Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-28

LIGHT Of her free, graceful movements
and natural speech All these things
we're knit into his vision. Then in
the midst of It he remembered Lord
Ardington's kindly warning, the folly
of his dreams, and wave OF depres-
sion swept over him. He rose 10
his feet and gazed gloomily downward
Through the trees he could see a
woman walking on the deserted lawn of
the manor--probably Its mistress He
could distinguish nothing except that
she was tall and graceful. The house
itself. indeed seemed from the height
where he lay like dolls house. He
tried to interest himself In speculationS
concerning her, wondered why she or
her men kind owned a yacht which
they never apparently visited and a
house which they so seldom occupied
Presently he turned away. suddenly re-
alizing that he was profoundly I'M
Interested: that there was only one
thing he desired to do, and that was
to return TO Ardrington. He read
Blanches letter again. After all. why
not? With other people there the
tension Of the situation between him
and Laurita would be relieved. He
played with the idea al an unexpected
arrival and found that 1t gave him a
tingling sense OF pleasure. In that
moment he abandoned the harmless
self deception In which he had in
dulged He realized the cause OF his
immense unsettlement, no longer thrust
it into the background. The great
stroke OF good fortune which had
freed him from irksome labors had be-
come bound up with an impulse Of
unimaginable folly. He had allowed
what should have been momcntary
fancy passing infatuation. TO become
vital part nj his life: before he had
time to spread himself in the sun
shine of his new prosperity ne had
mortgaged his chances Of happi-
ness.
His impulse of self acknowledgement
once yielded to opened the way to
fresh avenues Of thought. which kept
him engrossed all the way ts Barn
| stable, on the first stage Of his hastily
undertaken Journey. He admitted with
gratitude the compensations Of his
/ decomposition which bore fruit
every day I'm his attitude toward the
other sex perhaps even in his daily
conduct toward life. The hotel at
which he had stayed had been full OF
| the usual holiday crowd, with the
usual pieponderance Of young women
/ He had no longer found it amusing TO
embark upon cheap fltrtations, nor had
| he felt any inclination 10 take ad-
vantage of the opportunities offered
him AS an unattached young man OF
oersonable appearance and the owner
of much admired motor car. His
slight but kindly aloofness invested
him too with an air Of dignity. which
he felt had come to him for life. The
possibilities of London. with its gayeties
and night clubs. failed to stir his
imagination in the slightest. "Larking
about with girls" as he and Percy
Ouilland had frankly called tt--once
pastime INDUCED tn-had become
suddenly distasteful and impossible. 1t
really seemed as though some honest
internal change in his own outlook and
tastes had followed his change OF
fortune.
He slept that night at Wells fas-
cinated by the quaint, old place and
the glamour OF Its wonderful cathe-
dral Anxious though he was to reach
his journeys end. 1t was midday be-
fore he could tear himself away and
& o'clock before he reached his rooms
in town. There on the table he found
a reply 10 the telegram he had sent
from LINTON. He tore 1t hastily open
Certainly. Pleased to see you any
day Ardrington."
He laid the message down with a
vague sense OF dissatisfaction dis
satisfaction which he secuted as UNI
reasonable. but which still fingered with
| him Nevertheless. at 10 o'clock on
the following morning he was once
more on the way TO Norfolk
II was very different Ardrington
through the wide-fiung gates Of which