Evening star., 1909-03-14
CHAPTER vi.
The Battlefield

ROTH man and woman were far too we'll
- bred to indulge in a Irritation. The knowl
edge that each was thinking of the other led
rather to ostentatious avoidance of anything
that could be construed into any such over
ture.
Though Stampa's curious statement had
puzzled Helen, she soon hit on the theory that
the American must have heard of the accident
to her carriage, and, with the chivalry of his
race In all things concerning womank1nd, he
was eager to render assistance.
Helen rose first and went out on the glass
covered veranda. She had barely seated her
self in shady corner when Mrs de Courcy
Vavasours son coolly walked up and entered
into conversation with her.
ynton, | believe: said
a drawing Voice.
Looking up, she found George de Courcy
Vavasour bending over her in an attitude that
betokened the utmost admiration for both par
ties to the tete-a-tete. Under ordinary con-
ditons,-that is to say, if Vavasours exis-
tence depended on his own exertions, s,-Helens
eyes would have dwelt on gawky youth en-
dowed with certain pertness that might In
time have brought him from behind the coun-
ter of drygoods store to the wider area OF the
floor. AS it was, reasonably large income
gave him unbounded assurance, and his credit
with a good tailor was unquestionable.
Helen, out of the corner of her eye, became
aware that Mrs. de Courcy Navasour was ad-
| vancing with all the plumes of the British
| matron ruffied for battle. 1t was not in human
nature that the girl should not recall the slight
offered her the previous evening. With the
thought came the temptation to repay 1t now
| with interest; but she thrust it aside
Yes, that is my name she SAID smiling
pleasantly.
| Well-er-the General has asked me to
er-invite YOU to take part in some OF our
| tournaments We have tennis, you know, an
golf, an croquet an that sort OF thing: Ot
course you play tennis, an rather fancy
| YOUR a golfer as well. You look that kind of
| girl. Eh, WHAT"
He caressed a small mustache as he spoke,
| using the finger and thumb OF each hand alter
nately and Helen noticed that his hands were
surprisingly large when compared with his
otherwise fragile frame.
Who is the General?" she inquired.
"Oh, Wragg, you know. He looks after
everything in the amusement line, IN help;
mixed doubles! None of the women here can
play for nuts, an l haven't got a partner yet
for the doubles I've been waitin for some
one like YOU to turn up.
You have not remained long in suspense,
she could not help saying. " You are Mr.. Va
vaSOur, are YOU not!
Yes, better known as Georgie'
And you arrived in Maloggia last evening,
l think. Well, do play tennis; or, rather, |
| used to play fairly well some years ago.
"By Gadi just what | thought. TO slow
in your practice games, Miss Wvnton an
you'll have rippin' handicap.
Would that be quite honest: said Helen,
lifting her steadfast brown eyes to meet his
| somewhat too free scrutiny.
Honest? Rather! You wait till you
| the old guard puln' out bit when they settle
| down to real business. But the General is up to
| their little lodges. He knows their form like
| book an he gets everyone of em shaken out by
| the first round. Eh, what"
The arrangement seems to be ideal II one IS
| friendly with the General, said Helen.
| Vavasour drew up chair He also drew up
the ends Of his trousers, thus revealing that the
Pomeranian brown and myrtle green stripes in
his necktie were faithfully reproduced in his
| socks, while these master tlnts were thought
| fully developed in the subdominant hues of his
clothes and boots.
"Bv love. what stroke of luck | should
have got hold of you first!' he chuckled. / m
pretty good at the net, Miss Wvnton. If We
manage things properly, we ought to have the
mixed doubles a gift with plus half forty, an in
the ladies' singles you'll be Queens Club
champion at six-stone nine. Eh, what,
WHILE listening to Georges efforts to win
v" her smiles with slangv condolences. She
saw that Mrs. Vavasour had halted in mid
career and joined group of women, evidently
| a mother and two daughters, and that she her
self was the subject of their talk. She wondered
why She was somewhat perpleXcd when the