The Washington herald., 1917-01-15

An icy wind blew Helen's chiffon skirts
about her white satin slippers as she
stepped from the taxi and hurried up un-
der the awninged entrance of the Croesus
Court apartments.
Warren, who had paused to pay the
driver, ran up the steps after her, his
stick under his arm as he thrust the
change into his pocket.
The door was opened BY an imposing
fiunky in a gold-braided uniform Enter
ing the bronzed. mirrored elevator they
were swung up to the Van Dorn's sixteen
room-and-fve-bath apartment.
A French maid ushered Helen in to a
white and gold bedroom, where another
maid helped her of with her wraps. The
pale silk rugs. the lace covered bed, the
satin hangings-every detail of the lux
urious appointments proclaimed wealth.
Nervously Helen arranged her hair,
powdered her bare shoulders, and then
found her way down the hall to the
drawing-room.
Mrs. Van Dorm, jeweled and extrava-
gantly gowned, came trailing forward
with efrusive, artificial cordiality.
Mrs. Curtis. / want you to meet Mrs.
Appleton. Mr.. Appleton. Miss Cramer.
Mr.. and Mrs. Eldridge"
With awkward self-consciousness Helen
murmured each name, then retreated to
distant, rose satin couch. Warren,
who enjoyed meeting people. and who
was never disconnected. was already talk
ing absorbedly with Mr.. Eldridge
Mrs. Van Dorm had seated herself on
the couch beside Helen. but almost i'm
mediately a new arrival claimed her at
tention. Left alone, Helen pulled at the
cord of the rose silk pillow, and tried to
look carelessly at ease.
She had known that the Van Dorns
were wealthy. but she had not known
that they lived pretentiously. The
guests were all strangers, and she looked
forward with dread to an uncomfortable
evening of constrained formality.
The butler now came in with tray of
cocktails. A moment later the wide glass
doors at the end of the drawing-room were
thrown open. and dinner was announced.
To Helen's surprise. Mr.. Appleton ap-
preached with a formal:
81 believe Mrs. Curtis I'm to have the
pleasure Of taking you in"
Flushed and disconnected, she took his
proffered arm. II was the first time she
had ever gone in to dinner in this formal
way.
The dining-room, with its carved oak
walls and ceiling was most impressive.
The table, set for twelve, glimmered
with silver and gold-crested china. Mr..
Appleton found their seats by the aid Of
place cards, and. with a courtly bow,
drew out Helen's chair
He was tall and thin. with a close
cropped gray mustache. A swift appraise-
ment. and Helen felt that It was going to
be hard to talk to him.
This is a very attractive room" feel
ing that she must say something.
Very" was his brief comment, which
ended that subject.
Warren was sitting across the table
with an expensively sowned woman.
whose name she had forgotten. They
were laughing and talking easily.
Suddenly Helen realized that the others
were eating. What was this on her plate
and which Of the 1ve forks must she use ?
The outer one, Of course, yet she picked
it up with nervous. verifying glance
at Mr. Appleton.
She had barely tasted the caviar-gar-
nished mound when-it was removed to
make way for a tall-stemmed cup Of
creamy broth. With this were served
tiny crescent sandwiches filled with chop
ped egg and mayonnaise.
Every one, else was talking, only she
and Mr.. Appleton were silent. He had
curtailed her initiating comment on the
dining-room with a resentful side glance
Why did he not broach a subject?
Have you heard Muzio in 'Tosca' this
Year," he asked finally.
Helen had never heard either Muzio or
"Tosca," but to say NO would close
that subject. Swiftly she caught at a re-
lieving falsehood.
mo, the last time I heard 'Tosca' was
in London" with a desperate effort to
switch the conversation to London, the
one topic on which she could assume a
Travelled. cosmopolitan air Then fairly
Juggling It in, Have you been over since
the war;
But her crude effort was unavailing
for just then Mr.. Appleton's attention