Evening star., 1909-07-17
~AllS Veil that Ends Veil"

and feel graciously disposed, you might
ask me to dinner" He smiled There
is really no reason why we should not be
good friends. is there?'
Stella shook her head, not quite trust
ing herself to speak. She was filled with
an odd, bewldering emotion which dim
med her eyes and brought a lump into
her throat. Somewhat blindly she e2-
tered the vestibule and walked toward
the elevators. Her maid. who had just
come down, passed her with shy bow
and took her wraps from the chauffeur.
Gilbert relieved her of the necessity of
speech by talking quietly on the way up.
Morton" he said to the maid, he
butler swung open the heavy door, show
Mrs Cromwell to her apartments"
4 sharp effort of will brought back Eer
self-possession; her exquisite apartments
claimed her interest. She knew that there
had been only since noon of the previous
day in which to convert a bachelor apart
ment into the dainty feminine boudoir
prepared for her; yet nothing in the place
conveyed the slightest impression OF raw
newness. Her own things were laid ont
as if she had but just quilted the rooms.
Stella looked about her curiously. She
passed on into tie adjoining room. Her
eyes examined tenderly the homelike, Ia
miliar things. Here was school por-
trait of Gilbert and three other boys in
rowing costumes; how chubby and jolly
and serious the boyish faces looked, There
was a hunting pastel a photograph Of a
university eight, in the foreground Of
which she recognized Gilbert. Farther on
there was a photogra of the launching
of a battleship-Gilbert's work. Here and
there were little things of her own, ar
ranged that day BY her maid: among
them were scattered tnfies of his-cups.
trophies, ornaments. The place seemed
hers already, she felt no strangeness
there, and yet-how absolutely it was his.
Again the bewildering rush of emotion
swept through her. She continued her
slow inspection. Presently she came upon
a little alcove lighted by muIlioned win
dow, and there. as though enthroned. was
an exquisitely framed photograph of her
self, taken the year before. In front Of
it, in a way that suggested a votive Of
fering, stood a vase OF roses.
She choked back a sob The kind
thoughtfulness OF the man, displayed IN
every detail, touched her deeply.
She looked again at her picture and
wondered if Gilbert mad always placed
flowers there: some subtle INSTINCT told
her that he had He h.i said that mis-
thought of her had always been as of MS
his own to love and cherish-as he had
sworn that very day to do. And now
that she was his welded wife she had
suddenly become less his than ever be-
fore,
A quick, fierce jealousy of the girl in
the picture rose suddenly within her; for
the moment she was filed with wild
impulse to snatch it up and fling it
through the window.
She called her maid
Morton she said, pointing to the
photograph, is that old gown among my
things?
Yes, miss-I mean, madam"
Stella flushed.
Make me look as much like that photo
graph as you can she said-"hair, gown,
jewels-everythins.
Gilbert leaned back in his great leathern
armchair, holding on his knee a round
morocco case, stained with age and frayed
about the edges. He was looking at it
medltatlVely when his ear caught ruSsle
behind him and he rose
Stella was standing in the doorway and
as Gilbert's eyes fell upon her he caught
his breath quickly. The girls cheeks
were rosy. her dark-gray eyes were bright
and there was a faint, half-frightened
smile upon her mouth.
You startled me-" said Gilbert Il
thought that my portrait had stepped
down from her frame
Stella flushed and without answering
took the chair which he drew out for her.
Gilbert, standing at her elbow, opened the
leather case and took from it a rope of
pearls.
These were my mothers" he said.
"Trhey are my wedding present to you.
Will you wear them?'
A flood Of color swept into Stella's face.