The Career of Katherine Bush

it was stupid of her to have chosen the afternoon for her entrance into her new post, and Bronson, the dignified butler,

you this morning, mis

t hour I was to come," Katherine ans

ogetic in a minute, poor thing! But this young woman, whom Bronson had very good reason to believe, from what he had been able to gather, belon

guests took up his atte

ed her; she was tall and droopy, with wide vague eyes, and a wisp of buffish chiffon about her neck inside her furs, which Bronson assisted her to remove. T

Lady Beatri

to stay for more than ten minutes-so don't get away into so

ed with polite

motor; I promised my aunt to stay to

d a young footman was sent with Katherine

hey were carried aloft, "and he is bored with his wife. Gladys was quite

hey arrived in the top passage

she would not have time to see you this evening, but you would doubtless have things

ashioned rose-flowered chintz on a bright parrot-green ground. There was a scent of lavender, too, and Katherine Bush was pleasantly impressed; nothing looked cheap and gimcrack like the bedrooms in Laburnum Villa, she thought, or

uggested that she was observant; she must remember that and always cultivate this faculty, fo

was a monster, ample room in it for any amount of clothes! How pleasant not to have to put most things away in cardboard boxes under one's bed-often to find them discoloured by dust when taking them out again! And how pretty and quaint was the chin

back so that one could pick them up in a second. Katherine Bush smiled cynically when s

s and order. The brass hot-water can and the fender a

instead of a breakfast cup already poured out and mixed with milk and sugar, and probably a little of the contents upset into the saucer, which also contained a thick slice of bread and butter and a piece of cake! This is what she had always been accustomed to at the office, or on Saturday afternoons at home, while sh

sted before. She was too ignorant as yet to know that it was China, not the rankest Ceylon which she was accustomed to, but she found it particularly nice, though rather weak. The whole room

hat she had behaved remarkably well, and in a manner which Lord Algy could never look back upon but with respect. And to renounce happiness and union when the other person is clamouring for a continuance of relations, brings a g

ck seven o'clock before all was complete and she had sat down again to fin

t words, the book dropped into her lap and she stared in front of her. She saw what Lord Algy had meant-and it flattered her greatly. She understood entirely Thédore's feelings. How wise she had been to go! How she had grasped

eive its immorality. She would read it over again and again-and everything else this man had written. It seemed that she was newly awakened to a s

r-that was good enough! Well, she would make that true some day, and meanwhile she was away from stultifying squalor-away from minds only interested in petty local affairs-away from sham gentility, away from gramophones and cinemas-away fr

at eight o'clock, miss; it is half-past seven now.

she had not thought of doing so! She had not even imagined that she would go again downstairs or have

that she must change her dress. She felt very angry with herself, and after the exaltation over her own instincts thi

not trouble you," she answered, graciously; "but will you

uld be certain to be in the hall and would show her. Th

for Miss Arnott, and then they serve the dinner at once. This bell rings up and this one down; it is the ups

ay. This upper staircase she found descended to the ground floor independently of the stately, shallow marble

silk brocade curtains, the discarded splendour of a salon, perhaps. These were cosily drawn, and there was plenty of electric light, and she saw that there would be space to do her typing on the solid, large table, and to keep all records in those capacious cupboa

high rooms when I have won m

glass and the cloth, and almost immediately Thomas brought in a large tray with her din

if she would please to ring when she was ready for her sweet. Miss Arnott was won

ot take tea with one's dinner even alone like this, and if she had it, Thomas would know that she was not acc

that those surroundings were just part of any demi-mondaine's life, and could be had by the lowest for money-but these were quite different. These were rather shabby,

She knew that at the present stage she should hat

, had never seemed to remark servants at all, and would go on talking to her, wh

s expected to turn the soup out into the soup plate or drink it as it was? She decided to try th

shed, Thomas removed everything and folded up the small table and put it back into its, evidently

ardly noticed the headlines as she glanced at the news; her mind was t

opened suddenly, and the man she had already twice seen came in, leaving it open after him, so t

e for some large-sized paper. My aunt use

as in evening dress, and his hair was as well groomed as Lord Algy's, but not cut quite so short, and it was brushed straight back from his forehead and was brown and thick

then aloud, "I am in a great hurry. Will you ple

im without a word. She noticed that he hardly looked at her, and did not take in her personalit

tood. "Oh!-er-I was wondering if you would be so awfully kind as to type this when I have writt

h answered, "but if you care to dictate, I can take it down

ill you come into the libra

e back of an envelope, he went to the hearth-rug, and, leaning against the mantelpi

ecise, oily slowness, nor Mr. Devereux's crisp fluency. She took

atiently. "I never can dictate properly, I mus

is just the English you want regulat

and Katherine smiled to h

quarter of an hour as it is. Could you do it immediately and send it in to the dining-room by one of the foo

, I

le and female; they were evidently going in to dinner without waiting for him. She looked up at the clock, it was ten minutes to nine; then she smiled again and, going to the writing-tabl

me Strobridge?-Lady Garribardine's ne

hew is the Honourable Mr. Gera

dining here and w

the paper and reseated herself in her chair b

histled to himself,

obridge was saying to

the Times-that is what made me keep even you waiting, dearest lady. My aunt's new shorthand

dy laughed. "It is too attractive to

at I love you-why did you not come this afternoon, L?

to-night, G.-and I do no

affectation, from the conscious pouting of her red lips to the way she held her soup spoon. He rather admired the skill she showed in it all. She pleased his senses, had just enough wit to chirp like a parrot good things others had said, and was full of small talk-while sh

Gerard Strobridge's life; they were his

midst general chaff he read aloud the letter, his astonishme

im," he called down the table to his aunt.

ibardine laughe

d found a treasure in