Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-04
XVI.

XVI.
| Mary Lang found that social life had Its
exactions, and that even a round Of pleas
ure becomes at last matter Of routine.
Her time was filled to overlooking, often
with trivialties, or lavished on the pro-
longed gayeties of breakfasts, luncheons
and dinners, which almost overlapped each
| other when there vas any lingering at the
| table or the Inevitable bridge filled the in
TERMS. There was little or no opportunity
left for solitary meditation and she was
often thankful for this. since Of late her re-
Elections had become troubled and unhappy.
She had embarked upon the enterprise con-
fident of her own strength and her own In
difference. two qualities that we readily
overestimate and she had found both UNI
equal to the Establishments of new ard
brilliant social life. life which satisfied
many of her cravings for the beautiful and
the luxurious. and which amused and oil
verified her In thousand ways. She lad
fancied herself looking on as a detached
and even critical spectator. but she found
herself sucked into a huge maelstrom of
gayety and helpless to escape from its
whirlpools.
Worse than this too, was the fact. pat, lit
even to her, that she did not want to
escape, that her wit and her beauty ex-
banded in the atmosphere of admiration,
and the thought of parting with 1t caused
her the sharpest pangs OF regret. She had
| assumed. she fitted 50 perfectly In her own
niche in this gay circle, that it seemed i'm
possible that she had no righttul claim to
recognition there, that she was a mere i'm
postor. young woman with a stolen name
ard almost stolen clothes, since her Paris
gowns were all intended for another. Only
recently had this aspect Of the affair forced
itself upon her AS her feeling for RyIand
crystalliZed, her moral vision cleared and
she was inclined to impugn her own mo-
tives. Al first 1t had been" mere farce, a
girlish lark. and she had laid the RESPONSE
| bllty for it at May Haddng's door and
gone forth with light heart. only cor
cerned to maintain herself against disco~
cry, to play the role to perfection, and she
had enjoyed the comedy, but now 1t began
to assume serious proportions. to prick her
conscience. Leonard Bishops bald state
ment of the case had been the first sharp
awakening, but 1t was a more refined scru-
pie, a more delicate ethical problem, that
was really touching her consciousness to
the quick and causing her some poignant
regrets. Yet, at such moments. came the
reflection that by birth and education and
by the sovereign right OF beauty she was
entitled to enter this society and more
Moreover. Mrs. Whiting. despairing of an
immediate termination of Schelling's suit.
which Mary had kept pending with a skill
and adroitness worthy better cause,
added the last straw to her temptations by
inviting her to remain three months longer.
Having secured this prolongation OF her
stay. Mary composed and finally dis
patched a long and diplomatic letter to
May Hadding inclosing her own check for
500. an amount which she dared to spare
In view Of her continuance with Mrs
Whiting though 1t would seriously cut her
resources and compel her to nurse her lit
tie income until another quarterly Install
ment replenished her purse.
But even should her letter and the
meager check silence May for while, she
had not disposed of Leonard Bishop, and
she knew that he was more likely to cause
her imme date annoyance, since his price
for silence seemed to involve the privilege
of making love to her on all occasions and
preferably in public. While. on the other
hand. Mrs. Whiting was explicit in her in
structons that she should encourage the
millionaire. A situation which. six months
before. would have afforded Mary Ger
tam amount of amusement was unbaar-
able now that she fancied herself moved
TO larger hopes and nobler aspirations by
her association with man like Ryland.
Ihat Ryland admired her she knew, but
she could only dimly conjecture the extent
OF her influence with him. She was too
thoroughly woman not to know that his
eyes frightened at the sight OF her and his
voice changed, but that she had any real
power over him she not sure: the very
uncertainty. indeed. was rather more al
Turing to girl Of Mary's temperament.
The few moments that he had talked to
her beside Molly's automobile had been full