San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-06

without PERMISSION IeihoPo ~
about time we came to an under.
standing about those boundaries. +"
CHAPTER iii.
ToHN HUMPHREY dined at
ksbridge that night
J and he met Tina, the ire
pressible. For him it wasn't alto
gether a joyous evening because
so many of his ideas of life went
crashing down the hill. He began
badly: he had taken inordinate
pains with his dressing, much as
he hated evening clothes and
starched shirts, and when he ar
rived at the house it was to find
his host, Carteret, wearing COM
Portable tweed suit. And there
was a visitor from town, Mr.. En-
sley Charlton, who was so lax in his
observance of etiquette that he
came to dinner in a golfing jacket
and plus tours! 1t was not till
they were summoned to the dining
room that Humphrey caught a
glimpse of Tina; by that time he
was beginning to feel lonely and
isolated and out of touch with the
world; he felt even priggish and he
hated at least one of the notions
he had cherished so long.
Carteret, a faded man of sixty,
was Just saying: "You must for
give our sitting down in this guise,
Mr.. Humphrey, but when were in
the country we do pretty much as
we please. Charlton and | didn't
get in from the links till late and
after two cocktails we just didn't
feel like dressing"
"Hullo, peopler' came a voice
from the door, and Tina came in,
all red hair and laughing eyes and
vigor.
Humphrey blushed like an mex.
perienced youngster; he fancied
that as she paused on the TIRES
hold she flung glance of inquiry
at her father and the suave-look-
ing Charlton, all pallid cheek and
patent leather hair; she seemed to
be asking: "Who on earth have
you got here?"
"This is Mr.. Humphrey, our
near neighbour" said Carteret.
Then to his guest: my daughter,
Christina, otherwise Tina"
She was wearing a green-silk
gown that might have been COM
fortably packed in an egg-cup; it
was sinfully short, too, SO that as
she came across the floor, the
knees almost forgot themselves
and peeped from under.
"Cheers," said Tina, looking him
straight in the face. 81 was down
your way this morning."
81 saw you," he said, and his
embarrassment was such that again
she looked at the others as though
she fancied there was joke afoot.
"As a fact" she said, 81 very
nearly came in, for I'd run out Of
'gaspers' and would have given my
soul for just one"
They sat down to dinner; Tina
sat next to him; Charlton, with his
cynical smile, faced him; Carteret,
at the head of the table, appeared
to be utterly bored with the whole
proceedings before they had be-
gun. There were the usual courte-
sizes: he hoped that Humphrey
would like Wingrove, although it
was a damned dull hole in the
winter" Charlton said in a tired
voice: "You will see very little of
your friends, living down here"
Living here" said Tina, Cen
ables you to see through them, which
is more important. Why didn't
you dress tonight? You knew
that Mr.. Humphrey was coming"
"Too Jagged" drawled Charl-
ton. "I'm certain that Mr.. Hum
phrey doesn't mind" 1t was said
as though nobody could possibly
expect Humphrey to mind.
mot in the slightest, said
Humphrey, feeling more than ever
like a fish out of water, although
he would have liked to wipe the
cynical smile from the sallow face.
81 believe one dresses to please
one's-self these days"
"Oh, dear no." said Tina.
Otherwise I'd spend half my time
in breeches and CATERS. What
what, Emsley?"
There's no saying what you
might be tempted to do" said
Charlton. Sometimes you startle
even me-"
"Then I'm more daring than !
believed" said Tina. She turned
to Humphrey. Hope you're not
shocked" she said, holding her
head to one side and looking at
him from the corner of her eye.
Don't fib," she counselled, as he
hesitated. 81 can read a face so
easily. Have you come down to the
country to study for something or
just to get away from the rattle?"
81 haven't lived in town for
longer than week at Stretch"
he confessed. Most of my time
has been passed abroad"
"Then your views of modern
London should be interesting. You
must get Mr.. Charlton to toddle
you around 10 some of the night
clubs. He won't take me now; I'm
so frightfully unlucky. I've been
i