The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-05-04


me-"
actress car and headed north along
the drive, than, instead of answering
Roses question, the actress repeated
one of her own.
81 ask you who you are, and you say
your name-Rose something. But
that tells me nothing. Who are you
one Of themw
''No, not exactly" said Rose. "Only
by accident. The man I married is
one of them, in way. l mean, be-
cause of his family and oil that. And
so they take me in"
$50 you are married." said the
Frenchwoman. "But not since long?"
"Six months" said Rose.
She said it so with the air of regard
ing 1t as very considerable period
of time, that Greville laughed. But
tell me about him, then, this husband
of yours. 1 saw him perhaps at the
tea this afternoonT
Rose laughed. mo, he draws the
line at teas" she said. "He says that
from seven o'clock on, until as late
as like, he's-game, you know-will-
ing to do whatever 1 like. But until
seven, there are Novel, he says,
siren songs for him."
"Tell me-you will forgive the in
discretion Of a stranger ?-how has it
arrived that you married him? Was
it one of your American romances?"
"It didn't seem very romantic" said
Rose. 1--WE just happened to get ac-
quainted, and we knew almost straight
off that we wanted to marry each
other, so we did, and-it came out
very we'll"
"It came out'?" questioned the
actress.
"Yes," said Rose. ENDED happily,
you know"
'Ended!" Madame Greville echoed.
Then she laughed.
Rose flushed and smiled at herself.
"Of course, I don't mean that" she
admitted, land 1 suppose six months
isn't so very long. Still you could
find out quite good deal-?"
"What is his AFFAIR."" The actress
preferred asking another question, it
seemed, to committing herself to an
answer to Roses unspoken one. ''Is
he one of your-what you call, tired
business men?"
Hes never tired" said Rose, "and
he isn't q business man. He's q law
vera rather special kind of lawyer.
He has other lawyers, mostly, for his
clients He's awfully enthusiastic
about it, He says it's the finest pro-
fession in the world If you don't let
yourself get dragged down into the
stupid routine of it. 1t certainly
sounds thrilling when he tells about
it,"
The actress looked round at her.
so" she said, you follow his work
as he follows your play? He talks
seriously to you about his affairs?"
"Why, yes" said Rose, 1--WE have
wonderful talks" Then she hesitated.
"At least we used to have. There
hasn't seemed to be much - time,
lately. I suppose that's it"
Zone question more said the
Frenchwoman, "and not an idle one
you will believe that? Alors! You
love your husband. No need to ask
that. But what do you mean by love!
Something vital and strong and essen
tial-the meeting Of thought with
thought, need with need, desire with
desire?"
yes" said Rose after a little
silence that's what l mean"
There was another silence, while the
Frenchwoman gazed contemplatively
out of the open window Of the limou-
sine.
Then Rose said: "But you are go
ing to tell me what you meant about
American women"
Madame Greville took her time
about answering. "They are an enig-
ma to me-" she said. II confess 1t.
1 haven't ever seen such women any
where as these upper-class Americans.
They are beautiful, clever; they know
how to dress. For the first hour, or
day, or week, of an acquaintance, they
have a charm quite incompatible.
And, up to a certain point, they ex-
ercise it. Your jeunes files are amaz-
ing. All over the world, men go mad
about them. But when they marry
:" She finished the sentence with
q ghost of shrug, and turned to Rose.
"Can you account for them? Were
you wondering at them, too, with
those great eyes of yours? Alors I!
Are we puzzled by the same thing?
What is it, to you, they lack?"
Rose stirred a little uneasily. Il
don't know" she said, except that
some of them seem a little dissatisfied
and restless, as if-well, as if they
wanted something they haven't got"
But do they truly want it," Ma
dame Greville demanded Il am
willing to be convinced; but myself,
4 find, of your women of the ariStocrat
class, the type most characteristic iS''
she paused and said the thing first
to herself in French, then translated
"iS a passive epicure in sensations
sensations mostly mental, irritating or
soothing-a pleasant variety. She
waits to be made to feel; she per-
petually-tastes. They give a stranger
like me the impression of being per-
fectly frigid, perfectly passionless.
And so, as you say, of missing the
great thing altogether. A few of your
women are great, but not as women,
and of secondrate men in petticoats
you have a vast number. But a wOm-
an. great by the qualities of her sex,
an artist in wOmanhOod, l have not