Beyond The Rocks

next day. The knife grated on the shell in a determined way, and Theodora felt her he

d," she said, nervously. "It was

what kind of an evening did you

some old friends, and we all dined together at the Ritz. I wish yo

band, peevishly, scooping out spoonfuls

he English lord and lady, had a mollifying effect on Josiah Brown. He even remembered the name of Bracondale-ha

him at Henry's for you to meet some of t

a second egg and

itous of his wants in the way of coffee and marmalade and cream. Josiah was shrewd if he did happen to be deeply s

-he had no illusions on this subject, and he quite realized if the solid gold had not been amassed out of England, so that to her family he could be represent

n up all hopes of looking on her as a wife again, just yet; but, as a nurse and an ornament-a peg to hang the evidences of his wealth upon-she was little short

d to go and partake food with his father-in-law at Henry's. If he had been good enough to entertain the Governor of Australia, he was quite good enough for Russian princes or Eng

ecided to come out of your shell. Moping would kill a cat; and

rry about that," said Theodora, who hoped to make her husband en

who leaned upon her arm, Theodora's thoughts were miles away. She felt stimulated, excited, intensely in

ing Sir Baldwin once a week or to have Dr. Wilton permanently in the house with us, and you answer

ictoria, with its high-steppers, would never come and pick them up; and it must be at least quarter of an ho

thus interested and excited because she wished to see again Lord Bracondale, she would have been horrified

the sky as blue as blue, and every creature in the street with an air of gayety-that Paris alone seems to inspire in the human race. It e

racondale and the French Count-her fathe

em to her husband, and

und out which is your father's table; d

the velvet sofa, the Count on one side and Lord Bra

was voluble and agreeable, and the nex

n. The Count took all ups and downs as of the day's work, sure of a good breakfast, so

. Can anything be so sweet as that little nose and those baby-red lips. She has a soul, too, peeping out of the blue when she looks up at one. She reminds me of Praxiteles' Psyche when she looks down. Why did I not meet her long ago? I believe I ought not to stay now-something tells me I shall fal

ra, "to be so late! Are you very hungr

elicate perfume, the widow and Captain Fitzge

d's fault-he would try to restrain me from buying what I wanted, and so i

condale. "I know just that feeling of wantin

ide corner seat at the end knew he would have Theodora almost en tête-à-

is voice to that deep note which only carries to the ear it is intende

s had his sleep, after déjeuner, we drive nearly all the afternoon, and we have tea, at the Pré Catalan and drive again until ab

said Lord Bracondale; and then he felt a b

ees and the chestnut blossoms and the fine air here, and there is a little stream among

ed-rebuked an

see them all wi

directness. He did not insi

m after the first time. And you could if you liked, too, because I suppose you ar

med to see the long years tied to Josiah Brown, the cramping of her soul, the dreary desolation of it. The

e my life," he said, and

ed. "And may I ask you, too, w

more amusing than hers, although they were filled up with racing a

ange and learn to take pleasure in the ru

and her sweet eyes became soft and dreamy.

see all things with fresh eyes. You

ise ever to talk to strangers except in the abstract-and here are you and I conversing

se we are not strangers-we ne

t stran

d sometimes by that sudden magnetism of sympathy as if in some former life we had been very near and dear, a

tle thrill-she longed to continue the subject, and yet dared not. She turned hesitatingly to

st person he had ever met-he realized that, and perhaps he had

ad very little to reply. Things went smoothly. Josiah was appreciating an exceedingly goo

ter of an hour. He felt that was ample time for her to have become calm,

alf what the Count had been saying; she wished vaguely that s

lles?" he asked. This, at

me," she answered. "I loved it: so full of m

e it again," he said, with grave politeness. "I m

sm

are some alleés in the park more full of

," said Theodora. "Josiah w

r; one can generally arrange what

ering up to be perfectly well, and she had got him to promise to dine that evening at Armenonville and listen to the Tziganes. It was go

d be a delicious plan. W

aid, "and among them a compatriot of mine who

aid Theodor

xperienced a sens

to assert British superiority, you would try to monopolize Mrs. Brown, an

his brilliant woman was making

the most genial smile,

le dining with me, and, oddly enough, they rather suggested they wanted Armenonvi

, and soon after this coffee arrived

n Theodora accompanying h

id, imperiously, to Josiah, "and go and see the

ntic," she said, when they were whizzing along in her car. "But you look as if you

glanced at the widow's face and

said, simply, "but he is nearly well now

is. How Josiah Brown had bought a colossal place in the eastern counties, and intended to have parties and shoot there in the autumn. How The

unmarried daughters wa

why she was being interrogated. She wished to assist her father, and to say the truth s

he said, lovingly, "and have

and how could one get on in life if one took that view habitually! The appallingly hard knocks fate would give one if one was so trusting! But as the drive went on that gentle something that seemed to emanate from Theodora, the something of pure sweet

merican's! And she is just too pretty and sweet to be eaten up by these wolves of men she will

l had been sacrificed to Josiah Brown; she was sound asleep in the great forces of life; she was b

e never cried o

she drove off, "I shall keep my eye on her, and mea