The Irish standard., 1920-05-01

would help the situation. for now that
Ms duty as courier was over. there
Was no need for long protracted mel
ancholy.
1t was cheerful trio. then. that sat
down to breakfast: there was no ex-
hiiaration about it, but at least there
was no somher cloud Of mourning.
Angela. behind the coffee urn. had oc-
casional moments of pen.:veness. but
that was to be expected. and con-
doned: indeed, Hilliarl held himself to
be greatly favored by even this.
She was Imaginative, aud Hilliartl's
pose was calculated to appeal to live
" imagination. He treated her not as
q young girl, but with the respectful
Difference which belongs to a mature
woman. q mistress Of household, and
q hostess In her own right. She was
charmed and captivated. and so was
her father-most assuredly he was!
80 Charmed. in fact. that instead of
leaving for his Office at half past eight.
he fingered until half-past nine; so
captfvatcd, that as his limousine slid
quietly down the long, steep hill Of
James street, he found himself ascrib-
Ing new degree Of credit to Dicky
Morgan for the simple reason that
Dicky Morgan had gained the full es-
TEEN Of such friend as Hilliard.
A mighty nice young man. thought
Cullen. A man of soundest judgment.
through and through. A man of bril-
liant intellect and razor-edged analy-
sis. Had he not said, and furnished IL
Illustrations from his broad experience,
exactly what Cullen himself had said.
In regard to labor. and materials. and
transportation. and production, these
half dozen years? Cullen sat back
and smiled triumphantly. 1t does a
man good to hear his pet convictions
approved, expanded and laid down as
axioms by another wise man.
Back on the wide veranda Angela
had curled up comfortably In the ham.
mock and. beside her, Hilliard was en-
joying a cigarette. He was enjoying,
too, this rare interlude Of respite; he
looked across at Angela, and thanked
his stars for the invitation which had
made this quiet hour possible.
She lifted her eyes, caught Hilliard
smiling Mt her and blushed furiously,
not for any shame accruing to her, but
because she had arrived at the age of
easy bushes.
II . . suppose you're going over
to Carols pretty soon," she said. con-
strained to say something and grasp
ing at the first available idea.
$50 anxious to get rid of mer' he
asked, amused.
"Oh, no." Horror was in her tone
and modification. "Only wanted
to talk to you before you saw Carol.
Because Carol doesn't I don't
think she'll exactly feel as do about
this I know she won't. Maybe
it's because Dick and I were chums,
and she and Dick were oh, you
know. It's different. You ought to
take that into consideration-when
you talk to her, mean. don't mean
I don't care, because I do-terribly-
but -. I can see what 1t meant to
Dick and know how he'd have
loved it, and picked this out of every
possible way, to end things, but
Carol she's different"
"How?" Hilliard's voice was even,
but very low.
"Older," she said, looking away.
"And and they were going to
marry each other some time."
"But wasn't that broken off1
eyes. but she was waidng.".
"Waiting?"
"Why, Of course"
billiards. breath quickened.
II should have guessed that this Mr..
Armstrong"
"Oh, but that wasn't until she
thought Dick wasn't ever coming back.
And besides, she isn't really crazy
about him-just lonesome"
Indeed" Hilliard compelled him
self to relax. $50 you think she'll be
hurt?"
"Hurt?" Angela's voice was thin
with emphasis. "Isather!"
IF there's anything you think I'd
better say, or not say" He rose, out
Of sheer inability to endure this in
genuous estimate of Carols heartache.
perhaps you'll tell me-because it's
time for me to be going over"
Angela had risen, too, and stood be-
side him. Her features were COM