Younger Set
By ROBERT W. CHAMBERS,
Author of "THE FIQHTING CHANCE," Etc.
Copyrighted,
SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS.
Mnntln. CaDtaln
Selwyn. formerly of the army. Is welcomed
home by bis sister. Nina Gerard, her wealthy
husband Austin, and their numerous en u
ren. Eileen Erroll. ward of Nina and Austin.
Is part of their household. Sclwln has been
I I . . II. .... 1. 1 a Till rt liV II I S
wife, Allxe. who Is now the wife of .lock
Kuthven, with whom she ran .away from
Sclwyn. II Eileen, who is very fond of her
brother. Gerald, despite the young man s
neslectof her. makes friends with jelwsn.
III-Gcrald Is worried about youne Erroll s
mlnellne In the fast set. Gerald Is employ
ed by Julius Neereard, a reale state operator
Inalarscway. Helwyn promises Knee". "v
will look after her T-rothcr. He tells her
about Hoots Lanslnc, his army chum In
Manila, who Is comlntr to New ork. In the
park Eileen and Sclwyn ride past I Allxe. IV
."II . .1 ...... I , . 1. ....... .. .. n.nVinnril.
toKist, and she has inherited some ot hi
Scholarly qualities. Sclwyn helps Gerald
W settle a gambllnc debt and determines to
allien a uwvuaci, iuuiu nm mi ......
unaeriaKe nis irioriiiuiiun.
Chapter 5
rR i HE prospect perplexed
He was sullenly aware
that in a town where
the divorced must ever
be reckoned with when
dance and dinner lists are made out
there la always some thoughtless host
ess and sometimes a mischievous one,
and the chances were that be and Mrs.
Jack Ituthven would collide cither
through the forgctfulncss or malice of
somebody or through sheer hazard at
some large affair where destiny and
fate work busily together In criminal
copartnership.
Their encounter wus all a mistake,
born of the haste of a heedless ami eld
erly matron celebrated for managing
to do the wrong thing, but who had
been excessively nice to him thnt win
ter and whose position in Mantmttnm
was not to be assailed.
"Dear Captain Sclwyn," she wheez
ed over the telephone, "I'm short one
man, and we dine at S and it's that
now. Could you help me? it's the
rich and yellow this time, but you
won't mind, will you?"
lie explained to Mrs. T. West Min
ster his absurd delight at being asked.
Then ho sent for a cab and sauntered
into the dining room, where ho was re
c'eivcd with undisguised hostility.
"She's been civil to me," ho said;
(''Jeunesso oblige, you know, and tint's
"There'll be a lot cf icbu .antes t
What do you want to c.u for, you crai
robber?" protested Austin. "A lot ot j
water bibbing, olive eating, talcum
powdered debutantes" i
Eileen straightened up .sillily, and i
Sehvyn's teasing smile and his offered
hand In adieu completed her Indigna
tion. "Oh, goodby! No, 1 won't shake
bauds. There's your cab now. 1 wish
you'd take Austin too. Nina and 1
are tired of dining with the premature-1
ly aged." I
"Indeed we are," said Mrs. Gerard, j
"Go to your club. Austin, and give me ,
a chance to telephone to somebody un
der the anaesthetic age."
Sclwyn departed, laughing, but ho
yawned In his cab all the way to Fifty-third
street, where he entered in
the wake of the usual laggards and,
surrendering hat and coat in the cloak
room, picked up the small, slim envel
ope bearing his name.
The card within disclosed the infor
mation that ho was to take in Mrs.
Somebody -or-ot her. He made his way
through a great many people, found
his hostess, backed off. stood on one
leg for a moment like a reflective wa.
trfowl, then found Mrs. Somobody-or-other
and was absently good to her
through a great deal of noise and some
Spanish music, which seemed to squirt
through a thicket of palms and bespat
ter everybody.
"Wonderful music," observed his
dinner partner with singular original-1
ity; "so like 'Carmen.' " i "Boots! Here!"
"Is it?" he replied and took her "Arrived from Manila Sunday. As
away at a nod from Ills hostess, whose ' usual, ho introduced you as the sub
daughter Dorothy leaned forward from ' ject and told me oh, dozens of things
her partner's arm at the same mo
ment and'whlspered: "I must speak to
you, mamma. You can't put Captain
Selwyn there because"
But her mother was deaf and smil
ingly sensitive about it, so she merely
guessed what reply her child expected;
"It's all settled, dear. Captain Selwyn
arrived a moment ago." And sho clos
ed the file.
It waB already too late anyhow, and
presently, turning to see who was seat
ed on his left, Selwyn found himself
gazing Into the calm, flushed face of
Allxe Ruthven. It was their third en
counter. They exchanged a dazed nod of rec
ognition, a meaningless murmur, and
turned again, apparently undisturbed,
to their respective dinner parties.
A great many curious eyes lingering
on them shifted elsewhere in reluctant
disappointment
As for tho hostess, she bad for one
Instant come as near to passing heav
enward as sho could without doing it
when sho discovered the situation.
Then she accepted it with true humor.
She could afford to. But, her daugh
ters, Sheila and Dorothy, suffered
acutely, being of this year's output
and martyrs to responsibility.
Meanwhile Selwyn, grimly aware of
an, accident somowbero and perfectly
conscious of tho feelings which must
by this timo dominate bis hostess, was
1907, by Robert W. Chamber. 0(
wondering how best to' avoid anything
that might resemble a situation.
Instead of two or three dozen small
tables scattered among the palms of
the winter garden their hostess had
preferred to construct a great oval
board around tho aquarium. The ar
rangement made it a little easier for
Selwyn and Mrs. Ruthven. He talked
to his dinner partner until she began
,to respond In monosyllables, which
closed each subject that he opened and
wearied him as much as he was bor
lng her. But Bradley Harmon, the
man on her right, evidently had bet
ter fortune, and presently Selwyn
found himself with nobody to talk to.
which came as near to embarrassing
him as anything could and which so
enraged his hostess that she struck his
partner's name from her lists forever.
People were already glancing at hlxn
OBkance in sly amusement or cold curi
osity. Then he did a thing which endeared
him to Mrs. T. West .Minster and to
her two disconsolate children.
"Mrs. Kuthven," he said very nat
urally and pleasantly, "I think perhaps
we had better talk for a moment or
two If you don't mind. My dinner
partner is quite impossible, yon see, j
and I happen to be here as a filler In I
commanded to the presence only a few 1
minutes ago. It's a pardonable error. '
I bear no malice. But I'm sorry for
yon."
There was a silence. Allxe straight-1
ened her slim figure and turned, but
young Innls, who had taken her in, had i
become confidential with Mrs. Fane. !
As for Selwyn's partner, she probably !
divined his conversational designs on
her, but she merely turned her bare '
shoulder a trifle more unmistakably
and continued her gossip with Bradley
Harmon.
Allxe broke a tiny morsel from her
bread, sensible of the tension. I
"I suppose," she said as though re
citing to some new acquaintance an
amusing bit of gossip, "that wo are
destined to this sort of thing occa
sionally and had better got used to it."
"I suppose so."
"Please." she added after a pause,
"aid me a little."
"I will if I can. What am I to say?"
"Have you nothing to say?" she ask
ed, smiling. "It need not bo very civil,
you know, as long as nobody hoars
you."
I To school his features for the decep-
tlon of others, to school bis voice and
manner una at the same time look
smilingly Into the grave of his youth
and hope, called for the sort of self
command foreign to Ills character.
Glancing at him under her smoothly
fitted m.iik of amiability, she slowly
grew afraid of the situation, but not of
her ability to sustain her own part.
They exchanged a few meaningless
phrases; then slic resolutely took young
Innls away from Rosamund Kane,
leaving Selwyn to count the bubbles
in his wineglass.
But In a few moments, whether by
r.ccldent or deliberate design, Rosa
mund interfered again, and Mrs. Ituth
ven was confronted with the choice of
a squabble for possession of young In
nls, of conspicuous silence or of re
suming once more with Selwyn, and
she chose the last resort.
"You are living In town?" she asked
pleasantly.
"Yes."
"Of course; I forgot. I met a man
last night who said you had entered
tho firm of Neergard & Co."
"I have. Who was the man?"
"You can never guess. Captain Scl
wyn." "I don't want to. Who was he?"
"Please don't terminate so abruptly
the few subjects wo have in reserve.
We may be obliged to talk to each oth
er for a number of minutes if Bosa
raund doesn't let us alone. The man
was Boots Lansing."
about you. I suppose ho began Inquir
ing for you before lie crossed the
troopers' gangplank, nnd somebody
sent him to Neergard & Co. Haven't
you seen him?"
"No." he said, staring at the bril
liant fish, which glided along the crys
tal tank, goggling their eyes at the
lights.
"You you are llviug with the Ge
rards, I believe?" sho said carelessly.
"For awhile."
"Oh! Boots says that be Is expect
ing to take an apartment with yon
somewhere."
"What! Has Boots resigned?"
"So he says. He told mo that you
had resigned. I did not understand
"Do you suppose I could have re
mained In the service?" ho demanded.
His voice was dry and almost accent
less. "Why not?" she returned, paling.
"You may answer that question more
pleasantly than I can."
Sho usually avoided champa , but
Bbe had to do something for ' rself
now. As for bim, ho took whai xas
offered without noticing what he
and grew whiter and whiter. ButNv5
fixed glow gradually appeared nnd ro
malued on Iter cheeks. Courage, impa
tience, a sudden anger ut the forced
conditions, steadied her nerves.
"Will you please provo equal to tho
how. That Is the wretched ci.plaua
Hon of it nil."
"And we could never have learned.
That's the rest of tho answer. But
the fault Is not there."
"I know 'better to bear the Ills wo
have.' "
"Yes; more respectable to bear them.
Let us drop this In decency's uaiuo,
Allxe."
After a silence she began: "One more
thing. I must kuow It, andI am go
ing to ask you If I may. Shall I?"
He smiled cordially, and she laughed
as though confiding a delightful bit of
news to him.
"Do you regard me as sufficiently
important to dislike me?"
"I do not dislike you."
"Is it stronger than dislike, Phil?"
"Y-es."
"Contempt?"
"No."
"What Is it?"
"It is that I have not yet become
reconciled."
"To my folly?"
"To mine." .
She strove to laugh lightly and, fall
ing, raised her glass to her Hps again.
"Now you know," he said, pitching
his tones still lower. "I am glad, after
all, that we have bad this plain under
standing. I have never felt unkindly
toward you. I can't What you did I
might have prevented had I known
enough, but I cannot help it now, nor
can you If you would."
"If I would," she repeated gayly, for
the people opposite were staring.
"We are done for," he said, nodding
carelessly to a servant to refill his
glass, "and I abide by conditions be
cause I chose to, not," he added con
temptuously, "because a complacent
law has tethered you to to the thing
that has crawled up on your knees to
have Its ears rubbed."
The level Insult to her husband stun-,
ned her. She sat there, upright, the
white smile stamped on her stiffened
lips, fingers tightening about the stem
of her wineglass.
He began to toss bread crumbs to
the scarlet fish, laughing to himself in '
an ugly way. "Why. Allxe, only look 1
at him! Look at his gold wristlets; lis
ten to his simper, his lisp. Little girl
oh, little girl, what have you done to
yourself, for you have done nothing to
me, child, that can match it In sheer
atrocity?"
Her color was long in returning.
"Philip." she said unsteadily, "I
don't think I can stand this"
"Yes, you can."
"I am ton close to the wall. I"
"Talk to Scott Innls. Take him
away from Rosamund Fane; that will
tide you over. Or feed those fool fish;
like this! Look how they rush and
flap nnd spatter! That's amusing.
Isn't it for people with tho Intellects
of canaries? Will you please try to
say something? Mrs. T. West Is ex
hibiting the restless symptoms of a
hen turkey at sundown, and we'll all
go to roost in another minute. Don't
shiver that way!"
"I c-ean't control it. I will In n mo
ment, (live me a chance. Talk to me,
Phil."
"Certainly. The season lias been un
usually gay and the opera most stupid
ly brilliant. Stocks continue to fluctu
ate. Another old woman was tossed
and gored by a mad motor this morn
ing. More time, Allxe? With pleasure.
Mrs. Vcndcnning has bought a third
rate castle In Wales. A man was found
dead with n copy of tho Tribune In ills
pocket, the verdict being in accordance
with fact. The Panama canal"
But It was over at last a flurry of
sweeping skirts, ranks of black and
white In escort to the passage of the
fluttering silken procession.
"Goodby." she sit id. "I am not stay
ing for the dance."
'Goodby," he said pleasantly, "I
wish you better fortune for tho future.
I'm sorry I was rough."
He was not staying either. A dull
excitement possessed him. resembling
suspense, as though he were awaiting
a denouement, as though there was
yet some crisis to come.
After awhile he found himself in the
ballroom.
The younger set was arriving. He
recognized several youthful people,
friends of Eileen Erroll, and, taking
situation?" she said under her breath,
but with a charming smile. "Do you
know you are scowling? These people
hero nre ready to laugh, and I'd much
prefer that they tear us to rags on sus
picion of our overfrlendllness."
"Who Is that fool woman who is
monopolizing your partner?"
"Itosamund Fane. She's doing it ou
purpose. You must try to smile now
and then."
"My face Is stiff with grinning," be
said, "hut I'll do what I can for you"
"Please Include yourself too."
"Oh, I can stand their opinions," he
said. "I only meet tho yellow sort oc
casionally. I don't herd with them."
"I do, thank you."
"How do you like them? What Is
your opinion of tho yellow set? nere'
they sit all about you tho Phoenix
Mottlys, Mrs. Delmour-Carnes yonder,
the Draymores, the Orchils, the Vcn
dennlng lady, tho Lawns of West
lawn" ho paused, then deliberately
"and tho Jack Ruthvcns. I forgot
i Allxe, that you are now perfectly
1 equipped to carry aloft tho golden
hod."
"Go on," she said, drawing a deep
breath. She .forced n smllo and drew
i her glass toward her. The straw tint
ed wine slopped over and frothed on
' tho white skin of her arm.
, "Well," sho breathed, "this ghastly
' dinner Is nearly ended."
1 lie nodded pleasantly.
; "And Phil?" n bit tremulous.
' "What?"
"Was It all my fault I mean in tho
beginning? I've wanted to ask you
that o know your view of It. Was
It?" .
"No. It was mine most of it"
"Not all not half. Wo did not know
his bearings among these bright fresh I
faces, amid this animated throng, con-
stantly increased by the arrival of t
others, ho started to find tho hostess.
now lost to sight in the breezy circle of
silk and lace setting in from the stairs.
He heard names announced which
meant nothing to him, which stirred
no memory, names which sounded
vaguely familiar, names which caused
him to turn quftiny. but seldom were
the faces as familiar as tho names.
Ho said to a girl behind whose chair
he was standing: "All tho younger
brothers nnd sisters aro coming here
to confound me. I hear a Miss Innls
announced, but it turns out to be her
younger sister"
"By the way, do you know my
name?" she asked.
"No," he said frankly. "Do you know
mine?"
"Of course I do. I listened breath
lessly when somebody presented you
wholesale at your Bister's the other
day. I'm Rosamund Fane. Yon
might as well be Instructed because
you're to take me in at tho Orchils'
next Thursday night I believe."
Looking up at a chlnless young man
who bad halted near her, she said,
"George, this Is Captain Selwyn."
Glancing et Selwyn: "Hnve yon met
my husband? Oh, of course!"
They exchanged a commonplace or
two; then other people separated them
without resistance on their part. And
Sclwyn found himself drifting, mildly
Interested In the vapid exchange of
civilities which cost nobody a mentnt
effort
His sister, he had once thought, was
certainly the most delightfully youth
ful matron in New York. But now he
made an exception of Mrs. Fane. Rosa
mund Fane was much younger must
have been younger, for she still had
something of that volatile freshness,
that vague atmosphere of immaturity
clinging to her like a perfume almost
too delicate to detect, and under that
the most profound capacity for mis
chief he had over known of. Saunter
ing amiably amid the glittering groups
continually forming and disintegrating
under the clustered lights, he finally,
succeeded In' reaching his hostess.
And Mrs. .T. West Minster dlsengag
cjl herself from the throng with iuten
tlon as he approached.
No. And he was so sorry, and it
was very amiable of his hostess to
want him, but he was not remaining
for the dance.
So much for the hostess, who stood
there massive and gem laden, her kind
ly and painted features tinted now
with genuine emotion.
"Can you forgive a very much morti
fied old lady who Is really and truly
fond of you?" she said.
He laughed, holding her fat, ringed
hands In both of his with all the at
tractive deference that
axplained his populari
ty. Itising excitement
had sent the col
or into - his face and
cleared ills pleasant
gray eyes, and ho look
ed very young and
handsome, ills broad
shoulders bent a trill."
before the enameled
anil bejewclcd matron.
"Forgive you?" be
'Tin Ijidj luthfir-,
repeated, with a laugh
tiiHjliljixd,'' the
of protest. "On the
n-Jhxtctl.
contraiv. 1 thank you.
Mrs. Ituthven is one of the most
charming, women I know, If that is
what you mean."
Looking after him as he made his
way toward the cloakroom, "The boy
is thoroughbred," she reflected cynical
ly, "ami the only amusement anybody
can get out of It will be at my ex
pense! lEo,sainund Is a perfect cat!"
o
He had sent for bis cab, which, no
doubt, was In line somewhere, wedged
among tho ranks of carriages stretch
ing east nnd west along the snowy
street, and he stood on the thick crim
son carpet under the awning while It
was being summoned. Tho Cornelius
.Siiydams, emerging from the house,
offered Selwyn tonueau room, but ho
smilingly declined, having u mind for
solitude and the Lenox club. A pha
lanx of debutantes, opera bound, also
left. Then tho
tide set heavily
tho other way,
and there seem
ed no end to tho
line of arriving
vehicles and
guests until he
heard a name
prououneed. A
policeman warn
X5
ed back an np- C
proachlng mo- f"'
lur, anu ociwyu
saw Mrs. Ruth
ven, enveloped
in white furs,
Rtnn from tlm
portal Sclwyn. sate Mrs. JiutU-
She' saw him vmmvelopedtnfun.
as ho moved back, nodded, passed di
rectly to her brougham and set foot
i on the step. Pausing here, sho looked
about her right and left, then over her
i shoulder straight back at Selwyn, and
ns sho stood in silence, evidently
awaiting him, It became impossible h' ,',now dld ,t come abouti wretch
for him any longer to misunderstand d 'na we scemed t0 bo together, un
without n public affront to her. , incapable of understanding
When ho started toward her she ier'.
spoke to her maid, and tho latter plI( Tnere wcre days"
moved aside, with n word to tho groom He rn,sod hlg eyc8
In waiting. i .- .,,. nniv Df tho unhappy
"My maid will dismiss your car
riage," sho said pleasantly when he
' baited bcsldo her. "There Is one thing
J more which I must say to you."
Was this what he had expected haz
nrd might bring to him? Was this the
prophecy of Ills hammering pu scs?
"Pleaso hurry- before people como
out" sho added and entered tho
brougham.
"I can't do this," he muttered.
"I've sent away my muld," she said.
"Nobody has noticed. Those aro scrv-
ants out there. Will you please come
before anybody arriving or departing
docs "notice?"
And as he did not move. "Are you
going to make me conspicuous by thW
humiliation before servants?"
Ho said something -between his set
teeth and entered the brougham.
"Do you know what you've done?"
he demanded harshly.
"Yes; nothing yet But you would
have done enough to stir this borough
if you had delayed another second."
"Your maid saw"
"My maid Is my maid."
He leaned back in his corner, gray
eyes narrowing.
"Naturally," ho sold, "you nre the
one to be considered, not the man In
tho cose."
"Thank you. Are you the man in the
case?"
"There Is no case." he said coolly.
"Then why worry about me?"
He folded his arms, sullenly at bay,
yet had no premonition of what to ex
pect from her.
"You were very brutal to me," she
said at length.
"I know it and I did not intend to
be. Tho words came."
"You had me at your mercy and
showed me little a very little at first
afterward none."
"The words came," he repeated. "I'm
sick with self contempt' I tell you."
She set her white gloved elbow on
the window sill and rested her chin in
her palm.
"That money," she said, with an ef
fort "You set some aside for me."
"Half," he nodded calmly.
"Why?"
He was silent
"Why? I did not ask for it. There
was nothing in the the legal pro
ceedings to lend you to believe that I
desired it, was there?"
"No."
"Well, then" her breath came un-steadily-r-"what
was there In me to
make you think I would accept it?"
He did not reply.
"Answer me. This Is the time to an
swer me."
"Tho answer Is simple enough," he
said In a low voice. "Together we had
made a failure of partnership. When
that partnership was dissolved there
remained the joint capital to be divid
ed. And I divided It. Why not?"
"That capital was yours In tho be
ginning, not mine. What I had of my
own .you never controlled, and I took
It with mo when 1 went.''
"It was very little," he said.
"What of that? Did that concern
you? Did you think I would have ac
cepted anything from you? A thou
sand times I have been ou the point of
notifying you through attorney that
the deposit now standing In my name
Is at your disposal."
"Why didn't you notify me then?"
he asked, .reddening to the temples.
"Because I did not wish to hurt you
by dojng It that way. And I had not
the courage to say It kindly over my i
own signature. That Is wh
Captain
I Selwy n
And as be remained silent: "That is
what I had to say; not all, because 1
wish to-to thank you for offering it.
You did not have very much either,
and you divided what you had. So I
thank you, and I return It." The ten
sion forced her to attempt a laugh.
"So we stand once more on equal terms
unless you have anything of mine to
return."
"I have your photograph," ho said.
The silence lasted until he straight
ened up and, rubbing the fog from the
window glass, looked out,
"We are in the park," he remarked,
turning toward her.
"Yes. 1 did not know how long it
might take to explain matters. You
are free of me now whenever you
wish."
He picked up the telephone hesi
tated. "Home?" he Inquired with an
effort. And at the forgotten word
they looked at one another In stricken
silence.
"Y-yes; to your home first if you
will let mo drop yon there"
"Thank you. That might bo impru
dent" 'No, I think not. ion say you are
living with the Gerards?"
Yes, temporarily, but I've already
I taken another place."
"Whore?"
i "Oh. it's only a bachelor's kennel, a
i couple of rooms"
Where, please?"
Near Lexington and Sixty-sixth. I
could go there.
It's only partly fur-
nlshed yet"
"Then tell Hudson to drive there."
"Thank you. but it is not neces-.
sary"
"Please let me. Tell Hudson or I
will."
"You are very kind," ho said and
gave tho order,
"May I ask my question?" she said.
"Ask it, child."
"Then aro you happy?"
no did not answer.
"Because I desire It, Philip. I want
you to be. You will.be, won't you? I
did not dream that I was ruining your
army career when I went mad"
"IIow did it happen, Allxe?" he
nd.n.i n-ihi n fiiM curiosltv that chilled
ones," sho said. "But there were mo
ments" "Yes, I know It, and bo I nsk you
why?" , .
"Phil, I don t know, 'lucre was muv
quarreMho night you left
, n"tter m dance xlt aU
RUddenlv intolerable. You seem-
trrow suddenly Intolerable.
cd so horribly unreal everything
seemed unreal In that ghastly city
you, I, our marrlago of crazy impulso
tho people, tho sunlight, tho deathly
iwinr tho torturing, endless creak of
the punkha. It was not a question of
of love, of anger, of hate. I tell you
I was stunned I had no emotions con-
"I have your photograph," he said.
cernlng you or myself after that last
scene only a stupefied, blind necessity
to get away, a groping Instinct to
move toward home to make my way
home and be rid forever of tho dream
that drugged me! And then and
then"-
"He came," said Selwyn very quiet
ly. "Goon."
But sho had nothing more to Bay.
"Allxe!"
She shook her head, closing her
eyes.
"Little glrl-oh, little girl." he said
softly, the old familiar phrase finding
its way to his Hps and she trembled
slightly "was there no other way but
that? Had marriage made the world
such a living hell for you that there
was no other way but that?"
"Phil, I helped to make It a hell.'
"Yes because I was pitiably Inade
quate to design anything better for us.
I didn't know how. I didn't under
stand. I, the architect of our future
failed." "It was worse than that, Phil.
"We" she looked blindly at him "we
had yet to learn what love might be.
We did not know. If we could have
waited only waited perhaps because
there were moments" She flushed
crimson.
"I could not make you love me," he
repeated. "I did not know how."
"Because you yourself had not learn
ed how. But at times now looking
back to it I think I think we were
very near to It at moments. And then
that dreadful dream closed down on
us again. And then the end."
For a long while they sat in silence.
Mrs. Ruthvcn's white furs mow cov
ered her face. At last the carriage
stopped.
As ho sprang to the curb he became
aware of another vehicle standing in
front of the house, a cab, from which
Mrs. Ruthven's maid descended.
"Wlntt Is she doing hero?" lie asked,
turning in astonishment to Mrs. Buth
ven. "Phil," she said In a low voice, "I
1 knew you had taken this place. Gerald
told me. I'orgivo me. but when I saw
J'i'U under the awning It came to me
in a Hash what to do. And 1'vo done it.
j Are you sorry?"
i "No. Did Gerald tell you that I had
1 taken this place?"
"Yes. I asked him."
1 Selwyn looked at her gravely, and
I sho looked him very steadily in the
j eyes.
I "Before 1 go may I say one more
, word?" he asked gently.
1 "Yes, If you please. Is it about Ger
I aid?"
j "Yes. Don't let, him gamble. You
I saw the signature on that check?"
"Yes, Phil."
"Then yon understand. Don't lot
j him do It again."
1 "No. And-liill?"
"What?"
"That check is Is deposited to your
credit with the rest. I have never
! dreamed of using It" Her cheeks were
' afire ngaln, but with shame this time.
"You will have to accept It, Allxe."
"I cannot."
, "You niusr. Don't you boo you will
i affront Gerald? He has repaid me. That
check Is not mine, nor Is It Ills."
"I can't take It," she said, with a
I shudder. "What shall I do with it?"
; "There are ways hospitals, if you
l care to. Good night child."
I Sho stretched out her gloved arm to
him. He took her hand very gently
! and retained it while he spoke.
i "I wish you happiness," he said. "I
i nsk your forgiveness."
j "Give mo mine, then."
I "Yes, If there is anything to forgive.
Good night"
"Good night, boy," she gasped.
ne turned sharply, quivering under
the familiar name. Her maid, stand
ing in tho snow, moved forward, and
ho motioned her to enter the brougham.
"Home," he said unsteadily and
stood there very still for n minute or
two, even after tho carriage had whirl
ed away into the storm. Then, look
ing up at tho house, he felt for his
keys, but a sudden horror of being
alone arrested him, and he stepped
back, calling out to his cabman, who
was already turning his horse's head:
"Walt a moment I think I'll drive
back to Mrs. Gerard's. And tako your
time."
To bu continued.
' Inconsequent.
I sometimes think It hardly fair
That I am hero wlillo you are there.
Still, I a, ii perfectly uwnro
You ml ell) come here or I eo there.
And I would Just as soon be there
Or here, or have you here or there.
Bo, I suppose, I scarcely care
In fact, It's neither here nor there.
Canadian Magazine.
A Study In Language.
"Good morning, Mrs. Flnnegun, was
you at tho sociable last evening?"
"I did," said her friend heartily.
"Did wlint?"
"Whit" replied the other, New York
Herald, '