Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-07-09

the bell.
Three is such an impossible num-
/ ber." she declared, with well assumed
/ carelessness. Lady Anne has her own
salon adjoining her apartment. She
dimes there always. If 1 am without
company, / enjoy the rest of being
alone. She is very delightful in her
own way. your dear Lady Anne, but
she and 1 have not much in common
Come and see my roses"
She led the way into the conserva-
| tory, a dome-shaped building with COW
cred glass at the top fragrant, almost
faint, with the perfume of roses and
dropping exotics. A little fountain was
playing in the middle. When the but
Ter announced the service of dinner
and they returned to take their places,
she left the door open.
Tonight" she announced, as they
sat side by side at the small round
table. IT am going to take advantage
of the situation. / am your hostess
and you are an invalid. 1t is my OPP
portunity to talk. Are you a good lis
tener, Sir Julien?"
She had dropped her voice almost to
a whisper. Those beautiful deep-set
eyes were challenging his. She seemed
to have made up her mind that for that
night, at any rate, her beauty should
be unquestioned. She wore a dress Of
black net fitting very closely, Won
derful background for her white skin
and the ropes of pearls which were en-
twined about her neck. He had never
seen her decolette, but he remembered
reading in a ladies' fashion paper that
a famous sculptor had once declared her
neck and bust to be the most beautiful
In Paris. She had even added the
slightest touch Of color to her cheeks.
There was no longer any sign of the
wrinkles at the sides of her eyes. She
read the half ingenious, half unwilling
admiration in his face, and she
laughed at him.
"Ah. my friend" she murmured, II
can see that you object to the role of
listener Very we'll, then, you shall
talk. You shall tell me of your life
in England. You shall tell me what
dreams have come to you for the days
when once more you shall help to
shape the destinies of your nation. Tell
me how you mean to live! Shall you
he again-what was 1T Lady Anne
thought you?-a prig?"
IT am like many other and more
famous men," he remarked. Il have
learned much In adversely"
Il read the English papers," she
continued presently. II have also a
large correspondence. Do you know
that there is nearly a rebellion in your
party? Questions have been. asked
about you in the house. Both sides
want you back. There is a feeling that
you were allowed to go much too cas-
lily, that the indiscretion of which you
were guilty was a trife This man
Carraby is what you Gala cad! That
does not do in the high places. Ma
tionality cannot conceal a lack Of
breeding"
IT have thought over many things"
Julien admitted. eff the way is made
clear for me, I shall go back Why
not? 1 believe that can serve my
country, and it is the life for which
am best fitted. Carraby may have his
good points, but his ambitions have
been a little too extensive. He would
have made a better mayor of the town
where he was born"
f, "You are rightly she declared. There
is no place for such men in the great
world. You will go back. 1t is writ
ten. See-I drink to England's future
prime minister
| She raised her glass, which the but
Ter had just filled with champagne. She
looked into his eyes as she drank and
Julien was conscious of a passing I'M
easiness.> She set the glass down.
empty. Her hand lay for a moment
near his
you will go back" she murmured
I lou VIII lOISel ne pGOplG WllOin
you have met in your brief period OF
adversely will seem to you like shad-
ows. Is it not so?''
He took her hand and raised IT bold
ly to his lips.
"It will never be like that with you,
dear hostess" he assured her. There
are things which one does not forget"
She did not withdraw her hand It's
pressure upon his fingers was faint but
insistent
do you remember when we first
metz she said softly, how bitter we
were against the others-even at first
against one another? You had been
betrayed by that unimportant woman
and the whole sex was hateful to you.
I had just come from seeing the trag
edy caused by a mans Grass selfish
ness. /, too, was wearing the letters.
To me the whole of your sex seemed
abomlnable. 49,. You see," she
went on, my marriage was a terrible
disappointment 1 fancied that / was
marrying a great man, a genius, an
inspired statesman, and found my
self allied to a political machine. My
wealth-have I told you, I wonder that
I am very wealthy?-helped him. For
the rest, was a puppet by his side.
lived in Berlin for one year. Official
/ life in Berlin for an American woman,
even though she be Princess Won Falk-
enberg, is still intolerable. The men
were bad enough. the women worse.
could not breathe 1 was no part of
my husbands life. I was no part of
any ones life. The German women
did not understand me- My husband
oh, he is very German in his heart
only laughed at my complaints. He
would have been perfectly willing to
see me become as those others-haus-
frau-bearers of children, a domestic
article. So we separated-divorce at
that moment was impossible. 1 came
back to Paris"
you had no children?" Julien asked.
"One boy" she answered, her eyes
becoming very soft do not let us
talk Of him for a moment"
The service Of dinner continued. Out
side, the water from the fountain fell
into the basin with gentle, monot-
onous sound. The perfume of the
roses stole through the open doorway.
One softly-shaded lamp had been lit
but the rest of the lofty room remained
in shadowy obscurity. The light from
that one lamp seemed to fall full upon
Madame Christophers beautiful face.