Evening star., 1909-03-14

dowdy, they might have been friendly enou
1t was an objectionable offense that she sho
be good looking, unchaperoned, and not one
the Queerly assorted mixture they deemed til
monde. For a few minutes she was res
angry. She realized that her only crime
;.pverty. Given a little share OF the wealth h
bv many of these pasSee natrons and bold e.
girls, she would be a reigning star among the
and could act and talk as she liked. Yet
shyness and reserve would have been her t
credentials to any society that was conStltu
on a sounder basis than gathering OF snC
Poor, disillusioned Helen, When she W
To church she prayed to the good Lord to
liver her and everybody else from envy, hatr
and malice and all uncharitableness. She
now that there might well be added to the
any fresh petition which should include b
ish communities on the Continent in the list
avoidable evils.
A T that instant the piquant face and fig
of Millicent Jaques rose before her m
eve. She pictured to herself the cool ettront
with which the actress would crush these wa
ish women by creating court of every eig1
man in the place. 1t was not healthy thoug
but it was the offspring of sheer vexatlon {
Helen experienced her second temptation t
day when de la We're came and asked her
dance.
She recognized him at once. He sat W
Mrs. de la We're at table, and never spoke to
unless it was strictly necessary. He had {
tinguished manners, pleasant voice, ant
charming smile, and he seemed to be the
voted slave of every good looking woman IN
hotel except his wife.
Please pardon the inforrnality," he 5
with an affability that Cloaked the lmpe
nence I'VE are quite a family party at Nal
gia. | hear you are staying here some wee
and we are bound to get to know each OF
sooner or later.
Helen could dance well. She was so
mortified by the injustice meted out to
her that she almost accepted de la
Vere's partnership on the spur of the
moment. But her soul rebelled against
the mans covert insolenCe, and she said
quietly:
No, thank you. l do not care to
dance"
MAY | sit here and TALK" he per-
sisted!"
Il am Just going" she said, and |
think that Mrs. de Ia We're is looking for
YOU
BY happy chance the woman in ques-
tion was standing alone in the center
of the ball room, obviously in quest OF
some man who would take her to the
foyer for a cigarette. Helen retreated
with the honors of war: but the ire
sistible one only laughed.
That idiot George told the truth,
then" he admitted. And she knows
what the other women are saying. What
cats these dear creatures can be.
CPENSER happened to he an inter-
- ested onlooker. Indeed, he was try
ing to arrive at the best means of OBJ
tanning an introduction to Helen when
he saw de la We're stroll leisurely up to
her with the assured air of one sated by
conquest The girl brushed close to him
as he stood in the passage. She held her
head high and her eyes were sparkling.
He had not heard what was said but
de la Vere's discontinue was so patent
that even his wife smiled as she sailed
out on the arm of a youthful purvevor
of cigarettes.
Spenser longed for an opportunity to
kick de la We're; yet, In some sense, he
shared that redoubtable ladykillers re-
buff He too was wondering if the so
life of Swiss hotel would permit him to $
a dance with Helen. Under existing cor
tions, it would provide quite a humor
episode, he told himself, to strike up frie
she had adopted such an aloof attit,
toward all and sundry: but it was quite evid
that she declined anything in the guise Of +
miscuous acquaintance. And he, like her,
lonely. There were several Americans in
hotel, and he would probably meet some of
men in the bar smoking room after the da
was ended but he would have preferred
pleasant chat with Helen that evening,
now she had gone to her room in huff.
Then an inspiration came to him. Gu
III stir up Mackenzie to send along an introd
ton to her." he said "A telegram will fix
things"