The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1908-12-30

did you have good timer you
danced a lot dare say" he ventured.
"Yes-a lot" studying the floor.
Decent partners"
"Oh, yes"
"Who was thereW
She looked up at him. "You were
not there" she said, smiling.
"No, l cut it. But l did not know
you were going. You said nothing
about it."
"Of course you would have stayed
If you had known, Captain Selwyn"
She was still smiling.
"Of course" he replied.
"Would you really?"
"Why, yes"
There was something not perfectly
familiar to him in the girls bright
brevity, in her direct personal inquiry,
for between them hitherto the gayly
impersonal had ruled except in mo-
ments Of lightest badinnge.
''Was it an amusing dinner?" she
asked in her turn.
Rather" Then he looked up at
her, but she had stretched her slim.
silk shod feet to the fender, and her
head was bent aside, so that he could
see only the curve of the cheek and
the little, close set ear under its ruddy
mass Of gold.
"Who was there?" she asked, too,
carelessly.
! For moment lie did not speak. Un-
der his bronZed cheek the fiat muscles
stirred. Had some meddling, malicious
fool ventured to whisper an unfit jest
to this young girl? Had a word CO a
smile and a phrase cut in two awak-
ened her to n sorry wisdom at his ex-
pense? Something had happened, and
the idea stirred him to wrath, as when
child is wantonly frightened or a
| dumb creature misused.
"What did you ask me?" he inquired
| gently.
81 asked you who was there, Captain
Selwyn."
He recalled some names and laugh
ingly mentioned his dinner partners
preference for Harmon. She listened
absently, her chin nesting in her palm,
only the close set, perfect ear turned
| TOW lrd him.
| "Who led the cotillon?' he asked.
"Jack Ruthyen. dancing with Rosa
mund Fame"
| She drew her feet from the fender
and crossed them, still turned away
from him. and so they remained in ST.
lence until again she shifted her posi-
tion almost impatiently.
"You are very tired" he said
"No; wide awake"
"Don't you think it best for you to
| go to bed?"
mo, but you may CO."
And as he did not stir, Il mean that
you are not to sit here because do"
And she looked around at him.
"What has gone wrong Eileen?" he
said quietly.
He had never before used her given
name. and she flushed up.
"There is nothing the matter, Cap
tain Selwyn. Why do you ask?"
Eyes. there is" he said.
"There is not, tell YOU
"And if it is something you cannot
understand" he continued pleasantly,
perhaps it might be we'll to ask Nina
to explain it to you"
"There is nothing 10 explain"
Because" he went on very gently,
lone is sometimes led by malicious
suggestion to draw false and unpleas'
ant differences from harmless racts"-
Captain Selwyn"-
''Yes, Eileen"
But she could not go on. Speech an
thought itself remained sealed; only O
confused consciousness of being hLrt
somehow to be remedied by
something he might say, might deny
Yet how could it help her for him tc
deny what she herself refused to be-
lieve-refused through sheer instinct
whi'q ignorant of it's meaning?
Even if he had done what she hear
Rosamund Fame say he had done
had remained meaningless to her say
for the manner of the telling. 81
now; but now! Why had they laugl
ed? Why had their attitudes and maj
ner and the disconnected phrases
French left her flushed and rigl
among the idle group at supper? WI
had they suddenly seemed to remen
Der her presence and express the
abrupt consciousness of it in sue
furtive signals and silence?
1t was false anyway, whatever
meant. And, anyway, it was fali
that he had driven away in Mrs. Rutl
ven's brougham. But, oh, if he ha
only stayed, if he had only RENAME
this friend of hers who had been (
nice to her from the moment he can
into her life, SO generous, so consi
crate so lovely to her and to Gerald!
For a moment the glow RENAME,
then chill doubt crept in. Would
have RENAME
@ !: E; !: !: !: !: !: !: +; !:
hNNkS the dinner? A
WXE - for what the
WgNy RI said, it was a
M&lk surd. And y
b N and yet