Evening star., 1926-02-01

! if you feel ii Is a small thing to do
let me tell you something. 1t may
not be quite so insignificant an adven.
ture as you imagine. There may be
! a risk"
! "A riSk?'
She nodded.
| Andrea has courage of a sort.
Such affection as he is capable of he
| has for me. There was once a man
| of whom he was jealous. and ne
! threatened to shoot him. l believe he
meant it. Just now he is even more
| desperate
I'VE will dine at O'clock" Har-
grave decided promptly. The adven-
| ture begins to appeal to me-
| You will permit me to select the
table" she begged Il have a weak
Andrea knows of. At 9 o'clock l shall
meet you in the lounge"
Hargrave, to his surprise, found
Violet sitting in an easy chair in the
| smaller salon of the villa gazing
thoughtfully into wood fire. She
| welcomed him joyously.
Il knew If I willed hard enough
you'd come home in reasonable time, "
she exclaimed. Let me mix you a
! whisky and soda, please, and come
and talk to me. Tell me what you've
done all the evening"
The question is what you have been
| doing" Hargrave replied, settling
himself down opposite to her. How
| is it you are home SO early"
20 | don't know" she answered.
Il loved thu dance for the first hour.
Then you didn't come. and Mr. Gorse
didn't come. and every one began to
get stupid
He looked across At her keenly.
What has happened?" he inquired.
My ingenious countenance again.
she sighed. How is your whisky and
soda?''
Quite all right, thanks he as
sured her Tell me what has dis.
turbed you?'
She fidgeted in her chair. Presently
she came over and sat on the arm of
his.
Il couldn't help it, she said. Il
know ought to be proud am really
and yet 1 hate it?''
"Pellingham?" he queried.
She nodded.
Wasn't it absurd? AS though l
could possibly marry any one like
that"
There is no reason" he told her,
why YOU should not marry any one
in the world
There is one great reason" she
rejOined-"a reason that is quite
enough for me-a reason that makes
me all uncomfortable inside, that
makes me feel that there is something
terribly wrong about it when any one
else even thinks of such thing"
You'll have to get over that, dear"
he said.
Shall II" she answered. I'm not
going to begin to try just vet. Will
you kiss me. please, Hargrave?"
"Certainly not" he refused firmly
Il wish YOU would" she begged,
because three other foolish people
have tried to tonight. and not one of
them did-not even Lord Edward, who
drove me home
their failure makes it necessary that
should immediate myself
We'll, you see," she pointed out, Il
have the idea in my head now and l
don't think l shall go to sleep unless
something of the sort happens. Then
when you talk about immolating
yourself, I simply don't believe you.
You're terribly hard to work up, but
when you're driven to 1t l think you
rather like 1t.
He held her for a moment tenderly,
in his arms, smoothed her hair, and
kissed her lightly. She gave a sigh of
satisfaction. but declined to move.
I'VE can talk like this she insisted.
Tell me what you have been doing"
Gambling little, talking to Philip
Gorse, talking to the marchesa."
mo supper parties? No Princess
Putralka?"
The princess has gone to Rome
this morning. She started off in her
Yacht for Civita Vecchia before we
were up She sent me a rather enig-
matte little note. She expects to be
back again within a week.
Il think" Violet said gravely, 1.-The
princess Is in love with you"
And l think" he rejoined, you let