The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-12-01
A DIFFICULT DINNER
CHAPTER XT

She slipped her hand beneath Stephens arm and they moved down the stairway together just as Larkin was admitting the first guests.
 'Darn the girl anyway" Adela was thinking hotly, If shed only do something gauche -- make Ste- phen ashamed of her. But she Al- ways looks like the latest model from Madame YvetteS -- and acts as if she'd been used to this sort of thing all her life, But tonight I think we've a little surprise for her that will penetrate that ealml"
 Suddenly Phil Bruce was Slnil- ing down at Diana, his brown eyes warm and friendly, She was Nb- surdly glad to see him, as If he were a very old friend indeed, and clung to his hand just little,
 "Hell," he grinned," as any one told you that you look like the nth degree of loVeliness9"
 "Rememher what told you" stephen warned. There's no truth or honesty in this fellowi"
 Diana was laughing when, sud- denly, she found herself looking Into the handsome face of Richard Thorpe, her hand resting In his. With q little twinkle in her eye she glanced at stephen, then back Co Thorpe,
 why, hello. Mir, Thorpe -- how nice to see you again" she said clearly.
 If he was taken back by her gay greeting, he failed to show it As handsome and debonair as ever, he claSped her hand warmly and Diana realized that he was the sort of man who would treat AErs. stephen Curt quite differ ently from Diana Tucker stenog- ,wapher. He smiled blandly, T wNS afraid you might have for- gottsn that we are old friends" he said cordially. ' @oh, I shall never forget our last meetlngl" Diana could not help saying, and then took pity on him, Anyway, I'm glad to uee you again."
 she turned then and was starr tied co the look on stephen Curtis Raee Ns he gaZed Into the eyes of the beautiful woman standing be- fore him. Diana thought her the iiveliest person she had ever seen, Softly waved brown hair framed the gentle face of a madonna. It was c face that was beyond beauty, embracing A quality Of a..,wA fawali,a aoa vaaAYy, Ra,,Nd Ri- ana found herself staring help- lessly.
 | Ne had said, 'SThe woman I love married another man." And Diana had often wondered about this wo- man who had been able to capture Che devotion Of man like stephen Curt. But certainly she had never anvlsloned such Q gentle, beautiful person as thisl
 Richard Thorpe said Mrs, Curt, I don't believe you have Naet my wife"
 And stephen said in q tone al- most of reverence, "This Is Eva Iyn, Diana"
 Amazed. Diana stared from the lovely woman to Richard Thorpe. Richard Thorpe was the other man os whom stephen had spoken. She could scarcely be- Meve it was truel In the short time she had been in Thorpe's oflce, Mrs. Thorpe had never come in, 50 she was not at all mrepared for this experience.
 And the way stephen had spoken her name as if to him there had been concentrated in eAais mnall person all that was lovely and desirable. Diana caught q glimpse of Adela, smiling ma Sciousiy in the background. This Was Q moment of triumph for Adela. A moment in which the antruding Diana would learn con- plRisively that Stephens affections were set for all time.
 But Evalyn Thorpe was speak, nng in the gentlest tones irnagin- able. T am sure you must be esEy lovely. my dear, or Stephen