is unimpaired. The young person
| who travels to improve her mind. and
fills up the gaps by reading Baedeker on
the places she hasn't been to. fails alto
gether to interest me-
Aren't you little severe?" Aynes-
! worth remarked.
| 1t depends upon the point of view to use
| a hackneyed phrase. You study people
| with a discerning eye for good qualities.
| Nature-and circumstances have ordered
1t otherwise with me. / see them through
darkened glasses.
TT Is not the way to happiness"
Aynesworth said.
There Is no high road to what you
| term happiness" Wingrave answered.
"One holds the string and follows into
| the maze. But one does not choose ones
way. You are perhaps more fortunate
| than that. you can appreciate Mrs.
Travers wit, and find my neighbor. who
| has done Europe, attractive. That is
| matter of disposition
| ito have known you fifteen years ago"
Wingrave shrugged his shoulders.
II fancy" he said, that 1 was q fairly
| average person. mean that / was pos
sessed of an average share of the hu-
manities. l have only my memory to go
| by I am one of those fortunate persons.
| you see. who have realized an actual re-
| incarnation. l haye the advantage OF
| having looked out upon life from two
/ different sets of windows. By the bye,
| Aynesworth. have you noticed that UNI
wholesome-looking youth in a serge suit
there?'
Aynesworth nodded.
What about him.?
Il fancy that he must know-my his
| cigarettes and watching me. He makes
| clumsy attempts to enter into conversa-
| ton with me- He is interested in US
| for some reason or other"
| Aynesworth nodded.
Shocking young bounder," he re-
| marked. I've noticed him myself"
Talk to him some time and find out
| Il don't want to find my biography In
! the American newspapers. 1t might In
| terfere with my operations there. Here's
| this woman coming to worry us! You
| take her off, Aynesworth! l shall go into
| the smoking room"
| But Mrs. Travers was not 80 easily to
| be disposed of. For some reason or
other she had shown M,y a disposition to
please put me in my chair" she said
to him, holding out her rug and cushion.
| NO. not you, Mr. Aynesworth. Mr.. Win
to wrap me up. Thanks! Won't you sit
| down yourself? It's much better for you
| ouN here than in the smoking rpom-and
we might go on with our argument
| Il thought" Wingraye. remarked, ac-
cepting her invitation after moments
hesitation, that we were to abandon it"
That was before dinner she an
swered. glancing sideways at him. Il
| You are prepared" he remarked. "for
unconditional surrender"
! She looked at him again. She had
rather nice eyes. quite dark and very
soft, and she was a great believer In their
efficacy.
| ''Of my argument?'
He did not answer her for moment.
He had turned his head slightly toward
| her. and, though his face was. as usual.
expressionless, and his eyes cold and
hard she found nevertheless something
was a flush in her cheeks when she
looked away.
II am afraid" she remarked, that you
are rather terrible person"
You fatter me-" he murmured Il am
| really quite harmless"
| Not from conviction, then, am sure"
| she remarked.
Perhaps not" he admitted. Let us
| tues are all very admirable things, but
1t Is the men and womsh with vices
who have ruled the Wild The good
die young because y re- is no useful
| factory person, fr> IN a moral point Of
view. ever achis' I'd greatness
She, half clio ID her eyes.
My head 80 going round" she MUIR
INJURED. What an upheaval! Fancy
Mephistopheles on steamer"
| He was. at any rate. the most inter-
| marked. but even he was trifie heavy"
| do you go about the world preaching
your new doctrinesr she asked
Not I"' he answered Nothing would
| or for evil. for-the simple reason that
no one else's welfare except my own
has the slightest concern for me-"
What hideous selfshness? she said
mean it"
II can assure you do" he answered
drily.~ MY world consists of myself for
| the central figure and the half dozen
ing to me! Except that the rest are
needed to keep moving the machinery
Of the world. they might all perish. SO
Il don't think" Mrs. Travers said soft
world"
7 can very easily believe you" he
Unless" she remarked tentatively. II
came to convert
He nodded.
1HcTe SoHetHiHg tndt, ne aO-
mitted. 1T would be great work,
little difficult, you know"
All the more interesting"
You see." he continued 81 am not
only bad, but I admire badness My
wish Is to remain bad-in fact, I should
like to be worse If 1 knew how. You
would find it hard to make a start. 1
couldn't even admit that a state Of good
ness was desirable!"
She looked at him curiously. The night !
air was perhaps getting colder, for she
shivered, and drew the rug little closer
around her.
You speak like a prophet" she re-
marked
"a prophet Of evil them
She looked at him steadfastly. The
lightness had gone out of her tone.
do you know" she said, Il am almost |
sorry that I ever knew you!"
He shook his head.
'You can't mean It," he declared.
why not?'
Il have done you the greatest service |
one human being can render another! |
have saved YOU from being boredr'
She nodded.
That may be true" she admitted. |
But can you conceive no worse state
In the world than being bored?" \
There is no worse state" he an