Evening star., 1928-12-14
Continued from Yesterdays Starr
INSTALLMENT VII.


TINE days that followed the dinner
party seemed less dull to Yvonne
because she could still recall the
excitement of that day. She
felt deeply grateful when she
thought of Bob West. Her intuition
told her he was her friend. She felt
equally suspicious when she thought OF
Anne, for her intuition told her here
was an enemy.
In spite of her vow of obedience,
which she had no intention of break
ing, she often pictured herself in her
imagination dressed like Anne. Sew
eral times she pulled her hair back
from her face to get the effect OF
bob. She made herself a plentiful
supply of lovely silk underthings and
took to grooming herself far more
carefully than she had ever done. She
bought shoes for herself, too, and
sheer stockings Richard had said
nothing about shoes and stockings and
soon Yvonne had a collection-Sturdy
ones for walking and several pairs OF
slender high-heeled affairs that she
loved to mince around her room in.
In fact, her mirror was her greatest
consolation these days. 1t told her
she was pretty, that her color was good,
her skin fresh and pink, her blue eyes
clear and sparkling. Richard never
told her of any of these things. He did
not see them. He had come lately upon
a case of unusually interesting Speci-
mems and he was working at them night
and day.
One morning he said to Yvonne: 81
wish you'd bring a tray large enough
for two this noon. A man from the
Smithsonian Institution is coming
down to look over some of my work
and he will probably be here through
lunch time"
"You do not care to come down.
stairs where I can give you a hot
lunch?" Yvonne asked.
Richard shook his head. "We'u be
too busy to stop for that" he answered.
It was tastefully arranged tray
Yvonne carried up to the laboratory
at / o'clock. She had made sandwiches
cheese with guava jelly. During the
morning she had baked small cakes and
iced them. There was bowl of egg
salad flanked with hearts of lettuce and
celery. In the center was mound OF
fruit freshly chilled and she had added
a not of coffee which she prayed they
would drink while it was bot.
She tapped at the door and waited
for Richard to come so that she might
tell him about the coffee. Getting no
answer she knocked again.
TN get it presently" he called to
her. Ito busy to come to the door
right now, Yvonne."
She went downstairs, somehow chilled
by his irritable voice.
The afternoon passed slowly. Soon
after 4, while Yvonne was standing in
the kitchen, marShaling her ideas for
dinner, she heard the two men come
down stairs. At the front door they
paused for few words. Fortunately
Yvonne could not understand them as
they spoke in English.
Mighty interesting day. Ross" the
visiting scientist said. And say, you've
surely got a good cook. French, isn't
she?"
Before Richard could say, MY wife
prepared our lunch" his visitor had
shaken hands and gone. Richard was
ashamed for moment. But the eve-
ming paper lay on the table, he could
hear Yvonne moving about the kitchen
he was deep in an easy chair absorbed
in the news.
Yvonne receded more and more from
his range Of interests. He took to
working all evening as well as all day
and Yvonn'e loneliness grew. Slowly,
too, there dawned a realization that
Richard was unaware of her love for
him and that he had never loved her, as
in her simple heart she had believed
he did.
She was never bitter when she
thought of this. She had far more
than she could have had in marrying
the village smith, for instance. She
finally decided that she would bear
with the loneliness and neglect as long
as she could and then if she felt that
Richard truly did not need her she