Show l Y 1 ij 1I I s rrJ x PF I 11ir ii LiYW IIIr L Z < QfIY II w + J > 1 r hr4I2 I160H b1 1 i 1 i I l I 1 i < < 1rten tl 0 By Maartens o a 4 AN A RIt I I AN rE t VlENT I London 10 ii a her News 00 I f f I I = J f IJrttutllJor r j > Jp Ir joJv > l I T WIJlrIISlWt r I IJ I r w O = obw III I Hot man had 1irougdtt round the new I It motor car one of those unwieldy ton neaur that run so smoothly but are I liked I 1 i all the more difficult to drive She I steering It herseX In long white kid Musketeer gloves She stood pulling them on now with swift jerks not ungracefully un-gracefully at the top of the steps while her critical glares surveyed the great hideous atmwcolor box Her husband camo strolling down the street and across the little brightly flowering court Well he said The new motor I 1 Docs It give satisfaction Z She laughed You talk lice Inc mnn from the shop she raldfOh yes It gives every satisfaction r How much did It cost 7 Rene T told you at the Wine f Well yes I have forgotten Seventeen thousand franCs f WhAt a mercy to think it Isnt paid fort 1Vhy Why 1 I It would he such a pity 10 think ono 1 bad lost 17000 francs for a hideous object ob-ject like that I < Reno how can you be so unkind about nay beautiful machine It slims through the green trees like alike a I Croat yellow woodpecker But Its noise Is even more disagree L able he answered However he spoke i vaguely and tho gaze was preoccupied with which he watched a tram car L gliding down the Avenue Henri Martin t Mar-tin tinSho noticed this What are you thinking on sire said gayly I didnt know you ever thought A penny for your thoughts 11 should like to have a few moments I ments conversation with you Antoinette Antoi-nette when you come back from your ride Will that suit you We are goIng go-Ing out to lunch Why not come with me now I am clone She pouted a little p I thought you were going to take 3 Maurice He has sent a note to say he Is indisposed in-disposed He Is often Indisposed f I oUou are never Indisposed Nor j 1 I We can enjoy life Dlcu how we enjoy It Come with me this exquisite I morning The acacias are looking their i best p i bestHo stood on the steps hesitating His eyes rested upon her clearcolored face behind Its white veil upon her graceful grace-ful figure in the tawny dust cloak that caught a hundred golden rellectlons I from the sun The cloud swept from his face He smiled as a man smiles n who turned from a dark thought to a bright one There that Is like yourself she It said watching him We will make a day of Ill he cried ei i A Jolly day As you say tho weather 1 is too line for anything but pleasure If I am to go In this horrid thing at all I may as well gofar and Last And our luncheon He scribbled a few words on a card 1 We are Indisposed he said laughing laugh-ing A few moments later they were I flying across the Bois I Lei us go to Lc Chastel he said All that way H Yes all that way I want to have it I luncheon again at the Auberge du Pau vre Pecheur I j She blushed scarlet with pleasure and modesty and many other emotions for i It was there he had asked her to be his wife on the occasion of a picnic seven I p years ago j And now for your secret she said I j as they pun down toward the village spire of Boulogne What made you think it was a se j Bret You looked so preoccupied and important im-portant Has It something to do with i I our plans for the summer He started Our 0plans for the sums sum-s mer Well yes If you like It has something some-thing to do with our plans for the summer sum-mer But I cant alit about It here In this flying machine and whats more I dont want to I am going to forget J all about it until the sun has gone I down 1 I suppose then It Is something unpleasant un-pleasant I cannot Imagine your wantIng 1 want-Ing to talk about anything unpleasant 1 You are very unlike yourself this morning Rene If you had been like I this at the Aubcrgc du Pauvre Pecheur seven years ago I should not Well what I I should never 1 have ventured to marry you J All the better for you he said almost al-most bitterly But she did not notice II the bitterness She only laughed What affectation I shy said Dot Do-t I you want me to believe that for me or 1 for you 1 I They sped across the bridge to St Cloud and up the opposite bank and 1 I away Into the woods on the summit I Through the lovely glades that rise and fall toward Meudon and Chavlllc The woods were alive with beauties of a hot May morning In fresh suncheckered I I greenness Jove and hope ran riot amid r swift flutter shrill chirrup and tull throated song Happy children were everywhere hunting for violets a football foot-ball race In the distance where a stretch of pale sward made an opening dotted by species of bright scarlet that swept dto and fit in a tumult of cries t < How delicious Bald Antoinette i JIComme ccst bon she said She sajd It of everything all her life long And of everything all her life long until f I now it had been true She had lived r through some twentyseven sunlit sum I mrs and wellwarmed winters Tho grandparents of her orphaned childhood I had spoiled her as only grandparents I can yet unspoiled she bad gained the affection of all who came In contact I with her Her face was pretty her smile was charming nobody ever contradicted con-tradicted or injured her so sho never was unkind to anybody Her husband adored her with facile adoration and l accorded everything she asked Toward luncheon time they reached Auberge du Pauvro Pccheur She wag I in excellent spirits and the mere sight of the place aroused all her Instincts of I coquetry After luncheon we will fish she 1 I said As we dldon that other day And caught nothing Caught nothing You caught mel Just now you were pitying me for j thatWell one can catch queer fish A crab for Instance Luncheons she replied The little Inn was one of the most uniquely French cottages where you I can be supplied at any moment for a franc or two with the best omelette makcable and a glass of pure wine You must try to forget the quality of your cutlets In appreciation of the r pommes souftlees t Sauce bcarnalsc or Soublse said r the quick rather grimy little host who r L i u 1 r = was taking as much Interest In these poselbllltles as madame herself I none rounc yourself What has come to you If you pay no attention to the menu 7 He turned from where he bad been standing gazing Into the pond whence the house took Its I name What Is I your specIalty he questioned ques-tioned n never knew a cook however admirable who had an equal gift for 1 both The caterer laughed goodhumorcdly I will attempt of my bct he replied Rene you are moplsh In this place of all others You regret your marriage mar-riage sho began But she spoke laughingly laugh-ingly and her expressive countenance was full of pleasant provocation lie was silent for five seconds Long as that pause was her face retained Its trustful appeal My marriage he answered No Then you have lost at the club I have not played at the club for mont ns Tnun you are In want of a topic But meanwhile you must be amusing I have come out for that purpose along a-long rush In a dustysmelling metal boxlike box-like a lobster tin Good Let ug quarrel about my recreations IA thing that bumps like the tramcars tram-cars off rails they run In Genoa You will end by using nothing else And that costs 17000 francs Ah ca cest mesqulni she cried The proprietor himself had brought the omelette Personally also he presently pres-ently arrived with two sauce boats and deposited these on each side of the table ta-ble Mossier will decide which Is the better bet-ter he said Her laughter had lung out to meet him when he emerged from his laboratory It rippled behind his back as ho solemnly strutted down the path It was pretty laughter of the sort that all men like to hear Come then and see he said to his old wife peeping behind the window curtains Is there any sight pleasanter pleasant-er than people who love each other Yes replied the quick Frenchwoman Frenchwo-man People who make love to each other As here He could not keep away from his guests Like a schoolboy awaiting the result of an examination he moved restlessly to and fro It was a relief when he could take out the dessert You have destroyed said Rene to him the experience of a lifetime And we pay our chef 120 francs a month It is not question of money monsieur mon-sieur said the smirking Innkeeper ITrueh turned to his wifeMau ilce pays 200 Maurice considers health No good cook survives that He must change said Rene with emphatic meaning She got up and they strolled toward the lake which Is a pond A big pond with corners and twists and much overhanging lacework of greenery and flowers a bright sparkle spar-kle of sunlit water to laze over In a gayly painted punt while pretending to fish with bits of broad fastened to hook less twine An easy Joke for fishes to understand and appreciate much upturning up-turning of silver much flashing and splashing a whirlpool or fins flaps and snaps The golden hours slid westward the sun touched the tops of the trees He broke a long silence We must 1 be getting back he said Do you know I havo an Idea Let us telegraph and dine with Maurice But he Is unwell 1 On that very account Are you willing will-ing Of course 1 Another long silence of tranquil content con-tent t She lay back her eyes closed When she opened them he tossed a bit of paper Into her lap Read that he said It was a letter anonymous warning him against Mau rice ricShe She read It through carefully Then she looked up It wag this made you thoughtful she said with a touch of scornNo indeed he answered eagerly His brow darkened I wonder who sent It she continued contin-ued looking out Into the greenwood as If tho answer were hiding behind the trees I do not Because you know she exclaimed Because I dont care What on earth does It matter who sent it Here give It me to tear up She held the paper out to him mechanically he took It and spread the fragments across the water Just before the slow gliding punt reached the shore she asked abruptly Why did > ou show me that 7 Let me tell you why Because someday some-day any timeyou will find out about it and then Then > I should like you to know I had known all along Do you speak In the past tense Dear love In the Imperfect When he grew epigrammatic he always al-ways silenced her She did not return to the subject until they were Jolting It Is called skimming homeward This about the letterIs the unkindest un-kindest thing that ever was done me she said He sighed What a little silly speck he answered to stand for the blackest blot The truth IB Antoinette you have never e In all your existence encountered en-countered a contretemps worthy the name He shuddered she distinctly saw that he shuddered and halt alarmed Do you want me to encounter them 7 she asked I would give my life to But I spare you melodrama May you b able to bump about all your days In a 17000frac motor car Rene your persistent allusions to thq price are Inexccrnble taste I admit It he answered humbly Take the turn to tho left UI believe you know every foot of Seine et Olse My attainments are as J varied as they are useless I could not earn a days dinner with all the things I know knowWho Who wants to earn a dinner You are not a workman Today Maurice will give us ours And he did in his luxurious little hotel of the Rue Pergolese It Is a pleasant thing to be possessed of much money It Is a far pleasanter thing to know how to spend It Maurice Mau-rice Waller was a delicate thoughtful faced man of five and thirty widely cultured in those arts and graces that shape the useless but agreeable dilettante dilet-tante and connoisseur Of things that make life more lovely and more enjoyable en-joyable ho knew as much as any man of such as render men wiser or better he knew nothing at all Fortunately I he had not been bar at starting and S without much improvement could hold his own In a world where courtesy and good nature were the only virtues you couldnt do without He received the young couple In a pink allk Japanese smoking Jacket and thanked them sincerely for coming to cheeer and dissipate his magralne < As the aim dispels the mists he said with a straight stare of admiration at madams Give me a glass of that Malaga of yours answered Rene It wants half nn hour to dinner He drank three glasses and threw himself into a chair with a lot of Illustrated papers narrowly nar-rowly vxatclilng the chatter of his wife with Maurkie a Lucky man ho reflected He makes a couple of hundred thousand francs a year as sleeping partner out of some nasty smelling chemical stuff that he barely knows the name of And I He sighed heavily Something very like moisture spread across the dark velvet of his Innocent eyes Rene has never done harm to a fly he heard his wife saying All that he asks oC life Is to be allowed to bo happy and good And he Is rewarded replied Wal lei by being fortunate 0 I suppose so A fairy blessed him In the cradle And an angel at tho altar said Maurice The husband dropped the Revue II lustrce They all three hurst out laughing laugh-Ing and their host paid no further compliments com-pliments to either guest But he noticed with refined surprise that Rene though ho ato little at dinner din-ner drank more than was usual or natural of his Moot et Chandon Imperial Im-perial an excellent but not a light champagne And also he noticedhow could he do otherwise that the most Insouciant man of his acquaintance was moody and silent In the pauses of his drinks He Is going to be 111 he Informed himself In a day or two we shall hear of something horrid One always does And from pure concern ho bee be-e i gan to speak of hln new doctor a freshman fresh-man with a great gift for diagnosis who always began by telling you openly open-ly I that you hadnt cot what other Aoflculapa had said Reno and Antoinette An-toinette listened with perfunctory interest In-terest their health wan unbroken and nobody who sat at Walters table took his complaints quite as seriously as ho desired I Rene looked up from a long silence on his own part amid much laughter on that of his companions Waller can I use your telephone for a moment Of course my dear boy But this lobster souffle JIll Is your favorite dish Interposed r Antoinette with a look of real concern There you malign me No man with t a palate has one favorite dish As well say that a lover of music could have one favorite morccau Morceau Is good said Antoinette Ire started up and ran downstairs to tho little office whero hung the telephone rd tele-phone Ho rang Impatlontly but had to wait a long time for the Hpo was occupied as usual Up and down the narrow room ho tramped I nibbling his unllsWhon When at last he was ablo to secure a hearing he ran to the door and l looked ont right and left before carefully g closing It Continued on page 20 r 3 An ArrangemenLID cb R c1 b Continued from Page a Hylo II Ill T am speaking with aronslcur Pariilnskl Yes Monster OC the Private Inquiry afllce Quito so I nin the Vlcomte dUrslgny I wish I for some Information It Is not our cuntom Monsieur le Vicomtc to treat such matters per telephone tele-phone You will understand J perfectly understand But my information In-formation Is of the most harmless character I want no family secrets I am desirous to know whether the Waller family the great poiashmak ers are of Jewish descentthat la I all At present of course they are Protestants Protest-ants I wish for absolute > certainty Can you = obtain it and guarantee it Most undoubtedly We have only tore to-re Cor Very well But I must have it tonight to-night If Is were possible to wait till tomorrow to-morrow 7 It is not Quite impossible Tonight within an hour Puisquiil le faul Just so Send round a note to me at No 7 bas Rue Perpolesc The residence of Monsieur Maurice Waller 1VallerExactly Be careful to address it tome to-me personally You have caught the name correctly Monsieur dUrsIgny Without fault It is not a name to mistake Monsieur He went back to the dlnln room We have been speaking of you You have boon away an age cried his wife Maurice maintains you are In love I should have gone and listened at the keyhole Maurice should not speak of things ho docs not understand replied Rene with an approach to a sneer lIe sat down and asked lor champagne There Is but one sort of love I shall never know declared Waller composedly com-posedly helping himself to fruits ra fraichls Which kind is that 7 curiously luc tloned Antoinette Do not ask me madam His tone was significant and she blushed But on than account perhaps per-haps she plunged recklessly forward You laugh at wedlock she said The grapes are sour Not SOlo but they hang beyond my reach Rene caught him up with alacrity Ton are loo 111 to marry no said You are obliged to be so careful about your health I The other smiled doubtful absent A wife la I fatiguing She takes you long rides In motor cars What is really the matter with you Maurice I I have always understood it was the chestNonsense Certainly not Waller spolte with considerable warmth Some hereditary tendency 7 A constitutional con-stitutional taint Hone exclaimed Antoinette In distress dis-tress She motioned away the man who was approaching to refill her husbands glass She had never known him like this before never seen him drink than with the greatest moderation never during their seen years of matrimony had occasion to find fault with his tact or his taste A softness of heart Is my complaint com-plaint responded Maurice smiling courteously Ita action I admit used to be Irregular That has been cured she gazed steadily at him her eyes full of laughter but the new remedy makes me suffer far more than the old disease The Nauhclm treatment she retorted re-torted nodding at him Massage Rubbing you up the wrong way I know It annwers admirably Rene what Is in that note You are very mysterious tonight I feel that something some-thing Is going to happen Rene did not reply for he was carefully care-fully perusing the slip of blue office paper No Jewish connection Is traceable In the Waller family The grandfather was a peasant from Rothau In Alsace Any further information you may requite re-quite can be supplied on application Panel ski She made as If she would snatch the paper from him lie leaned back In alarm Secrets she cried He drew a long breath and looked at hop strangely Let us go home he said suddenly white to the lips lOr am dead tired But no Lie down and rest a bit objected the host a cup of coffee and n cigarette will put all right again Let UK go reiterated Rene What a day I believe I had been dead tired for hours Come Antoinette Maurice I will ecuse us We asked for dinner 1 he has given us dinner and we go He said nothing In the fiacre which took them the short distance to their house Nor did she for she felt perplexed per-plexed vaguely troubled and annoyed with him as she had never been before And she slightly drew back when suddenly sud-denly without any warning he caught her to his lips and kissed her repeatedly in the dark silence of the cub t May I speak to you at onco 7 he said on the landing with the light full upon them At once Short and quick And have done with IU She followed him Into the little side drawingroom her own pink boudoir Tic has got Into trouble with some woman oho thought for never for a moment did she imagine the possibility of a ridiculous scene of Jealousy to her He threw himself into a chair and lay gazing at her struggling to speak Wo are utterly absolutely hopelessly hopeless-ly ruined he wild with a rush Money she exclaimed and her I voice rippled over with easy laughter and scorn The tears came into his eyes she thought he was going to cry Walt till you woe what it means he nald She walked to the samovar and began pouring herself out a cup of tea I We are ruined Literally I own nothing in the world Only debts Then what nIl you going to do Nothing I have prospects Listen to me Antoinette When we married I bad my small fortune you had yours Who could have dreamed that my old undo De Vcrac the only rich relation T had In the world an old man past 70 would suddenly have taken it into in-to his head to marry Mademoiselle Thoo and legitimatize his two sons He had always brought me up to consider con-sider l myself the heir of his immense fortune This you know Then what is tho uso of repeating It For myself My own sake It Is my not Jupllflcation but it explains You know how expansively we have lived these seven years Your grandfather died then your grandmother That yelped 1 us a bit But now every penny Is none Since tills morning I do not understand under-stand Tho crash has come I borrowed money The man will not wait I tried a last desperate coup I speculated and tidied You have heard this tonight No this morning I was coming to tell you But you looked sso charming and contented on the steps with your new toy I could not find It In my heart I to disturb you II have allowed myself my-self a last day of happiness You will have many more Rene She spoke soothingly and came round to him with tea and a soft caress on his forehead He realized how utterly incapable in-capable she was of understanding what had occurred There is always money she said Even for the penniless Especially for the penniless Look at the Humberts But he drew her Into the chair beside him and made her sit down We must talk business he said fir am trying to she answered Of course you can have all my Jewels Not I others will take them Men will come Into this house and take everything your dresses your linen Her face twitched You and I will be turned out naked Into the streets of Paris We have not a relation to help UM We have no expectations ex-pectations If we live to be 00 we shall never have a chance of owning more 1I 1 than we own today 1I I I She was silent until she said hesitatingly hesi-tatingly Unless we earn It You will never be able to earn money Nor shall I You see he went on hurriedly I could easily make jeautlfuf phrases but I dont Whats the use If I told you there was the slightest chance of my earning money to support you In comfort it would sound very fine but I should lie She caught at the word comfort but he waved It aside Or discomfort for the matter of that And you you have never known a moments discomfort All your life has been unnoted luxury from your first moment to this It would be easy oh very easy for you to speak of enduring all things with me easy for me to accept every sacrifice we will work we will suffer together It would mean absolutely nothing You would not have the slightest conception of what you were saying But I should be guilty for I should know I was talking nonsense He started up with an oath Why do we chatter he exclaimed I have thought It all out recently for days If I have wasted everything ruined us both It Is because of this Could we i I have beeen poor you and I we might have begun by remaining well off In the presence of his extreme agl tatfon she grew calm Tell me what you mean to do she said You have a plan Tell me about It She drew him down beside her No he said let me sit over there Ishall talk better He crossed tothe other side of the hearth We have been happy together for seven years he continued In the voice of a teacher doing a sum All that Is now over Privation garrethope less poverty perhaps for fifty years I these things are out of the question It were absurd Do you want us toQuit life she whispered awestruck but unappreciative unappre-ciative He laughed at her recoil No indeed in-deed I have better safer plans for your happiness Ah I knew you would think of something she said brightly Then why worry me We cannot live together any longer There Is not the slightest chance that I shall ever be able to support you So we must separate His voice was very hard and brazen His back was I turned to her Never So I said when the thought first presented pre-sented Itself Anything but that Of course until one realizes that it is the only thing possible There is absolutely absolute-ly no choice Where could I go and live With whom I have no one to go to We must separate legally We must be divorced Luckily for you you area are-a Protestant the thing Is therefore quite feasible For a woman of your upbringing your environment there Is no existence possible but marriage You are still young and handsome You will marry again How can you say these things tome to-me Let me see your face He came now and sat down quieltly opposite her It Is no sudden Impulse for several days I have been compelling compel-ling myself to reason It out It Is absurd ab-surd untlu you look at the other side the other future then at once it becomes be-comes sensible and wise There is nothing else before you you are penniless penni-less A ridiculous suicide or this She sat silent looking down at the point of herexquIsite little shoe I I amI feel Look here he is certainly cer-tainly in love with you that any one can see He Is a charming man ex ceeedlngly rich he Is not really ill that Is an affectation He will make you very comfortable he he And I Imagine you like him Antoinette Ills tone was a little anxious as If he wanted her to say yes and would have liked her to say no She did not Inquire whom he meant but frankly without looking up she replied re-plied Yes I like him best of all your friends He Is no friend of mine he said angrily He Is one of your Protestant Protest-ant acquaintances Then ashamed of this outburst of petulance Providence has arranged it should be thus he said It makes good my crime toward to-ward you I cannot put the matter otherwise You will marry him and he he will pay for the motor car Oh Rene you are unkind No dearest Hush let there be no emotion Shall we kill ourselves together to-gether tonight 1 Oh not thatIt would be wicked Shall I try to getwork Perhaps I may succeed In time May earn If Im lucky as much as we now pay the cookBut But you what will become of you 1 Ho looked her straight in the eyes and deliberately As Eoon as I am free I shall marry an holrefisr he enId The blast froze her as he intended it should Perhaps you have already a candidate she stammered He did not answer nor could he have commanded com-manded his voice Hers had altered when she continued After all there must be reasons for a divorce There can be no difficulty about that when both parties are agreed to find reasons But my name My reputation Shall be untouched Never mind about mine But I do mind lou need not Ae the world goes no sandal of the kind can hurt a mans rcputSlion Reno What la J it Rene Oh Rene He pushed his chair further hack She had risen and stood with hands outstretched out-stretched If ftierc were any hope however fee ble he said Any chance of change in the future IfIt Yes she said Yes If at lcn toh my GodJou were of the sort that can suffer She was silent There are such women Not tonight she said I am amazed and frightened You must give me time to think Then he too got up and kissed her hand Goodnight he said Sleep if you can Believe me it will all come right You will bp very happy He sat far Into the night The whole house was silent The electric light burned motionless He sat staring straight In front of him smoking cigarette ci-garette after cigarette o Two years later on a splendid sun enfolded April morning In the gardens of his exquisite Villa Antoinette1 at Cannes Maurice Waller found his wife on the terrace that sweeps round by the water In a framework of palm trees and orange blossom In his hand he held a copy of the Figaro Have you seen that the two children of Monsieur de Verac arc both dead within three days of diphtheria he asked Yes I have seen It she answered her eyes upon the glitter of the water The old man Is now childless Yes he Is childless The Illustrated Illus-trated London News |