Evening star., 1907-09-01

I q
Mary paused in the act of folding skirt
she was packing, unassisted by the maid.
and had asked to have Mrs. Jerome sent
to her room. She looked across at her with
a wan smile. Heaven knows what did
possess me- she replied. but If you had
lived my life Christine-'
Mrs. Jerome regarded her thoughtfully.
"Was it so very awful?" she asked: I've
always wanted to live in Paris half year,
and you were born there. However, | sup
pose that even Paris can be beastly. Do
you know that this won't be such news in
some quarters? | think that Frances Fen
mel has got most of it from Leonard Bishop,
that little beast with the curls and the
spindle legs. l hope YOU don't care for
him. Mary" she added with sudden
quglm of conscience.
Mary laughed with grim amusement.
Scarcely: you couldn't imagine that could
you?" she asked with elevated brows.
Not Of you-'' Christine admitted, but,
my dear, women do marry such chumps!
I'm often ashamed of my sex. But what
Will YOU do nOw?'
Mary coIorad slowly and painfully; her
abrupt departure involved a financial prob
lem for which she had. as yet. found no
solution, as she was facing it with the
courage of despair. 4 am going away as
fast as ! can" she said you see | haven't
much to delay me-; this is in the nature of
a funeral rite | shall leave all the things
Mrs Whiting bought behind and take only
my own
Il think that's downright shame!" said
{ NlTlSLlnt Win tdntpI. MIS-. w tltinS Is 4
mean old thing anyway, why not spoil the
Egyptian? I'd take everything, my dear,
To pay for h-r insults. But YOU can't 60
right off tonight, YOU must want to finish
up something
Il want to see Harriet Cheever first
Mary admitted, resuming her packing with
slightly trembling hands
Christine stared. My dear you can't
stay there, she exclaimed pointedly.
Mary's blush deepened. Il had not
thought of doing So she remarked.
But Christine held her with unwink-
ing gaze Harriet knows all about it
about Fred's lending Apple that money for
you she said unsparingly; Madame Sy-
rene told her. OF course Harrets as queer
as Dicks hatband, but I'm sure she
wouldn't invite you there now"
Il wanted to see Harriet to tell her that
myself, Mary rejOined, with a sickening
feeling of giddiness; her world was spin
ming around her, Yet it was not really Mrs.
Cheever of whom she thought, but Ryland
-Ryland, who must judge her.
well, / shouldn't" advised Mrs. Jerome
with great cOmposure; you know it isn't
pleasant to hear such things about your
husband from pretty girls; of course, she
could fill it all in from her knowledge OF
him. Silence preserves friendship is q
maxim which is quite worth while. l re-
member a girl out west starting to tell me
lot of stuff about SAM wanted to slap
her faCe-but, of course. / couldn't be a
fishwife. 1 simply bided my time and
left her out at a dinner when she was
crazy to be asked. We had Lord Hobbies
worth there-he was studying the wild
Woolly west then with big tin bath tub
on a pack mule; she was simply Wild
don't mean about the bath tub, but about
missing him. 1t really isn't any use to tell
such things to a wife, Mary, most of
know more than we want to, anyway. Be
sides, l want you to come to me for two or
three days"
Mary looked up in intense surprise; she
had felt no great confidence in Mrs. Je-
romes friendship enduring the shock of
her revelations, and she was astounded at
Chrstine's apparent magnanimity. Her
look and her silence made her visitor blush
a little above her rouge.
I'll have to confess, l suppose" she said
candidly, the truth is-Portucarrero asked
me to do this for you
The ambassador" Mary's face paled
and she let a garment drop unfolded into
the trunk.
Christine nodded. ''You see-well, I'll tell
you all about it, This Mary Haddng met
your friend. Leonard Bishop, at the station,
and he went out and fell into the arms of
that Fennel girl. OF course 1t travelled like
wildfre, the amba ssador heard it from Jim
-Jim's been doing chores of some kind at
the embassy to keep himself in cigarettes.
Portucarrero wrote me note asking me
to invite you to my house for day or two;
he says he's too i'll to see you now and
wishes to before you go away. II seems he
was stricken with some kind of heart trou-
bic at luncheon l suppose 1t was really in
to have you come
Mary, who was keenly sensitive to every
shade and graduation of feeling on the part
of those around her, did not accept Chris
tines assurances with much cordality; she
suspected that without the ambassadors
request the invitation would never have
been given, but her heart throbbed in her
throat at the thought that he wanted to
see her; did he mean, at last, to tel her
the truth? Could she afford to go away
without hearing it? She wavered between
her wounded pride, which shrank from
Christnes half hearted hospitality, and her
intense desire to have her mothers name
cleared. to solve the mystery which had
clOuded her childhood.
Il shall stay, If you will let me, until
can see him." she said at last with re-
luctance: her own purse was too depleted
to permit her to stay elsewhere and she
had been at her wits end; The can tell
about matter of vital interest to meat
least. l feel sure he can11 do not want to
lose the chance forever
Christine gaZed at her with keen Curl
osity; the old elusive charm was reassert-
ing itself and Mrs Jerome felt strangely
drawn toward this girl in her distress.
Like many women who are little fast
Christine was large hearted and good ma
tured. Her sympathy, as she would have
said, was always with the under dog. I'll
be charmed to have yOu," she assented
with bare-faced mendacity; she was really
keenly uneasy at the thought of the social
ostracism which was sure to engulf Mary
Ike a landslide. Tell them to bring your
traps around and I'll send the carriage at
g." she added. rising and rustling across
the room to bestow kiss of sympathy
that was almost genuine upon 4Iaxys
cheek.
The girl looked at her earnestly. her
beautiful eyes clouded with doubt. Il
really hate to inflict you Christine" she
murmured, but it will only be for few
days"
My dear child, IT isn't the least bit of an
infiction," Christine assured her blthely,
and l really should love to do Mrs. Whit
ing!' She added In a stage whisper, Il
only wish you'd keep the clothes-I should,
and wear them-even if she pursued me
like Pharaoh with chariOts and horses to
the borders of the Red sea. Au revoir,
then-Tll be sure to send at g."
At o'clock, therefore, Mary found her
self in ChriStine'S smart little brougham
on her way to the Jerome house. which
of the less -pretentious streets,
which abutted. however, on the stylish
neighborhoOd. for Christine could not ex-
ist outside the social orbit, and they
stretched their income to the limit and ex-
ceeded it to keep within the bounds and
have a carriage.
II was April evening and broad day
light the streets still throbbng w.,-. life
and Mary looked out with a strange feeling
of unrealty. The curtain had fallen alb
ruptly on the little drama of which she had
been a central figure, and shorn of her pic