Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-10
CHAPTER VIII

w with n wonderful sense Of well being
=. ,be bnck Of his mind, was on his feet
~ .Io House OF Commons on the fol-
~ ,owinr afternoon. leading an unex-
.."toJ ~mJ attack against the unfortunate
Gorornmcnt. Dnrtrcy sat Mt tcn IN
Vora's study. Nora. who had had n
..rr nU," husy day. was leaning back In her
Nj vol, content though little Ia
,ismod Dortrcy, who had forgotten his
i.as.nh ish /, the stress of work, was devot-
,no himself TO the muffins.
| ,.wbi,e I think of it," he said. "let
,,0 thonk YOU for PLAYING hostess so
cbormingly the other night.
She made him little bow.
Your dinner party was great sue
eess; ..yos it?" he murmured. little
aoubtfully, II nm not quite 10 sure
I can't seem to get at Iai'en'e' s'"'e
how" .,, wo,, ;sn,t
"Tbe mechanical side of 1t is mos mos
.,.,.fnctory." Dartrcy confessed lie
!. % mo most perfect parl inment"rian ma
rb,ne thnt was ever evolved. ,
r","s ''surelv that is exactly what you
,,.s You were always complaining
I".' ,no, ,bcrc wns no one to bring the
aNgglers into line. ,,.
"ror the present" Dartrey admit,
,.a "Tollente is doing cxc'llent'y; !
,ea ,e;,h ,bouyh, that I could see little
farther into the future. g.,
'",sT .sre'l mo exactly what fault you find
with him." Nora persisted; IT.
WY ,ttJ" inrks enthusiasm already. lie
.,.Los none Of the mistakes which are
"nincidcnt with genius and he is niue
,ntn,erant He takes no troubie 10
.Sant % himself to varying views. lie has
Sre broad outlook. but no man can
u. " ;nto every corner Of the earth. and
'rh,t Ia outside his outlook does not
exist"
"Anything clsc?'
"He is not happy in his work. There
IA something wanting In his schcme OF
lie, I have built n ladder Tor MN 10
climb. have given him the chance or
becoming the greatest statesman or TO-
dsy. One would think that he had some
other ambition
Nora sighed. She looked across at
her visitor a little diftidently.
II can help you to understand An
drew Iallcntc, Slie uecHIeu. lac
condition is the greatest OF all tributes
to my sex. He has had an unhappy
married life. From forty to fifty he has
borne 1t philosophtcally as n man may.
Now the reaction has come. With the
first dim approach of age, he becomes
suddenly terrified for the things he is
missing
Dartrcy was thoughtful.
81 dare say you are right" he ad-
mtted, but If he needs an Aspasia,
surely she could be found?"
Nora rested her head upon her
fingers. She seemed to be watching in
tently the dancing flames. Her broad.
womanly forehead was troubled. her
soft brown eyes pcnsive.
2; "He is fifty years DID," she said. 'It
Is rather an anomalous age. At fifty n
mans taste is almost hypercritical and
. his attraction to nv sex is on the wane.
:, No. the problem isn't - easy
3 Dartrey had finished tea and was feel
. Ing for his cigarette case.
u. ~ rather lancied, Nora, thar he was
attracted by yOu."
"Wcll. he isn't. them" she replied.
! with smile. He was rather by way
Of thinking that he was. the other night
but that was simply Declusc he was in
curiously unsettled state and lie felt
that ! was sympathetic.
You are very clever woman,
Nora he said. looking across at her.
You could make him care for you If
you chose
us that to be my sacrifice to the
cause she asked. Am | to give my
soul to its wrong keeper that our
party may flourish ~"
You don't like Tallente?"
u like him immensely" she con :
tradicted vigorously. "If weren't
hopelessy in love with some one else,
could find it perfectly easy to try to
max" life a different place for him."
ne looked at her with trouble in his
Nnd eye. 1t was rs though he hal
suddenly stumbled upon a tragedy.
~ nave never guessed this about you
Nora. he murmured.
A., You are not observant of small
'n'nEs; anE she answered. a little bitterly
,Mho Is the man?"
,,IIhat ! shall not fell you"
DO I know him?''
Less. ! should say, than any one of
your acquaintance. ="
NE was silent for n moment OF two
Then 1t CHANGED that tbe teIonhome Nc roro "m,
Tor him, with MESA 90 from thn uonss luz
q Commons. lie gave o soma ."H ;nstu"c stUuoe
uons to his secrctorv '"'''"e
ut IS a queer thinp " bo romorrod
As he replaced the rnceivar ..hnu, "so Co,
our daily work md onr ,mii, ;ams n"" .an, ~,
- OUT OF our immediate environment
%e you day by day. Nora, and I have
Sno"h you intimately since your schooI
lyon noron m',e, GUESSED
time TO smfrsr sIrSssu .,n ahn ! haye nc
70 on until ~, sIu i' answered 80 We
until one mart ~ omr.aIunsS aH.nS time comes
the other loses r. Vc' is ra,bon bonqHrrs ie dma