Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1922-05-17


clowns broke out on all sides,
space was cleared round the unfor
Inmates.
Are you all right, cinda7" Dob
bin asked. She nodded and tried Il
smile. Lets get out Of this"
sNo-waitl" Lucinda insisted. Per
haps she's hurt"
She brushed his arm aside, ONLY
To discover that the overthrow
woman had regained her feet and
now stood watching her partner II
shrewish fury as. grinDing foolishly
he scrambled up.
''You clumsy dumbbell!" she
stormed in a rasping voice that must
have carried clearly half across the
room. It hope to Gawd l got
enough sense not to dance with you
again when you're pickled!"
And catching her first glimpse of
the mans crimson face, Lucinda
yielded all at once TO Daubeneys in
sistence.
But she never quite knew how
they got back TO their table.
XII
But even with the three sides OF
the box affording their false show Of
privacy, it never entered Lucinda's
head to sit down and pretend moth
ing had happened, the instinct to
ily at once from this theatre of dis
grace was still predominant Only
for a moment she rested standing
while her eyes, darkly dilate, sought
DaubeDeys.
you saw him. OF course?"
Dobbin made a vague gesture of
sympathy. "Frightfully sorry !"
Lucinda shrugged. Don't be. 1t
wasn't your fault"
Il presume we couldn't have been
mistaken =" Dobbin ventur-
ed half-heartedly.
mo; it was Bel. 1 think I'd like
to go. Let me have the carriage
check, and I'll wait in the car"
Daubeney surrendered the paste
board slip and called for the check
as Lucinda went out.
At the street door she gave the
attendant the carriage-check to-
gether with coin. And hurry,
4, pIeasei" The man saluted respect
fllly and vanished.
She FASTENED to the street. a
move which she found immediate
reason TO repent. Only a few feet
away Bellamy stood with an affec-
tionate arm round the shoulders OF
the door-porter. A knot of grinning
bystanders had already begun to
gather.
Bells derby was perilously perched, !
his overcoat, donned in haste, was
poorly settled on his shoulders,
though he had eontrived to worry 1
tsro button through the wrong but
tonholes, and he was explaining. I'M
consciously to everybody within
wide radius. the personal service he
required in return for the ten dollar
bill which he was waving beneath
the porter's nose.
'sNow. lishn, Jim Do'mind
my calm you Jim, do you, OF
scout? 49,. Get thish straight:
Mwife's here might nd don
want her to know I wash here.
shee? If she don know wash
here, she's got nothin' on me,
nothin' tall, sheer So you dom
know me. you never heard OF me,
sheer"
Eyes, Mr.. Druce."
Sick with modification, Lucinda
turned from the sound Of that bah
bling voice Of fool-and heard her
own name pronounced.
THE car is here. Mrs. Druce."
In wild stare she identified the
face Of her chauffeur. saw that he
understood the situetion and was
anxious to be helpful.
Wait" she quavered. {
And then by a miracle Of will {
power she managed to master her
nerves and putting aside her horror
and humiliation, she thought quick
~ and clearly.
"All ] wan you TO do ish remem-
Der, If Mlshish bruce asks II you've
seen me, you never heard Of me.
don know me 'tall-shee. Jim, get
what l mean?"
As Lucinda approached the port |
er must have guessed who she was,
for he spoke to Bellamy in a low
voice, and the latter swung round
with startled eyes and a dropping
jaw. She closed her fingers on his
wrist and put all her strength into
that grasp.
Come, Bel" she said clearly and
not unkindly. please don't keep me
waiting The car is here, we're go
ing home"
For a moment the balance wav-
cred, then BePs eyes fell, and she
knew she had won.
"Oh, Alright" he mumbled with
strange docility. "Didn' know you
were waitin'. Linda. Get RI in the
car-be with you jush a minute"
No. she said firmly-"you're |
coming with me now"
She drew him away. He yielded /
without remonstrance, permitted 4
her to lead him to the door of the
car, stumbled in on his knees, and
crawled up to the seat.
Lucinda followed. the door closed
behind her with a clap sweeter than
music in her hearing. And with
purring gears tht car shot out of
range of those leering faces.
Lucinda had forgotten Dobbin as
utterly as II she had never known J
him. ]
Bellamy lay in a loose SLOUGH, I
breathing heavily. The passing ,
lights revealed the stupidity OF his Z
contested features. His eyes were I
nan-ciosed, he seemed to be asleep. (