Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-05-03


work to gain an admission to British
society. selecting Toppington. an impe-
cuniOuS nOblpman of excellent lineage,
whatever that means. and one Of the
best social engineers in London.
He advised with Toppington as to
what lady he should reserve for him
self to take into dinner. and Topping
ton told him that Gladys PoindeXter
would be lis well worth cultivating as
any one. Toppington also explained
that Gladys was ignorant of the fact
that her presence had been purchased
and If she got an inkling Of 1t the
Poindexters from that moment must
he counted out from their calculations.
Springer was especially attentive to
this information. He had keen ap'
probation of values and values of diff
ferent kinds. Moreover. he appreciate
ed the difference between moral and
money values lie had no permanent
use for these people whom he had
bought and was interested in meeting
one whom he could not buy. He was
| tionaiSt lie devoted his exclusive
attention to Gladys PoindeXter re-
| framing from being diverted from her
nj any time by others. There are thee
| stages Of refnement-viZ. not enough.
n sufficiency and too much Springer
belonged to the middle Of these three
classes. lie had not become effemi.
nate. Indeed. he was fine specimen
of physical and intellectual vt%or not
yet undermined by possession of alb
normal wealth Such man was like
LILY to be agreeable to such girl as
| Gladys PoindeXter
The American succeeded in making
as quick an introduction into London
| society as he had into the coterie or
multimillionaireS. He was more often
| met in the Poindexters' company than
others. and his attentions to Miss
Gladys were noticed. But one day
there came a terrible break in this In
! timacy. Gladys was relied upon by
her father and mother TO guide the
family down the dangerous current
of family finance, and many rock
she avoided by her management. One
! day when she was trying to make the
balance in her check book and pass
book agree she came upon an Item OF
f2tO to the family credit that she
rorld not account for. Her mother
should have provided some means OF
toncealing Toppington's check, but
mad failed to do So Gladys demand
ed to know what the check was for.
There was a family Jar, at the end OF
which Lady PoindeXter confessed
that the money had come indirectly
from the American.
Had Gladys been Indifferent to
springer the discovery would have
been extremely painful, but since she
had been, to say the least, much
pleased with him the incident plunged
her into the depths Of modification.
Filial consideration prevented her
venting her feelings upon her poor old
parents. Toppington was beneath her
contempt. Springer was the only one
ct to be made to feel her Indignation.
The next time she met him socially
at O ball given by the Marchioness of
Bladesby-she turned her back upon
him. He at once OWNED the cause.
For the first time since his arrival
in London Springer felt that he had
encountered something that his MIL
lions were powerless to smooth away
Here was a girl striving to maintain
for her family-contrary to her own
iudgment-the social standing they
had always enjoyed, maintaining for
herself rather the substance than the
shadow Of that position. for whose
acquaintance, unbeknown to her, he
had paid out money from his newly
acquired millions. 1t was doubtful to
which Of the two the situation was
more painful, the American or the
English girl. His having purchased
an entire from the others gave him no
oualms of conscience or self contempt;
his purchase from Gladys Poindexter
he regarded brutal use of his money.
He did not know how to go about
making reparation. He had no right
to enter her house and had not had
any such right from the first. since
had she known the terms on which
the acquaintance had been made she
would not have consented to them
To write an excuse would be only to
add to the insult he had offered. 1t
seemed to him that he could do moth
ing but grin and bear the position he
occupied toward her.
Toppington. who was very adroit,
very tactful, felt it to his interest to
smooth the matter over The Poin-
dexters we're among those whom he
considered his stock in trade, and any
break between him and them would be
to his injury. After giving Gladys
time to cool no went to her and exon
ernlcd Springer from all blame, assur-
ing her TINT he Ind known nothing Of
those who were to be approached with
view 10 buying hia way into society.
She nverred TINT no man with the in
stIncln Of II gentleman would buy his
wny into my aocisty.
| However the moro she thought OF
the mnlter tho more she blamed every
ono connected with 1t more than she
blnmed tho fountainhead. Indeed.
sbe cnme To feel d secret admiration
| for this man who had so profound a
contempt for the etfete social distinc-
tons of the old world that he set about
its purchase in the same way he would
buy a country place. She had always
heard America and Americans decried,
l,,+ TIM incident had brought out as