Mexico Missouri message., 1910-03-10
4 81 IL DINA'S RLJBY

my telling you. It's rather personal.
Perhaps I'd better not"
The prima donna was silent for a
few moments, and did not look at
him.
Tell me-" she said suddenly.
ITS this. / don't know how long
the performance lasted, but while it
was going on forgot you were close
beside me. You might just as well
not have been there. It's the first
time since 1 ever knew you that I've
been near you without thinking about
you all the time, and hadn't realized
it till was sitting there by myself.
hope you don't mind my telling your"
ut only makes me more glad that
l brought you" Margaret said quietly.
THANK you" he answered; but he
was quite sure that the same thing
could not happen again during the
second part.
Nevertheless, 1t happened. For a
little while, they were man and wom-
an, sitting side by side and very near,
two in a silent multitude of other
was quite motionless, his eyes were
fixed again and he had forgotten her.
She saw it and wondered, for she
knew how her presence moved him,
and as his hands lay folded on his
knee, a mischievous girlish impulse
almost made her, the great artist, for
get that she was listening to the
tgfn IN, he M
ly made her lay her hand on his, just
to see what he would do. She was
ashamed of it, and little disguised
with herself. The part of her that
was Margaret Dome felt the disgust;
the part that was Cordova felt the
shame, and each side of her nature
was restrained at critical moment
Yet when the Good Friday" music
began, she was thinking of Van Torp
and he was unconscious of her pres
ence.
1t could not last, and soon she, too
was taken up into the artificial para
disc of the master-musician and borne
along in the gale of golden wings, and
there was no passing of time till the
very end; and the people rose in 81
| lence and went out under the summer
stars; and all those whom nature had
gifted to hear rightly, took with them
memories that years would scarcely
dim.
| The two walked slowly back to the
town as the crowd scattered on foo
and in carriages. 1t was warm, anC
| there was no moon, and one coult
smell the dust, for many people were
moving in the same direction, though
some stopped at almost every house
and went 1t, and most of them were
beginning to talk in quiet tones.
| Margaret stepped aside from thu
road and entered a narrow lane, anC
Van Torp followed her in silence.
This leads out to the fields" shC
said. II must breath the fresh air
Do you mind?"
ION the contrary"
lie said nothing more, and she die
not speak, but walked on withou
haste, dilating her nostrils to thu
sweet smell Of grass that reached he
already. In little while they haC
left the houses behind them, and the,
cane to a gate that led into field.
Van Torp was going to undo tn
fastening, for there was no lock.
NO." she said, I'VE won't e
through. love to lean on a gate"
She rested her crossed arms on tn
upper rail and Van Torp did tn
same, careful that his elbow shout,
not touch hers, and they both stare
into the dim, sweet-scented meadow
He felt her presence now and it a.
most hurt him; he could hear hi
slow pulse in his ears, hard and regr
lar. She did not speak, but the nigh
was so still that he could hear he
breathing, and at last he could nc
bear the warm silence any longer.
What were you thinking about?
he asked, trying to speak lightly.
She waited, or hesitated, before sh
answered him.
YOU" she said, after a time.
He moved involuntariIy, and the
drew little further away from he
as he might have withdrawn a foe
from the edge of a precipice, out {
common caution. She was aware {
his slight change of position withou
turning her eyes.
What made you say what you di
to Mrs. Rushmore yesterday afteI
noon?" she asked.
about your"
yes"
"She asked me, point-blank, wha
/ thought of Logotheti," Van Torp al
swered. II told her that l couldn
give her an unbiased opinion of tn
man you meant to marry, because
had always hoped to marry you m,
self"
"oh-was that the way it haI
pened?"
Mrs. Rushmore could hardly hay
misunderstood me-" said Van Tor,
gathering the reins of himself, so
saw for ANYTHING that might hanna,