Evening star., 1939-10-01

that night. Annette thought so herself. She
loved him, and it was her first affair L. dew on
the grass freshness of spring.
Taxes had not been so heavy and so numer
Gus in those days. 1t was before the dictators
started nibbling at Europe like mice at cake
Mr.. Ledburys business was better, and he
often had spare cash. A cook slept in the
cooks room in the basement. A starched
housemaid hustled about upstairs.
Annette got herself new frock for the
party. 1t came from an exclusive shop in
Grosvenor Street and the price was terrible,
though the young man who kept the shop had
seen Annette and liked her at sight, and let
her have it cheap.
Unfortunately she had left the bill lying
on the floor and Mr.. Ledbury had found it.
Look here, Annette, this is going bit far, :"
he said, holding the scrap of paper between
his thumb and first finger as if it might burn
him. He was already frightened of his splendid
daughter, but father has his duties, and
twenty pounds for one frock was the limit. A
foot must be put down somewhere, and line
drawn. Living above your station, said Mr..
Ledbury.
She rounded on him fercely, telling him
to mind his own business. Yet whose business
was it if not his, since he paid the bills? Prob
ably Crispin had overheard, thought Annette,
and resented Mr. Ledbury's inability to do
things properly He had a trying way of sitting
round in his shirt sleeves; his wife had an end
less stock of old fashioned anecdotes, enough
to choke anyone off.
In fairness, Annette had to own that during
that week she had had entirely her own way.
An extra maid had been taken on to wait at
table while Crispin was there, but it never
seemed natural Mr.. Ledbury still went
around in his shirt sleeves.
It was summer The fields we're gold with
buttercups. Lupines stood lined up in borders,
like an army with spears Annette and Crispin
PLAYED tennis together, and then sat breath
less under the syringa bushes and watched a
little new moon rise out of the foam OF
hawthorns.
Now he'll speak," thought Annette. But
Crispin only lay beside her, little smile on
his face. He played with her fingers and said
sweet things to her, but he did not ask her to
marry him.
when he sees me in my new frock- she
thought. She came down the stairs slowly, her
scarlet cloak over her arm, to give him a
chance to get really good look at her.
"A daughter of the gods, divinely fair and
most divinely TALL" said Crispin. He booked
two dances, and left her almost the moment
they got to the ballroom.
Something was wrong. For one dreadful
moment she thought there was someone else.
She saw him busy booking dances, but it was
only Mary Gillows, dumb little pansy face
with blond eyes. That was the funny part of
it. There had never been anyone else.
Furious, hurt to the soul, aware people
were looking and whispering, she thought.
Two can play at that game. She had singled
out young Malcolm Desmond, for no reason
except that there he was, handy. Malcolm was
pink and shy, on the plump side, young and
very immature He was laboring to grow a
mustache. You thought he hadn't washed
Come and dance with me, Malcolm, she
cried gaily Come, dance
He came at the run, not able to believe his
luck Ever since she had entered the room he
had been staring at her, wondering If he dared
but certain she would snub him. He had
admired her from afar all the spring. as a
caterpillar may admire star.
And she singled him out.
For Malcolm the evening was made. And