The Limit

re you li

I ever do an

mind that it will look ever so much better if y

all

f course, I know we have to go about in these huge batches sometimes-to you

serious, and yet with such a conciliating smile that it would have been

king husband stopped in h

ns, holding pale flowers, and painted with a rather mysterious effect by that talented young amateur, her cousin, Harry de Freyne. It had been his sole success in art, and had been exhibited at the Grafton Galleries unde

he always paused before speak

it will look better i

greatest deliberation, and

sure it would," she

n if you go

lse can

r, you think; eh?

lighted a cigarette, and thought. T

l it look so much better

test fancy to Harry, and clings on to him, and keeps on and on asking him to ask him to meet people. You must own it would be rather jolly for Daphne, because, of course, you can't think how he's run after-I mean Van Buren-and he isn't an ordinary American snob, and it really and truly isn't only his millionairishness, but he's a real person, and good-looking and nice as well; and though, Heaven knows, I'm as romantic as anybody-for myself-I wouldn't be so sel

all right. I

long catalogue of another man's advantages. "Now, l

s. Valentia often said that Romer should never do more than walk through a room or look in for a few minutes where there were other people-even at a club-and then go away immediately, when he would leave a striking impression. If he stayed longer he became alarming. His personality was so extraordinarily nil that it was quite

ties and things. That's what Van Buren wants, and that's what he must have. And that's one reason why he's so delighted with Harry, because Harry can get them all, through being a sort of artist, you see. What a good thing, after all, that he didn't drift into diplomacy! As he's an American you can't expect Van Buren to be really modern, and he has all the old-fashioned ideas about what he

oked rat

Hicks or Hardy be

idiotic, darling! No, of course not. But I dare say Harry will

ap's being tattooed make

ials on his left wrist, and a heart and an anchor with other initials on his right arm, and a flight of swallows-oh, and goodness knows what! In fact, when you come to think of it Mr. Rathbone is really a kind of serial story-with illustrations. I

nt to many this

, she doesn't even know him!... Y

O

arm, by the hour, to subtleties and frivolities that one would never have imagined he would enjoy. Sometimes the faint shadow of a smile would illuminate his face like a cold ray of wintry moon

, "to do all this for me. It's all for me, or rat

oesn't he marr

prised and blu

y, he neve

a rule, I know,

fact, devoted-just like a brother. Not that I ever saw a devoted brother. B

Poor chap! Never s

a totally different scale-a different sort of thing altogether. But, of course, Van Buren may not care for Daphne; people have such funny tastes; and not only that, but

absorb Romer, and a

t Daphne a new dress

smiled

to dress her up like a doll or make her look endimanchée on Thursday, or arranged and got up expensively, on purpose for Van Buren. I wouldn't, for instance, for anything, let her wear her new tulle dress from Armand! He'd see through it. Besides, I want her to c

qui

e dinner, and tell him how sorry you are you can't come. And you're going to lunch a

y as

efend me, although I've implored you not to heaps of times, and then you quarrel. If, this time, she says I'm frivolous and worldly and an utter fool and very deep, you must agree with every word. I'm so

she asked and then

and spent years at his tailor's, slowly choosing the right thing. She remembered she had married him chiefly because of his fine presence and mysterious silence. She had thought at the time there must be so much at the back of it all, so much in him. He was in love wi

her short straight features, grey eyes under dark brows, low forehead almost hidden by wavy fair hair, and a mouth curved and curled into subtle and complicated lines, was the type loved by Rossetti and Burne-Jones. She had a wonderful fair complexion, against which her long eyelashes showed, when she looked down, dark and effective, and though she was rather tall, slim and very modi

ic type. Her chin was rather long, and she had a brilliant, sudden smile, and all the attractive freshness and slight abruptness of her age, with an occasionally subdued air, caused by the sh

"I must go and see Harry and tell him to get some one else. Really, Daphne, you go too far! It's all very well to be

rim and trying to make the hat smaller. It s

rling. It's because you've bee

Who's going in

d I know?

the American hates me, and I hate him, and Harry's talking to you all the time,

, it makes me sick. All right, perhaps, if there's room. He's a nice, decorative b

isn't!" c

it. Suppose Foster's e

ot going. Did you marry him because you

the hat in front of the glass. "I thought he was a strong silent man, a ma

ysterious person. You don't want you

g dress. I like being surprised. Now let's go and surprise