The Washington herald., 1921-08-21

Ny unhappy friend fancted for . time that
0aunt had somehow svoopsd through the
night air and borns her away In his talons.
but could tell him with confidence that h.
need fear no rivalry from . man who replied.
10 an invitation fron M By ayins. with Iess
than his usual irony Or polish. that he might
indeed come 70 stay with me IN Campttello-
life was % uncertain that only . fool would
prophecy or bind himself By oaths-Sut that
would 20 sooner 70 the nethermost pit Of bsn
than return for IN hour b the Shadows and
memories Of my studio
never Jaw Rianca agstr- BEFORE lorg ~
Antonio disoootinued his c.Ils. osassd even
to hear Il hsr: and. n Gsunt 1t his death had
isft her anything. I should have been puulsd
to trace hsr. He himself and an that chap
ter Of his life wers fading out Of mind when
! received . letter IN which Sidney Mace
bridge, IN EnGli.h collector whom I had
known BY name for many years, asked
whether hs might come and - my pictures
we have . bond" he sddsd. . In our poor
friend Marshar 0aunt He gave me . letter
Of introduct3on 70 you. but have had no
opportunity Of using Il before, and hope that
you win not fssl that his death invalidates IT,"
replied that should always welcome any
friend Of Gaunt's: and when Maceoridse ar
rived, was sufnciently charmed BY his I'D
dress to invite him to stay with me H.
seemed . widely read, well found, and much
Travelled man, . little Of bohemian, very
much Of q bachelor, . catholic connoisseur,
and . fsstdious critic II was inevitable that
our oonvsrsation should begin with a diseus.
sion Of oaunt. but soon found that Mace
bridge could tell me little that dSd not al
ready know; thsy had met 1t the dinner table
Of friend, Aaeebrides bad followed up the
encounter BY calling At the MAZDA Vale stu
do. and when Gaunt heard Of . projected
tour In Italy he had volunteered an intro
duction.
He used to stay with you svsry year. I
gather Aacsbridss sddsd
A. . rule I ansvsrsd Last year he
broke his rula think he was . LIT.
Tie trsd Of the place :. I niss him"
Nov that for the nrst time had som.
one else staying With ne realized the Ersat-
ness Of my ioss and. more podsnanty, the
needless waste q oannts broken life. II By
the mereiless. nisupderstandinr oanons Of
postsrity my friend ware dismissed ~ q third
rate artist and perhaps. second rate man,
felt that he had - good Q right TO life III
erty. and the pursuit Of happtness - most Of
US: II he did little good to any one he did
conscious harm to none: there was nothing
in his career. a. knew II, TO excite the heal
ousy Of the gods BY overweenInr pride or TO
prompt their Vengeance by incapable crime.
He was . normal. middle aged bachelor;
selnsh but kindly. sehInduigent but seif.
sacrificing. tinaid tn practice but advsnturou,
by temperament: II he had indeed suffered
from . romance tn boyhood I knew simo,,
nothing Of It but the price that he paid for
youth In which women had played little
part was an onslaught Of love from yh,ch
he could neither escape nor recover when
youth had lasged behind him And % this
harmless. average man Of middle are had
been Set ahsht, maddened, driven to the
verge OF suicide. and finally allowed to cool
painfully to extinction through no fault of
any man or woman In creation; no fauit Of
his. NO fault Of Biancai e
Blind. fumbiins destiny was rssponsiba.
and the scorehing touch Of it, hngsrs had
not scarsd only Marshall osunt. . decent
trusting peasant boy. mid eyed a. he was
rough tongued placid. and bswtIdersd a. IN
or on his way 10 slaughter. had bssn pole.
aIed BY an unseen.' unintending hand.
siancs the uEiy little ssy.ss with