The Washington times., 1922-09-17
BY Anthony Carlyle

-ment she turned her own away.
Rather wearily she went across to
the fire and stood looking down
into II.
Friendship" she echoed. "What
could my friendship do for you?
It's valueless, I assure you. Men
want it, but they want more be-
sides. And those"-- she flung
up her head, facing him with a
bitter twisted smile-"are not the
men who matter. The men who
could give me peace of mind, rest,
ease, comfort, an honorable name
and comfortable home are afraid
of me, afraid of my friendship!
They know that ! have no heart;
that there is not left to me the
slightest power Of caring for any
man for himself. And SO, as I
say, the best Of them are careful
not to approach me too. closely,
and not to offer more than a re-
spectful admiration.
"You see," her laugh rang out
harshly, yet with q sudden note Of
tears in it, "I'm not like ordinary
women. I'm a creature Of caprice,
impulse, crazy whims. The men
who know me have learned to be
careful. The poor ones know I
would not consider one of them
for one moment as a husband.
And the rich. ones know that II !
made a choice it would be only
for what the man could give me,
not for the man himself. And,
naturally enough, they won't take
the risk! II they would" she
lifted white shoulder, 81
shouldn't be a penniless girl living
on her own wits to-day"
There fell little silence. Billy
Fanshawe was looking straight be-
fore him, and there was about him
. strange stiffness that made her
look at him sideways, questioning
ly. The plump face had fallen into
grave lines, the merry blue eyes
were serious, contemplative, and
beginning to glow with light such
as had seldom before shone in
them. Fancy's voice, still shrill,
broke on the. silence again.
81 suppose" she said with a
kind of reckless defiance, that
you're most horribly shocked"
"Now Billy looked up at her
; with frank blue ayes that held hers
quietly. "Tm not shocked at all.
l was just thinking. Thinking"
he added, "that nothing in life's
worth havine unless you risk some
thing in the getting. They're
fools, those men of whom you
speak, Miss Revell. l only
wish"
He broke off abruptly. Again
the unbecoming crimson dyed his
face, he made a hasty, half apollo
getic movement, and swallowed
quickly.
81 mean, that is," he began
again, and stammered to a stop.
Fancy Ut her eyes rest upon him
for an instant with sort of dreary
amusement. then she shrugged:
. cts all right" she said, half
disdainfully. 81 didn't suppose
that you were aspiring to the most
important place in my life, Mr..
Fanshawe, So"
"But," Billy Fanshawe; drew a
deep breath and cut ruthlessly in
upon her speech, "that's just
where you're mistaken. I wasw
Beneath the widening, naughty
astonishment Of her slow glance
he stirred and shifted uneasily,
miserably conscious of the any
thing but heroic, gauche little fg-
ure he cut. But all the same, for
the second time he held her regard
steadily, and when he spoke again
II was simply and spontaneously
as a boy might have spoken.
"Of course I do not mean," he
assured her, "that for one moment
I hoped such a thing could ever be
possible. knew it could not. But
l was wishing that the impossible
ity was not so absolute. You see,"
he regarded her with wistful re-
gret that, to her amazement, she
realized was quite geruine, "it