Evening star., 1926-03-09

Donovan held a strong and unfavor-
able opinion of her conduct, but did
not choose to express it, since 'the
Hedges woman had been put before
her as a Judge of Celia's behavior.
The thought of telling Hilary about
her adventure at the Sieburg. now
that he was in America and would
shortly be in the house. made her feel
quite different from the way she had
felt about il when he was across the
water.
She glanced again at the grim coun-
tenance In the mirror and wished that
Donovan were a little more motherly
In type. She did not herself know
just what she meant by motherly; ii
was certainly not the thought Of her
own mother that prompted her. The
strongest memory that Celia had of
poor Lucille Gibbs was the way she
had always smelt of liniment. which
she used for her poor back, and the
scent of White Rose. with which she
tried to disguise the liniment. This
combined SMELL and the way Lucille
used to cry over her after her father
had been unusually brutal to her
'r her mother had never dared enter
the studio while he was batting Celia
these two things were the chief i'm
pressions Of motherhood that remained
with her. She had hated the hot, use
less tears which tickled her face and
dropped among the roots of her hair.
She had once scandalized Donovan by
asking her if the Mother of God smelt
of anything. She recalled this ques-
ton now and her nurses prompt
answer:
IF the Blessed Virgin smells of
anything, It's the ordor of sanctity--
and don't you ever dare ask me such
q blasphemous question again, miss.
Poor Celia couldn't understand Don
ovan's wrath at the time. She would
have preferred to hear that Our Lady
had no perfume of any sort and had
hoped to be told so. Now she could
have smiled at the memory but for
that set face in the glass and the
tight feeling about her own heart.
Would he be angry? Would he per.
haps be so angry that he would say
"Since you have found this peculiar
way of life both remunerative and TO
your taste, you might as well con-
tinue it," Her unconscious reproduc-
ton of Hilary's language when really
angry showed how closely she had OBJ
served him.
Her heart sank lower and lower and
grew tighter and tighter. just as
though it were a ball being wound
very close anu IdI u DS liAc lAACN NhSAAAASAA'
of it's own beating.
Nurse" she said suddenly. glanc-
ing again at the reflection of Dono-
vans face-she only called her nurse
i'm softer moments and when they were
alone-.'nurse, l am going to tel Mr..
Fraser all about the Sieburg Theater
this evening"
If that grim face would soften but
ever so little. 1t didn't exactly soften.
but the shell of hardness cracked
slightly. as when one starts the sur
face of ice by fiinging stone.
I'm glad to hear il. miss said
she, land obliged to you for taking
the trouble to tell me-"
She couldn't accustom herself to
calling Velia ma am" or madam.
and after one or two fruitless efforts
had calmly given it up.
Celia. more naughty now. said:
Il didn't choose you 10 think that l
would conceal anything from Mr..
Fraser. ! never do and never shall"
Donovan, unmOved by this change
of tone, replied firmly:
II hope you'll stick to that. miss"
Celia was far more annoyed with
herself for having been so weak as 10
crave a sign of sympathy than she
was with Donovan for Withholding 1t.
She rose. fortified by the rebuff against
herself. her nurse. the whole world.
and stood In cold silence while her
gown was being fastened.
My scarf. please" she then said.
in much the tone Il French aristocrat
on her way To the guillotine might
have used To one of the canaille who
was assisting her TO dress for the oc-
caSion.
Donovan brought her the long scarf
of silk and laid il over her shoulders.
AS he did so she said, using on her
part a voice in which the cheyenne
might have remarked that the knife
was sharp and fell quickly:
The sooner it's over the better
you'll feel. miss
THAT will do said Celia, moving
toward the door. But Il knOtty hand
on her shoulder detained and held her.
as when she had been about to turn
away in a cold rage when a child.
mo, miss. it won't do at all.'' re
turned Donovan. You didn't call me
nurse for nothing just now. l know
them frozen tempers of yours. l amt
mushy nature any more than you
are. and l don't warm easy. But ]
want YOU to keep what happiness
you've got. And if you go handing
out what there is to tell like salty ice
cream out of a freezer, maybe you'll
come back less happy than you went
down.
There was a pause. Then:
THANK you, nurse" said Celia, not
looking at her. The hard fingers
pinched her shoulder slightly in re-
sponse, then released 1t.
Celia went downstairs. In the IL
brary log fire was burning and the
whole room fragrant with the mingled
scent of Russian leather and potted
girohees-the flowers that Hilary liked
best. She had gone herself in the car
that afternoon and brought back with
her these growing plants. She touched
one of the velvety petals as she stood
by his writing table looking down at
it. How pretty the old English name
for them was-yellow violets. But
they smelt even sweeter than violets.
she thought--there was something
aromatic in their perfume.
She went about the room to see that
all was in order and stopped at last
before the carved chair in which she
usually sat. She had been very proud
to learn that she was the only woman
he had ever admitted there. Perhaps
after this evening-after she had told
hint-he wouldn't wish her 10 come
any more. 'If only he could have
been my real father" she thought
and her heart frightened still more and
sank lower.
Then she started. She hadn't
thought he would came before eight.
and 1t was only seven, but she had
heard the front door being unbarred.
That was Hilary's voice speaking to
Jenkins. Her heart began 10 beat
with hard little digs, as though IT
were pointed. Maybe he would go up
6ruf fn drnc oyy1n ..I,.
off telling him till after dinner. She
had ordered dinner for half-pas eight
No, she would rather get it over at
once-if he came to the library before