Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-02

ward and the little lump of mortality
which the Frenchwoman carried In her
great motherly arms. Nine. BOltvard,
who had not been out of Paris for twenty
years, needed all her maternal instincts
to subdue her excitement at the prospect
of seeing the open country and the sea.
In the railway carriage she pointed out
cattle to the unconscious infant with the
tremulouS culver of the traveller who
espies herd Of hippogriffin.
rs it corn that, monsieur? Mon Dieu,
it is beautiful. Regard then the corn,
my cherished one"
But the cherished one cared not for corn
or cattle. He preferred to fix his cold
eyes on Septimus. as if wondering what
he was doing in that galley. Now and
again Septimus would bend forward and,
with a vague notion OF the way to convey
ones polite intentions to babies, would
prod him gfngerly in the cheek and utter
an insane noise, and then surreptitiously
wipe his finger on his trousers. When his
mother took him she had little spasms OF
tenderness, during which she pressed him
tightly to her bosom and looked fright
ened. The child was precious to her. She
had paid higher price than most wom-
Ell. and that perhaps enhanced its value.
At Fecamp a rusty, ramshackle dill
gence awaited them. Their luggage, to-
gether with hencoops. baskets, bundles.
amorphOus heap. They took their places
inside together with an old priest and a
peasant woman i'm a great Tapping cap.
The old priest absorbed snuff in great
quantities and used a red handkerchief
! The closed windows of the vehicle rat
! tied, it was very hot, and the Anticipated
cushions smelled abominably. Emmy.
| tired of the railway journey and suffo-
| Gated by the heat. felt inclined to cry.
This was her first step into her newly
| conditioned world and her heart sank.
She regretted her comfortable rooms in
Paris and the conditions Of existence
| there of which Septimus was an integral
part. She had got used to them. to his
forced association with the intimate de-
itails of her life, to his bending over the
child like a grOtesque fairy godfather and
| making astonishing suggestions for its
upbringing. She had regarded him less
! reserve than the doctor. Now 1t was diff
! ferent. She was about to take up her
own life again, with new responsibilities.
and the dearly loved creature whom she
had bullied and laughed at and leaned on
would go away to take up his own queer
way of life. and the relations between
them could not possibly be the same
again. The diligence was taking her on
the last stage of her journey toward the
new conditions, and it jolted and bumped
| time.
I'm sure said she, woefulIy, there g
no such place as Hottetot-sur-Mer, and
we are going on forever to find it,
ITeSeItly SeptIIlluS pointed IT1uIupUAut-
ly through the window.
There it isl
"Where?' cried Emmy. for not a house
was in sight. Then she saw the board.
The old diligence turned and creaked
and swung and pitched down the gorge.
! When they descended at the Hotel de Ia
PLACE. the setting sun blazed on their
faces across the sea and shed its golden
enchantment over the little pebbly beach.
At that hour the only living thing on it
he md hn vr-oc =
spot certainly to which the fashionable
did not resort.
'.It will be good for baby"
And for YOU
She shrugged her shoulders. What is
good for one is not always She
paused, feeling ungrateful. Then she
added. Its the best place you could have
brought us to-
After dinner they sat on the beach and
leaned against a fishing boat 1t was full
moon. The northern cliff cast its huge
shadow out to sea and half way across
the beach. A knot of fisher folk sat full
in the moonlight on the jetty and sang a
song with mournful refrain. Behind
them in the square Of yellow light OF the
salon window could be seen the figures
of the two English maiden ladies, ap-
parently still addressing picture post
cards. The luminous picture stood out
sharp against the dark mass of the hotel
Beyond the shadow Of the cliff the sea
lay like silver mirror in the MINDLESS
air. A tiny border of surf broke on the
pebbles. Emmy drew a long breath and
asked Septimus il he smelled the sea-
weed. The dog came and shifted at their
boots: then from the excellent leather
judging them to be persons above his So
cial station, he turned humbly away. Sep
timus called him. made friends with him
he was smooth yellow dog Of no ac-
count-and eventually he curled himself
up between them and went to sleep. Sep
timus smoked his pipe. Emmy played
with the ear of the dog and looked out
to sea- 1t was very peaceful. After a
while she sighed.
II suppose this must be our last even
ing together
Il suppose it must" said Septimus.
Are you quite sure you can afford all
the money you're leaving with me?'
'Of course. It comes out Of the bank"
II know that. you stupid" she laughed
Where else could it come from unless
you kept it in a stocking? But the bank
isn't an unlimited gold mine from which
you can draw out as many handfuls as
you want
septirnus knocked the ashes out of his
pipe.
"People don't get soyereigns out If