The Washington times., 1923-11-16
By Gertrude Atherton
Author OF Many Notable Novels.
and One OF the Most widely
Read Writers Of the Day.

Author Of Many Notable Novels,
and One Of the Most Widely
Read Writers Of the Day.
Madam Is not at home.
ma,am.''
rs she not7 Then I'll walt
for her."
Mrs. Oglethorpe swept BY the
butler and he has the sensation
Of chaff scattering before q
strong wind. In truth Mrs. ogIe-
thorps was an impressive figure
and quite two inches taller than
himself. He could only stare at
her in helpless awe, the more SO
as he had recognized her at once.
Leadership might be extinct, but
Mrs. Oglethorpe was still q power
in New York society, with her
terrible outspolxenness, her un-
compromising standards, her sar.
donic humor. her great wealth,
and her eagle eye for subterfuge.
How could mere servant hope
to oppose that formidable win
when his betters tremble at her
nod?
A True Woman
Mrs. Oglethorpe had made her
usual careful toilet. Her full long
dress of heavy-pile black velvet.
almost covered with q sable cape,
swept the floor: changing skirts
meant nothing to her. Like all
women Of the old regime In New
York, she wore her hair dressed
very high and it was aur1nounted
by small square face with its
small swapping black eyes and
prominent nose. "A high-bOne
collar Of net supported wh szass
left Of her throat She wore no
Jewels. as she chung to the rigor-
Gus law Of her youth which had
tabooed the vsill displa 1f
thing but pearls in the daytime.
AZ she was too old ana yellow FOR
pearls she compromised on jes
earrings and necklace. She car
Red q cane.
Mr.. Dinwiddle to his surprise
r had found no difficulty in per-,
suading her to investigate the
mysteries Of the Ogden mansion,
for she had leapt at once to tsae
conclusion that the friend OF her
youth was in some way menaced
by this presumptuous stranger Of
the fantastic resemblance. There
had been a time when, while in.
dignantly repudiating the stories
so prevalent for many years after
Mary ogden's marriage to Count
| Zattiany, she had secretly be-
Neved and condoned them; not
only because she mad loved
her devotedly and known sOne-
thing Of her heavy disillusionment,
but because the wild secret life
the exalted Countess Zattiany was
believed to be leading fed her
own suppressed longings for 70.
nance and adventure. With the
uasage Of years, which had taken
their toll Of Mary's beauty and
fascination, and brought complete
disillusionment to herself, she had
almost forgotten that old phase:
moreover, It was many years since
she had visited Europe and corre-
spondence between the two friends,
once so intimate, had almost
ceased before the war. During
that long interval she had heard
nothing of her except that she
was running a hospital in Buda
Pesth, but shortly after the close
Of the war she had been dis
tressed to learn from a member
Of one Of the various commissions
to Vienna that Countess Zattiany
was Ill in a sanitarium. She had
written at once, but received no.
reply. Now she feared that some
adventures had taken advantage
OF superficial resemblance-sh
dismissed Mr.. Dinwiddie's protesta-
tions of the exactness of that re-
semblance as the maunderings Of
a weakened memory playing about
among the ghosts of its youth
to scheme for. the Ogden fortune.
When told that Judge Trent was
evidently shielding the woman her
suspicious were redoubled. She
had consistently hated Judge Trent
for fifty years.
Her Decision.
If, on the other hand, the crea-
ture were really Mary's daugh-
ter-and could prove it-well, she
would make up her mind what
course to take when she met her.
'T'n wait in the library she
announced, and moved majestically
down the hall. Then at a sound
she paused and glanced toward
the stair which rose on the left,
opposite the library. A woman
~.yavNNovN AVNlry mn