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

N
HS NJ deck saloon for dinner Lady Maud
KSTN w missing. Stemp whispered
M99 to Van Torp that Lady Maud
M@@ begged the party to sit down with
EGSN79W out her. and she would join them
&0STSN&Dl in a moment.
RGQ&SI9}fW So they took their places, the
IhESSNSlJI vacant one the owners right
kS\GN#SS between him and the pTlma donna
Il dare say you've met Lady
Maud?" Van Torp said to kralnsky.
(Which Lady Maud" asked the foreigner in his
rather oily voice. There several"
Countess Leven, who Lady Maud FoSwell,'
explained Mrs. Rushmore.
kralinsky turned quietly to her, his single eye
glass fixed and glittering. No." he answered.
J" l knew poor Leven well but never introduced
to his wife. have heard that she is very beautiful
You say you knew the late Count Leven?"
observed Mrs. Rushmore with encouraging smile.
Intimately" answered Kralinsky with perfect
the Caucasus. l dare say you remember that he
began life as cavalry officer and then entered
diplomacy. Gifted man, very the Russian added
in thoughtful tone, but no balance. 1t
that have heard he did not treat his wife very
we'll"
Van Torp had met several very cool characters
in his interesting and profitable career; but he
thought that if the before him Leven him
self he seemed to be, he beat them all for calm
effrontery.
asked Van Torp carelessy.
Even at this question Kralinsky showed
barrassment ITO tell the truth he replied, Il
remember that two in the regiment
slight resemblance, and were of nearly the same
height, l should say. But when l last saw Leven
he did not wear beard.
this point Lady Maud came in quietly and made
directly for the vacant place. The two men
rose as she appeared, and she found herself
face to face with Kralinsky, with the table between
them. Their eyes met; but Lady Maud could not
detect the slightest look of recognition in his Van
Torp introduced him, and also watched his face
narrowly; but there was not the least change of
expression, any quick glance of surprise.
Yet Kralinsky probably did not know that Lady
Maud was on the yacht; for he had not been told
previously that she to be of the party, and in
the short conversation that had preceded her
appearance one had actually mentioned the fact
She herself had to dinner late with the express
purpose of presenting herself before him suddenly;
but she had to admit that the intended surprise did
not take place.
more than once seen her husband placed in very
difficult situations, from which he had generally
extrcated himself by his amazing power of conceal
ing the truth. Being seated nearly opposite to
him. it was not easy study his face without SEEM
ing either to stare at him rudey to be bestowing
attention on him than on any of the others.
Her eyes very good, and her memory for
details was fair, and if she did look often at his
face she watched his hands and listened to the
ntonations of his voice and the conviction that he
was Leven grew during dinner. Yet there was still
a shadow of doubt, though she could not have told
exactly where it lay.
She longed to lead him into trap by asking some
question which, if he Leven, he would know
the answer, though not if he anyone else,
question to which he would not hesitate to reply
unsuspectingly if the answer was known to him.
But Lady Maud not ingenious in such conversa-
tional tricks and could not think of anything that
would do.
On the whole it gay dinner, and Mrs Rush
and Kralinsky knew that it very good
one and told each other afterward they walked
slowly up and down the great promenade deck in
the starlight 1t was evident that there moth
ing connected with such subjects that Kralinsky did
not understand and appreciate, from Chinese birds
nest soup to the rules of the great Marie Antoine
Careme and Brillat Savarins " Physiology of Taste"
leo kraxN yhnd Rofxy 81
society he appeared to Mrs Rushmore to know every
thing there was to be known