The state herald., 1909-11-05

him in his most dangerous moods as
well as in his best moments, would
have thought n similar comparison
with an elemental force quite as truly
descriptive of him, If 1t had occurred
to her. The enterprising Greek had
really attempted to carry her off by
force on the night of the final re.
hearsal before her first appearance on
the stage, and had only been thwarted
because royal rival had caused him
to be locked up, as II by mistake, In
order to carry her of himself; in
| which he also had failed most ridicu-
lousy, thanks to the young singers
friend, the celebrated Nine. Bonanni.
That was a very amusing story, But
on another occasion Margaret had
| found herself shut up with her orr
entail adorer in room from which
she could not escape and he had quite
lost his head; and If she had not been
the woman she was, she would have
Jared ill., After that he had behaved
more like an ordinary human being.
and she had allowed the natural at
traction he had for her to draw her
biduuuiiy " IL pIoIIlst vi HidIIidbc,
and now she talked to Lady Maud
about her gown, but she still put on
naming day for the wedding, in spite
of Logotheti's growing Impotence.
This was the situation when tho
London season broke up and Mr., Van
Torp landed at Southampton from an
ocean greyhound that had covered the
distance from New York in s days IL
hours and 81 minutes, which will
doubtless seem very slow travelling IL
any one takes the trouble to read this
tale 20 years hence, though the pas
sengers were pleased because 1t was
not much under the record time for
steamers coming east
Five hours after he landed Van
Torp entered Lady Maud's drawing
room in the little house in Charles
street. Berkeley Square. where she
had lived with the departed Leven
from the time when he had been at.
tached to the Russian embassy till he
had last gone away. She was giving
II up now. and II was already half dis
mantled. II was to see Van Torp that
she was in town in the middle OF
August. instead OF with her father at
Craythew or with friends in Scotland.
London was as hot as II could be,
which means that n New Yorker would
have found 1t chilly and an Italian de.
lightfully cool: but the Londoners
were sweltering when Van Torp ar.
rived. and were talking OF the oppres.
sive atmosphere and the smell of the
pavement, not at all realizing how
blessed they were.
The American entered and stood
still moment to have good look Mt
Lady Maud. He was middle-sized.
rather thlck-set man. with rude hands.
sandy hair, an over.dcveloped Jaw,
and sharp blue eyes that sometimes
hNed themselves In n disagreeablo
way when he was speaking-eyes that
had looked into the barrel OF another
mans revolver once or twice without
wayerlng. hands that had caught and
sadd'cd and bridlod many an unridden
colt In the plains n mouth like a car
petbng when IL opened. like closed
vice when II was shut ! was not a
handsome man. MIR. Rufus Van Torp.
nor one with whom any one short of n
prize'flghter would NEEDLE. nor ono
to haunt the dreams Of sweet I6. II
was not for his face that Lady Maud,
good and beautiful. liked him better
than any one In the world, except her
own father. and believed In him and
trusted him, and II was assuredly not
for his money. The beggar did not
! live who would dare IN ael him for m