The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-09-09
CHAPTER XVII.
Continued.

Il tore II up, lie Salu, CURLY dh'
her face lightcned.
You felt-and very PROPERLY
that you would not be justified In
accepting money for what YOU have
ione?"
Not as you offered it,
well, O decline it at all events,
and-and l should not dream Of hurt
ing your feelings by Offering it to YOU
again; but Of course I cant keep the
portrait now"
1T is mine again." he cried. "Ah!
If you had only said so at once!"
I did not know then about the
check she said, with q deeper tint
On her apple cheeks. And l was an
gry-and quite rightly-then. But
it is understood, then-the whole
transaction is at an end? l keep the
money, and the portl ait is yours to
destroy as soon as it ONE back from
Grosvenor. I don't wish-on calmer
reflection, to p~erpetuate a work
which can only damage your reputa-
ton in so many ways"
You are very considerate-if it
comes a little late" he said. And
the truth was that Mrs. Standard
had been blaming herself for some
time for paying so large a sum with
out necessity. She had bought with
it the right to revenge, but revenge IS
too perishable q commodity to seem
long an equivalent for hard cash.
Meanwhile Babcock vas engaging
the colonel, blissfully unaware that
he had already inspired that officer
with q secret but cordial dislike.
"Of course" he began, "you and J.,
as men of the world, know what to
think of all this tomfoolery; but, I'M
less you put your foot down pretty
firmly, I'm afraid, from all I've seen
: to-day, that you daughter may, all
allow herself to be impressed by it,
You may leave that to me, sir"
said the colonel, with a little move
ment of weak irritation, for he felt
40 anxiety to put his foot down on
Eabcock's behalf, and yet he foresaW
he might be obliged to do so.
You don't seem to understand,
colonel" he said, that, unless you
are careful, you will have Sybil fling
ing herself away on that s%coundrel
over there; but perhaps that would
not %displease you?"
81 should most certainly put a stop
to anything of the kind" said the
colonel coldly, 80 you need give
yourself no further trouble. But, as
far as the young fellow himself is
concerned, he seems to ME a gentle
manly, nice young fellow enough.
What have you got against him."
Il should have thought there was
enough against him; and I don't see
myself how all the occult hauky-
panky in the world can whitewash
him." said Babcock, waspishly.
IL think I've some reason to bear
a grudge against him, too. He de-
liberately ruined the best picture 1
ever painted, or eve shall paint"
And he told again his oft-repeated
story of the fakir and the British
landscape, which it so happened the
colonel had not till then heard in all
it's bearings, and which, as Babcock
told it, made things look very black
against his rival.
You're right" said the colonel
at the end of it, with a feeling that
this would at least strengthen his
case against Campicn; that was a
shabby thing to do-he's a dangerous
fellow, and l must get rid OF him."
He crossed to where Campion was
standing with Mrs. Standard, and adj
dressed him with a marked change in
his manner. I'VE have had some
extraordinary statements this morn
dag" he began, and We were re-
quired to accept them as excuses for
your behavior. But there can be no
excuse for the disgraceful way in
which you have betrayed your friend
Babcock-for he was your friend
then; you have probably, he tells
me, crippled his artistic career"
Il can only say" said Campion,
shat l did it i'll all innocence-if poor
Nebelsen hasn't convinced you that
some abnormal influence was over
me, nothing 1 can say will. offered
to paint out the fakir as soon as l
saw what l had done, but Babcock
declined to let me touch it. And
really, if he thought it was Gripping
his career, he would hardly let Seidi-
toff exhibit it by artificial light at a
shilling a head"
You didn't tell me that! said the
colonel to Babcock.
Don't see how it affects what ne
did," replied Babcock, rather sulkily.
AS l aaid," Campion continued,
"l've as little to do with any credit
for the thing as for any blame, so fac
as intention goes-but he might set
off the one against the other, particu-
larly as Sieditoff told ME without
knowing l had any part In it, he had
bought the picture entirely for the
eccentricity of the thing"
We'll, / must say" said the col
onel, Il think you might have NEIL
toned it."
And soon after this, Babcock, per-
ceiving from the colonel's manner
that he had oyer-reached himself,
withdrew, without even having the
courage to try to conciliate Sybil, as
he had promised himself he would
do before he left.
well, Mr.. Campion,' said the co.
onel, Il won't say-I can't say, that
We may not have been led to misun-