Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-27

the goods. She had been perfectly sat
isfied to have me bring my first deposit
to her when we met to start on our
weary social climb.
mo, because I don't want to carry 1t
round with me out there"
= "I'll carry it round and give 1t to
you as we part in town"
"Td rather you'd post it."
You can call a messenger. Til pay
him. l took you before. so you know
I can"
day at Henley was cropping out again.
II she could. would she? And could
she II she would?
This Is a small hotel. I answered,
land they may not have the currency
now.
without any warning that such a
thing was to happen the reply came in
another voice:
''Wnl you tell me. please The count
ess does not hear very well. L am her
mother
repeated what we had been saying.
Cant you send check" she pro-
posed.
'I haven't a checking account in Eng
land. 1 have only letter of credit
here. I could send a check on an
American bank. but you wouldn't want
that"
What bank is it,"
The Astor Trust Company" I an
swered.
''oh. yes My daughter knows Mrs.
Aston. 1 think she was at my daugh-
ter's dance. That will be all right"
II will send it, then.
And that's for ten. you understand
not five-ten."
I said 1 understood the amount per-
fectly, and asked whether I might
speak to the countess again. She could
once more hear me quite distinctly.
Are you sure 1 asked. that the
lilo
Yes: I've telephoned through and
she's going to send me a card"'
XIX
In spite of her protests Of the after
noon she had put herself in a position
to deliver the goods before she knew
whether they were ordered. She had
said she would not bother for less than
f10 and yet she had done so on the haz-
ard Of a good chance to get nothing at
ali. What acuteness of business in
stinct prompted her to demand the
money that night? Such a faculty
necessarily embraced a Complementary
sagacity to tell her that q check is
worth exactly nothing at all few
hours after it's issuance IL the signer
wishes to make 1t SO.
There was a chance that the countess
hesitated. on account Of my costuming.
to introduce me to the sister-in-law of
the queen. I had fewer clothes than
usual. which was very few. I had pro-
posed getting some when we first be-
gan going round together, but she had
absolutely vetoed that. I now asked
her the address Of a shop. but she ad-
hered to her previous attitude. The
editorial Of comment on my advertise
ment said that my sponsor would run
me into expensive dressmaking estab-
lfshments. who would pay her for doing
SO: This was one Of their many mis-
taken presageS.
She regretted the ruching I bought
for sleeves. II had any money to
spend she wished to get it. and
business. In case she meant to
she meant to take me costumed as I
should not dress for one Of our Ameri-
can parties. I wondered whether that
or some respect for the name Of royalty
made her hesitate to introduce to the
princess a totally unidentified stranger
for pay.
asked my hotel the equivalent of
f10 in American money. and made out
said was $3.50. The doorman took it
to the post box for me. 1t must have
reached her that night, and thereupon
she began immediate action. In the
first mail the next morning my card
came. AS she could not have received
it after the arrival of my money, she
must have done SO before-several
days before. probably, and she would
have sold 1t for e. rather than have 1t
on her hands.
She meant to take me, and, though !
could not follow all the mental proc
esses swaying. this action. took pleas
ure in examining my card. 1t said that
their respective highnesses would give
not only Miss Brush. but friends of
Miss Brush, the honor of meeting them.
I thought I would get the benefit of
that $3.50 by rounding up all the
Americans I knew in London and pre-
senting them to royalty.
The first one to whom telephoned
was a Chicago lawyer and Harvard
man of about thirty three. He de-
manded to have the entire situation ex-
planned to him twice. and then he
laughed. What did he want to meet