Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-07

erai people glanced at them, smiling IT sympathy. Alderdene took that oppor tunity to revert to the sketch, furnish ing specimen of his own inimitable laughter as running accompaniment, to the story of Quarter and his dog in North Carolina until he had every body, as usual, laughing, not at the story, but at him, all of which demon stration was bitterly offensive to Guar. rier. He turned his eyes once on Miss Landis and on Siward, then dropped them.
 The hostess arose. A rustic and furry of silk and lace and the scraping of chairs, a lingering word or laugh and the color vanished from the room leaving a circle of men in black stand. ing around the table.
 Here and there man, lighting a cigarette, bolted his coffee and cognac and strolled out to the gunroom. Fer rall, gesticulating vigorously, resumed his preprandial dog story to Captain Voucher. Belwether buttonholed Al derdene and bored him with an in terminably facetious tale until that nobleman, threatened with maxillary dislocation, fairly wrenched himself loose and came over to Siward, squint- ing furiously.
 'Old asst" he muttered. His chop whiskers look like the chops of a Southdown ram, and he's got the wits of one. Look here, Stephen, I hear you fell into no end of scrape in town'-
 "Tu quoQue, Blinky? Oh, read the newspapers and let it go at that!'
 "Just as you like, old chapw re- turned his lordship unabashed. "All meant was-anything Voucher and I can do-Of courSe"-
 "You're very good. I'm not dead, you know" >-
 Mot dead, you know"" repeated Major Belwether, coming up behind them with his sprightly step. "That reminds me of good one"- He sat down and lighted cigar; then, vainly attempting to control his countenance as though roguishly anticipating the treat awaiting them, he began another endless story.
 The Page boys, very callow, very much delighted and a little in awe of such a celebrated parsonage, laughed heartily. And altogether there was suf- ficient attention and sufficient laughter to make very respectable noise. This being the majors cue for an exit, he rose, one sleek hand raised in spright ly protest as though to shield the in- ! 'sible ladies, to whose bournes he As bound, from an uproar too mas culine and mighty for the ears of such a sex.
 "Assm muttered Alderdene, getting up. and pattering about the room in his big shiny pumps. Give me a peg-somebodyr'
 Mortimer swallowed his brandy, lin gered, lifted the decanter, mechanical ly considering its remaining contents and his own capacity, then:
 Bridge, captain?"
 Certainly" said Captain Voucher briskly.
 "I'll go and shoo the major into the gunroom," observed Ferrall-"unless"- looking questioningly at Siward.
 "I've a date with your wife," ob. served that young man, strolling to- ward the hall
 The Page boys, Rena Bonnesdel and Eileen Shannon were seated at a card table together, very much engaged with one another, the sealed pack ly- ing neglected on the green cloth, a vast'pink box of bonbons beside it not neglected.
 O'Hara and Quarrier, with Marion Page and Mrs. Mortimer. were Inn. mersed in the game, already stony faced and oblivlous to outer sounds. About the rooms were distributed girls en tete-tete, girls eating bonbons and watching the cards. among them Sylvia Landls, hands loosely clasped behind her, standing at Quarrier's el- bow to observe and profit by an ex- pert performance.
 As Siward strolled in she raised her dainty head for an instant. smiled in silence and resumed a study of her fiance's game.
 A moment later, when Quarrier had emerged brilliantly from the melee.