The Washington times., 1920-07-18

licitor was in box at the "Odeon,'
watching rather sadly the person
of Stella Benham, who, attired in
the picturesque garb of a gypsy
girl, was fascinating the impossi.
BILE hero of the particular musical
comedy which was casting the
spell Of a moment over the metrop-
oils. Roberts hands clenched hard
uron the velvet arm of his stall as
he watched
The scene in the hands Of Ruby
Foster had seemed to him inane
and had never had any meaning,
but now that the girl he loved was
a principal in it it took on new
significance. He called to mind
the evil reputation of the ladies
idol who was now on the stage with
Stella, his dissolute associations
and habits, and his club-talk of wo-
men. II seemed to the man sitting
in the box as though every word
darcy Epgrave uttered, every ges.
ture was an insult He felt curl
ously impotent sitting there among
the well-dressed audience. He
gazed at the inane faces around
him. the bored smiles, the eager,
vacant expressions. How he
loathed them all.
A litter went up from the house
and the solicitor turned his eyes
again to the stage. The hero, with
a leer that wrinkled up his full
cheeks. had slipped an arm round
Stella's waist, and had kissed her
not on the cheek, but full on the
lips.
The lips!
With a muttered oath Robert
rose from his seat and made his
way out into the foyer Of the
theatre. He was beside himself
with passion and self-loathing that
he should have placed himself in
such a degrading position. He
took his hat from the cloak-room
and walked quickly from the the
atre. On through the West End
streets, with their crowd of pleas
ure-seekers. through the quieter
ways of Mayfair. and so into the
park. It was better here, in this
oasis Of silence.
How he hated the heat and
glamor Of the mimic world Of the
theatre, its tinsel and its paint
He wanted to take Stella-his
Stella-away from it all, away from
the cities, to watch together the
sun set over the downs, and to
walk with her in cool woods at
evening.
He felt that he could not return
to meet her at the theatre. To
night Of all nights he could not
stand at the little shabby stage
door among the loafers who would
be there to see her come out. He
knew that Mrs. Benham always
drove down in the hired brougham
to meet her daughter-and Stella
would understand his absence.
It was late when Robert reached
his rooms. The Baxenter house
had been given up, and the new
head OF the firm found the little
bachelor fiat in Craven street more
to his taste than the gloomy, ghost.
ridden house at Regents Park.
He had taken on his late cousins
man, and he found him now await.
ing his return.
Jowett took his masters hat and
coat and placed the decanters and
syphon ready to hand.
There's nothing more, Jowett.
to-night-when did this Gomez"
Robert took up, as he spoke, an en-.
velope that had been propped up
against the clock on the mantel-
piece.
Half an hour ago, sir; the at.
tendant from the theatre brought
1t round, sir"
And when the man had retired
the solicitor slit open the envelope
and read the hastily scrawled note.
Dear Robert saw you this eve.
ning-and you have really offended
me at last II was bad enough for
me to put up with your absurd
prejudice to the stage when we