Evening star., 1926-11-21

heamed heamed, looking up at Miss
Lance, who simply averted her eyes.
New. give me two alternate evenings
when YOU are free~-the nineteenth
and twentieth I'll call YOU back as
soon as get hold of Raymund. :.
Oh. you're going out now Very
well. I'll have my secretary drop you
n little note and leave it at the hotel. :
A few more cordial nothings. and
Mrs. Manfred hung up the receiver
As soon as Ii seemed probable that
her son had reached the museum she
gave orders that he was to he called.
Standing beside the bed. Miss Lance
said: MIR. Manfred, please, Mrs. Man.
fred's secretary speaking" a pause,
and then Mrs Manfred heard quite
plainly her sons voice. "Is that YOU?
Isn't that queer, for / was just think
ing - Mrs Manfred reached
up and took the instrument, though
for a second 1t seemed TO her that her
secretary attempted to retain It,
Once more balancing the telephone
upon herself. Mrs. Manfred said; "Oh,
Ray, dear, / got hold of Adelaide for
you. And she's free either the nine
teenth or the twentieth. Have you
any choice? Oh. see, lecture on
the twentieth. Then I'll make it the
nineteenth. What do you mean, you
suppose so2" Again she hung up the
receiver Certainly she did not un
derstand her son.
She directed Miss Lance to write. a
letter to Miss Adelaide Fitzpatrick
Vaughan, at the Madlex Hotel, saying
that she expected her to dine on the
nineteenth at 90 minutes past seven,
sharp. as Raymond was taking her
to the play. And give 1t to the
chauffeur and see that he leaves 1t at
once she added. Then she went back
to reading the paper, and did not
notice when Miss Lance left the room.
She had not brought the letter for
signature.
Mrs. Manfred was a little-annoyed
II told you," she said, that I always
want to sign letters OF a social char
acter. I told you that, Miss Lance. =
Miss Lance apologiZed. She said she
thought this was Just memorandum
Anyhow, 1t had gone now.
X
THE intervening days passed un-
= eventually. Every moSning Ray
mund came In TO see his mother and
fingered until ,the arrival OF Miss
Lance. and then fingered a little
longer One day he asked If Miss
Lance could find time to classify some
of his notes on the behavior of sea-
gulls. 1t wouldn't take very long
he said, particularly if she was fa-
miliar with psychological terminology.
Miss Lance. 1t appeared. had taken a
senior course In psychology.
With Boliinger?' cried Raymund.
Yes, with that great man They
talked about him until Mrs. Manfred
interrupted, pointing out to her son
Isf 7an ssft ttarr tanf 4iy,.a n
Miss I.ance's, because she could not
possibly spare the girl to do this work.
Get a secretary of your own she
said. with an effort to be playful.
y II
IN the evening Of the nineteenth,
Mrs. Manfred, in her best gray
teagown. with no jewels to speak of
but the string Of priceless pearls
(which she made no secret she in
tended to leave to Raynitind's wife,
because she really could not choose
among her three daughters1, sat by
the fire and attempted to put Ray
mund into a good humor. For he was
distinctly cross. In the first place, he
had supposed that they were having
dinner for Miss Vaughan, and in
take her alone to the theater; and
when he exclaimed at this his mother
reminded him that he had said he
would leave it all to her to arrange.
and, of course, he had said so. This
was irritating. Then he had been
obliged to dress in a hurry for an
early dinner, and he had already seen
the play for which his mother had
bought seats and he had found 1t dull.
He stood on the hearth rug looking
very blank and silent, and made only
two observations--that the house was
too hot and the scent OF the lilies OF