The Washington herald., 1907-08-11

classes. bearing witness TO the full. busy
lives which large-minded. tlarge-hearted
women lead nowadays. 1t was on the
sunny side Of the house. and overlooked
the Italian garden. where the formal beds
were now a gorgeous tapestry Of late
autumn flowers-the years last blaze OF
splendor. which the first nip Of frost
would quench in blackness.
What ] hope won't happen again,
said Conyers. hotly, pausing in the deep
window recess. and staring mOOdily out.
But what was it," repeated Lady
StOrmOnt. more urgently, the old lines
which in the last week or two had sunk
out Of sight, now appearing once more
around mouth and eyes, like Invisible
handwriting starting 70 light again.
oh. il was nothing so very much. I
hope YOU haven't been worrying over it."
said Conyers, uneasily. and tossing the
heavy bliOd-tassel TO and fro. I said
something that vexed Is0bel seem to
have a knack of doing that nowadays"
gloomily. and she began talking In an
excited way about her portrait-that she
was beginning TO hate it-as her father,
every one; compared her, and all she said
or did with IL. and what she used 10 be
and she caught 10 that big Turkish pa
per-knife-you know the one? She was
quite overwrOught Of course. but any
tool-any one. I mean.' hastily, might
have known that she wOUidn [ have touch
ed the canvas, but Sir David. unluckily
came IN at that moment. and he caught
her hand, and-well. he seemed rather ex-
cited too; he pushed her back" he
wound up lamely, with a deprecating
glance at Lady StormOnts anxious face
And that was ALL would rather hear
everything, she said, rather ,falteringly
"All!" echoed Conyers "WeE it seem
ed TO NE enough Then, as Lady Stor-
mont sat for a moment in panied and
puzzled silence. he burst out: L can't
bear IL any longer. I was to marry Iso-
bell was always fond OF her; but now
now I love herl It's life or death 10
me now, and I must know where I stand
| must see Sir David He must either
give me back my promise or he must give
me some better reason for it. It's asking
too much Of any man. If I may not
speak to Isobel. must leave Stornont -
Let me speak to my husband first,
Basil said Lady Stormont. anxiously
4 can be quite frank with you. so
may say that I cannot sympathize with
the position he has taken up.
IL think it extreme, but I fear he
is III this morning; the business which
/ took him away so suddenly seems quite
to have upset him. Indeed. I think.
now that the first relief is over. we are
all suffering more than We realize from
the strain ] have just been telling Iso-
bel my plan-that We should all go away
To the south for quiet winter. so that
We might get back to our old ways. and
f1t1T oil s--fv-
are still Of the same mind" smiling into
the young mans clouded eyes. you could
join US, and I. who thought a little while
ago that had lost all, shall have a son
to welcome, as we'll as a daughter. o"
stretching an impulsive hand toward him.
Conyers caught it in both his, and
kissed it,
I'm brute to add to your bothers.
Lady StormoDt; you've enough Of your
own. without me bringing mine. too but
but with a shamefaced look. Il
sometimes think it's what women like
you were made for. But you'll do what
you can for me with Sir David, entreat-
ingly, as Lady Stormont drew away her
hand, with a flush on her face and a
wet gleam in her eyes
She opened the library door and stood
stock still on the threshold.
Good heavens-what is the meaning
OF this?' she exclaimed, in blank amaze
ment, followed by quick sense of hurt
and angry affrOnt. for she was of a warm
and generous but by no means of a
placid nature David. how could Won do
such a thing? Surely. might have been
consulted-this is no small matter-Who
knows how serious it may be?'' her mind
ranging dismayed through a crowd of
conjectures
Fronting her over the great. carved
chimney-pieee, in place of the scarlet
robe and flowing peruke. and the keen.
sagaciOus face Of the Lord Chief Justice
Stormont. Of a century back, was the
slim, white figure, and the pale face of
her daughter-the change of light bring
Ing out more fully the enigmatic express
sion of the eyes. The portrait hung
| awkwardly, too. which emphasized the
change. and still further invited com
! ment. Being a full length, it was too
tail to fit properly into the space above
the high mantelpiece, and rose above the
oook shelves on either hand to the cor
rice of the lofty covered ceiling Of
course, there was no other place where a
large picture could hang. but why-why
| bring 1t here at all? Lady Stormonts
eyes roamed in mute bewilderrnent around
the book-lined walls before they sought
her husband
He was sitting at the big writing Ia
bic, and when the door had opened, he
had been leaning forward his head prop
ped upon his hands. so absorbed appar-
emily in something lying upon the table
before him that but for her startled ex-
clamation he would not have noticed
her entrance. There was a CLEAN, as Of