Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-21

safely invested In savings bank" said the
Judge.
Mary's ears burned: how often should she
blunder with this terrible old man and his
terrible memory? I'm afraid l withdrew
1t when 1 had the opportunity. she said
hastily; you know l have been to Paris to
study painting?'
II hope you don't daub." remarked the
Judge bluntly: 80 many girls do.
Mary, whose nature was mercurial. could
not help laughing; in flash she recalled
the horrors Of May Hadding's studio. Per
haps I do" she admitted; II shouldn- like
to claim any artistic talent after your
scathing observation. I'm afraid you are
an unmerciful critic. Judge
The old man grunted; his wealth had al
ways permitted him immunity in speech.
and now that his temper was crossed he
was at no pains to disguise his feelings.
What became Of your great uncle, Pinck-
ett?'' he asked abruptly; I've always
wanted to know"
Mary drew long breath: who in the
world was great uncle Pinckett? May
Hadding had carefully rehearsed her in the
relatives. but this ancestral person had
never been mentioned. She wondered
vaguely If she could escape by plunging
into the conservatory. which was close at
hand. or II she could trust to her own
ingenuity to remove great uncle Pinckett
by the way Of apoplexy or other natural
causes?
Did you hear?" repeated the judge
shrilly: what became Of your great uncle
Pinckett?"
why he died. judge. in SO, don't you re-
MEMBER" said Col. Foxboro. who had sud
denly come within earshot; 'he got a
wound In the beginning of the war and
died Of its effects in Baltimore"
"Where?' said the Judge, putting his
hand behind his ear.
Mary turned to the open window and
passed through 1t into the conservatory.
The lace curtains closed softly behind her
and she found herself lone In a small
greenery. beside fountain that splashed
gently into its shallow basin amidst clus-
tering ferns. She felt the need of solitude
and seclusion and found both for the mo-
ment: she drew off her glove. and dipping
her fingers In the cold water touched her
lips and eyes. to- both were burning. She
cared little for the abruptness with which
she had closed her interview with Judge
Fennel; her object had been to escape a
closer catechism and she shuddered a lit
tie at the thought of what Frances Fen
nels life must have been with this espe-
cially horrid old man.
The solitude Of the little conservatory az
forded her an opportunity to recover her
composure. but 1t also permitted a moment
OF clear comprehension; she was too clever
not to be aware that the dangers of her
position were multiplying steadily, if only
In. trivial ways. and she was vaguely
alarmed to find how vital a matter 1t had
become to her to maintain 1t. What she
had undertaken half in Jest. as mere
light bit Of acting. a passing deception.
had become vastly important to her happi-
LeSS oH0 was appalled, 10 nnO tnal Sne
could not contemplate giving up her role
without pang Of miserable regret. To
leave this brilliant. easy life for the con-
vent cell and the poverty Of her existence
In Paris was a kind of nightmare from
which she wished she could awake as she
had described her awakenings to Harriet
Cheever.
She walked away from the entrance by
the library that she might escape even the
sound Of Judge Fennels shrill old voice.
and. going to another window, found her
self at the threshold OF Portucarreros
study To her surprise the ambassador
himself was there with few Of his guests
to whom he was showing q set OF etchings
recently sent to him from Rome. Mary
recognized several Of her acquaintance
and. eager to escape her own society, she
Joined the little group who listened to
Portucarrero's explanations Of some Of his
unique souvenirs
CHANGING around the room, which was
attra ctive and simple. Mary noticed a
miniature over the ambassadors desk and
moved In that direction to look at It more
closely. 1t was beautifully executed
head on ivory. the ooloring and the pose so
exquisitely delicate that there could be no
doubt that the artist had been a master
woman whom he had portrayed were
worthy of his skill. 1t was a spirited and
beautiful head and suggested the probabII-
lily Of wonderful likeness. Mary stood
looking at 1t with amazement; her recog-
milton had been instantaneous and she
could not account for the existence of so
fine a miniature of which she had no |
knowledge. So absorbed was she that she
did not observe that the OF hers had drilled