The Washington times., 1918-07-13

row. VIII you be al home in the after
noon any timer"
Il expect So" replied THEODORE. She
was true he was going to marry that large.
pink-faced young woman opposite. who
was now staring down upon them with
fixed opera-glasses; but she felt FROZEN.
and her voice was q frozen voice.
Hector became more and more unhappy.
He tried several subjects. He told her the
last news OF her father and Mrs Mcbride
She answered them all with the same. DO
likeness. until. maddened beyond bearing.
he leaned stfl farther forward and Whis-
pered in her ear:
For heavens sake. what . it? What
have done7"
Nothing" said Theodore. What right
had she to ask him any question, when for
these seven nights and days since they
had parted she had been disciplinins her
self not to think Of him in any way? She
must never let him know 1t could matter
to her now.
-Nothing7 Then why are you so
changed? An. how il hurst he Whis-
pered. passionately. And she turned and
looked at him. and he saw that her beauti-
full Eyes were no longer those pure depths
OF blue sky In which he could read love and.
faith. but were full Of mist. as Of q curtain
between them
He put his hand up to touch the little,
gold case he carried always now in his
waistcoat pocket. which contained her let
ter. He wanted to assure himself Il was
there. and she had written it-and'it was
not al dream.
Theodora's tender heart was wrung by
the passionate distress in his eyes,
''Is that your mother over there you.
were with she asked. more gently. How
beautiful she isl
"Yes." he said. my mother and Morella
winmarleigh. whom the world in general
and my mother in particular have decided
am going to marry
She did not speak She felt suddenly,
ashamed she could ever have doubted him;
it must be the varying atmosphere Of Mrs.
Devlyn's society for these last days which
had planted thoughts. so foreign to her ma
ture. in her. She did not yet know II was
jealousy pure and simple, which attacks
the sweetest, as well as the bftterest, soul
among US all But thrill Of gladness ran
through her assweIl as shame.
And aren't you going to marry her,
then? she said. at last. she is very
handsome"
Hector looked at her. and a wave of joy
chased out the pain he had suffered. That
was Il, then! They had told her this al
ready, and she hated it-she cared for him
still.
Surely you need not ask me-" he said,
deep reproach in his eyes. you must be
very changed in seven days to even have
thought it possible"
The shame deepened in Theodore. She
was, indeed. unlike herself to have been
moved at all by Mrs. Devlyn's words. but
she would never doubt again. and she must
tell him that
she looked away. "I-of course ] ought TO
be pleased at anything which made you
happy, but-oh, hated it,"
Theodore" he said, Il ask you-do not
act with me ever-to what end? We know
each others hearts, and hope IL would
pain you were to marry any other woman,
as much as in like circumstances ID would
pain me-"
"Yes. it would pain me-" she said. sim
ply. But. oh, we must not speak thus.
Please, please talk Of the music. or the
-the-oh. anything but ourselves"
And he tried hard for the few moments
which remained before the curtain rose
again. Tried hard, but 1t was all dust and
ashes; and as he left the box and returned
to his own seat next door his heart felt
like lead. How would he be able to follow
the rules he had laid down for himself dur
"You see. dear Lady Bracondale" Nor
ella WinmarIeigh had been saying. "Hec-
tor knows that woman with the pearls. He
is sitting talking to her now"
: Hector knows every one. Morella. Lend
me your glasses. mine do not seem to work
tonight Yes, l suppose by some she
WOULD be considered pretty" Lady Braeon-
dale continued, when the lOrgnette was
fixed to her focus. "What do you think,
dear?'
Pretty" exclaimed Miss WinmaFleigh.
"Oh no.. Much too white. and, Oh-er-
foreign-lOoking. We must find out who she
is
The matter was not difficult. Half the
house had been interested in the new
conner. the beautiful newcomer with the
wonderful pearls, who must be worth while
in some way, or she would. not be under
the wing Of Florence DeVlyn.
BY the time Hector again entered their
box in the last act Miss WinmarIeigh had
obtained all the information she wanted
from one OF the many visitors who came
to pay their court to the heiress. And the
information treasured her. Only the wife
of a colonial millionaire; no one OF her
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