The Washington herald., 1921-06-12

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and his mothers temper being unusually
touchy. he wrote an insinuatingly reproach.
ful reminder to Mrs. Simmonds- Smith and
betook himself to st. Medbury
My little niece" said Mrs simmonds-
Smith playfully. as she gave him tea in her
rather overbedecked drawing room, lis stay
ing with me. Now" she shook at him an
arch forennger-- she Is a little girl-a dear
little gtrl-tust from school and you must
behave very, very nicely. My dear Mr.. Fara
day. remember you. assure you
He thought he also remembered her, before
this portliness that really distressed him.
when the admonitory foreanger had been a
taper thing Of beauty. but he only smiled
with charming depreciation
"Ah!" he said. Il adore ingenues-only
we never have the bona nde thing nova
days, do we7"
But that Is just" said Mrs. Simmonds-
Smith. what you must not do. I know
your alteration 1be made a mental note that
fat women should not be arch), "and you
are not to adore my little Berta. She really
Is ingenue, you know-an interesting mixture
OF ingenuousness and unusual maturity for
her age Schoolgirl innocence" said Mrs
Simmonds-smith with the air of an analyst,
and southern impetuosity. Ny poor brother
married q Sicrian."
She said It compassionately as II with a
ngurative headshake at the idea Of the i'm
petuosity Of Scilian women in general.
Faraday thought there might be possibilities
In Mrs Simmonds- Smiths niece. The sus-
ceptible organ that he fondly called his heart
was at that moment unoccupied.
I shall be delighted to make her acquaint.
ance," he said. very candidly.
At that moment the door opened and
Roberta came into the room
Came" L. wholly inadequate descrip-
ton. There was a sinuous litheness, an over
powering grace of movement about Roberta
that invested the ordinary action of enter
ing a room with something indescribably
subtle. made It an enhancing sight, a Joy,
delight. that conveyed the very poetry Of
motion.
She was slim, not with the lank, boyish
slimness Of the eighteen-year-old English
miss. but with a slender fullness and round
ness that gave, just a. Mrs. simmonds- Smith
had said, an impression of early maturity.
Though only little above middle height, her
splendid carriage gave her girlish dignity
and the FIRE smoldertng beneath the dark
softness Of her southern eyes formed a
piquant contrast with the virginia. curves Of
her full. red mouth. In the curves Of bust
and throat and cheek, and in the glorious
sweeping line from shoulder to foot, there
was the unmistakabie promise Of splendid
womanhood
Her black hair was parted and coiled
simply in a schooigiriish knot on the nape
Of her neck. and she wore white frock that
chung to her and fell and rippled away low
ingiy about her. Pale and with u sort Of
tentative innocent shyness, she came forward
more like a graceful child than q young
woman.
You are Mr.. Faraday.r she said without
awaiting for an Introduction. putting out q
soft, brown tinted hand with ingenious
Her voice was the voice Of the south-low,
liquid. musical: dormant in It there lay the
troublesome suggestion of passion.
Az Faraday listened and looked at her he
fell headlons and irretrievabiy into one of his
easy loves.
The young man, Injured to conquest. pur-
sued the tenor Of his easy conscienceless way.
but the conquest of Roberta was accom-
plished almost before the lazy desire for IT
had well been formulated in his mind He
put out finger and the citadel fell.
He spoke the word he knew 20 well how to