Evening star., 1925-11-29


| she rarely confided the fact to Leon
never except in cases of great emer-
gency-for the reason that II she did
| he drove so fast that even she thought
| it was dangerous.
He did not answer her, though he
| was usually voluble, but she did not
notice his silence. She got in. She
had just remembered about Ned. She
| did not know what 1t was that had
suddenly brought him to her mind
| but 1t all suddenly flashed upon her.
| If she hadn't been so very late for
such an important occasion she would
have gone back to the house again
and left a message. AS 1t was, her
| mother would explain. After all, Ned
| should have been at the house already.
| He was very late-She thought severe
| ly of people who were not on time
Ned could hardly expect her to wait
for him. Still she did feel a pang
when she remembered that she had
made him give up another engage.
! ment-
a S she had only vague ideas as to
the whereabouts of Charlton
street, she did not notice where it
was that the car stople She step.
ped out, saying over her shoulder
"A dix heures ct demie, sill vous
plait, Leon" She knew she would
not have wearied of her psychic ad
venture until twelve, but her theory
| always was to let the other people
do the waiting. Then she glanced UP
at the house and saw to her surprise
that it was Dorothy Morton's little
house in Tenth street. She turned to
eXpostulate and found herself sud
denly seized round the shoulders and
under the knees, borne across the side
walk, up the two steps of the house
and through the front door which
had opened as the cor drew up
What were the feelings of Mrs. Nor
tons butler on seeing a belated guest
carried in by her chauffeur will never
he known; probably he assumed that
Miss Osborn had sprained her ankle.
lie betrayed no surprise. The hall
was small. The chauffeur set the
voung lady down. snatched her cloak
rom her shoulders, and seemed ac-
tually to propel her through the draw
ing room door. Then he hastily lef,
the house. and in an incredibly short
space of time young Mr.. Vaughan
came running up the steps, painting
little, and was ushered into the
drawing room, too.
He entered rapidly, as was natural
in punctual man half an hour late;
he entered with no furry whatsoever,
which was less natural in a man who
has just snatched off false beard and
chufeur'S cap and overcoat and
has put his whole life to the test
This was the critical moment He
needed more courage in this moment
than in the earlier processes of the
adventure. How would he find Milly's
state of mind? Would she be in a
rage, repudiating the whole incident
and rushing away to her psychic?
Or delaying an instant for the salts
faction of having her scene with him
then and there before everybody? Or
-delirtous thought-might he find her
accepting the situation fully, and
offering some wonderful explanation
OF her own invention?
Well, he came in and looked at her,
and did not know. She was standing
In the center Of a group, and she was
silent-deeply, portentously silent.
Dorothy was saying, Fortunately
| had not even got your first message
to say you weren't coming before
your second one arrived, and SO the
man did not trouble with either until,
finding you were so late, 1 told him to
call up your house and ask Oh
Ned" she broke off, there you
are. I knew Milly would bring you"
1t hadn't been quite like that, he
thought. but 1t was no time for being
funny. He glanced at Milly. Her
face had blank. expectant look, such
as you see in the face of a lost child
In the streets Of some large city when
policemen and passers-by bend down
to elicit its name and address; it is
not exactly fear nor surprise; II is
more like a biological effort to adapt
itself to new conditions. He wondered
If. after all. Milly was not a ruthless
girl as he had thought her, pursuing
her own way against all opposition,
but rather an aimless child to whose
inner consciousness no words of ad-
monition had so far penetrated. Only
deeds perhaps could do that.
He did not approach Milly after din
ner until late in the evening. when al
most every one had gone. Then, COM
Ing back from seeing one of the girls
into her taxi, he conveyed to Milly a
piece of Information he thought she
might be interested to know.
Leon is there now. Milly." he said
1t was the first time they mad spoken.
Leon himself?" she asked quietly
Leon himself"
She rost at once and said good
night. He followed hnr. She made
no objections, not even hen he got
into the car after her. 1ney started
In silence on their long drive uptown
Ned. his arms folded, stared out Of
his window and she, propped up, as it
were, in her own corner. sat looking
down at her hands folded in her lap
The town was as noisy as it usually
Is about II o'clock, but somehow an
area of complete stiffness seemed to
envelop the car.
At last she said: Have you any
apology to make to me, Ned?"
mo. my dear" he answered, in
much the same tone.
A few blocks more. and she asked
as a person might speak while mourn
Ing over something valuable which
has been utterly ruined and defaced,
"Oh, why did you do such a thing"
He did not answer. and she went on:
What made you think it was your
job to undertake my reformation"
Il wasn't thinking about your refor-
nation, Milly."
She did not betray her profound
satisfaction at this; she only said
again, Then why did you do it?"
Il did it," he replied. "for the same
reason that men used to fight dueIs-
just to make a demonstration at any
cost that there are certain things they
won't have done to them"
You know what the cost is in this
case; everything's over"
"Of course faced that possibility" +"
he answered.
She glanced at him. It was not the
way she was accustomed to hearing
him speak. The tower at Thirty
fourth street gave a red wink and
turned green, and the car stopped as
If automatically.
k& 4 X
MED was no psychic, like Ahmud;
he could not read Milly's manner.
He still did not know whether he had
lost or won-indeed. he thought he