Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-05
CHAPTER ~.

Anthony entered cab and drove to
his lodgings. The landlady herself opened
the door, and asked him quite sweetly if
he would like some tea. He had no spite
in his nature. and always liked to part
friends with people if possible. so he par
took of large breakfast cup containing
a. solution of tannin. slightly diluted by a
gray, Witty fluid placed by courtesy in a
milk Jug In small china bowl by its
side were some little blocks of flinty
substance which when dissolved in the
tea appeared to have a somewhat sweet
flavor. This curious connection, known
among the lower classes as tea, was
accepted by Anthony in the spirit in
which it was offered
From the vantage of his rooms he sent
special messengers in all directions for
such articles as he deemed it worth while
to rescue from captivity. Then he packed
his bags, and having paid his bill and
given the small son of the house a SOW
ereign to buy acid drops with, sent his
luggage Off to Grosvenor Square in charge
of a messenger boy, while he himself en-
tered another cab and drove toward Pic
cadilly. He spent delightful hour buy
ing those things without which he could
not very well manage to get through the
evening. Such dress ties as he had were
months out of date. He was obliged to
buy some evening shirts -ready-made
shirts. even of the best, are never quite
satisfactory, and though they fit perfect
ly the wearer is always conscious that
they are ready-made. 1t was delightfully."-
exhilarating to know that it did not mat
ter how long he kept his hanson, and
as he went from one shop to the other
making his purchases his spirits rose. 1t
was all SO dehciouSly unreal. He had alb
Solutely no sense of danger; he was pos
sessed of a certainty that the adventure
would succeed, just because it was like
NOT him else he had heard of before
So he bought beautiful ties of the best
materials, at a guinea each, and evening
ties of just that finish and cut which lift
evening dress out of the commonplace.
There was a sense of extreme luxury in
driving about the same streets which he
had SO lately tramped under such a heavy
load of depression. He reprOached him
self for those moments of darkness when
he had admitted the suspicion that he
might be destined to social SubmerSion.
or course. he had never really believed
it; he had always known that his life
story was to be played on a large stage,
that romance comes to the genuine ro-
mantle as the sunlight to the flower. He
was philosopher enough to know that we
get what we attract, and that that is
the catastrophe. He quite realized that
the great thing was not to test the Situa-
ton by common sense. but to let it de-
velOp along it's own abnormal lines and
that success in this direction would de-
pend on the sustaining power of his vi
tally in an artificial atmosphere.
He was naturally inquisitive as to what
it was that Cammarleigh had done. Not
that he was going to waste bis time in
trying to find out; that would be silly.
From Cammarleighs character it was not
easy to gauge whether his guilt were
great or small. His was the sort of tenn
permanent which would crawl through
more terrors to itself as it went. Per-
haps he was a monomaniac, and had
never done anything at all: and this idea
seemed so deliciously humorous that An
thony burst out laughing as his hanson
was damned in a crush near DevOnShire
House A painted. patrician dame of
advanced middle age. enormously stout
and crowned with, a ridiculous golden
wig. was reused from her repose of re-
pletiOn to sit up in her victoria and gaze
at him with amaZement. Anthony was
not in the least confused. but returned
her gaze with sweet smile, till the IN
terrupted stream of traffic flowed on
again.
AS he neared Grosvenor Square he be-
gan to debate what line of action he
should take If Cammarleigh should be
foolish enough to have the door shut in
his face. 1t was a remote contingency.
for whatever Cammarleigh had done 1t
had become a sufficiently powerful fac
tor in his conscience to atrophy his win
power. AS Anthony's hanson drove up
any slight trepidation he may have felt
was entirely removed by the obsequious
way in which the footman hurried out to
take his packages. Anthony grasped at
once that he swayed Lord Cammarleigh
even more than he had ina gined.
He is evidently only too anxious that
the servants should be civil to me- he
reflected.
The household staff took to him at once
as he had intended they should. He knew
to perfection how to combine a certain
camaraderie without giving the least en-
couragement to familiarity. He started
at an advantage. for 1t appeared that his
nominal predecessor had not been a ia
vorite. his. one aim and object having
been to pander to Lord Cammarleigh's
passion for economy. AS Anthony would
not be obliged to consider pounds shill-
ings and pence too closely he would
shine by comparison, although he was