The Monticellonian., 1915-02-11

He had told Marta only two weeks ago that he should see her again if war came; and war had come. With the inviting prospect of a few holiday moments in which to continue the in terview that had been abruptly con cluded in hotel eception-room, he started down the terrace steps. Above the second terrace he saw a crown of woman's hair-hair of jet abundance, shading a face that brought familiar completeness to the scene. Their glances met where the path ended at the second terrace flight; hers shot with beam of restrained and ques- tioning good humor that spoke at least truce to the invader
 You called sooner than 1 expected" she said in a note of equivocal pleas antry.
 "Or l." he rejoined with a shade of triumph, the politest of triumph. He was step above her. her head on a level with the pocket of his blouse. His square shoulders. commanding height, and military erectness were thus emphasized, as was her own femi- nine slightness.
 T want to thank you" she said "As becomes a soldier, your forethought was expressed in action. It was the promptness of the men you sent to look after the garden which saved the uprooted plants before they were past recovery"
 T wished it for your sake and some what for my own sake to be the same that it was in the days when I used to call" he said graciously. Tea was from four to five, do you remember? Will you join me? I have just ordered it."
 A generous, pleasant conqueror, this! No one knew better than Wester- ling how to be one when he chose. He was something of an actor. Leaders of men of his type usually are.
 Why, yes. Very gladly" she as- sented with no undue cordiality and no undue constraint, quite as if there were no war
 Neutrality could not be better i'm personated, he thought, than in the even .cleaving of her lips over the words. They seemed to say that a storm had come and gone and new set of masters had taken the place of the old. AS they approached the yeranda Francois was placing the tea things.
 Just like the old days. isn't it?" he exclaimed with his first sip, convinced that the officers commissary supplied excellent tea in the field.
 Yes, for the moment-if we forget the war," she replied, and looked away. preoccupied, toward the land scape.
 If we forget the war! She bore on the words rather grimly The change that he had noted between the Marta of the hotel reception-room and the Marta of the moment was not alto gether the work of ten years. It had developed since she was in the capi- tai. In these three weeks war had been brought to her door. She had been under heavy fire. Yet this sub ject of the war was the one which he, as an invader, considered himself bound to avoid.
 We do forget it at tea, don't we?" he asked.
 "At least we need not speak of it!" she replied
 T am staying tonight. I was going to ask if you wouldn't remain on the veranda while I go over these pa pers lit would be very cozy and pleasant"
 "Why, yes," she agreed with evident pleasure.
 Turcas came, in answer to Wester- ling's ring. The orders and sugges- tions on the table seemed to be the product of this lath of a man, the vice. chief, but a lath of steel, not wood, who appeared a runner trained for