Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-19
Still. l mustn't tell you what they SAID,
Bv ROY HORNlMAN,

must To-
How can say"
by Jove," said folly. frantically
| dancing in and out of danger. you would
| give anything to know
! No. I wouldn't said Anthony, NOT
/ anything. For instance. I wouldn't give
the chance of marrying the girl | intend
, to marry.
Perhaps you do know said folly.
| Look here, will you give your word OF
| honor never to say who told you
| folly. it will be observed was true to
| human nature. inaSmuch as while pro-
| tecting himself he was prepared to give
| vigorous air to the mischief when was
| brewing.
Anthony felt that it would be beneath
| his dignity to give any such assurance
and besides. ii would never do for any
| body 20 think that he had done so. so he
| answered AUTOMATICALLY:
My dear folly, l never repeat any
thing
FOLLY looked thoughtful. He had ex-
pected that Anthony would so solemnly
swear secrecy on the subject that ne
would be justified in telling him all about
| 1t. Inwardly he knew quite well that he
was going to tell him.
DO you mean to say YOU never repeat
anything you hear?" he asked. Such a
possibility at Toly's age seemed un-
thinkable
Never" said Anthony.
Then. said folly briskly. Il don t
see why l shouldn't tell you
Anthony proceeded with a note he was
writing. He knew that Tolly was dying
to enchain his attention. and that the
more indifference he displayed the more
likely he was to bring that young gentle
man to the point
ITS about whose son you are said
folly. Anthony knew it was highly prob
able that sooner or later Lady Cecil would
guess that her son had betrayed the fam
lily suspicious. and that folly would he
called upon to give exact account OF
his behavior under the circumstances.
He. therefore. looked up with a startled
expression. which even Tolly thought
curious. and said:
Whose son am? What do you
mean?"
For one moment folly wondered
whether things would end in his receiv-
ing very severe castisation.
Perhaps | had better not tell you any
more he said. hastily.
You had better tell me the whole thing
now" And he looked at folly in a way
which mesmerized him.
well. Aunt Editha says that people
are saying- folly paused. For the
first time his Juvenile mind was brought
face to face with the fact that he was
dealing with matter of enormous i'm
portance. 1t was bound at his age to be
more a matter of instinct than knowl-
edge of fact but he Immediately tried to
defend himself and his belongings by say
ing:
1T was Aunt Editha who started it,
But what did she start?'
Why. Durted out folly. "she said
that you were Uncle Percy's SON.
"Oh?" said Anthony, in a quiet voice.
which was successful in giving to folly
the impression that he wished to convey,
namely. that the rumor was true.
"Of course. / don't see" continued
folly. feeling that some Difference should
be paid to his own youthful modesty and
supposed ignorance. "how that can be,
considering that Uncle Percy has never
been married.
Don't talk rubbish. my boy said An
thony. CURLY.
FOLLY was wondering whether Anthony
ought to be called FitzBruton. or whether
that was a privilege reserved for the
natural sons of royalty. If he had had
some vague idea that Anthony would
make a confidant of him. and that. hav-
ing obtained the truth of the matter. he
might return home and deliver it to his
people under solemn promise not to say
who told them, he was much mistaken.
Not quite liking the curiously reflective
look on Anthony's face. and mstaking
it for suppressed anger. he said what he
thought would be the most sweetly COM
forting thing under the circumstances:
You see. If you were Uncle Percy 5
son you would be my cousn-at least.
we'll. l don't knoW-would you%'
THAT all depends. folly" said An
thony. shaking his head and laughing
enigmatically
A new aspect of the question suddenly
burst upon folly. AS things were, he
would one day be a marquis. but if An
thongs mother were married TO Lord
Gamma eigh. why. Anthony would be
the marquis. and folly would be nowhere.
Everybody wants to be marquis If he
gets the chance. even a schoolboy-except
people who are something higher. All
radicals and socialists. who pretend that
they have no such ambition, are only
accentuating their SnobbishneSS.
folly looked considerably depressed. He
would willingly have given UP his pre-
tensions to innocence if he could have
brought himself to the pitch of commit
ting such error of taste as to ask An
thony to produce his mothers marriage
certificate. He would have dislked An
thony on the spot if he had been a BILE to-
but somehow he couldn't dislike him. He
could not say why. but his uncles secre-
tary, or his cousin, or whatever he was.
fulfilled his ideal. Perhaps the rakish
side of Toly's temperament recognized a
fellow spirit. He got no more satisfac-
ton, however. out of Anthony that after
noon. and SO far from having triumphant
ly extracted information for which his
parents were thirstins he had the I'M
comfortab BILE feeling that he had betrayed
them to the enemy and had nothing to
show for it,.
After Anthony had hidden folly a cor
dial farewell he stood thinking deeply
as he watched him crossing GrOSvenor
Square in his faultless Elton suit and tall
hat. Then he shook his head deliberately
three times. finally murmuring to him
self:
Very good-very good, indeed But
where on earth is the sense of honor boys
are supposed to learn in our public
schools