The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-14

will understand. Oh, I know you will
understand perfectly
Tell mo-" said Mr.. BromsgTove
again. 81 am sure I shall under
stand"
CHAPTER VII.
Tormentilla's new peace had de-
serted her again. Even in doing good
to others she found no comfort now,
but she meant to so through with her
scheme for saving Audrey, Of course,
and she wasn't going to let the vicar
break poor Minnie's heart. She was
in love with love-even the miseries
of it-and she took all lovers to her
heart and cherished them. She
longed to help Audrey and Michael,
and even young Mrs. Standring-
even Lise should come under her
wing, if she would. What a pity it
was that she didn't agree with her
husband!
Tormentilla couldn't at first see
any possible way of helping her, but
she would look out, and the time
would surely come. Lise fascinated
her. 1t is true that she couldn't quite
understand or approve Of the callous-
ness she had shown about poor
Audrey, but she did not despair yet
of getting her to help with the great
scheme.
She called one afternoon to lay
further siege, and it was a great blow
to find her giving tea to her brother
in-law, that curious Mr.. Nigel. Lise
was curled up in her usual corner,
but she sprang up when T%ormentilla
was announced and greeted her af-
fectionately. She told her after
wards it was as If all the windows
had been suddenly opened to q north
wind. Tormentilla wasn't quite sure,
when she thought it over, whether to
take this as a compliment or not.
The little, white-faced vegetarian
was eating some OF his favoritc bis
cult. and drinking milk and water.
81 have been telling Mrs. Stand
ring" he remarked pleasantly. chat
she has spoiled this cool green room
with al those red roses. A few Ma
donna lilies, dear lady, or a pot Of
| Sparish-nct the German ones; they
are too famboyant. Ted roses are
we'll, they ere net for nous autre3."
81 love red roses" To:mentilla
cried in amazenent. They're my
favorite flower"
Youth, vandal youth" cried Mr..
Nigel pleasantly. RED roses and
waltz music and chocolate creams.
They. come together, and together
they go. Red roses, dear child, may
be pleasing to the untutored eye, but
they are not art"
LiSe opened her mouth to speak,
then shut it suddenly.
Dear lady" said her brother-ia-
law. He walked slowly up to her,
retrcated a few steps, then advanced
again. do say what YOU were going
to say"
Tormcntilla laughed out with child
ish enjoyment.
II expect Mrs. S~tandring was going
/ to say that beauty-and art tco-is in
the eye of the beholder. It's one Of
Greenie's favorite remarks, and it's
extraordinarily comforting. I think
any flowers would look sweet in the
pretty, soft spring wood kind Of color
Of this room. Grass is green, isn't it,
and leaves and things? The flowers
go with them all right"
mo, no." Mr.. Nigel tiptoed round
Lise's tea-table, dalntily picking a
strawberry and dipping 1t into the
cream in his plate before he made a
sandwich of It. Mature is crude,
vulgar; you will see these things in
a clearer light some day. Lise, I will.
if I may. go ard find Jack. / didn't
know he was at home, but 7 just
caught q glimpse of him in the gar
den"
Lise laughed when he had gone.
1--WE don't quite sympathize with
his views. Jack and l." she explained.
I'VE diEed with him. the other night.
He has a lovely house, you know,
with hardly any furniture in it. and
the kind Of chairs that n. -,e you
wonder why they are there. I never
felt so much inclined to sit on the
floor in my life. And the dinner!
He's G vegetarian, YOU see, and my
husband IS always extremely hungry,
and we neither CT us could get enough
to eat. Luckily I'd ordered a good
supper, something solid, to be ready
fo- us when we got in. 1t was a
most curious meal, and you can't
imagine anything less satisfying. We
began with stuffed green peppers.
They weren't really half bad, and we
would both have eaten more of them
| if we'd only known what was to fol-
low, but there was no menu and we
left it all, unfortunately, to Provi-
dence. The soup was cream OF green
corn, but so salt that We couldn't
touch it. Nigel has trained himself
to eat quantities of salt, to make him
live forever, though why any n
| should wish to do that Nut outlets
came next, with tomato auce. They
were Guite-well, quite interesting.
only Jack loathes tomatoes and al
ways has from a child, and I think
Nigel might have remembered it.
We grew desperate, and we made so
much too much Of the praised ban
o-o. - o,, ,,,-o, orl Incnoir that