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: Fr h .
ADY ANSELMAN stood in the center of the
lounge at the Ritz Hotel and with a deli
cately poised forefinger counted her guet «.
There was the great French actress who had
every charm but youth, chatting viva
clously with a tall, pale-faced man whose French seem
of to be s perfoct as his attitude was correct. The
popular wife of a great actor was discussing her hus-
Band’s latest play with a Cabinet Minister who had the
alr of & school boy present at an illicit feast. A very
beautiful young woman, tall and fair, with gray blus
eyes and & wealth of gobden, almost yellow hair, was
talking 1o & famous musician. A Bttle farther in the
background, a young man in the uniform of & naval
Beutenant was cvchanging what seemed 1o be rather
Impresdive chafl with a jetite but excondingly good
looking gl Lady Ansebman counted them twice,
whanced a 1 the bk and frowned
“1 can't remember whom we are waiting for! ™ she
exclaimed a Btthe helplewdy 1o the remaining guest,
& somewhat tired boking publisher who stood by
Ber alde. “1 am one short. 1 dare say it will come
10 me in a minute You know every one, | suppone,
Me. Dasiell?
The publisher shook his head “1 have met Lond
Romwey and abo Madame Sélarne,” he observed.
;n‘h“lwmwlwtfl what a stranger
“The man who talks French o well,” Lady Ansel
man tobd him, dropging ber voloe a litthe, *is Sargeon
major Thomson. Ve i inspecton of hospitals at the
front, or something of the sort. The tall, fair girl
't she pretty’ i Gerabline Conyers, daughter of
Mmiral Sir Seymour Conyers. That's ber brother,
the sallor over there. talking to Oive Moreton -
thelr engagement was announced last week. Lady
Patrick of course you hnow. and Signer Scobed, and
Adelaide Cunningham you & bnow ber. don't yums,
Me. Dasiell? She is my dearest friemd How many
tg-d'thw“
pubßsher comntef thew arcfully
“Fleven inchading curwhes, he anmoncol
* And we shoubd be twelve, Lady \nschman saghnd
“Of course’ e added. ber face suddenly brighten
e “What an Mt | am’' It's Ronsie we are
walthog for. One can't be cross with him, grar feflow.
He can only just ot abuost
The fair girl who had overbeard, beaned scross
The shade of newly awakened interest in her face,
and the curve of her Bign as she spube. added 1o her
charm A gheam of canlight fached ugem the yelbon
of her plainly colled hair. “Ts it your nephew,
Romald Granet. who is coming’ ™ she ashed
. eagerly
Toeadsy Araguate bus fromm front,” she
snhl. T b bie frwt day out
AR but he is woundel, perhage’ © Madame &
larwe braguired s tomasty
“hm the est arm and the right heg. Lady Aneeleman
“J(MM&?‘“‘-W
iy . ate very MDD SO The
_‘*“hfinbbmhm&-fl
tell o nothing
“Me shows encellont julpment.” Lol Romey
sty ael
“hfi Ntoow b an dn':: u: et et 8
aweralondy = you o
o, nowedays, b h'*~—-=~"'l-~
e that you are wise When oue is told nething,
one fears the worst, and when
time after time the news of
these small disasters reaches
us piecemeal, about three
weeks late, we never get rid
of our forebodings, even when
you tell us about victories. . . .
Ah! Here he comes at last,”
she added, holding out both
her hands to the young man
who was making his somewhat
difficult way towards them.
“Ronnie, you are a few min
utes late, but we're not in the
least cross with you. Do you
know that you are looking
better'already? Come and tell
me whom you don't know of
my guests and I'll introduce
you.”
The young man, leaning
upon his stick, greeted his
aunt and murmured a word of
apology. He was very fair,
with a slight, reddish mus
tache and the remains of
freckles upon his face. His
gray eyes were a little sunken,
and there were lines about his
mouth which one might have
guessed had been brought out
recently by pain or suffering
of some sort. His keft arm
reclined uselessly in a black
silk sling. He glanced around the little assembly.
“First of all,” he said, bowing to the French actress
Mnfi&him\to&%“thnismm
who does not know Madame Sélarne. Lady Patrick,
we have met before, haven't we? lam going to sce
your hushand in his new play the first night lam
allowed out. Nr.bukllhw':udlad
Romsey may perhaps d» me the honor of remember
ing me,” he added, shaking hands with the Cabinet
He tumed 10 face GeraMine Conyers, who had
been watching him with interest. Lady Anselman
at once introduced them. 1 know that you haven't
met Miss Conyers bevause she has been asking about
you. This is my nephew Ronnie, Geraldine. 1 hope
that you will be friends.”
The gil murmured something inandible as she
shook hands. The young soldier booked at her for
-nr:'. His manoer bocame almost setious.
” s, 100, he said quietly,
“Ofive, come and make friends with my nephew,
if you can spare a moment from your young man,”
Lady Anselman contioued. “Captain Graset -
Miss Olive Morcton. And this is Gerabline's brother
Lieutenant Conyers.”
The two men shook hands pleasantly. Lady
,\*.Mduthchdudww
towards the corridor.
“And now, 1 thisk,” she announced, “luncheon.”
Mbmflhfi,hmnflflm
of the man who had been talking to Madame Sélarnc.
He had drawn litthe on one side, and he was watch-
N&md‘-flh-mfi.m She
turned back to her nephew and touched him on the
arm.
“Ronnie,” she said, “1 don't know whether you
have ‘met Surgeon-major Thomson in France’
HJ.MIH-L-,*.C“(M,“
Goranet turned at once and offered his hand 1o the
other man. Only GeraMiine Conyers, who was 3
young woman given to noticing things, and whe had
abuo reasms of her own for being interested, oberye!
the rather peculiar «rating with which cach regarded
the other. Something which might almost have
h"l“.kh':-“--..-mhuux
“1 may not met you personally, ” Granet
“"Nlmmhwm
who has been doing soch great things with the Fickd
Hospitals at the front, then Bike nearly every poor
crock out there | owe you & peculiar debt of gratitude.
Yumh-—lmm\yfl"hm
wobdier v badend condially
Major Thomson bowed. and 2 moment later they alf
made their way abwg the cortidor, s the festay
rant, swarched for their names on the cards and bk
their places 2t the table which had bren reserved for
them. Lady Aowlman glanced around with the
whutinising ait of the profesional hostess, 1o we
that ber guedts were properly sated hefore she de
voted hereell 1o the Calbinet Miniter. She had &
Wl o Lao 1 say o nearly exery one of them
“1 have pon you sest Miss Conyers, Rosuie,”
she romarked. “hevause we give all the goned things 1
ot men whes they come home from the war And
lhwflmm(hlt:hmqlm
glo the s, “hevanse | o whe exgue ting
":l"flhfivdl—-—.-::sh\hw
» dn-;-:n" ---,':"“"
e o
u-md.n.u. u.lnllfl
o & moment Ihat | am goieg o bevak my promise
THE KINGDOM
We are going to talk about everything in the world
except the war. 1 know quite well that if Ronnie has
had any particularly thrilling experiences, he won't
tell us about them, and I also know that your brain
is packed full of secrets which nothing in the world
would induce you to divulge. We are going to try
and persuade Madame to tell us about her new play,”
she concluded, smiling at the French actress, “and
there are so many of my friends on the French stage
whom I must hear about.”
Lord Romsey commenced his luncheon with an air
of relief. He was a man of little more than middle
age, powerfully built, inclined to be somber with
features of a legal type,
heavily jawed. “ Always
tactiul, dear hostess,”
he murmured. “As a
matter of fact, nothing
but the circumstances
that it was your in
vitation and that Ma
dame Sélarne was to
be present, brought me
here today. It is so
hard to avoid speaking
of the great things, and
for a man in my posi
tion,” he added, drop
ping his voice a little,
“so difficult to say any
thing worth listening
to about them, without
at any rate the sem
blance of indiscretion.”
“We all appreciate
that,” Lady Ansclman
assured him sympa
thetically. * Madame
Sélarme has promise |
to give us an outline
of the new play which
she is producing ia
Manchester
“UH that would in
terest you all” Ma.
dame Sélarne asente |
“it commences '
For a time they
nearly all lstened in
aborbed silence. Her
gestures, the tricks of
her voice, the uplifting
of ber eychrows and
shoulders all helpe!
1o give life and color 10
the Kttle sketch she o 5
pounded. Ouly those
at the remote end of
the table ventured up
on an independent
Conversation, Mrs.
Cunningham, the wo
man whom ber hodess
had referred 1o as being
ber particular friend,
and one who shared
her passion for enter
taining. chatted 6t fully
1o her ncightuw. Majoo
Thomson. It was not
until Juncheon was
more than half way
through that she real
ired the one shdedne.
of their conversation
She studied bim for 3
moment curfously.
There was something
very still and expres
ombess in bis lace, even
though the sundhine
from the brond high
windows whikh over
booked the Park wae
ahining full agwen him
“ Tell me ahout your
st o mvsieter] sl
denly. “1 bave been
talking rubbish quite
g eough You
have beoen out, haven't
your”
e assenterd gravely
“1 went with the
st divishon. At that
time | was in charge
of & Fied Mospital ~
“And now? "
“I am Ohel In
wtar :M [
“You &tu
"8; onactly.” he
told ber, & shade of
Willnew i bae et
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Copmn G
American Sunday Mon
By E.Phillips
“I have to come over very often on details connected
with the administration of my work.” .
“I should have known quite well that you were
a surgeon,” she observed. i
“You are a physiognomist, then?”
“More or less,” she admitted. “You see, I love
people. 1 love having people around me. My
fri
wi
fas
gl:
ab