The Washington times., 1922-09-10

morning, and I've been dancing
most of <he evening"
Billy nodded. With dexterity
and swiftness he guided her to the
door, across the hall, and into a
little smoking room on the opposite
side.
II was deserted and a big fire
roared up the chimney. Miss Revell
dropped with little satisfied sigh
into one of the enormous leather
chairs, and with a murmered excuse
Fanshawe disappeared. He came
back presently with tray on which
were two glasses Of wine and a
plate Of sandwiches; also a bunch
of grapes and a meringue.
"Well be |cozier here" he de-
clared, beaming upon her as he set
it down upon carved stool at her
side. "Too much noise in the sup
per room to cat comfortably and
I'm jolly hungry. Got here too late
for dinner, you know. Beastly car
broke down. Those sandwiches are
foie gras, the others chicken, and
there's some consomme, If you'd
like me to fetch it."
He pulled a stool forward,
squatted down on it with a long
sigh Of satisfaction, and beamed
upon her again. Shehregarded him
for moment with half-amazed
amusement. There was something
so jovial about him that her. cool
ness was dissipated without her
fully realizing it. She found her
self answering his smile, and, cud-
ding down more closely in the
chair, reached out her hand for the
glass of wine nearest her on the
tray.
She drained it as a man might
have done it and set it down, still
cycling him.
You're Gerry Denning's friend,
aren't you?" she asked. "Lady
Denning wrote to me about you
while ! was away, I think"
Billy, devouring sandwich,
nodded.
Eyes. Met him coming over
from New York. He was awfully
decent to me; my first visit to Eng
land. you know. Gerry showed me
round and put me wise a bit, and
his mother, Lady Denning, has been
an absolute brick. I'd have been
straying round like lost dog still,
or back in New York, if it hadn't
been for them. | hadn't a friend
over here, you know, and couldn't
have expected to make any easily
at least, not the right sort. I'm
Fanshawe Of 'Fanshawe's Fcrtili-
zcr, you know"
He spoke very simply, glancing
at her for brief moment with
candid blue eyes, then turning his
attention once more to the sand
wiches. Miss Revell stirred slight
ly. In spite of herself, and her
prejudice against people of his
class, she was interested. There
was something bright and breezy
about him, something kindly and
jolly that was very pleasant.
Sitting there in the freight he
looked like a big, round, whole
some baby, very plain of feature,
very pink and white of skin, and
very shiny as to the top of his
head, Billy Fanshawe might have
been anything from forty to fifty,
and was in reality not quite thirty
Ave. He was heshy il not exactly
fat, and there were innumerablc
crcases in his smooth-shavcn face
which aged it until he smiled, when
one realized that they had been
traced by constant laughter and
unfailing humor in his outlook
upon life. rather than by time.
He was not in the least like any
man Fancy Revell had ever met
before.l Nor did he conform in the
slightest degree with her concep.
ton Of the aspiring "tradesman.
IL must be confessed that she had
derived her ideas of this particular
species Of mankind from rather
badly produced amateur perform
ances of "Our Boys" and il was
almost with shock that she real
lied that Mr.. Fanshawe neither
dropped his "h's' nor over-em.
phasized them.
His voice was cultured and
rather pleasant, his hands, though
plump, were neither stubby nor
coarse, nor were they strangers to
the manicurist. There was a
wholesomenes about him that was
very refreshing and she assured
herself that she was quite agree
ably surprised.
Lady Denhing's first letters had
been rather anguished. Until she