The Washington times., 1913-09-18

7 had overheard the instructions upon
which she vas acting.
| While we were waiting for car, l
began to form a new opinion of women
\ breeding engaged in business Of which
| my notion had never been exalted. This,
perhaps, argued that the mission on
| which she was engaged was a matter
| of high imrortance-which puzzled me
greatly. How was I concerned in It?
What did know that the tall man
wanted to know?
I was very curious to see how this
| agent of his would go about the re-
mainder of her quest. She seemed to
be in no hurry whatever. At hrst had
| set her down as no more than an ANA
teur in the business; now I began to
conclude that, even II an amateur, she
was decidedly clever-a mistress Of dis
stimulation.
Only once on the way downtown did
exploration Of the Capitol.
You saw me at the .Capitol?" she
ventured.
1 concluded that she was anxious to
learn just how much I knew concern
ing her errand. :
passed you twice" I answered, in a
tone of assumed carelessness.
She must have known that was tell
ing much lees than the whole truth. out
think my reply relieved her some
what. as indicating that intended 70
make no reference to past events: She
did not speak Of the matter again, nor
did / urge it, being quite willing to let
her follow her own method. .
II she had a method. 1t was beauti-
fully indirect. We talked about every
thing save that which concerned us
both overwhelmingly. She was bright.
and often whimsical, with quick sense
Of humor, particularly sense OF tne
absurd; yet there was nothing shallow
or superficial about her mind.
/ found her more interesting IN SER,
Gus moments than in her occasional
bursts of gayety. Often ! would catch
a grave, thoughtful expression In her
face, her big brown eyes gazing IN
detached way at something they did NOT
appear to see. She would rouse herseH
with a little shrug when she found me
studying her. usually supplementing u
with some casual question concernns
the nearest object of interest tnat pre-
sented itself.
once she asked me II was a lawyer.
When 1 replied in the negative, she re-
iapsed into another spell Of silence. Inc
tan man, who evidently knew who l
was must have been aware OF tne iacl
that / was rot of the legal profession'
but had not supplied her with the ~
formation - ,
II can only offer you tne ao~iSe VI
layman," / said u,n
DO you know anything about ~lis
she asked. abruptly.
mot the least. l never made one, ana
/ never got anything out OF one. why e
Are you making your Will
This struck her as amusing. for she
laughed, but did not explain. Her laugh
pleased me. 1t was low and meiodious:
like some soothing musical choro' Just
the sort Of laugh that harmonized with
her voice A strident laugh IN woman
annoys me. Hers was mellow, solt ana
smooth.
Though 1 knew she was playing
part. there was one quality about her
which unobtrusively impressed Itself
upon me as genuine. She had the blrth
and breeding OF a gentlewoman. What
] could not reconcile with this was the
fact that she was engaged in an ad-
venture. il IL might be SO called, upon
which no lady. under circumstances
easily conceivable, would embark.
And the tall man, He seemed utterly
incongruous when l studied this slender.
charming. almost aristocratic young
woman at my side.
/ decided to let the situation work it
self out in its own way. having already
taken all the initiative that I proposed
to assume
The restaurant we entered is one Of
the popular lunch resorts Of the WASH
ington hotel district, but the usual mid
day rush was over, and We had no diff
ficulty in obtaining a table in a quiet
corner of the room. Here she pleased
me agan, for she ordered what she
wanted promptly and without hesita-
tion.. / am not clever at ordering lunch
cons for ladies: it bothers me when they
pore over the menu card as II they
were considering the problem from the
financial aspect, and then appeal to my
own unimaginative mind for sugges-
tions. This woman knew what she
wanted, and she asked for 1t without
making a preliminary study Of prices.
One Of the many vagaries Of male
vanity, as have studied II, is pleasure
at being discovered in some public place
with a pretty woman. Perhaps 1t Is a
trait inherited from our aboriginal an
cestors. modified by time and conven-
ton, yet still expressing in a feeble
way mans exultation over capture and
possession. 1 was fattering myself with
this sentiment when ] chanced to glance
about the dining room and my eye fell
upon a party of three women seated at
a table not far distant.
i blushed hotly. like a schoolboy
trapped deep in guilt by his teacher. 1t
must have been peculiarly obvious
an appraising glance. and asked:
rs anything the matter?'
Not at ALL" ! answered. quickly 1T
just seems a little warm in here"
But there was something the matter
very much the matter. One Of the
three women who were just finishing
their lunch was Miss Fenwick. and
Jeanette Fenwick and ] were engaged
to he married
Here was an encounter upon which
7 had not for moment calculate
Thnt Jeannett had seen me was beyond
doubt. That she knew no more OF the
identity OF NV comnan'On than did
myself was also probably true That
she must have recognized in her how.