Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-31

pride the previous day that her victory on
this was compensation which set her
more at her old poise.
Her greeting was all sweetness. she was
charmed tn see him. How was his father
and what was the news. Miss Rowly
looked on with a smiling visage. She. too.
had seen the look of admiration in his
eyes. and 1t pleased her Old ladies. and
especially when they are maiden ladies'.
always like to see admiration In the eyes
of young men when they ara turned IN
the direction of any girl dear to them.
And so they talked fer some time. keep
Ing all the while. by Stephens clever
generalShip. to the small talk of the
neighbor.lood and the minor events of So
cial Importance. AS. the time wore on
she could see that Leonard was growing
Impatient and evidently wanted to see
her alone. She ignored. however. all his
little private signaling and presently or
dered tea to he brought. This took some
little time. and when it had been brought
and served and drunk, Leonard was in A
smothered fume OF Impotence. She was
glad to see that as yet her aunt had no
ticed nothing. and she still hoped that she
would be able to so prolong matters that
she would escape without private inter
view. She did not know the cause of
Leonards impatience: that he must see
her before the day had passed She. too.
was an egOiSt, In her own way; in the
flush of belief of his subjugation she did
not think of attributing to him any other
motive than his desire for herself AS
she bad long ago made up her mind on
the final issue of this matter she did not
want to be troubled by new scene" so
she still held to her tactics of starving
out the enemy.
But. after all. Leonard was man. and
mans ways are more direct than wom-
ans Sseing that he could not achieve his
object in any other way. he said out. sud
denly, thinking. and rightly, that she
uiSh Issue
presence of her aunt:
by the way Miss Norman. he had
always called her Miss Norman IN her
aunt's presence. Il want to have two
minutes with you before I GO On a
matter of business he added. noticing
Miss Rowly's surprised look. The old
lady was old fashioned even for her age;
In her time no young man would have
asked to see a young lady alone on bust
ness. Except on one kind of business.
and with regard to that kind of business
gentlemen had to obtain first the conf
dence and permission of guardians. Leon
ard saw the difficulty and said. quickly:
1T Is on the matter you wrote to me
about
Stephen vas prepared for a nasty shock
but hardly for so nasty one as this.
There was an indelicacy about II which
went far beyond the bounds of thought
less conventionality. That such an APP
peal should be made to her and in such
CAL ominous danger: danger which should
ba guarded against! Her woman's intui-
ton gave her the guard. and at once she
spoke. smilingly and gently. one re-
calling a matter in which the concern is
not her own:
''Of course, 1t was selfish of me not to
have thought of 1t before. and to have
kept you SO long waiting The fact is.
2untfe. that Leonardo like to call him
Leonard. since we We're children together
q nd hn 10 ,a~h,,
would be more decorous nowadays to say
Mr.. Everard'-has consulted me about
his debts. You know. auntie. dear, that
young men will be young men in such
matters. or perhaps you do not. since the
only person who ever worried YOU has
been myself. But stayed at Oxford and
know something of young mems ways
and as l am necessarily more or less OF
man of business he values my help
Don't you. Leonardo" The challenge was
so direct, and the position he was in SO
daringly put, that he had 10 acquiesce
Miss Rowly. who lad looked on with a
frown of grave dpleasure. said. coldly:
Il know you are Your own mistress,
my dear But surely ii would be better
If Mr.. Everard would consult with his
solicitor or his fathers agent or some of
his gentleman friends in such matter
rather than with young lady Whose re-
latiOns with him. after all. are only those
of a neighbor on visiting terms. For my
Mr.. Everard's best course would have
been to consult with his own father. But
the things that gentlemen. as we'll as Ia
dies do. have been sadly changed since
my time Then. rising In formal dig
nifty. she bowed gravely to the visitor be
fore leaving the room.
But the position of being left alone in
the room with Leonard did not at all suit
Stephens plans. Rising up quickly she
said to her aunt:
cfi- lor
quite right in what you say. hut ] prom
iSed Mr.. Everard to go into the matter.
And as | have brought the awkwardness
on myself. | suppose | must bear it. If
Mr.. Everard wants to sac me alone. and
l suppose he is diffident In speaking on
with you, you knoWi-Wf can go out on
the lawn. 1t is not SO hot as it was and
the seats beside the spring are comfy.
We shan, be long Before Leonard
could recover his wits she had headed
him out on the lawn.
Her strategy was again thoroughly
good. The spot which she had chosen.
though perfectly isolated to sound for
1t was beyond earshot. was quite in the
open and commanded by all the windows
in that side Of the house. 4 person
speaking there might say what he liked
but his actions must he discreet.
On the lawn stephen tripped ahead:
Leonard followed. meek as to his motions
pul lilWdFulS raging. ny NeF cleNtr use
of the opening she had put. him in a
difficulty from which there was no inn
mediate means of extricat!on. He could
not quarrel overly with Stephen. for If lie
did SO, how could he enter on The pressing
matter of his debts. He dared not open
ly proclaim his object in wishing to
marry her, for had he done her aunt
might have interfered. with what success
he could not be sure. In any case il
would probably cause delay. and delay
was just what he could not afford He
fel, that in mentioning his debts at just
such moment he had given st aphen the
chance which she had aptly taken. In
jockey parlance, she had ''roped' him.
He had to b. on his good behavior. how
ever. and with an apprehension that was
new to him he followed her.
Close to whore the spring gushed from
the rock was an old Roman marble seat.
turn from his travels. brought with him
from the grounds of an Italian villa. 1t
was placed at angle from the houS.
that the one of the two occupants
which il held within It's curve mus al
most face the house. while the other gave
to il at least quarter face. stephen
seated herself the rear side. leaving
to Leonard the exposed position. As
soon as he was seated she began:
Now. Leonard. tell M all about the
debts" She spoke In tones of gay
friendliness. but behind the mask OF her
cheerfulneSs was the real fac of fear.
She had something OF the feeling of one
who In old days had been placed on the
rack. The mention of her letter 70 him
was the first turn of the screw. In itself
it was unpleasant. rather than pa nfu;
The wooden rollers had not yet begun 20
craak Down deep in her mind WAS "A