Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-17
CHAPTER III.

Fraulein Schroeder was still sitting in
the room. a black blot in the midst of
its bright chintzes, when a young lady
burst in from the PASSAGE She was
nretty girl in the dark, eager. intense
style. with rather too much color and
mouth that would become thin and hard
with years. On her arm she carried
large basket full of soft. drfted white
ness. She paused abruptly on seeing only
F'raulein.
ing in high, rapid voice can you tel
me where every one is
E'raulein Schroeder put down the Mirror
and took up her singularly plain and use
full looking knitting before repiylns: ,,o
cook and Mr. Sanderson is not down from
the admiralty yet. The others are.\l be-
leye somewhere in the garden.
Daphne Kidlington thanked her ana ran
on through the open window. Inc Wlhd
of her going made one or two particles
Of the drifted whitcness i'll her basket
float out. and. weaving a gentle zigzas
course through the air. they showed
themselves to be feathers. They settled
in delicate crescents on the carpet. up
tilted at either end like unsubstantial fairy
craft. Fraulein Schroeder looked at them
for a moment through her gold rimmed
snectacles with the ghost of PLACID
smile about her dry, tucked-ln little
mouth. .,
and Joined the little group she saw there
of Mrs. Lee, and she stared with frank
curiosity at the tall. handsome woman,
mentally clubbing her passee.
Mrs. Lee was, as a matter OF fact
good-looking woman OF ABOUT thlrty-nFe,
who gave the impression of being at once
too proud and too occupied with other
matters to have troubled to preserve an
illusion of youth. This in way. added
to her charm, as it showed her own con
fdence in tia confidence which was not
misplaced. From her swathed auburn
hair to her white shoes she was the
type Of an attractive. well poised woman
Of the world. She made Molly Pollock.
who was standing beside her. seem obVl-
Gus in her English prettiness. Andset
Molly Pollock was excessively pretty. 1t
was at present her outstanding charac-
teristic. 1t might be wondered what
christopher Brent. who for all his 1atu-
BUSINESS. had travelled widely and seen a
lot of the world, found to hold him IN
her.
present was nothing but the TRADITIONAL
English girl which enthralled him. She
was cream and roses. she was sum
mer's day. she was the scent OF clover.
she was all the things that come 10 a
mans mind at night when ne Is EVE w; 9 eue
under the African stars or beside MS nre
in the wilds of Canada. She was. IN
short, all that most men consciously or
unconsciousIy wish for in a WIe-dil
heart and an unawakened brain, all SEN
tir1ent and no passion.
The interesting thing to any one VINO
could get past her triumphant pretu,
ness enough to consider the matter wout,
have been to wonder exactly how 1ar IL
would improve Molly IL a character were
awakened in her. At present every one
was content with the roundness OF her
chin the slight upward tilt OF her nose
the sweetness of her full, but hexlpie'
mouth. and the clearness of her vice
hazel eyes. What need to look IuitneI
when a Young creature adds to all this an
rnaffectedlv sweet disposition?
Nobody did look further. least OF All
Molly herself-nobody, that is TO say
except Christopher Brent-and 1t was
lust this conformity to type in Molly
fyne of which she was the supreme eN-
nress ion that he loved her 1or IN
charm, in intelligence. in po1se, MOL!
could be no rival to Mrs Lee but II
was on Molly that Christopher eyes
and his heart rested.
He was standing little behind her
now. where he could see the golden
down on her nape. blurred by the sum-
and could see. too. the curve of her dell
cate1y ROSY cheek. He saw an added
flush deepen on it as she stepped Tor
ward to meet young Pennicuik with a
friendly "Hullo. Percy! This is jolly
The greetings were hardly over before
up.
Good morning. everybody. SAID
Daphne, brightly.
Various good mornings in dinerent
tones of fairness answered her.
Daphnes intense enthusiasms were
apt to he strain on other people, and
this morning it was obvious by the IN