The Washington times., 1936-08-01

Joel was old indeed, in compari-
son with Jimmy Randolph. She
loathed the memory Of Ramon, the
effete. She saw Jimmy's lips
tremble, and an added thrill went
through her that she could so stir
him. It was like playing on some
exquisitely sensitive instrument.
What would have happened had
not the butler entered the little
salon at that moment, Lorraine
was afterwards to wonder?
Shines was fool. She must get
rid of him. He had no tact. He
bore a silver Salver with a decanter
on it, and two Iqueur glasses the
size of thimbles. Also a silver cof-
fee-pot and two demi-taSseS.
Like a schoolboy caught in wrong
doing, Jimmy dropped her hands
instantly, and his face that had
been so pale and strained a mo-
ment ago was suffuSed by a dark
flush.
He stepped back awkwardly so
that his elbow caught his hitherto
untouched water-goblet of ruby cut
glass which fell to the polished
floor and smashed into fragments.
He apologized and stopped down
to mop up the water with his nap
kin.
Let me do that, sir" said Shines.
I'm a clumsy idiot, Mrs. Wanda
veer. Please forgive me-" Jimmy
said hastily, Strengthening. And to
her conception, the Shamed look in
his eyes was more for what had
preceded the accident than for the
accident itself, which was a trivial
one.
She laughed it off, knowing that
the spell was broken. Are you
superstitious?" she asked.
Pardon me, madame, but a
broken glass, unlike a broken mir
ror, is a lucky omen," Shines volun-
teered as he collected the smashed
ruby pieces.
Then your pantry has lucky
angel, for you're a demon when it
comes to breakages," she said,
tartly, for she was annoyed with
Shines. Put that tray out on the
terrace. Well have coffee and
iqueurS out there" she added,
sharply. The blundering butler
certainly must be dismissed. Just
how much had he seen that could
be construed as compromising
when he first entered the little
salon? And how much did he
know about herself and Ramon?
-. Would he be vindictive?
To break the awkward pause
when Shines had gone, Lorraine
started showing Jimmy the treas
ures in the room, for, since dinner
was ended, there was no point in
going back to her chair.
The light in his eyes was not
for her this time, but for the beau
tiful mosaics and oil paintings, and
the wonderful old Florentine books
in their rare bindings and rare
typeScript.
She opened an inlaid cabinet
that had a glass front to it and
on whose shelves, on beds of Grim
son velvet, rested relics of the
past.
Here was a bracelet made by
Benvenuto Cellini, the great ham,
mersmith of Florence. Lorraine's
lips twisted wryly as she recollect-
ed that Ramon and she had quar-
relied over the bracelet. He had
wanted to wear it in the charity
pageant in Madison Square Gar
den, where he was taking the role
of Cellini, and she had refused to
let him have it, and he had been
furious with her.
Among the curioS in the cabinet
were several old rings of intricate
design.
This is a particularly beautiful
one" said Jimmy, reverently fin
gering a heavy, embossed gold cir
clet on it's bed of velvet. "I'll bet
it has a marvellous hiStory!"
"It's said to have come from the
palace Of the Medici," his hostess
replied. Why not give it to Jimmy
to cement their friendship? It
would put him in her debt in a
way and be sort of talisman be-
tween them, possibly Why
not slip it on his finger with a
gracious little speech that would
restore lost dignity to her, since
Shines untimely interruption?
TO be COntinued)
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