Evening star., 1911-01-15

upon added information since the ball con-
cerning the favor and feverish regard in
which princess" Thurley was held, es-
pecially by eager male admircr,
Quite as we'll satisfied to interview Az
alone, as sort of preliminary maneuver
his game, the visitor readily followed to ho.
lavender nookery and agreed to drink cup
CALL" he said. "You see, l have not de-
layed in proving my friendly intentions"
I'm so glad!" said Alice graciously. Il
can scarcely understand how it happened we
never met before" She knew his antece-
dents, and the wealth and pedigree they had
boasted for three generations.
Il have been in New York but little," he
confessed, especially during the last few
years. Of course have heard your name
great many times recently, coupled with
that of your beautiful protegee."
Alice mentally acknowledged the prompt
ness with which he swung about to the sub
ject uppermost in his thoughts. Zone hears
SO many, things ip these days, OF wireless!'
she laughed. 1T ought to be called the
Wireless Age-or perhaps the Regardless
Age would be more accurate"
Gaillard nodded in quick, curt way which
Thurley would have recognized as sign of
impatience to achieve some object sought
with the greatest possible expedition. II
was very agreeably surprised" he stated,
ito encounter Thurley again last night at
the dance"
Alice, hardly less than Thurley herself, re-
sented his tone and familiarity. She arched
her brows. "Thurley?"
miss Ruxton," he corrected, slightly
flushing. She may not have told you we
are-well, old acquaintance"
Alice had decided to reveal as little as cir
C1o
tired last night when we returned"
Gaillard narrowed his eyes. The matter
in hand was one of business with him, and he
meant to be sufficiently plain. Il knew
her very well-more than ordinarily we'll
in New Haven
"Oh." Alice betrayed not the slightest
emotion, and not very pronounced inter-
est.
"You can imagine my surprise and de-
light, my amusement, might say" he re-
sumed, to learn the extraordinary misiden-
tiication of Thurley that all New York
seems SO agreed upon. Rich isn't it?"
"You mean the outcome of her remark
able resemblance to"
"This Princess Thirvinia business, GER
tainly," he supplied. Its a wonderful
joke, stupendous joke, that the swell set is
playing on itself. Not that Thurley doesn't
look the part, and all that sort of thing.
She's wonderful little girl; no one knows
it better than l. But what would happen,
wonder, if the truth should happen to leak2"
He laughed, and she thought his mirth dis
tinctly disagreeable.
"You are aware, hope," she answered,
"that neither Miss Ruxton nor myself has
ever contributed anything to what you term
this stupendous joker"
That's the beauty of it, the art" he
stated badly. II recognized that at once.
But wouldn't it jar all upper-crustdom to
wake up some morning to the facts?" He
laughed again, adding, "Not that it's likely
they will"
His dwelling upon this possibility Jared
upon Alice sufficiently to rouse all her sense
of distrust and dislike. 1t sounded too much
in the nature of menace, father to his
thought, if not pronouncement of his
power. She wished to sound him thor
oughly.
"Would it necessarily disturb our friends
to lose one Princess and discover another?
They might even rejoice to find she was not
of the foreign nobility"
"Oh, that part of it, of course" he ad-
mitted bluntly; "but they might discover
she was once just pretty girl in New Haven
tutoring and living very humble life. Not
that anything of the sort would make the
slightest difference to anyone like myself"
he haStened TO add. "hl1t tO Others would