Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-26

clew to the distressing maze; now re-
jecting it as impra cticable.
II only Laura were here now to
advise him. With an un.
happy smile he realized that II she
were here. this apparently unsolvable
question would not have arisen to dis
tract him.
Up and down the long room he
stalked. weary and miserable, until his
legs ached almost as badly as his
heart. Yet no sooner did
he throw himself on couch for a mo-
ment's rest than the hara ssing swarm
of thoughts stung him to his feet
again. o..
This house of Iilary's was a rather
remarkable achievement In those days
when the rage for Louis XIV and Louis
XVI was at its height.
1t was an almost exact reproduction
in lesser size of the Palace de Cluny:
paneled in old French oak. hung with
Moyen age tapestries and paintings.
furnished with antiques Of the same
the bright, black eyes of lie petit
Arouet would have glistened.
People often said that Hilary Fraser
had never married because he couldn't
find woman who would go" with
his adored house. A friend had re-
peated this jestingly to him on one &C.
ca sion and Hilary had laughed and
admitted there was grain of truth
in 1t.
gaze in absent perpleXity at a great
carved chair. in which no woman had
ever sat. for the simple rea son that he
never asked women into his library
this saving came back to him. Then.
suddenly, a woman's figure appeared
to be sitting there go. Celia.
He could see distinctly the CLEAN of
her fabulous hair against Its carved
back-the pale slenderness Of her
andS they rested on its arms-the
very way in which the folds Of her
hrocade gown broke against It. . .
There was certainly no doubt that she
would go" most admirably with the
house aud all that IL contained. .
Ills unexpected fancy startled and
disconnected him. Yet how simple. a
solution it would be il
But this ''if' was SO big and included
so many others that he resumed his
troubled walk, wondering at the sheer
absurdity Of unSummoned fancies.
Even had there not been the girls
own Indifference and the great dis.
parity OF age between them, he
wouldn't have cared to have her or,
indeed any woman as his wife.
He went on thinking of Celia, how
ever. and of how sincerely fond he
had become Of her. in spite of her
queer reticences and withdra walls. He
liked her incorporating frankness
when she chose to be frank. and what
remained sealed from him In her
strange nature held as much interest
for him AS ever.
Could he take her to live with him
as sort of adopted elf kings daugh.
ter, 1t would be very pleasant. He
found her delightful to look at, and
as they became closer friends. the
quest of her hidden self would fill hts
leisure moments fascinatingly. . .
How odd. but how agreeable. too. to
have woman's presence in the
house. And Celia was such a still
creature and he so abom.
inably lonely since Laura's death.
He gave an impatient sigh at his
own stupidity in entertaining such
possible suppositions, and at the stu.
pidity of the world which made them
impossible.
Dawn had broken when he went to
bed at last, feeling tagged and in.
competent for being no nearer q solu-
ton of the problem than he had been
the evening before.
But the next day brought him a ray
of hope. This cheering light shone
from the Pc ges Of a letter, written to
him BY Kirilenko. In 1t the young
man, after expressing his sympath
at Laura g death, renewed his propose
for 1.-The hand of Miss Gibbs. He
went on to say that now her almost
mother" had been taken from her 1t
had occurred to him that she might be
willing to reconsider his offer Of mar
riage.
Hilary determined to see Celia with
out delay. He could make plain to
her. as even. Laura had not been able
to do, the fine qualities of kirilenko
A mans opinion in such matters had
more weight than woman's, and
then, too. Celia seemed to have great
! confidence in his opinion.
He was shown into the pretty. co
| uuettish dra wing room where he had
spent such happy moments with
| Laura The perfume Of
violets still saturated 1t.
This perfume was like the presence
of a delicate ghost. AL