Evening star., 1923-07-27

The hand slipped from Francis
shoulder. Francis. with a smile. held
out his own. They stood there for a
moment with clasped hands, queer,
| detached moment, as 1t seemed to
Francis, in a life which during the
, last few months had been full of
| vivid sensations. From outside came
the lazy sounds of the drowsy sum-
mer morning-the distant humming
of a moving machine, the drone of a
| reaper in the field beyond, the twit-
| tering of birds in the trees, even the
soft tapping of the stream against
! the stone steps. The man whose hand
he was holding seemed to Francis to
have become somewhat transformed
1t was as though he had dropped a
| mask and, were showing a more hu-
man, a more kindly self. Francis
wondered no longer at the halting
| gallop of the horses in the field.
You'll be good to Margaret" Sir
, Timothy begged. she's had a wretched
time
Francis smiled confidently.
I'm going to make up for it, sir"
he promised. And this South Ameri-
can trip" he continued, as they
turned toward the French windows,
you'll call that OFF,"
Sir Timothy heSitated.
Il am not quite sure"
! When they reached the garden Lady
, Cynthia was alone. She scarcely
glanced at Francis. Her eyes were
! anxiously fixed upon his companion.
Margaret has gone in to make the
| I'VE have both sworn off absinthe for
| the rest of our lives, and we know
Hedges CANT be trusted to make one
without"
I'll go and help her." Francis de-
Lady Cynthia passed her arm
through Sir Timothy's.
'I want to know about South Amer
ica," she begged. The sight of those
trunks worries me-"
Sir Timothy's casual reply was OBJ
viously a subterfuge. They crossed
| the lawn and rustic bridge, almost in
silence, passing underneath the per-
! gola of roses to the sheltered garden
at the further end. Then Lady Gym
! thia paused.
You are not going to South Amer
| lea" she pleaded, "alone?"
Sir Timothy took her hands.
My dear" he said, listen, please,
to my confession. / am fraud.
am not purveyor of new sensations
for decadent troop of weary. fash
| ionable people. I am fraud some
times even to myself. l have had
| good luck in material things. 1 have
had bad luck in the precious, the
sentimental side of1ife. 1t has made
something of an artificial character
of me, on the surface at any rate.
am really simple. elderly man who
! loves fresh air, clean, honest things,
games and a healthy life. / have no
ambitions except those connected
| with sport. l don't even want to
climb to the topmost inches in the
world of finance. 1 think you have
looked at me through the wrong
colored spectacles. You have had a
! whimsical fancy for a character
which does not exist"
What l have SEEN" Lady Cynthia
answered, Il have seen through no
| spectacles at all-with my own eyes
| But what / have seen, even, does not
count There is something else"
''I am within a few weeks of my
| fftieth birthday" Sir Timothy re-
minded her, "and you, I believe, are
| twenty mine"
my dear man." Lady Cynthia as
J person in the world who can keep me
! from feeling forty nine"
And your people"
Heavens. My people, for the first
! time in their lives will count me bril-
! liant success" Lady Cynthia declared.
You'll probably have to lend dad
money, and 1 shall be loked upon as
! a fairy child who has restored the
/ family fortunes"
| Sir Timothy leaned a little toward
I Last of ALL" he said. and this time
| his voice was not quite so steady,
''are you really sure that you care
! for me, dear, because l have loved
you so long, and l have wanted love
| so badly, and 1T is so hard to
believe -"
| 1t was the moment, it seemed to
! her, for which she had prayed. She
was in his arms, tired no longer, with
all the splendid fire of life in her love-
lit eyes and throbbing pulses. Around
them the bees were humming. and
soft summer breeze shook the roses
and brought little watts of perfume
from the carnation bed.
! There is nothing in life" Lady
Cynthia murmured brOkenly, so
wonderful as this"
Francis and Margaret came out
! from the house. the former carrying
| a silver tray. They had spent a con-
siderable time over their task, but
Lady Cynthia and Sir Thomas were
| still absent. Hedges followed them,
| a little worried.
/ Shall l ring the gong, madam
i he asked Margaret. Cook has taken
|. such pains with her omelette"
, Il think you had better, Hedges"
/ Margaret assented.
/ The gong rang out-and rang again.
Presently Lady Cynthia and Sir Tim
| othy appeared upon the bridge and
/ crossed the lawn. They were walk
| ing little apart. Lady Cynthia was
| looking down at some roses which
! she had gathered. Sir Timothy's un-