The evening world., 1922-05-12


petted In his haren1, ct voiIal"
His haremf' echoed Diana 1,
e 'surprlse. 'Is he married3"
"Mdis oui. Madame. He ha. tv
e wives"
At Diana's exclamation he shrug
ged deprecatlngiy. "oue VovIes- vous
I II u the custom OF the country" h
. said tolerantly, with the air of con
ceding n melancholy tact with th,
best grace possible.
The customs OF the country wa,
dangerous ground and Diana chnnret
the subject hastily. "whers did yo,
learn TO ride. Gaston1"
I'm q racing stable at Auteui,
Madame. when was O boy. Their
l was i've years In the French cav.
airy. After that I came to Mon.
seigneur."
/ "And you have been with h,m-hov
lons7"
Fifteen years. Madame"
Fifteen years." she repsS ted won
oernsiy. Ftfteen years herr. In the
desert7"
"Here and elsewhere, Madam. ;,
no answered more shortly than usu Al
and with . murmur Of excuse ief,
the tent.
Diana leaned back aRrinEt tbs
cushions with q little sigh. CASTOR
need not have been afraid that she
was trying to learn his masters n, :
crets from him. She had not fallen
as low as that. The mystery of the
man whose path had crossed her, ,o
terribly seemed to augment instead
OF lessen as tho time went on.
What was the power in him tha,
compelled the devotion of his wild
followers and the little French az.
cavalrymanf She knit her forehea d
In perplexity and was still puzzline
over 1t when he came back. Immaou-
late and well-groomed, he was verv
Inherent from the disheveiled. blood :
stained savage Of half an hour before
She shot q nervous glance At him
remembering her outburst, but he was
not angry. He looked grave, but his
gravity seemed centred in himself as
he passed his lean fingers tenderiv
over his smooth. chin. She had seen
Aubrey do similarly hundreds of
times. Occidental or Oriental. men
seemed very alike. She waited for
him to speak and waited vainiy,
One OF the taciturn ATS to which she
had grown accustomed had come over
him-hours sometimes In which he
simply ignored her altogether. The
evening meal was silent. He spoke
once to CASTOR, but he spoke in Ara
bio. and the servant replied only with
q nod or compliance. And after Gns-
ton was gone he did not speak for
long time. but sat on the d.van. an
parently absorbed In his thoughts.
Restless. Diana moved about the
tent. listlessly examining objects that
she knew by heart, and flirting over
the pages Of the French magazines
she had read dozen times. Usually
sne was thankful for his silent moods.
Tonight with o woman's perversity
she wanted him to speak. She was
unstrung. and the utter silence op-
pressed her. She glanced over her
shoulder at him once or twice, but
his back looked unapproachabie.
Yet when he called her, with
swift revulsion OF feeling, she wished
he had kept silent. She went to him
slowly. What would be the user she
thought wearily; II would only end in
defeat. as II always did. He pulled
her down on the divan beside him.
and before she realized what he was
doing slipped q long Jade necklace
over her head. For a moment she
looked stupidity at the wonderful
thing. almost unique in the purity of
US color and the marvellous carving
on the uniform square pieces Of which
was composed. and then with n
low cry she tore II OF and fung Il
on the ground.
How dare your" she gasped.
You don't like it7" he asked in his
low. unruffled voice, his eyebrows
raised In real or assumed surprise
} Yet II matches your Dress" and
. lightly his long fingers touched the
folds or green silk gwathed across the
, youthful curve Of her breast. He
glanced at an open box filled with
, sh'mmering stones on a low stool be-
, side him.
Pearls are too cold and diamonds
TOO banal for you," he said SLOWLY
you should wear nothing but jade
. IL Is the color OF the evening skv
'gainst the sunset OF your hair"
r He had never spoken like that 70
, Ner before. or used that tone Of voice
Ills methods had been more fierce
than tender. She glanced I'D swiftly
n. his face. but II baffled her. There
was no love In his eyes or even de.
sire. nothing but an unusual gentle.
8 ness. Perhaps you would prefer the
diamonds and the pearls" he went
, m. pointing disdaintully at the boy
mo, no. l hate them! hate then,
Ill! I will not wear your Jewels. Yor
lave no right to think that am tba.
Find OF woman, "she cried hyster,-
2ally.
"You do not like them2 Bon D,eu,
4 None Of the other women ever refused
ttem. On the contrary, they cou,d
never get enough" he said with q
laugh.
Diana looked up with a startled
glance. a look OF horror dawninp In
her eyes. "Other women" she re-
peated blankly.
"You didn't suppose you were the
Hrst. did your he asked with brutal
'andor. Don't look at me like that
They were not like you, they came r.