The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-19

anu pOWuefeu, anu LOI Whhc WeD
placid and idle. Then Bob would
come In. rather cautious. though as
sured. kiss her almost conjIgally,
sit down. tell her the contents OF
some o. IS letters and the morn
ing news paper. He would sit there
and enjoy ;he appreciation in her
eye, in those eyes which so punct
ually, and almost truthfully. said:
Bob, how clever you are!"
Why didn't he come? Didn't he
want to? Absurd! II he didn't
want to he'd have come all the
more. because he'd think he ought
to, men being SO beastly conven-
tional. Perhaps" thought Mrs.
Caldecot. as she tortured a stiff
pleat on her skirt, perhaps the
servants were about" But why
didn't he at least tap?
Mrs. Caldecot stood for a mo-
ment staring at the patterned wall.
Nothing. She couldn't stay there all
the morning. waiting. Probably
he'd gone downstairs. Well. she'd
better go down, too.
For a moment she looked about
the room, uncertain until her eyes
met their curiously strained refec-
ton in the mirror. They stood
staring at each other for a mo-
ment. the woman and her ghost. a.
II the woman were afraid to draw
near, yet could not get away.
Then, step by step, she went closer
to the mirror and closer, until her
hands rested upon the dressing
table. They so stood, their gaze
unchanged. the one pitiless, the
other imploring.
"Yes." thought Mrs. Caldecot,
I'm all RICH - But still she stared
into the mirror. The skin looked
to-day unpleasantly drawn about
the orbits. In spite Of powder. It
shone there, as il little Of the
flesh had fallen away. And the
cheeks, too. She always had fine,
hard cheeks that Bob liked to
pinch. Why did they look so out
lined to-day? They weren't swol.
len. No, It wasn't that.
II was that-what was that be-
low the cheeks? 1t had hooked like
a shadow once, end now 1t affirmed
itself. Almost imperceptibly. II
she stood sideways. the cheek
hung. And those other shadows,
on either side of the mouth. In .
moment of revolt Mrs. Caldecut
thought. I'm not wrinkled." No.
Il wasn't wrinkles, but those chad.
ows which surrounded the mouth
seemed to have deepened lately.
They were prolonging the lips and
produced the illusion that the cor.
ners were being drawn down. o..
She had a sudden vision o. her.
self, dim-eyed, with rare eyelashes,
retracted lips, a parched and mot
tied skin. upon which heavy cream
would with difficulty hold reluctant
floury patches, with pendulous chin
and a rolling neck, and all this
which had been lovely and imperi.
Gus draped with the dry and quiv-
ering rags Of dead skin and lax
flesh.
She turned away hurriedly from
the awful trial where she, prisoner
- the dock and for life. had to con-
sent to her own arrest, against her
self bear witness, upon herself pass
sentence. She stood in the middle
of the room, her trembling hands
raised, as II she sought some res
cue. some reinsurance.
She couldn't stay like this. self
convicted and alone: II couldn't he
true. Oh. Il wasn't true! But how
was she to know? How could she
believe in her eternal youth. In her
untouched beauty. unless she were
again assured Of It? "A woman"
she thought, as Lot beautiful until
Z man tells her that she Is"
Still she VS. staring at that now.
cred wall. Still no sound. Per
haps he was asleep. She took .
step forward. then hesitated.
Never had she done more than
turn q DESTROYS ear toward the
melody. Sometimes she had amused
herself by pretending not to hear.
and so exacted tribute by making
him persist. No, she couldn't tap.
That would be confession. But she
was SO sad, so alone.
II must do It," she thought. She
was so frightened.
At last, with a sudden gesture OF
abdication. Mrs. Caldecot went to
the wall. and with trembling fin
gers tapped out the accustomed
signal, one bar OF the Greek dance
in "Alceste." She tapped It TO the