Evening star., 1925-05-31
TWO POETS AND A BURGL AR
Lesson Strategy Which Heroine

room, striding nervously up and
| down.
"Oh, my darling" he exclaimed as
| she entered What a comfort to
see you first for a few minutes. VIII
! you despise me If I tell you / am
horribly frightened"
Her heart sank a little-knowing
| how her grandfather would interpret
| this natural nervousness. But what
| can he do do to us, dear" she said
quite materially. She wished now
that she had had the intelligence to
| say to her grandfather that 1t is true
Bryan had a certain timidity of man
ner, especially in dealing with older
| people (and waiters)-but when II
came to questions like love, death
and religion-he was as brave as any
| hero.
I'm not afraid of anything he can
| do to u.s." Bryan answered. I'm
afraid because. you see, he is really
| rather a great man. It's a miracle 20
| have done what he's done, Diana
to have started with nothing-not
even an education-and to have made
a fortune so cleanly and quickly.
That's why I'm afraid of him-hes
great-he's a genius"
| But you're a genius, too" said
Diana.
He laughed and kissed her. You
know that, and / know that, but your
grandfather don't suppose he ever
read a line of poetry in his life"
| Didn't he just?" answered the girl,
and she produced her packet. They
had only a few minutes, and she
rushed through her narrative with a
| speed made possible by Bryan's ex-
| traordinary intuitive understanding
| When the footman came in to say
| that Mr.. Broughton was waiting in
| the library, Bryan had read only. five
| or six of the poems, but he had read
those carefully. They rose at once
and followed the man to the library
| Diana knew her grandfather's man
| ner like book. AS soon as she saw
| him sitting erect in his thronelike
armchair. with a face like a steel
mask. his slow wave toward a stiff
| little chair, she knew what he meant
to do-he meant to terrify the young
man in the first impact of the inter
| View-to crush him and then to pre-
sent him to her as a humiliated
ridiculous object-to say. in effect
And this is the creature you selected
to stand between you and the worldi"
Mr.. Broughton spoke first. We'll
| sir" he said.
| 1t was a terrible tone, and Diana
! glanced sympathetically at Bryan.
Then she opened her eyes wide and
| turned her head fully toward him
| the nervous angel of the drawing
| room was gone: he seemed calm cool
and perfectly at ease.
| Il think you know. sir" he said
that Diana and | want your consent
| to our engagement"
| The old man smiled a faint, cruel
smile. II can readily believe you
would like it." he answered: and then
added fiercely with a complete dra-
matte change of manner: You will
! never get my consent-never."
| The violence which was intended to
| shake Bryan seemed merely TO render
| him calmer. He folded his arms medi-
| tatively. We'll. Mr.. Broughton." he
| said, we must try to change your
mind about that
THINKING 1t over afterward Diana
was never able to remember the
moment at which she understood that
| Bryan wasn't pretending not TO be
| frightened, but that he wasn't fright
/ ened.- She stood ready 10 protect him
/ when he broke down, TO catch him
when he fell. as at first she felt he
must fall-all the harder because of
! the naughty pinnacle from which he
| opened the interview. But as the dis
| cuSsion went on. following the ancient
model-was youth and love to be
thwarted by the terror of poverty?-
she slowly began TO see that he was
calmer and fsmer than her grand
| father and quite as determined She
saw, too, that her grandfather, not
yielding and not intending ever to
yield an inch, glanced at him now as
at respectable antagonist
The role of calm superiority having
| been taken from him. Mr. Broughton