Evening star., 1925-05-31

| cover his danger before allaying his
fears. She must let him go down to
the library-which he probably had
not yet done-and discover the letter
| propped aganst the ink-stand; then
when she saw his brow furrowed with
| anxiety she would step forward:
| "Grandpapa, give yourself no concern
| i have the papers"
The imaginary scene was inter
| rupted by a knock at her door and
Mr.. Broughton entered. His brow, it
was true, already contracted, but not
apparently from fear. He had come
| to speak 10 her, he said, about her
conduct of the night before. She
must know-She was old enough to
| understand-that to send away her
| maid in order to arrange a clandestine
return in the middle of the night with
a man of whom her family did not ap.
prove-even in this age, a woman's
: reputation
He went on and on-not rapidly,
| but with slow, crushing, deliberate
| reproof. He was a tall old man,
carefully dressed in black, with a hint
| of the middle nineteenth century
about the points of his collar. He
| had a cold, hard profile and eyes
which even in old age had not lost
their color of arctic ice.j
Diana kept repeating to herself that
| she was not a child-that she had
| proved herself to be a person of cour-
age-that she had done him a service
| it did no good. She felt like a
naughty little girl. Several times she
made a weak effort to interrupt:
''Grandpapa, l have something to tell
! you
He smiled Ironically the third time
| she said it. Il believe l know what
| il is" he said. You wish to tell me
that you and this young man desire
my consent to your marriage. The
older generation, my dear Diana, is
not as totally lacking in the powers
! of observation as the younger one
| always supposes. You may have my
answer now. 1t is no. l do not
give my consent. l never shall. Yes,
| know what you are about to say
| that | have no right to disapprove of
a young man because he is poor.
| That is no objection TO him"
And what is it them" asked
Diana. who honestly could not think
of any other disadvantage.
Il object to him." answered Mr..
Broughton, because he is a poet"
Diana was so astonished at this
that she could only repeat her grand
fathers words. and misunderstanding
the cause of her surprise he went on:
Il see you suppose that a source of
pride. Let me tell you, / should not
care how poor he was if he were
working at some virile professional
he were an engineer or an explorer
something that would keep him in
touch with reality. A poet. Diana, is
a coward-a man who deliberately
flies from real life. l don't say they
haven't their uses, but they are people
who must be guarded and protected
I am an old man. l do not intend
to leave YOU in the charge of any
man who can't face life
Bryan is not a coward" said
Diana passionateiy. He is sensi-
tive"
Exactly" answered Mr.. Broughton
with a faint smile. when you
marry, my dear. YOU must marry a
man."
THIS speech had at least one ad-
vantage; it left Diana without the
power, of speech. Such profound hy.
procrisy was beyond belief. She had
read every one of her grandfather :
verses before she went to bed the
night before and. silly as they were.
they were undoubtedly intended to be
poetry. She could do nothing but
stare at the old man as If he were
monster. and in the silence another
knock came at the door. 1t was a
servant, announcing the arrival of
Bryan.
"Ah. my prophetic SOUL said Mr.
Broughton. The formal interview.
No, my dear, it will not be necessary
for you to come down." he added. as
Diana made a quick step toward the
door; but at the same instant his at
tention was directed by the footman's $
presenting to him a small tray bear
ing a letter.
Il found this on the desk in the
library, sir he said.
Mr.. Broughton felt for his eye
glasses. which always dangled from a
| black ribbon about his neck. Did
the gentleman send this up to me?'
he asked, for he had not yet seen
the strange quality of the writing.
mo sir" said the man. Il found
it on the library desk this morning.
1t wasn't there, sir, when l tidied the
room last night"
AS her grandfather opened the let
ter, Diana saw her chance, and slipped
out of the room with the packet in
her hand. Bryan, she thought. was
the person to use it. This was how
blackmailers were made-by hypo-
critics.
| She found Bryan in the drawing