The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-14

 Hirohito's wedding.
 The cabinet decided to change the opening date of the extraordinary ses- sion of the diet to June 9. had created this creature which was likely to destroy her; she herself had set La Phalene's feet on the steep path way to fame.
 Truly Parisian, she could appreciate the irony of this to the full. She had wrought for this girls undoing, and, instead, she had handed her success be- yond her widest dreams. Where she had planned for the chorus and shame, she had endowed Elise with wealth and fame. What mattered it now if Brunei marked his will? What mat tered it how Elise lived? For the amours of 8 star were, ss Lolette knew from experience, like the amours of great king in the days when kings were really kings-above all criticism.
 Her maid came in. Monsieur le Comte de Mordac had called and won dered if madame would receive him. Lo- lette ordered him to be shown up, and he came into the room, dressed with . scrupulous care which defeated it's ob- ject, very smooth and suave, with a little sly smile hardening about his lips.
 He kissed the hand Lolette held out to him, and seated himself on a chair by the bedside.
 "Well-cherie,'' glancing round. ''you have been studying the news. l perceive"
 Lolette nodded. Her wildly beautiful face was beautiful no longer, but ap- peared to Mordac like a white con- torted mask expressing q nameless evil which almost frightened him, despite his poise.
 All Cochons p
 Mordac shrugged his shoulders. ~You are unreasonably annoyed. One must not grumble when one's schemes go slightly awry,"
 ESchemes ' She fIared at him. "Are you laughing at me? By the good -" Her hand shot out towards the coffee pot.
 Mordac put his forearm before his face. ''Cherie! Cherie! I have not created La Phalene. have but come to condole, and to talk to the woman who is still the most beautiful in all Paris. It is not seemly to throw eof- fee pots at ones friends" Lolette sank back against the pillow. q shall finish with that Brunei v she said. You hear? I shall appear no more at the Internationa1e. I shall finish. He betrayed me-utteriy." That is foolish, cherie. Why cease to take Bruners money? Why cut off that adorable nose to spite the face of the little dresserw
 "Dresser!" The word re-aroused Lo- iette. ''Dieu de Dieu! To thinki To contemplate it!D She evineed signs of returning uncontrolled rage. That creature whom I lifted from the gutters, who, but for me would have been on the outer boulevards, should presume -dare-r She choked with anger, glaring, and Mordac prepared to dodge the coffee pot, or, at least, to see it flung at the great oval mirror above the dressing table.
 She cooled. ''She is no good" she said. "She is no good. know Bru- nel, and know all those pigs who write in the newspapers. It is just publicity, boom. Brunei wants his money back. He thinks to get it. He is building on sand. She is no good. It is impossible that she can be all they say. Impossi. blew
 NIordac listened in silence This, he reflected, was the sincerest form of flattery. That Lolette should attempt to belittle Elise's performance, that she should hate Elise and the man who made her, showed fear, and fear like this was praise indeed. Even the news papers had failed to pay such a tribute to La Phalene as Lolette was, at that moment, paying.
 Do you think she is any goOdy' Lolette flung the question at MOrdae after an interval of silence, and. for once, he was unprepared.
 "I have not seen her." he said, not realizing that he should have given a direct negative.
 The yellow eyes dulled, with their heavy lids dropped over them so that they showed him like narrowed pools of suspicious light.
 "So! Listen, mon ami. In the past, when that-that-when she was my dresser, you found many smiles for her. l fOrgave them. l ignored them because thought you would not stOop so low. But now-she is La Phalene. You understand? It is different" She paused, changed wonderfully, her oo0GAAaMS beautiful which lowered somewhere in her dark soul.
 You know, cherie, love you. That there are many men about me, but of them all you are my man, the one man I would follow, always. SO-the little dresser is dead. You need never know La Phalene."
 "Of course not" said MOrdac, and tried to speak with a great sincerity.
 But in the ears of this strange woman who loved him his words rang false, so false that they struck her as a lance point might have struck her.
 The beauty died from her face so that it was haglike, with twisted crimson lips, all snarling.
 q know P she panted fiereely. You remember all the time that I came from the Butte. You say to yourself this is but an incident. This woman is nothing. Yet, there is something else for you to remember-my darling. Up in the Butte we kill--we kill for hate, but we. also kill for love--fOr love. You will remember that-heinw
 Mordae smiled, though he did not feel like smiling
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