, 1923-10-17
TIL BRANDING IRON

ed8erly arrayed herself. She had
trouble with the vest, 1t was so filmy,
SO vaguely made 1t seemed to. her,
and to wear It at all she had to divest
herself altogether Of the upper part
OF her coarse underwear. Then Il
seemed to her startlingly inadequate,
even as an undergarment. However,
the obj did go over 1t, and she drew
that close and belted 1t in. 1t was
provided with long sleeves and fell
to her ankles. She thrilled at the de-
lightful clingtng softness of silk stock
ings and for the first time admired
her long, round ankles and shapely
feet. The Chinese slippers amused
her, but they were beautiful, all en-
broidered with flowers and dragons.
She felt she must look very queer,
Indeed, and went to the mirror. What
she saw there surprised her because
1t was so strange, so different. Pierre
had not dealt in compliments. His
woman was his m and he loved
her body. To praise this body, sur
rendered in love to him, would have
been impossible to the reverence and
reserve Of his passion.
Now Joan brushed and coiled her
hair. Then, starting toward the door
at Wen Hos announcement of 'Dln-
ner, lady," she was quite suddenly
overwhelmed by shyness. From head
to foot for the first time in all her
life she was acutely conscious Of her
self.
On that evening Prosper began to
talk. 1t was Joan's amazing beauty
as she stumbled wretchedly into the
circle of his freight, her neck drawn
up to Its full length, her head crowned
high with soft, black masses, her lids
dropped under the weight of shyness,
vivid fright in her distended pupils,
scarlet In her cheeks-Joan's beauty
Of long, strong lines draped to advan-
tage for the first time in soft and
cllnging fabrics-that touched the
spring of Prosper's delighted egotism.
He old anecdotes, strange adven-
lures; he drew his own inverted NOR
ais; he sketched his fantastic opIn-
ions: he was in truth fascinating, a
speaking face, n 1.-THE. brilliant pres
ence, a voice of edged persuasion.
phS VIZ" iot up tidiShl III ~
big red-lacquered chair, slipped her
coffee in dainty imitation of him, gave
him the full, deep tribute of her gaze,
asked for no explanations and LEI the
astounding statements he made, the
amazing pictures he drew, cut their
way indelibly into her most sensitive
and preserving memory.
A%fterward, at night, for the first
time, she did not weep for Pierre, the
old lost Pierre who had so changed
into a %torturer, but, wakeful, her brain
was on fire, she %pondered over and
over the things she had just heard,
feeling after their meaning, laying
aside for future enlightenment what
was utterly incomprehensible, arguing
with herself as to the truth Of half
comprehended speeches-an ignorant
child wrestling with a modern philos-
ophy, tricked out in motley by q
ready wit.
He gave her "pretty things" whole
quantities of them, fine linen to be
made up into underwear, soft white
and colored silks and crepes, which
Joan, remembering the few lessons in
uressinakihg sne hau huu from MAUI
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OF prosper m"sicnaNinss anu III
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joan Moulu moun' L. s,arin
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presently lo' Sar ,ro,nar on
euee' e"e, -. Ill 80 on.
lnoie eau". 90 ,on,ro.
,'o. h,m 20 s,accar aver On slightly