The Washington herald., 1914-10-11
tcouyrlsat. %

half past seven, he found th'
foyer already swarming witt
a busting mob of women
swaddled in opera cloaks
and prosperous-looking men oyercoat.
ed and muHiered. The head usher di-
rected him up a brief flight of steps
and another attendant unlocked door
marked with the name plate of Linds-
ley Tait.
When Forbes stepped to the edge OF
the box, he seemed to be the entire
audience, another mad King of Ba-
varia come to witness a performance in
solitude.
But when he took the next step for
ird he found a multitude. Above him
saw other horseshoes in tiers dense
tn faces peerins downward Below
plain Of Babel inhabited by the
Is of heads, numberless pates in long
ndrows, the mems skulls close-crop-
or bald, and their shoulders black;
women's deliberately coiffed, over
enormous acreage of barred shoulders
busts.
The prelude was one long stream Of
ter-sweet honey, and it affected
rbes as music had never affected him.
wondered how people could ever
We ridiculed or resisted this man
agner. He wished that Persis would
me soon. He thought of her as
'ersis"-or Isolde" he could not
nix of her as Miss Cabot to this mu-
The first act was ended and the long
.ernission almost over before she ar
sed, with EnsIee, followed immediate
by Bob and Winifred, and last of all
the hostess, Mrs. Neff.
Persis dropped into a chair on the
ght. Winifred pushed Mrs. Neff into
e other, and sat back of her. Willie
lnexed the chair behind Persis, Bob
leming took that aft of Winifred, and
lotioned Forbes to the center chair.
hen Mrs. Neff beckoned him to hunch
onward into the narrow space between
er and Persis.
Forbes pretended to be looking over
he audience on his right, but he was
1oking at Persis.
She was a combination of beauty un-
dorned and most adorned. Despite
er trappings of gem and fabric, even
lore of her was candidly presented
ian at the theater last night-or was
not a year ago? Surely he must have
nown her for more than day.
The second act of the opera proved
} be hardly more than a prolonged
uet. The rapture of it outlasted
'orbes' endurance; it did not bore him,
wore him out.
The wO-+an-neXt-h -hIm was becoming
lore beautiful every moment. He felt
craving to touch her-with reverence;
} link arms in comrsdeship, and to
ench hands with her when the music |
ormed the peaks.
An aura seemed to transpire mistiiy |
ON his pores to meet the aureole that |
about her.
But Fate can play the clown as well |
! the trsgedian, and accomplish as
uch by an absurd accident as by elab-
ate glooms.
That afternoon, when Forbes was
red into the haberdashery, he had in
.sted in black silk hosiery, very sheer
Id very dear. Later he had acquired
pair of new pumps. The shoes were
It too small, but their rigid edge cut
S instep like dull knife. BY the time
at lsolde's husband had found her in
arms, and begun to deplore
S friends treachery at great length,
E pressure upon Forbes heart relaxed
ough to let his feet attract his atten-
IN. They proclaimed their discom-
IT acutely.
After some hesitation he resolved to
p them out of their glistenine jails a
oment, under cover of the darkness.
A sense of immense relief rejoiced /
n when he sat with his silk-stocking- I
feet perched on top of instead of in
le Of his shoes. Though he was TN |
are of it, he was not the only one
that box to seize the opportunity. |
eaven alone knew how much empty |
ot-gear was scattered along the floors
that opera house. Persis for one |
vacated her slippers long ago. She
Ways did at every opportunity.
Eventually she tucked her little left |
u back of her and bent it round the
of her chair. By and by Forbes, I
shifting his position, Strengthened his r
ut knee. His foot collided with a +
st smooth something, and paused in I
ind of surprise. Primevally our feet
as much tactile intelligence as our a
Ids, and Forbes almost prehensile q
toe pondered that tiny promontory d
then it hastily explored the Il
ssy surface of Persis' sole. c
,ilk is a facile conductor of cleo c
ity, and Persis was not divine enough r.
ugh TO be above ticlllishness. Shud-
s of exquisite torment ran through 6,
before she could snatch her foot o
ay. And before she could check the &
'ulse she snickered aloud.
md Forbes, suddenly understanding 9
1t he had done, snickered, too, and u
managed to throttle down a loud 81
iaw a
irs. Neff and Winifred turned in
lzement at hearing such a sound at O
D time, and the women in the next 81
cranedtheir necks to infict a puni- q
glare. Which made it all the worse.
ersis would have taken to fight, but b,
of her slippers she could not find,
she could not get the other on. m
he and Forbes were still stufing b,
r handkerchiefs into their mouths pi
n the act ended. as the pitifulIy b
raught Tristan permitted the in oi
ated Melot to thrust him through M
a sword, and fell back in Kur- bt
ais arms. %