Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-30
p IV.-Continucd.

L- OAAA
So she vas introduced, this beau
tiful fairy-like creature, into u solid
and perhaps rather sombre, English
home, and at first /, watching them,
loved to see the way in. which Uncle
Ralph's eye 70 lowed her about The
room as she came and went, and to
note his lovely ways with her. If
struck me, wen from the start, that
there was a carelessness in her man
ner OF response to suchslttle ~caressing
acts of his as I was allowed to see
which did not suggest a return of
equal devotion. 1t hurt me.
/ was most thankful to be able. to
believe that Uncle Ralph did not. no.
tice any lack Of fervency on her part.
He. was aways more than satisfied
with her: alwaysidisposed to sing her
praise and commend her actions, and
often I was touched by the way in
whichahe would glance from her to
me- when she arranged a flower pref
tily OF did any trivial act with her
own peculiar grace, OF when she made
quip,. for she had acquired in India
a freedom of man-like language quite
strange to US at Scotney, and would
smile, as ii taking me into his conf
dence and saying: Was there ever
anything SO beautiful, and so perfect
in the world before?" :
This is what his iooA and its ac-
companying smile would ask And
at the first I was able to smile back
at him, with willing and admiring
assent, but by degrees, as I learnt
learn, particularly, how very little,
in that shallow nature, there was to
know, I found myself often at a loss
how to answer, or even to bear, that
look, and often and often 1 would
turn my eyes aside or pretend alb
sorption in work or in a book. when
I knew that it would be coming .
There were moments when.I came
near to despising poor Uncle Ralph
for his blindness in not seeing a little
more OF what the SOUL, II she had
one, Of this most exquisite piece OF
human porcelain was composed But
principally it was a most profound
pity that + felt for him, mingled with
a wonder whether he really were quite
80 blind as he seemed, or whether ne
wilfully declined to see what was re-
ally obvious.
Just a.trace OF a. look of doubt, OF
distress, Of puzzlement, came, as 1t
seemed to me, now and again, Into
those adoring, dog-like eyes Of his,
following his wife as she m~oved--just
l1ILte 4uSStlOIlI1S ia Llcil, TAKING
the place of the old glad confidence,
as ha turned them from her to me.
4 Under the consulship Of my Aunt
Enid, Uncle Ralph was a., good deal
more away from ScGtney than in the
old days, and a good deal more away
than he cared to be. He was essen
TALLY q man of the country, and OF
the natural life; she, essentially q
woman of cities, and Of the artificial.
She took him often to London, which
he detested, and to a mode OF London
life which he 1oathed with a special
devastation. She took him to Cfro's,
where he bored himself nearly to
death while she pirouetted, In the lat
est fox-trots and cake.waiks with all
and sIndry white watstcoated young
men. She took him to revues In
Vulnerable. to musical comedies and
to- Savoy suppers after them. The
one pleasure that they seemed to me
to enjoy at all equally was watching
the polo at birmingham.
And then, Of course. It was only
natural and seernly that the young
men with whom she had danced al
sCiro,s and had supped at the SAVOY
should he asked 10 stay at Scotney.
They were asked, and they came, and
they talked q Language together Of
which Uncle Ralph could scarcely IN
sd~erstand tho elements.
Aunt Enid, OF their w genera
ton and OF Quicker aptttudes, as-
sifniiated lsit Wonderfully. She was
sons sof their DOT, and Unc'e Ralph
wa not one 4of them nnd was and
must have felt himself, out OF Ii.
They laughed and talked together,