The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-18
CHAPTER III

Barry had not yet returned from bidding his friend, Lieutenant Rust, Good luck" at the airport when Linda came in after mailing Mrs, Tfent's Christmas cards next day.
 lt was not untll she was prepar- lng, q little forlornly, to vo down. stairs after dinner for Q long even. ing alone with old Miranda that she heard the front door bang, and then Q lusty baritone lifted tn Joyful, tf not too tNneful, song,
 As if by magic, the old house again came young and alive and friendly.
 When Linda went downstairs Co the drawing room, Mrs, Trent Was not In her customary seat Only Captain Trent was in the room, wandering about, picking up things almlessly and putting them down again. At sound of the opening of the door he wheeled.
 "The Duchess has run out on us," he explained, his eyes half laughing, half earesslng, on her startled ones. "0one to spend the evening with c sick friend"
 sohl" said Linda Q little breath lessly. "Then I guess I'd better % and finish wrapping up her parcels"
 But he was bewteen her and the door, his eyes laughing down
 "oh, 1 sayl" he protested, "You're not going to leave me high and dry, too, are youp At least you might read me Q bedtime story. Reading aloud's your job, Isn't itp"
 "Dut after all" Linda said, laughing at his air of wheeling schoolboy, there's nothing in my contract with your grandmother about entertaining visiting celeh- vitles."
 "Bring | he parcels down and WeHl have them done In no time, Aw, don't be so tight with yourself, Titania," he eoaxed, "How are we ever going to get acquainted If you keep yourself shut up behind c barbed-wire eh- tanglementp Honest it's ood-aw- iul lonesome down here"
 Suddenly Linda remembered how very lonely 1t would be upstairs, too. She hurried up and brought down the parcels.
 "You may help me wrap these" she said, "but first your grand- mother does want the antiques in that cabinet in the dining room dusted and rearranged before Christmas, You may come and watch me do those if youll promise not to touch them"
 'Who wants to touch them, now if - oh, but look herel" Barry broke of as he followed her into the dining room, with its gleam of old silver and mirror-llke sur faces, Mot the crystal candlestieks Alexander Hamilton gave Qreat- great.great-grandmother Trent for Q wedding present, not the tea service Jerome Bonaparte-1 sayl You don't mean the Duchess lets you handle thoses"
 Why nots" asked Linda, mildly surprised, as she drew up a stool before the delicate Louis XIV eabi- net and sat down, "fts one ot the things she pays me to do."
 "But never In all my days"- Barry seemed inexplieahly pleased -"have I known her to let anyone touch those sacred relies except herself and my own mother"
 why, 1t was quite natural" !" Linda wished that he wouldn't hover there quite so close behind her. It made her fingers unsteady, "One day when her hands were bad with rheumatism, she showed me what she wanted done, and I've done it ever sinee,"
 "And I'll bet I can tell you what she said," Barry's amused voice went on. "She said, only a gen. tlewoman, with lady's hands, ae. customed to nice living, can handle treasures like these prop erly."
 Linda smiled a bit wryly. She was remembering something that had happened only day before
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