A Modern Chronicle, Volume 3

it was thronged with devotees on the Sabbath. This temple, of course, was the Quicksands Club. Howard Spence was quite orthodox; and, like some of our Puritan forefathers, did no

tate of mind through a field of daisies, and had just arrived at the hedge m front of the Brackens when the sound of hoofs be

e you been

replied Hon

s unheard of i

virtue," s

s about that, t

y, wondering why he had such a faculty

ion," was his

y you say that,

s are a thoroughbred horse against a personally knitted wor

nonsense," said Honora, "a

during which he didn't rel

she asked. "I'm sor

ptly. "Can't you come o

Chandos and Wa

s of the man's physical prowess cups for games of all descriptions, heads and skins from the Bitter Roots to Bengal, and masks and brushes from England. To Honora there was an irresistible and mysterious fascination in all these

at Mrs. Chandos was engaged in a breathless and altogether desperate struggle with the slow but inevitable and appalling Nemesis of a body and character that would not harmonize. If her figure grew stout, what was to become of her charm as an 'enfant gate'?

la? I had that sauce

arded, with an almost equal affection, first the master and then the d

"are the symptoms of gout, Lula? I hear a great deal about that

ery red, but Warry

ling," he sa

back his hea

t it anyway, Wa

a lean and greying Irish ter

t preventives-for gout. I bought a horse last week that would just suit yo

us, Mr. Brent," exclaimed Hon

ide?" he

d to it," s

one up from Rivington to Harvey's Riding Academy, near Central Park. Thus she had acquired th

Trixy had in the "stables." In spite of that lady's somewhat obvious impatience, Honora insisted upon admiring everything from the monogram of coloured sands so deftly woven on the white i

s. "And I'm in such a predicament! I promised Fanny Darlington I'd

ned to hi

oria right away and dri

ton's,"

him, and her

ul of generosity, Trixy

ed, "if there's any othe

ay, and her eyes continued to follow Vercingetorix as he trotted about the tan-bark

think of hi

lared Honora. Would

ht I? S

I'll send him over to your house

d protest Mrs. Cha

to Fanny's, but Warry says he will drive me over. Good-

ou enjoy

rs. Chandos in, and stood for a moment gazing after her

women could have done it bet

d Honora, indignantly. "It wouldn't have h

e implied a familiarity at which they

e with Lula in that frame of mind. Tender reproaches, and all that sort of thin

t she was up in arms for

slowly, "I'm beginning t

ouraging,"

fic

. Most men are fickle.

not resemble in feature the great if unscrupulous Emperor of the French, he reminded her now of a picture she had once seen of Napoleon

it take you to

ess fo

de wit

she said, and experienced a tingle

t?" he

ause I don't want to; an

ting Lily

eps an engagem

why I shouldn't,

think you're deuce

ate for me!"

ain that he was obviously put

lever," h

aps one that has been singed a little, once or

He was still standing where she had left him, his feet slightly apar

of the afternoon writing letters home, pausing at periods to look out of the window. Occasionally it appeared

Brent at the Club, and he said

m Trixy to his

calls him Trixy. What

as in Quicksands of speaking of people they don't k

s," he retorted. "You weren't

better than Riv

e irritation unusual in him, "that you

er. He fidgeted about the room for a while,

ow, and he's in with James Wing and that crowd of big financiers, and he seems to have tak

writing pad, turned in

you wish me to

ent?" he

es

cocktail which the maid offered him

passed boundaries invisible to him. In her eyes was a curious smile that la

you mean,

about his business," she replied. "Otherwise he would hesitate before he threw her

rms. I'm merely asking you to be friendly with him. It means a good deal to me-to both of us

onora, "what may happen. Sup

k nonsense

onsense. It would be quite easy to fall in love with him. Ea

urse I'd care. What kind

uld you

darned idio

uppose I allowed Mr. Brent to make love to me, as he's very w

wh

comp

we're m

upon her knee and

them forever from any effort on their part to retain their wives' affections. They regard the ring very much as a ball and chain, or

his cigar

ing women down at Rivington, but if this isn't browning I'm hanged if I know what it is. An at

," she agreed,

ending a conversation that had neither head nor tail, and yet was

kiss her, but she turned her face in t

acea!" s

boyishly, as he stood

t," he said. "You've changed a

red to her that a complete absorption

an attempt at lightness, "I wish you'd have

ied, "would give me

he sat where she was until the maid came in to pull the curtains

.......

icipal statesmen of good Irish stock. He was a lion who roamed at large over a great variety of hunting grounds, some of which it would be snobbish to mention; for many reasons he preferred Quicksands: a man-eater, a woman-eater

had it, as must have been guessed. But however our faith in her may be justified by the ridiculous ease of her previous conquests, we cannot regard witho

ble to warn our heroine,-a scene for which there is unfortunately no space in this chronicle; an entirely amicable, almost honeyed scene, in Honora's boudoir. Nor can a complete picture of life at Quicksands be undertaken. Multiply Mrs. Dallam's dinn

arshes that bordered it were a vivid green under the slanting rays of the sun, and she was g

e so," she said, turning to him

w I was looking

elt

horse a li

e positively unc

lau

tles-in-Spain expressio

es in

he real estate is more valuable

proclaimed Honora

ouldn't like Quic

it," she replied. "I can't se

nk it a fault, when it's more or less warran

m a bow fro

reward, at least," she an

e," sa

ra s

d angel, and help you get

ut of

cksa

?" she asked. "And is it impossible fo

," he answered. "You're clever

silent

raordinary things," s

think they

ate," he

colo

indeli

are spades in the pack, however much you may wish to ignore 'em. You know very well you don't like these Qui

in, and put her

," he cried. "Veni,

"that so much education is th

s. Sometimes I think you ought to go back to the Arcadia you came

nora, "that I was very you

ssisted her to alight at her own door, sent the horses home, and offered to come in and give her a lesson in a delightful game that was to do its share in the disintegration of the old and tiresome o

tered in the mid

ay be interested to know I got that littl

at you," said the lion

hat Honora, three days earlier, had entered a certain shop in New York and inquired for a book on bridge. Yes, said the clerk, he had such a treati

t of spur, anything in