Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-06
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR APRIL 8 1918

tlries without success. My-that IS Mr..
Pless has spent days down there. He is very
hard up, you know. 1t would GENE in very
handy for him.
glowered. I'm glad he's gone. l don't
like the idea OF his looking for treasures in
my castle.
She gave me smile for that
CHAPTER x. l Agree to Meet the Enemy
MORNING came, and with it sullen
A'A determination to get down to work on
my long neglected novel. | went down to
breakfast. Everything about the place
looked bleak and dreary and as gray as
granite tombstone. My coffee was bitter,
the peaches were like sponges, the bacon
and rolls of uniform sogginess, and the eggs
of strange liverish hue. | sat there alone,
gloomy and depressed, contrasting the hate
full sunshine with the soft, w1tch1ng retul-
gence of twentv-four candles and the light
that lies in woman's eyes.
"Send Mr. Poopendyke to. me, Hawkes.,
Immediately after I've finished my break
fast"
"Very good, Sir Oh, beg pardon, Sir.
| am forgetting Mr.. Poopendyke is out.
He asked me to tell you he wouldn't return
before eleven
"Out! What business has he to be
outo"
"Well, Sir, mean to say, he's not pre-
cisely out, and he isn't just what one would
call in. He is up in the-ahem! east
wing, Sir, taking down some correspondence
for the-for the lady, Sir.
| arose to the occasion. quite SO, quite
SO. l had forgotten the appointment.
eyes, Sir, thought you had.
"Ahem! dare say Britton will do quite
as well. Tell him to"
@Britton, Sir, has gone over to the city
for the newspapers. You forget that ne goes
every morning as soon as he has had his
eyes, YES! Certainly" l said hastily
aThe papers Ha-ha, Quite right
The Countess read the papers; | did not.
TT was nearly twelve when my secretary
reported to me. "Mr. Poopendyke,' |
coldly inquired, "are you employed by me
or by that woman UPSTAIRS should never
have spoken of her as that woman be-
lieve me, if had not been in state of irri-
tation.
He looked positively stunned. Sir he
gasped.
| demanded rather fercely, "Are you?7
"The Countess had got dreadfully behind
with her work, Sir, and | thought you
wouldn't mind if helped her out bit, he
explained nervously.
"Work! What work.
"Her diary, Sir. She is keeping diary.
Indeed"
at is very interesting, Mr.. Smart. Rather
beats any novel I've read lately. We
we've brought it quite up to date. | wrote
at least three pages about the dinner last
night If | am to believe what she puts into
her diary, it must have been delightful oc-
casion, as the newspapers would say
was somewhat Modified. What did she
have to say about it, Fred?. | asked. 1t
always pleases him to be called Fred.
@That would be betraying confidence,
said he. II will say this much, however:
think wrote your name fifty times or more
in connection with it.
A sudden chill came over me. "She isn't
figuring on having it published, is she?"
Il can't say as to that, was his disqulet-
ing reply. Il think it is safe to assume,
however, that it is not meant for publlca-
ton 1t strikes me as being bit too per-
sonal There are parts of it that don't be
lieve she'd dare to put into print, although
she reeled them off to me without so much
as blush. Pom my soul, Mr.. Smart, |
never was so embarrassed in my life! She
"Never mind l interrupted hastily.
Don't tell tales out of school.
He was silent for moment. lingering his