Evening star., 1907-08-18

side entrance of the embassy Leonard
Bishop turned away in no very agreeable
mood He saw only too plainly that he
| could make no progress in his love affair
and attributed his failure to Mary's chagrin
at his course in Paris. He had not pressed
his suit there because he could not afford
| to marry penniless girl and had con-
, tented himself with making spasmodic love
| to her She, had received his overtures
with mockery and gay repartee, but he,
| safe behind the shield of his own egotism.
| had fancied that these weapons of defense
were used to hide her real preference for
| him. and thought now that she was aveng-
| ing herself for his tardiness and teaching
| him a lesson. That she had been and was
| still scornfully Indifferent to him never oc-
CURED to Leonard's mind. He believed him
| self. with his talents, his slender wasted
| figure and spiral curls to be Irresistible to
women, whom he regarded as such men
! do. as being eager in pursuit of husbands
and ready to succumb to his elaborate
| charms. He had been more or less moved
| to pity, on occasions, for the young women
whom he had felt compelled to slight in his
triumphant progress through the world.
and that Mary was Indifferent seemed too
profoundly unlikely to be worth his serious
consideration. But that she might throw
herself away on some one else in her de-
sire to punish him for his early neglect
was not so improbable. On the other hand,
an element of caution still fingered in
Laonard's growing passion: Mary was-in
fact-as poor ever, and was he alto
gether wise to throw himself into an af-
fair that might end In disaster? If some
one else betrayed her before she obtained
any material benefits from Mrs Whiting
he might. he reflected, find himself with a
comparative pauper on his hands That
Mary had no thought of obtaining any
money through her deception and that she
had already lost some of her own by it
never once crossed his mind.
Torn by these conflicting emotions he
wended his way across the park, having
q ELL. L:
Mere and buttoned his coat in at the waist
to demonstrate its slenderness. Conscious
of his unusual resplendence. due to sue
cess at bridge with the luckless Jim Fen
mel, Leonard felt that he wasting his
attractive personality upon too retired
neighborhoods. and was just turning into
fashionable avenue when he heard MS
name spoken in high feminine voice and
saw Frances Fennel hurrying after him.
Assured al once that he had made another
conquest Leonard uncovered his curls and
waited for her to overtake him. feeling that
thus he showed his own Importance and his
figure to its best advantage.
Frances, keenly aware of his mental pose
and his figure observed his attitude with
unalloyed delight. mnistering to his van
ity with malice aforethought. She adopted
just the tone that was certain to convey
her admiration, and almost besought him
to accompany her as far as Mrs kennetts
door, where she was hidden to lunch. After
the cold water douche of an interview with
like balm upon Leonards mood, and he
permitted her to lead him along the high
way in a sort of Roman triumph He
would. indeed. have been delighted to re-
ceive an invitation to join the luncheon
party, but she informed him that 1t to
be strictly confined to the fair sex-in fact
a quiet affair for Mrs. Kennett herself and
possibly the Lanes, who were neighbors.
Being so informal 1t was evident that
Frances did not regard punctuality as a
necessity, for she strayed along at
Leonard's side administering the most un-
blushing lattery. She thought that his
sketch of Mary equaled any Greuze that
she had ever seen. and had he tried the
magazines? Some of them paid enormously
for things which did not approach his
work. She added with a sigh that she
wished she gifted; things were un-
equally distributed, the gods gave too much
to one and nothing to another; it was alb
solutely cruel that so handsome a man
should possess SO marvellous a talent.
Frances pouted at the thought and Leonard
Bishop strutted at her side flushed with
pride and really convinced that the little
frsckle-faced girl had perceptions; he only
regretted that he could not reciprocate her
evidently increasing infatuation.
Frances, observing him from the tail of
her eye, felt that he approaching a
mood of confidence, and her steps Jagged
she added here and there a fine stroke
of fattery, much an impressionst lays
his colors. She knew to nicely every
fuctuation of his mood; she OWNED that
Mary had just snubbed him, and threw in
skilful little references to her which drew
him on to talk of her and. gradually, of the
making of the sketch in Paris. Frances
too adroit not to know when to listen
and when to speak, and having launched
him upon the subject that she had selected
she fell into a sympathetic vein. listening
attentively with that interest which Is the
most subtle of all flattery, and only throw
ing in word now and then, a word which
conveyed on each occasion the impression
that Mary was Intimate with her and had
made her confidante. Leonard at first
wary and inclined to retreat into obscu-
rites, rose gradually to the surface like a
reluctant trout who yields at last to the
seductions of a particularly dazzling fly
that has been played with such skill that
even his finny suspicious are disarmed Lit
tie by little Leonard let drop references to
a long acquaintance in Paris. and to Mary's
childish days In the convent school, which
Frances was quick to recognize as un-
reconcilable with the story Of Mary Had
ding's six months In Paris Here then was
a secret, and her blood stirred at the
thought that she was stumbling upon the
borders of a revelation. but, just at the
moment when it seemed that she was about
to discover ALL to get the key to the secret,
she asked an excited question or two and
Leonard took alarm. That she should need
to ask question revealed the fact that
she was not fully in Mary's confidence, and
he caught himself just in time and re-
lapsed into cautious silence. Frances was
deeply chagrined; she saw that she had
made a mistake and tried in vain to re-
treve 1t. Neither Establishments nor false
hoods could draw him out again. however,
and she was compelled at last to turn aside
to keep her appointment at Mrs. Ken
nett's. with a maddening consciousness of
having just missed revelation by hairs
breadth.
She was fully convinced now that she
had been right in her suppostion that
Mary had secret, but unfortunately, she
was as far as ever from actually having
the key to it. But she resolved that she
would begin a campaign of fattery, that
she would court Leonard Bishop until she
coaxed it from him. II it took all the spring
to accomplish 1t. and she parted from him
at Mrs. kennetts steps with a cordiality
which had so tender a note that he could
not be insensible to 1t.
Poor little girl" he reflected as he
walked jauntily away; ITS a pity that
she's h0naaln md isi hor tod 1.rifh oil ho..