The Washington herald., 1922-06-27
Continued from Yesterday.

SNNAhNece gfN"s ceNcseeSs
1t was after one of these inter-
ruptions that Dirck came guiItily
out of the monstrous pleasant
trance bred Of blended moonshine
and youth and frank hero worship.
What a selfish chap I am" he
exclaimed in bleated remorse. Here
it's the big dance of the season,
and everybody wants to dance with
YOU. and you're looking like Botti-
csilfs Spring and l keep you out
here talking with a prosy old
codger like myself! I'm robbing
you of all the fun and
No. she broke in. her young
voice all vibrant with the blaze
that swept her upturned face.
You're giving me the most won
derful evening I ever had. It's
something to dream of alwaysI And
you're not to speak of yourself as
old eitheri old? why. you're
you're ageless. master. You're
eternal. Did you say those absurd
things because Dicky Verinder
came blundering out here just now?
Hes only a boy. / loathe boys.
Tell me more about Gauguin. Was
il before or after he went to the
Marquesas that you met him? Had
he"
Tt way before" said Dick. Two
years before. He never came back
from there. None of us saw him
again"
He spoke mechanically. scarce
noting his own words. For she
ra11aA him -
quaint old world fashion of his Rue
de Dragon days.
She had said he was ageless,
eternal. And there was stark: pure
alteration in her tones. The moon
light gave her great dark eyes an
expression that dazed the man.
Time stood still. He felt life and
age and experience falling away
from him, leaving him gloriously
young.
Thus IL was that MAZDA Layne
had no word with her old friend
that evening until they chanced to
meet In the doorway going home.
Mazda caught her breath a very
little at the look in Moylan's lean
face. He was all but transifgured.
There was an aura of triumphant
youth about his very step.
When she reached her bungalow
Mazda gazed long and a shade sadly
at her own reflection in the glass
The mirror gave back the image oi
a sweet-faced and tender-eyet
woman more than commonly blessed
with a beauty that seemed bred Of
the soul rather than of the features
But II was the face of a woman
undeniably of a woman, not of q
girl. And MAZDA found herself
visualizing the fiamelike PERSONAL
ty and the resplendent youth o.
Thetis Varick
As for Thetis herself. she wen
home and to bed strangely silen
and star eyed. In the security o.
her own white and pink room sh,
took out from over her heart
crumpled little aster that hat
tumbled out OF Dirck's lapel but
tonhole as they had sat talking
Then gently she locked it away il
the chased gold box that held he
dearest treasures.
Before leaving the dance she hat
made Moylan promise to come L
the Varick place for tea the mex
afternoon. Dirck, already hal
ashamed of the illogical impuls,
that drew him on. kept the appoint
ment He came to tea And stage,
for dinner. And he went canoeinl
on the river with the blissfull!
happy Thetis afterward. 1t wa
nearly eleven o'clock when he start
cd for home.
As he passed MAZDA Layne's bung
allow on his way to his own hous
he saw a CLINT of white amid tn
vines on the moonwashed littl
veranda. Dirck hesitated, thel
turned in at the gate.
IT'S abominally late" he said
But do you mind IL stop for jus
minute or two? Unless your
sleepy Or
I'm not sleepy" answered Mazda
coming forward to greet him. ''Th
evening is too beautiful to waste Il
browsing. Come in"
He laughed uneasily.
The moonlight must have gotte
into the blood of both of u.s." h
cmmented. up here in the countr
don't believe either you or l sta
awake after 10 o'clock. I've