The Spectator., 1915-02-26


 guilty of performing only what she considered to be her bounden duty. My Dear Mir. Arthur: I do not know what to make of It. His likeness to you is the most unheard of thing. He is little bigger and broader and he wears his beard longer. That's all the differ ence. When he came on the boat that night, it was like a hand clutching at my | throat And you know how romantic | Elsa is, for all she believes she Is prosaic | I am certain that she sees you in this stranger who calls himself Warrington. l If only you had had the foresight to fol- | low us. a sailing or two later. And now | they'll be together for four or five days. ! down to Singapore. don't like IL. 1 There's something uncanny in the thing, 1 What If she did forbid you to follow? l There are some promises women like men | t break. You should have followed. Neither of us has the slightest idea l what the man has done to exile himself 1 in this horrible land for ten years. He | still behaves himself like a gentleman. | and he must have been one In the past. l But he has never spoken of his home. of his past of his people We don't even know that Warrington is his name And | you know that's sign that something Is wrong I wonder if you have any rela- tives by the name of Warrington? I be ! gin to see that mans face in my dreams | I am worried. For Elsa is a puzzle She has always been one to me. have ! been with her since her babYhood. and l yet I know as little of what goes on in ! her mind as a stranger would Her fla ther you know. was a soldier, of fierce ] loves and hates; her mother was hand some statue Elsa has her fathers scoru l for convention and his independence, | clothed in her mothers impenetrable sr,T-. Mao fE most adorable creature to me. and wor- ship her: but l worry about her. l be l leve that 1t would be wise on your part to meet us In Saa Francisco. Give my ! love and respect to your dear beautiful mother And marry Elsa as fast as ever you can.
 The day of sailing was brilliant and warm. Elsa sat in chair on the deck of the tender, watching the passengers as they came aboard A large tourist party hustled about, rummaged among the heaps of luggage, and shouted questions at their unhappy conductor.
 She saw Hooghly standing in the bow. A steamer trunk, kit-bag, bed ding-bag. Nnd the inevitable parrot cage. reposed at his feet. He was
 
 ment the stream passing up and down the gangplank If his master came, very we'll: if he did not. he would get off with the luggage. How she would have liked to question him regarding his master, Elsa began to offer ex- cuses for her interest in Warrington. He was the counterpart of Arthur Eli son. He had made his fortune against odds. He was mystery. Why shouldn't he interest her? Her mind was not ice. nor was her heart stone. She pitied him, always wondering what was back of 1t all She would be in Singapore; after that their paths would widen and become lost in the future, and she would forget all about him, save in shadowy way. She would marry Arthur whether she loved him or not. She was certain that he loved her He was, besides, her own sort; and there wasn't any mystery about him at all He was as clear to her as glass. For nearly ten years she had known him, since his and his mothers arrival in the small pretty Kentucky town. What was the use of hunting a fancy? Yes, she would marry Ar | thur. She was almost inclined to cable | him to meet her in San Francisco. (TO BE CONTINUEDD