The Washington herald., 1908-05-18
CHAPTER vII-COntinued.

mouse Ieeiing that Lady kitty nao beeh
too overwhelmed by the magnitude Of
what he was offering TO absolutely &C
cept him till she had searched her heart.
to see if she was worthy of the honor.
AS for Lady Kitty, she indulged herself
IN a delirious valse with an impecunlous
but hilarious subaltern; and when the
last note had been played, took him TO
a wonderful sitting-out place. and. for
the moment, managed to forget every
thing but her youth.
Thus il came about that when Lord
Ancestor and Vandraken arrived. and the
latter was introduced TO his hostess, the
daughter Of the house was not on hand.
Lady Donoyle introduced him TO a we'll
meaning girl, who had an empty pro-
gramme, and then asked Lord Ancestor
10 take her to have an ice.
After ALL don't think want an ice.
RIVE. I want a talk. Let's sit down
here" She pointed with her fan to two
chairs in the embrasure OF a window
RIVE" was her own name for him
tshort for Rivalon Carraghdoc). When
he was twenty-one and she twenty-seven.
she had licked him into shape-dOne all
the things for him, said all the things to
him. that woman of the world can do
and say for boy Of that age when des-
perately IN love with her. She herself
had married for love when she was
eighteen, and married a blackguard He
taught her her world long before she was
twenty-seven.
The ten years which intervened had
made no change in Lady Donoyle. Her
loveliness had always been of weird,
haunting kind. The downward drOOp at
the corners Of her lips. which began with
her first great disillusionment, was moro
accentuated, but it only harmoniEed with
the tragic beauty Of her white face, with
its great pale-blue eyes, and the flame
colored hair. She had sought forgetful-
ness in action-taken up, excelled in. and
exhausted. her interest for every kind Of
sport. and saved her figure alive. The
texture OF her skin was perfect; you
could see the play of tiny muscles under
the satin surface. endowing it with life.
If she had not been perfectly proper
toned. men might have called her tall.
As IL was, she appeared TO be OF medium
height. face which was made 10 have
tragedies written on 1t does not show
them. A face which was not meant to
have dissipation written on it, does show
a. There was no longer any external evi-
denee of disparity in the ages of the two
In the window-seat
Lady Donoyle fenced for awhile and
then came swiftly TO her point
''Rivie. I want you to do something for
me. / want Kitty to marry your Amer
lean friend, and you must help me 10
work IT, You viii. won't you?" She laid
her hand appealingly on his arm. Conver-
sation without gestures was difficult for
her. 10 was part OF her charm
The tired look habitual 10 his face was
replaced by a frown. Lady Donoyle no
tIced it.
Mo- He leant back and folded his
arms res0lutely. He won't do, Adelaide
not for Kitty"
Fifty million pounds and won't do!
Whatever are you talking about, River"
The fact is Well it's this way:
Vandraken is all right for mans man.
You see he hasn't sown his wild oats yet.
but he has begun. and Oh. hang 1t!
Adelaide, you know what I mean-his
morals, and all that sort Of thing
My dear man." answered Lady Do
noyle. impatiently. its a tiara I want
for Kitty. not a halo And really. Rivle
with your record. to take this highly
moral tOne
But when old age cane on them,
They had strong religious gualms
So King Solomon wrote the Proverbs
And King David wrote the Psalms.
she quoted mOCkingly. RIVE. you are
aging fast"
7 say, Adelaide, I vote we discuss this
matter seriously After all, you know
the fact that my life has been d rotten
onS and yours an unhappy one, is no
reason why we shouldn't guard another
generation from our mistakes. You know
what It means 10 marry a wrong 'un, If
any one does
But that's different, Rivie." She was
toying with the fringe of her ostrich
feather fan and listening 10 the music OF
an old valse which hoated in from the
ballroom. Il married for love-I got
cheated. That vaIse-the one they are
playing now-was being played when
first met Hugo, married for love-
For Gods sake!-don't mention that
man to me"' said Ancestor, gripping her
wrist
7 married for love" she persisted. 7
mean to guard Kitty against my mis-
takes. That's my wrist you are squash
ing. RIVE"
Sorry He kissed the place lightly
You are right in a way, Adelaide. Love
is a dangerous horse 10 back in a race
we are running with fate-fn our set I'd
rather see Kitty marry some pally sort
Of chap-plenty Of money, and no senti-
ment on either side-and If he had walk
ed a bit large at odd moments, that
would be all right. But Vandraken isn't
that sort. Besides, he doesn't mean to
marry for five years at least. AT the end
Of that time"
"0f course he doesn't mean to marry
Men never do unless they are Indian civil
servants with six months leave in which
to find a wife. OF course he doesn't mean
10 marry; but that's ali the more reason
why he should be married. He's a pink
baby now. and if Kitty gets him she is
clever enough to keep him a pink baby.
Marriage is the only thing for man like
that"
"A week ago I would have agreed with
you / would have helped you have
shot il at. But nOw-you must simply
take my word for it that Vandraksn is
not marriageable. I can't tell you any
more-but l don't help you in this, Ade-
lside"
The music had stopped; the dancers
We're drifting out OF the ballroom into
the sitting-out places They passed the
two in the windOw-seat. The second
couple which went by were Lady Kitty
and Nandraken. He had evidently said
something which had amused her. she
was laughing merrily. and looking radi-
ant, Vandraken checked in front Of the
window-seat
Not there, Mr. Vandraken. 1 know
much better place. But I only take very
amusing partners to that retreat. It is
called The Frivolity' Can you do ius-
tiee TO lt?' She looked up at him and
laughed.