Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-16
THE DANCING MASTER
THIS BEGINS THE STcRY
BY RUBY AYRES
Author Of 1.-THE Phantom Lover" "a Bachelor HusSand
"Ths One Unuuansd," etc. Z

Elizabeth Conyers. q den,ure> coan-
-. oirI, pretty in spite Of her old
~":hiousd do,cdv dressing, Is Visiting
s.S;onable relatives in London. AT
crond ball she is q disconsoiote
.,,ENorer. A hdndsome young man
w. ksr TO dance and she has to con-
IN sie knors none OF the ap.to.
yo|. stems. He is Pat Rovston, and
ss"cbrs Elisabeth TO dance. Her
.sobbish aunt and cousin rebuke her,
=. he is only a dancing mdster.
Elizabeth hears her uncle. .toith phom
.Ss made her home in the country.
dead. She Is met by Walter
E,,ath. q solid but no. very viva-
c;ovs country lad. pho loves her and
sronoses marriage IN her plight. She
s.iusss him and determines to 90 to
London TO earn her liuing BY dancing
AN a legacy Of 600 her uncle left
Sr. she is orudoing!y taken in BY
her amt.
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
"Id Like Some Smart Clothes"
TITS eyes grew anxious; with all his
II careful saving. his own capital was
,,ry little more than a hundred, and
1. dreaded lest Elizabeth. with her poor
knowledge of the value of money, should
b, contemplating throwing her legacy
away.
"what 7 should really like" she said
slowly, would be to buy some clothes
really smart clothes" She flushed,
meeting his rcproachful gaze. "And
then 60 right away somewhcrc--evcn If
only week Or two-and have real
rood holiday. I've never had a real
holiday like other people, only just day
uIus, and-goins to my aunt's."
She gave q hard little laugh.
"But I'm not going to waste it like
xhat, ] can see you think It would be
myself to earn living with it,
He echoed her words. not under.
sanding.
70 cook, how to look after a house. II
you were to get somewhere with a nice
hmily = ."
Elizabeth shivered.
"No, thank you: when I leave here
I'm not going to do any more cooking
Or housework. I'm . =" She hest
tated. then added with a rush: I'm
going to teach dancing
."Teach--d Walter echoed.
"But-how can you? You don't know
these new dances. do you, and they are
al different, aren't they, from the ones
ve know"
Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes-oh, so different" And she
thought of that dreadful hour during
which she had sat alone on the couch
In the ballroom. and tried in vain to
escape from her myriad reflections.
80 different!!' she said again. "But
can Learnt can soon learn, know.
He said some one told me when
I was at my aunt's that-that I was
born dancer, that I could dance like
q fairy. SO you see. And every one
wants to learn nowadays. Walter
evert one lin LondOn-almost every one
Ia tie world. should think" she added
vaguely.
,'And-you mean ''' you would 60
h London - " alone?"
"Of course" Elizabeth sounded
bnver than she felt. What harm cnn
happen to me, and what else can do?
Ny aunt doesn't want me: I'm too
dowdy and awkward for her." She
bit her lip on a painful memory. "Oh,
Walter. some DIV I'll show her that
I'm not such hopeless trump after all
some day" She laughed excitediy.
"Oh. some day I'll be even with them
She had almost forgotten that she
was not alone; her eyes flashed and the
color deepened In her checks; she was
more than pretty at that moment, in
spite of her badly dressed hair and ugly
And sudden flash of illumination
penetrated the slow brain of the man
who loved her. and there was n spark
OF fre in his eyes as he took n quick
step toward her and laid both hands
roughly on her shoulders. turning her so
that she was forced to look into his eyes.
Elizabeth. II you had never gone to
London would you have married me?"
he asked.
She tried to meet his gaze. but her
iios fell, and he saw how her lips trcm-
oied when she tried to speak.
l--1 don't know oh,
! don't understand myself. can't ex.
He put hand beneath her chin,
raising her downbent head.
Elizabeth. is there any one else
Hny other man who-who has cut me
She managed to laugh at that. but it
was shaky little laugh that carried
no real conviction.
, anybody else" she echoed. when
/. iold you that nobody wanted to dance
WIN mc--nobody spoke to me, hardly
snSoody. the whole evening"
hnt @ he was not satisfied
You said that somebody tod you
!ou were born dancer: that some one
:ad you could dance like a fairy" His
jealous eyes searched her face.
81 htizaoeth wrigglcd free of his hands.
sne laughed tremu,ously. "Oh - she
ssaIa' with little catch in her voice.
,ha. was dancing master who told me
'"q, only dancing master"
nut Sne could feel the suspicion in his
s'es sun. and her anger broke out.
mow absurd you are. Questioning
%e IKE this. l told you that nobody
..ui' .voSea az me in London Her voice
added hOarsely.
He hardly seemed to hear,
III you 60 to London, as you saw YOU
,n,M msan 10 do he insisted doggcdly, .'it
Will Will be the end Of everything. i shall
meyer S see YOU again"
She laughed.
W course you will! You will come
""u see me, and shall come back here
Hls face whitened.
back" "" Will never come
a. MS distress angered her even though
aS ,Je was sorry for him. Now she knew
p,i Una. little she had to hope for she was
Las ahSiety to begin the life which she
m";. naG chosen for herself while she sat
Tuin'ns FOR Walter Sheath to show Mr..