Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17

who was announced and ushered to the door
by Justine in grand French manner.
After few commonplace. however. realiz-
ing that Margaret should be left alone with the
lion as much as possible, the excellent woman
remembered that she had something to do and
left them.
Il had a little talk with kralinsky before he
left. said Van Torp. when she was gone. p" He
saws he'll meet us in Venice any time in the
next few days. He's just going to run over to
Vienna in his sudden death cart for twenty
four hours. then he'll go south, he says. He
ran me up to the hotel and dropped me
dare say YOU heard the toots. | thought saw
Lady Maud looking out of the window of your
room as | got out
YES" Margaret said but how do you
know that is my window:
:" In the first place I've counted the windows.
felt a sort of interest in knowing which was
yours. And then often see your maid open
ing the shutters in the morning
OH Margaret smiled. Did you notice
anything unusual about Lady Maud when you
saw her." she asked; for she knew that he had
good eyes
Since YOU mention it. l thought she looked
as if she didn't feel quite up to the mark
pale | thought she was.
Yes" Margaret said. She felt Ill tor
moment and thought she was going to faint:
But it passed almost directly, and she insisted
on going for walk"
Oh" unused Van Torp. I" is that so. Well,
dare say it was the best thing she could do
l was telling you about kralinsky He's not
Levi Longlegs, after all. and don't believe ne
was ever in the West.
Il thought it sounded unlikely Margaret
said.
Il asked him. in friendly way and he made
an effort to recollect, and then he seemed quite
pleased to remember that Ia been Fanny
Cook (my old nickname, you know, and ne q
been Levi Longlegs. and that he used to whistle
things out of Parsfal by the fire of an even
ing" ,,.-ao.
''Well-but in that. case Margaret
stopped with an inquiring look.
''tust So continued Van Torp nodding.
" Did you ever attend trial and hear witness
| being cross examined by lawyer who wants
him to remember something. and he wants to
remember it himself, but cant, because ne
| never heard of it before in his life. he lawyer
makes steps for him and puts his feet INTO them
so that he gets along nicely. unless the Judge
happens to wake up and kick, and then the
little game stops right there. and somebody
laughs Well. my talk with krallnsky was IKE
that. only there was no judge. so he went away
happy and were old friends now. and punched
cows on the same ranch, and he's coming on
my yacht | only wonder why he was SO
anxious to remember all that, and why ne
thought it would be kind of friendly if called
him Levi Longlegs again. and he called me
Fanny Cook! | wonder. He says he's stii
very fond of oarsfal.' and came on purpose
to hear it bit that he has completely forgotten
how to w tistle. That's funny too. | Just
thought / u Tell you, because IL YOU Noie w
my yacht, and he comes too. you re apt to see
quite good deal of each other.
Did YOU tell him that Mrs. Rushmore and
would Gomez" Margaret asked And Lady
Maud!"
why. no. You've not promised yet, any
more than you did last night when he was there
and we talked about it; SO how could l! tor
got to mention Lady Maud to him, or else
thought l wouldn't forget which 1t
doesn't matter"
No" Margaret smiled. Not little bit.
You seem amused" observed Van Torp.
by your way of putting it. and your pre-
tending to forget such thing.
1t wasn't quite true that forgot but
wanted to. SO didn't say anything about her.
That S why put it in that way. don't choose
to leave you any doubt about what say, or
mean. even in the smallest things The mo-
ment YOU feel the least doubt about the perfect
accuracy of any thing | tell you. even II its
not at all downright lie anything resem-
bling one, you won't trust me at all IN any
thing. Because, if you trust me, you'll end by
liking me, and if you don't trust me you'll go
back to thinking that I'm the Beast out of
Revelation, something, you used to.
Margaret smiled again. though she was con-
tinually conscious of her own sullenly smolder-
ing anger against Logotheti. Van Torp was
gaining influence over her in his own uncouth
way. Logothet had been able to play upon
her moods as on that day under the elm tree
at Versailles and she bushed when she remem-
bered that single kiss he had won from her.