The Hermit and the Wild Woman and Other Stories

from the heap of embroidered cushions which f

d photographs of celebrities, Mrs. Newell's gold inkstand, her jewelled penholder, her heavily-monogrammed despatch-box, gave back from their expensive surfaces the glint of the flame, which sought out and magnified the orient of the pearls among the lady's laces and found a mirror in the pinky polish of her

for him among the cushions. "I had to see yo

om. In the glitter of Mrs. Newell's magnificence Hermione, as usua

you more resplend

, of course?-they're from Detroit), and really they do things very decently. Their motor-car met us at Boulogne, and the courier always w

ink of her many bracelets and the rattle of her ringed hands against the enamelled

t with mild irony; and, reverting to her first remark, he

xclaimed Mrs. Newell, as though her dau

u said you had come

ermione is to

fect on her visitor. It was such that he received them with a long silent stare,

she took his somewhat unseemly astonishment as a merited tribute to her genius. Pres

put in to-morrow'

Trayas de la Baume, and Miss Hermione Newell, daughter of Samuel C. Newell Esqre. of Elmira, N. Y. Comte Louis du Trayas belongs to one of the oldest and most distinguished families i

. Hermione a bride! Hermione a future countess! Hermione on the brink of a marriage which would give her not only a great "situation" in the Parisian world but a footing in some of the best houses in Engla

goody-goody to take in England, but that with her little dowdy air she might very well "go off" in the Faubourg if on

ongue; and he had barely time to give the query t

and young Trayas was there with them. Lady Edmund, who is a dear, drove Hermy over to Portlow, and the thing was done in no time. He simply fell over head and ears in love

e you; but one somehow didn't

de to fit into Mrs. Newell's designs. But it was not enough for Garnett to marvel at her work-he wanted to understand it, to take it apart, to find out how the trick had been done. It was true that Mrs. Newell had always said Hermy might go off in the Faubourg if she had a dot-but even Mrs. Newell's juggling could hardly conjure up a dot: such feats as she was able to perform in this line were usually made to serve her own urgent necessities. And besides, who was likely to take suffic

the eye. "You're wondering, of course, about the dot-Frenchmen never go off their he

Elmira-a good soul I hadn't seen or heard of for years. I suppose I ought to have put on mourning for her, by the way, but it would have eaten up a good bit of the legacy, and I really needed it all for poor Herm

iage takes pl

and couldn't have gone to England. Besides, the Fre

rea

church so much oftener. So I thought," Mrs. Newell concluded with dignity, "that a

you. I suppose even the day is fixed, though Miss Hermione doesn't

it. No, the day isn't fixed-that's why I sent for you." There was a splendid directness about Mrs. Newell. It w

to fix the day?" he

ast obstacle to

bstacle could I have

th a look which quelled it. "

r? Miss He

urse. I suppose yo

ach word added to it. If Hermione was unnoticeable, Mr. Newell had always been invisible. The young man had

a note of asperity which seemed to imply that her friend

that case isn't

he is rather mysterious. But the point is that I can't

Garnett t

t to find him for

him

that we must show ourselves togeth

ve key, the tone of the born commander. But fo

sing he wo

daughter's happiness. She c

be ma

was given to understand at once that my husband must appe

, then?" escap

this case it would have been the end of Hermy's marriage. They would

rtunate

s beforehand. And of course I've told

k he will

l be horribly poor. But I think Kate Hubbard means to do something about the trousseau-Hermy is at Paquin's with her now. You've no idea how delightful all our friends have been.-Ah, here is one of them now," she broke off smiling, as the door opened to admit, without preliminary announcement, a gentleman so glossy and ancient, with such a

asked his hostess if she did not mean to give him a drop of tea and a cigarette, remarked that he need not ask if Hermione was still closeted with the dress-maker, and, on the waiter's coming in answer to his ring, ordered the tea himself, and added a request for fine champagne. It was not the first time that Garnett had seen such minor liberties taken in Mrs. Newell's drawing-