The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-07-08
CHAPTER XIV.


uGIlS anu UdCh. SIO WduISu W NC
alone, wanted breathing space, wanted
the breeze to cool her hot cheeks. For
she was angry at the world, angry at
the gentle consul general, above all,
angry at herself. To have laid herself
open to the charge of indiscretion! To
have received lecture, however kind
| ly intended, from the man she loved
and respected next to her father! To
know that persons were exchanging
mods and whispers behind her back!
1t was a detestable world. 1t was
folly to be honest, to be kind, to be
| individual, to have likes and dislikes,
unless these might be regulated by
outsiders. Why should she care what
| people said? She did not care. What
made her furious was the absolute
stupidity of their deductions. She had
not been indiscreet; she had been
merely kindly and human; and if they
wanted to twist and misconstrue her
actions. let them do so.
Once or twice she saw inwardly the
will-o'-the-wisp lights of her soul. But
resolutely she smothered the sparks.
The coolie stopped suddenly.
go on" she said.
But the coolie smiled and wiped his
shaven poll. Elsa gazed at the hotel
veranda in bewilderment. Slowly she
got out of the rickshaw and paid the
fare. She had not the slightest recol-
lection Of having seen the gardens.
More than this, 1t was quarter to
seven. She had been gone exactly an
hour
Perhaps, after ALL" she thought, Il
am hopeless. They may be right;
ought to have guardian. / am not
always accountable for what do"
She dressed leisurely and with cal
culation. She was determined to con-
vince everyone that she was beau
tiful woman, above suspicion, above
reproach. The spirit within her was
not, however, in direct accord with
this determination. Malice stirred into
life again; and she wanted to hurt
someone, hurt deeply. 1t was only the
tame in spirit who, when injured, sub
ullLLOu WlLAOuC u1uA AAuA VI PAOlCol.
And Elsa, only dimly aware of it, was
mortally hurt.
Elsa" said Martha, that frown
will stay there some day. and never go
away"
Elsa rubbed 1t out with her finger.
Martha, do you recall that tiger in
the cage at Jaipur? How they leased
him until he lost his temper and came
smashing against the bars? Well, ]
sympathize with that brute. He would
have been peaceful enough had they
let him be- If Mr.. Warrington calls
to morrow, say that l am indisposed."
| Martha evinced her satisfaction
visibly. The frown returned between
Elsa's eyes and remained there until
she went downstairs to join the consul
general and his wife. She found some
very agreeable men and women, and
some of her natural gayety returned.
At a far table on the veranda she saw
Craig and Mallow in earnest converse
ton.
She nodded pleasantly to the COLO
AC1 cO I0C hOo0 wy NebAuO " 0AhO0hSO
that dinner was served. Anglo-Indian
society had so many twists and rami-
fications that the situation was not ex-
actly new to the old soldier. True,
none had confronted him identical to
this. But he had not disciplined men
all these years without acquiring abun-
dant self-control The little veins in
his nose turned purple, as Elsa
prophesied they would, but there was
no other indication of how distasteful
the moment was to him. He would
surely warn the consul general, who
doubtless was innocent enough.
They sat down. The colonel blinked.
Zine passage we had coming down."
"Was it," returned Elsa innocently.
The colonel reached for an olive and
bit into it savagely. He was no fool.
She had him at the end of a blind
alley, and there he must wait until she
was ready to let him go. She could
harry him or pretend to ignore him, as
suited her fancy. He was caught.
Women, all women, possessed at least
one attribute of the cat. 1t was dig
ging in the claw, hanging by 1t, and
boredly looking about the world to see
what was going on. At that moment
the colonel recognized the sting Of the
claw.
Elsa turned to her right and en-
gagged the French consul discursively;
indeed, she gradually became the CEN
ter of interest; she drew them inten-
tionally. She brought touch OF home
to the Frenchman, to the German, to
the Italian, to the Spaniard; and the
British official, in whose hands the
civil business of the Straits settle
ments rested. was charmed to learn
that Elsa had spent various week-ends
at the home of his sister in Surrey.