Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-29


come difficult had there not, at this
moment, made itself heard from the
other side of the door loud and pene-
trating sniff.
A fatherly smile lit up Charles By
waters face.
That's Mr.. Johns dog" he said
reaching for the cough drops.
Pat opened the door, and the state
ment was proved correct With short
Woof7e, partly of annoyance at having
been kept waiting, and partly OF happy
anticipation, Emily entered and gazeo
eXpectantly at the chemist.
"Hullo, Emily" said Pat.
Emily gave her a brief look in which
there was no pleased recognition, but
only the annoyance of dog interrupted
during an important conference. She
then returned her gaze to Mr.. Bywater
What do you say, doggie?" said Mr.
Bywater, more paternal than ever,
posing a cough drop.
"Oh, snap into It'll" replied Emily
CURLY, impatient at this foolery.
Hear her speak for it?" said Mr. By
water. almost human, that dog is
Col. Wyvern. whom he had addressed,
did not seem to share his satisfaction.
He muttered to himself. He regarded
Emily sourly, and his right foot twitched
a little.
Just like a human being, isn't she,
miss?" said Charles Bywater, damped,
but persevering.
Quite" said Pat absently.
Mr.. Bywater, startled by this infringe
ment of copyright, dropped the cough
lozenge and Emily snapped it up.
Pat, still distract, was watching the
door. She was surprised to find that
her breath was coming rather quickly
and that her heart had begun to beat
with m0e than its usual rapidity. She
John Carroll would shortly appear in
that doorway must she stand fluttering,
for all the world as though poor old
Johnnie, an admitted jellyfish, were
something that really mattered? 1t was
too silly and she tried to bully herself
into composure. She failed.
A step sounded outside. shadow fell
on the sunlit pavement and dolly Molloy
walked into the shop.
1t is curious, when one reflects, to
think how many different impressions a
single individual can make simultane-
ouSly.
At the present moment it was almost
as though four separate and distinct
Dolly Molloys had entered the estab-
liShment of Chas. Bywater.
The Dolly whom Col. Wyvern he held
was beautiful woman, with just that
hint of diablerie in her bearing that
makes elderly widowers feel that there
is life in the old dog yet. Col. Wyvern
was no longer the dashing Hussar who
in the "ninetieS" had made his presence
felt in many dim sitting out place
and in many punt beneath the willows
of the Thames, but there still fingered
in him trace of the old barrack-room
fire. Drawing himself up, he automat
1cally twirled his mustache. To Col.
Wyvern Dolly represented Beauty.
To Chas. Bywater, with his more
practical and worldly outlook, she repre-
Sented Wealth. He saw in Dolly not
so much beautiful woman as rich
looking woman. Although Soapy had
contrived, with subtle reasoning, to head
her off from the extensive purchases
she had contemplated making in prep
aration for her visit to Rudge, Dolly I'M
doubtedly took the eye. She was, as she
would have put it herself a snappy
dresser, and in Chas. Bywaters mind
she awoke roseate visions of large orders
for face creams, imported scents and
expensive bath salts.
Emily, it was evident regarded Mrs.
Molloy as Perfection. A dog who. as
a rule, kept herself to herself and looked
on the world with a cool and rather
sardonic eye, she had conceived for
Dolly one of those capricious alterations
that come occasionally to the most
hard-boiled Welsh terriers Hastily
swallowing her cough drop, she bounded
at Dolly and fawned on her.
So far, the reactions caused by the
newcomers entrance have been I'M
mixedly favorable. 1t is only when we
come to Pat that we find disapproval
rearing its uplV head.
"Disapproval," indeed, is mild and
inadequate word. "Loathing" would be
more correct. Where Col. Wyvern be-
held beauty and Mr.. Bywater opulence.
Pat saw only flashiness, vulgarity and
general horribleness. Piercing with
woman's intuitive eye through an outer
crust that to vapid and ineffective
males might possibly seem attractive,
she saw Dolly as vampire and men,
ace-the sort of woman who goes about
ensnaring miserable, fat-headed, inno-
cent young men who have lived all their
lives in the country and so lack the ex-
perience to see through females of her
type.
For beyond a question, felt Pat, this
girl must have come to Rudge in brazen
pursuit of poor old Johnnie. The fact
that she took her walks accompanied
by Emily showed that she was staying
at the Hall; and what reason could she
have had for getting herself invited to
the Hall If not that she wished to con-
tinue the acquaintance begun at the
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