Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-27
CHAPTER ".
We Dine in the Gunroor

Cecilia sat reading alone when l en-
tered the library shortly before the dinner
hour She put down her book ard we fell
Into fitful talk.
II took a walk after tea. l always feel
that sunsets are best seen from the fields:
you can't quite DO them justice from
windows" she began.
She seemed preoccupied. but this may
have been the Interpretation Of my con-
science, whose twinges reminded me I'M
pleasantly Of my precipitation into the
briar bushes at the foot of the pasture,
where had witnessed her meeting with
Virgins. My admiration gained new
her: band Of velvet circled her throat.
emphasizing its firm Wilderness. 1t
seemed incredible that had seen her so
recently. in the filmy dusk. talking with
! go much earnestness to Hartley Virgins
1t was my impression. gained from the
road, that she did not repulse him, but
THAT some mysterious difficult barrier
kept them apart. Where. l wondered,
was Virgins now. and what were to be
the further incidents OF this singular at
fair?
While We waited for Miss HOLSTER to
appear she continued to speak OF her Joy
In the hills: 1t Is not every one who can
admire a sunset with sincerity. but she
conveyed the spirit Of the phenon1ena that
| had attended the lowering Of the bright
large Of day In terms and tones that were
delightfully."- natural and convincing. And
yet the PARKWAY look In her eyes sug-
gested inevitably the scene l had wit
messed and the phrases 1 had caught by
the roadside. Virgins was In her recol-
lection Of the glowing landscape-1 was
confident of this; and poor Virgins was
even now wandering these hills. no doubt.
brOodink upon his troubles under the
clear October stars.
Dinner was announced the moment
Miss HOLSTER entered, and / walked out
between them. Miss Octavia HOLSTER
was a surprising person. but In nothing
was she SO delightfully."- wayward as in
such matters Is unreasonable. but fancy
that she designed her own raiment and
that her ideas were thereupon carried out
/ by tailor Of skill. At the Asolando and
house she had worn the severest Of tai
lored gowns, with short skirt and q coat
into whose pockets she was fond OF
lthrusting her hands. Tonight the ma
lterial was lavender silk trimmed In white.
but the skirt had not heightened. and
over q white silk waist she wore kind
of cutaway coat that matched the skirt.
An aigrette in her lovely white hair con-
tributed a piauant note to the whole i'm
preston. AS we passed down the hall she
talked with great animation of The
Hague tribunal. Just then holding q
prominent place in the newspapers for
some reason that has escaped me.
1.-The whole thing is absurd: perfectly
absurd! ! know OF nothing that would
contribute more to human enjoyment than
| q real war between Germany and Eng
land. The Hague idea IL pure sentiment
talism--if sentimentalism can ever be said
| to be- pure. I will go further and say
that I consider 1t positively immoral
| This new view OF the matter left me
lstammering. Cecilia. I saw. had no in
hurdles that were constantly popping up
in my conversations with her aunt. This
delightful old lady In lavender. the mis-
tress Of a house whose luxury and peac,
were antipodal to any hint Of war, con-
ltinued to bafile me. She had ordered din