The spectator., 1920-08-17


 my hair"
 He stared at her, speechless. She had on kimono of soft pink silk em- broidered with gold flowers. In one hand she held silver backed hair brush.
 here are your mannerS? she re- proved. and she went to set two chairs before the full-length mirror on the wall opposite the bathroom passage. Come. I don't want to have to shoEt to you over there. Sit down and be- have"
 He started to obey. and blushed as his stockinged feet appeared from un- der the edge of his robe. But she had perched on one of the chairs and was studying herself in the mirror.
 He seated himself in the chair close beside her. She handed him the hair brush and put up both hands to her head The loose sleeves of her kimo- no slipped down. barring her dimpled white arms. He stared, fascinated at them and at her shapely fingers, which were nimbly drawing the pins from her hair. Soon the thick coils began to sag.
 She shook her head. All the glossy brown locks came tumbling down about her slender shoulders She turned sideways with her back to him. and, clasping the hairpins in her lap, sat waiting He gazed in won iy,,y J ,t.,1 bling hair and the shapely little head from which 1t flowed down. "Why don't you begin?" she impa- tiently demanded. You'll never fin. ish unless you start" 'Start?" Brushing. stupidw "Iou-do you mean you wish me to ito brush your hair?" "Oh no; I'm merely sitting here for you to look at." she bantered. 'Dont be goose" She caught the brush from him and made half dozen vigorous strokeA each time running her free hand under the brown maze. He took the brush from her backwardstretched hand, and asked in a deep low tone: Am I to hold 1t that way with my hand?"
 How else can you do 1t right!' she replied.
 He cautiously took full stroke l, from her forehead back across her dainty head and down the ripping mass of hair. His smile was now that of man completely lost in bissful in- tOxication. That's better" she said; "only still harder. Don't be afraid. I'm not Q paper doll-There. that's the way. Now can settle down and talk. First of all, I'm going to tell you the bad news and get through with it."
 "Yes?" he asked, inhnling the deli cious fragrance of her hair.
 You're not listening. and It's very important. It has made me dreadfully cross at Charlie"
 He stlffened at the name. instantly him7 Has he-?"
 "Yes. But that's not the trouble. the bank has been making fuss. It can wait. The horrid thing IS mat about those bonds you lost. They claim that you have lot of money in a Chicago bank"
 "Yes. What of it?" "That proves what told Charlie. Of course you don't realize-you can't realize"
 Realize what?" he asked. pausing in the midst of long brush stroke.
 "Why. about the bonds."
 You mean the bonds lost by your brother?"
 Charlie knows some one who has found out all about them. IL must have been a detective. He found the key of the safe deposit vault in your pocket"
 "In my pocket?"
 Charlie said the man said the key was found in your pocket, and-Oh. forgot He said 1t was all secret yet. But of course you're my brother. and you ought to know. and you won't tell will you?"
 "Why should IT Please go on. fail to understand about the key. But how about it? If it was a detective that found the key, he must have dis covered where it belonged and found the missing bonds"