The Cruise of the Make-Believes

she was beginning to realize that this kind of thing would not do at all, if her small world was to be kept going, when the door leading into the little alley was opened cautio

steps towards her; paused and coughed. Inst

he said. "Did

as anyone there. How long have you

ay, because there might be somebody-somebody looking out for me at the front. Very ha

Dorricott?" she asked, forgettin

o let them know I was about, you know, and almost with

whispered w

erous at times, when he thinks of the people who stand in h

on. "I don't believe in all the stories about people having more money than they know what to do with; I simply can't believe them. All th

ho are known to touch three figures a week, and who simply live in motor-cars; it's a known fact. O

an actor," said Bessie,

away a step or two restlessly, and then came back to her. "I

the bill!"

arge appetite-which I endeavour to suppress as much as is consistent with keeping a figure fit to be seen behind the footlights. Many and many a tasty dish, Miss Meggison, which you may think I scorn, I pass by beca

ldn't speak of

l right; I know that in time I shall be able to pay you in full-and pay other people as

nk of that time when you gave me tickets for the pant

't when the only way in which you can move your jaws is by a string. But I shall do finer things than that. In the years

oked at him in a b

ott once lived here; it's frequently done-there's a society for it. They will probably refer to me

cott! You'

f our best people have done that. I beg you won't alarm yourself, Miss Meggison," he added hastily-"because I'm q

out

Perhaps you may wonder that I don't go away, and live on somebody else-some f

that, because she mightn't b

on, and cheered me up. That's why, although I owe you this money, I can't go away; I'd rather be a slave to you than to anyone else. You didn't understand that-did you, dear?" he whispered, not daring even to take her ha

'm ungrateful; I shouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say that it's quite the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in all my life. But I don't love anyone-except my father-an

"I shan't always be poor; I shall make a great name for myself some day,

told him, smiling. "Good night-and forget all about i

er hand to his lips before he turned away; and she stood there, looking after him, with that

e kindly words; never to have to meet frowning tradesmen, or duns of any sort; never to trudge through the streets on Saturday nights, with the certain knowledge that

y's lips upon her hand had wakened something in her that had merely lain dormant; she cried out dumbly for her natural and proper birthright. The world held something better for her, and it was de

g-room table-and how he had completely "wiped the floor" with his opponent, to the unbounded astonishment of a choice circle which seemed to consist of a billiard-marker, a bookmaker, and a long-dethroned music-

don't think to yourself what's the best thing to suit your brother, and your

a little wordy warfare between the two-Daniel Meggison protesting virtuously that his son should be in bed at ten o'clock to the minute-and that son sugges

d. Nothing good enough for me; apologies flying about everywhere. Haughty with them, mind you; no sudden giving way on my part. At the same time-condescending; that'

pon her. She had been content for so many years; had been glad to accept things as they were, and to make the best of them. But now to-night there was a new and passionate longing for a world and a life that could never be hers at all. As she sat there, staring at the shabby wall before her, the walls seemed to vanish; and there grew up in their place a dim vision of a wide countryside, lying silent and peaceful under t

the Meggison garden; it was simply a stretch of bare earth, with scrubby grass growing here and there in patches. Gilbert thought nothing of that, because the place did not interest him, save for the fact that it adjoined the garden next door; and he had already lear

g to her, he was naturally shocked at this sudden abandonment; besides, she looked path

ay-what's t

then at the back of the other one; swung himself up to the top of the wall; and jumped over. He alighted, as luck would have it, on that defective board in the old box s

sorry," he began

e said in a whisper, with a glance at the house. "O

e afraid of-and this is ever so much better than talking over the wall, you kn

in a dull voice-"and it isn'

claimed. "It's an ottoman-a

all only pretending; you know what a shabby place this is-really and truly. You

orbid,

you'd be sorry, and make much of it, although in your heart you'd laugh, because it was such a little thing to make a fuss about. And you've b

ver laughed at you at

it seemed that she wanted desperately to touch hands with some friendly being-someone, for choice, who came out of the big world my

nitently-"you have been the only one that has understood. I

und about him, and whimsically shook his head as he spoke-"and of course I was surprised. And then I saw you-and I unders

ets away from all the tiresome things-all the things that must happen, and yet that ought not to happen at all. You

hing better (although that could never be, you know)-something bigger and greater than you really were. The fine lady walked in her

the big world, would simply have laughed, and would have seen that this was an old carpet, too shabby even for the house-and this a table we couldn't

the tapestry; I understood also how nice it was to have coffee in the garden

t quite understand whether it was anything like the terrace you get to round the corner, with the houses in a sort of half-circle, and the little bit of green in front; only somehow I knew it c

sn't better appre

seemed to find the hole in the carpet and to trip over it. And Amelia does

came when some of your dreams came true, when you didn't have to make-believe any more; when you walke

seem to belong to the rich side of the family. His sister, who was here to-night-Aunt

Aunt Juli

s never very explicit about it. But sometimes at night, when he comes home from-from his club, he cries a little, poor dear, and t

rs to his questions, to understand what she did, and what sort of struggle she was constantly engaged in. He summed up the shiftless father and the shiftless son easily enough; understood, from the type of lodgers that came to the house, how difficult it must be for t

a sham, and that he was not the poor man he seemed to be to her. She had been frankness itself with him, and he should have been with her in return. Only of course he knew that, once she understood that he was playing a part, her confidence in

he table, and she had one hand resting upon it; he noticed how short the sleeve was, and guessed that she must long since have outgrown this dress

n," she said; and

l, watching; for his presence there would need explanation. The girl had drawn away from him, and w

she asked. "Do

ers were very broad, and he had the appearance almost of a man whose head has been set too far forward; the sharp clean-shaven face was thrust well out, as though the man sp

your father's asking f

ervously, slipping her hand through the arm of the man, and dra

aid Quarle, with a face that

was by an undignified exit over the wall; and he had no wish for that. He could have gone out into the little alley behind, but he knew that the door at the end of his own particular garden was always kept bolt

ger man, and lowering his voice. "You're not likely to have heard of me; ve

t too, I should imagine,"

e. "Now, sir-I'm old enough to be your father-old enough, under happier circumstances, to be

s one already," s

h a snarl. "Perhaps, if he were worthy of the name, he might have something

ounger man. Again the absurdity of his position was borne in upon Byfield; more than that, he seemed to see in this s

said Gilbert. "From a younger

e to believe that yours has simply been the thoughtlessness of

y sorry to see this child slaving for those who should really be supporting her;

her alone to her garden, as she calls it, and to her dreams, and to the h

elong to another wor

ithout watching men, and growing to understand them. You don'

en came back to this strange man, who had not moved. "But if I

doubtless as someone wonderful, who can talk to her as no man has talked to her yet-understand her with the understanding of youth. And presently,

e strode about impatiently, and again the elder one stood still, watc

said. "I had no right to do that, because no man wou

the other simply

which she lives-make some of her dreams come true. I am r

ng; would yo

she's a child

friend, and leave her alone. Much better leave her to her dreams and her fancies, even if they

you ever will," exclaimed Gilbert quickly

, nodding his head slowly. "But for