The Washington times., 1918-07-21
be allowed to be bappy9


most dishonorable intentions toward Mrs
Brown He may worship her quite In the
abstract"
"Fiddle-deedee, my child" said Colonel
Lowerby. Look at him! You don't un-
derstand the ornamental principles az
human nature If you say that When
man Is madly In love with a woman, Ra-
ture says, This is your mate not saint
of alabaster on a church altar There are
numbers Of animals about who find a
mate in every woman they come across.
But Hector Is not that sort Look at his
face-look at hin now they are passing
US. and tell me II you see any abstract
about it?"
Anne was forced to admit she did no.;
and It was with intense uneasiness she saw
her brother and his partner stop. and Dis
appear through one of the doors toward
the supper room.
When her mother perceived the situa-
tion-or Morella-disagreeabl moments
would begin at once for everybody!
Meanwhile, the culprits were extremely
happy. With the finest and noblest inten-
tion in the world, Theodore was too young
and too healthy, not to have become ex-
hilarated with the dance and the scene
Something whispered: Why should she not
enjoy herself tonight? What harm could
there be in dancins Every one danced
and Josiah, himself, had left her alone.
Hector had not said a word that she
must rebuke him for; they had just
waltzed and thrilled. and been-happy,
And now she was going to eat some sup
per with him, and forget there were any
to-moFrows.
They found a secluded corner. and spen.
half an hour in perfect peace. Hector was
an artist in pleasing women-and to-nigE!,
though he never once transgressed IA
words, she could feel through it all that he
loved her-loyed her madly. His voice
was so tender and deep. and his thoughi
for her slightest wish and comfort so evi-
dent; he was masterful, too, and settlel
what she was to dO-where to sit. and
now and then he made her look at him.
He was just so wildly happy he eoule
not stop to count the cost; and while he
worshipped her more deeply than when
they had sat on the soft greensward al
Versailles, even the whole sight OF her
pure soul now could not stop him-now be
knew she loved him, and that there were
nossibly others on the scene. She had
trusted him-had appealed to his superior
strength; he did not forget that fact quite
but here at ball was not the place to
analyZe what IL would mean. They were
just two guests dancing and supping like
the rest, and we're supremely content.
He found out where she was going fO.'
Whitsuntide, but said nothing of his own
intentions. The blindness and madness Of
love was upon him and held him in COM
plete bondage. The ffst shock, which he
look Of the wounded fawn had given him.
was over. They had suffered and made
good resolutions. and parted, and nov
they had met again. And he could no..
and would not. think where they might
drift to.
To be near>her, to look into her eyes. 10
be consei0ns of her personality was what
he asked at the moment, what he must
have. The rest of time was a blank, and
meaningless. It is not every man who
loves in this way-fortunately for the res,
Of the world! Many go through life with
now and then different woman merely as
an episode, as far as anything but a physical
emotion is concerned. Sport. or their own
ambitions. I'll up their real interests, and
no woman could break their hearts. But
Hector was not OF these. And this woman
had it in her power to make his heaven or
hell.
They had both passed through moments
OF exalted sentiment. even a little dra
matte in their tragedy and Tenunciation.
but circumstance is stronger always than
any highly strung emotion of good or evil
At the end of their goodbye at Madril
their story should have closed, as the
stories in books so often do. with the here
and heroine worked up to some wonderful
pitch OF self sacrifice and drama. TheS
so seldom tell of the fatness of the after
wards. The impOssibnitv of retaining a
balance on this high pinnacle Of moral
valor where circumstance. which Is <
COMMONPLACE and often material thing
DEGREES that the lights shall not be turned
out with the ring-dOwn of the curtain.
Unless death finishes what is appar,
emily the last act there is always the to-
morrow to he reckOned without of the
story book So while exalted-he by his
sudden worship Ct that pure sweetness Of
soul in Theodore which he had discovered
she by her innocence and desire to d.
right-they had been able to tune their
minds to an idea of tender goodbye, full
of sentiment and VOWS of abstract devc-
tiOn and adherence to duty.
And If he had gone to the ends OF the
earth that night the eXaltation, as a mem
ory might have continued, and time might
have healed their hurts-time and the
starvation of absence and separation BUt
fate had deCreed they should meet again
and soon: and all the forces which pr
Cipitated matters should be employed for
their undOing
For all else i'm life Hector was no weak
ling. He haC ALWAYS been a strong man.
and morally. II seemed no
great sin TO him to love another mans
wife All his friends did the same at one
periOd or another II was only when
ThpOdOra had awakened him that no hal