Evening star., 1923-11-25
The tale of a
conference.-the
son Of, "Her Grace

The Honorable Tony did not stir,
but the eyes that he fixed on Pattie's
brother went suddenly and incredi-
bly, black. After a long pause. he
repeated. evenly and courteously.
"Patties?'
Yes. Pattie's. That's half Of why
l came. The other half is because
In fool enough to care more about
you than any other man ever met
than any other two men,"
Thanks" said the Honorable Tony.
and there was something startlingly
sweet in his smile. Thanks awfully.
It's quite mutual. you know-any
three men. I should say offhand. Sup
pose we simply let it go at thaty'
Il can't let it go at that. 1 tell you.
Pattie had 1t all out with Dad, and
she made me swear that I'd run you
down when I got out here and bring
you back. She said that I was to tell
you that she said, Please"
The Honorable Tony sat curiously
still, staring through Pattie's brother
as though he saw some one else
some one who stood there very small
and straight with young Ledyard's
sandy hair clasping her brows like a
wreath of autumn leaves, and young
Ledyards grave eyes turned in two
dancing stars. and young Ledyard's
freckles trailing a faint gold powder
across the very tip of her tilted nose
Some one as brave and honest as
little boy and as wistful and gentle
as q little girl, who stood clasping
her hands together tightly. and said,
please"
mo, by Heaven"' cried the Honor
able Tony. mo-
Don't yell like that" L.edyard
raped the words out fiercely. "D'you
want me to tell Pattie that all you
have to say to her Is NO. by
Heaven"
II want you to tell Pattie that I
| was Off tiger-hunting with the sultan,
and that you couldn't get track Of
me-"
rs that all?"
quite all. thanks"
But. dash it, I tell you that she
wants you-'
You misunderstood her"
Don't be fool. She told me"
y y
THE Honorable Tony jerked forward
suddenly. his fingers biting into
| as a whip.
Drop it. will you? Drop It" At
sight Of the stricken amazement in
! the others eye he broke off sharply.
/ Ledyard stared at him wretchedly.
But, Calvert, 1 thought-we all
| thought that you-that you cared for
her.
"My dear fellow. the more I cared
for her the less likely I'd be to go
within a thousand miles of her For
Pattie's sake. and my sake, try to get
this straight. I am absolutely no
! good. ! don't mean that I'm ono of
your deep-dyed. hair-raising villains.
No such luck. I'm simply waster
of tho very first water, who has spent
his entire life going to and fro over
| the face OF the earth doing things
| that he ought not to have done. and
leaving undone the things that he
| ought to have done. You're worse
than mad to tempt me to forget 1t;
And while you're about it try to
remember that the best there is isn't
half good enough for Pattie."
Ledyard swallowed hard.
Il don't care: If 1t came to a show
down, you'd be as good as the best"
Thanks. I'm not the stuff Of
which heroes are made, even in a
pinch. Now how about hunting up
the little Vallarosa hussy? Well
romp over and cadge some light re-
freshments from His Imperial Ma
3esty. He has a cognac that 1 sup
pose will be simply thrown away
on you: half a nip Of prune cordial
sets the good old world going round
for you Yankee martyrs these days,
what?"
Help invoked Ledyard with
get the comic sections regularly"
My priceless old thing, we get
nothing whatever regularly. When
my royal master and pupil feels any
craving for foreign frivolities he
summons about twenty of the mas
culine population and bids them yo
heave no on business of state. Later,
they turn up bearing gifts, and 1
take all the envelopes with an Eng
lish postmark and put them in a nice
tin can with a nice round stone, and
drop 'em out of the window plop into
the jolly old river. You never can
tell when One might read, Anthony.
come home, all is forgiven"
But, my word, they must be wor-
, ried half frantic! How do they know
whether you're alive or deadr'
MY dear chap, the only thing that
the Bolinghams have ever worried
about as far as little Anthony Chris
topher's concerned Is that he mightn't
have the grace to die before one of
his waggish pranks landed him In Jail
] or actually cost them something in
pounds and shillings instead of mere
lamentations! That's why 1 gratified
them by throwing over my share of
the title when I came Of age. Lord
Anthony, what? No thanks. It's all
too clear that you don't know Aunt
Pamela and Aunt Clarissa, the last OF
the Bolingham vestals, or those splen-
did fellows, Roderick, Cyril and
Oliver"
Good night! I'd hate to be as bitter
[ as that about my worst enemy"
| Bitter? About my priceless family. -
His careless mirth flooded tho quiet
room. why. my child, I revel in 'em
|! have ever since oliver used to Jerk
me out of bed at in the morning
to wallop me because he'd lost at
! ecarte-ragging about how 1t was his
| sacred duty as head Of the BolfnRham