The Broken Road

inning face to whom he had just been introduced. At first it had seemed to him merely that her hearing was better than his. The "nowadays," however, showed that it was her memory which had

persuaded to decorate a

forth co

there was a little bi

ss in his voice, "I was wanted to decorate ball-rooms

turally have occurred that Sir John Casson, with a tail of letters to his name, and a handsome pension, enjoyed at an age when his faculties were alert and his bodily strength not yet diminished, could stand in need of sympathy. But that precisely was the

ough her dark hair was flecked with grey, he knew that was not to be accounted as a sign of either age or trouble. Yet she looked as if trouble had been no stranger to her. There were litt

ot give you the real ex

t moment crossing the ball-room towards

the expl

looked at the

s to be enjoying itse

d Sir John wit

eighteen, with the fresh looks and the clear eyes of her years. A bright colour graced her cheeks, where, when she laughed, the dimples played, a

" asked Mrs

aised his

. The explanation wants everyone to love her at the present moment. When she wants only one, then it will be

. Linforth, as she bo

e?" asked Sir John. "If

re to look on,

tion too-oh, not here! He's at Chatham, and it's as well to keep up with the world-" She broke off abruptly, and with a perceptible s

had come up to the hill-station of Mussoorie. He remembered that Linforth had sent his wife back to England, when he

hatham," said Sir John, as Dick

e must have changed his

ittle surprise at her co

ere was very good reason. A great career, perhaps, perhaps only some one signal act, an act typical of a whole unknown life, leaps to light and justifies the claim the young face made upon your sympathy. Anyhow, I noticed young Linforth. It was not his good looks which attracted me. There was something else. I made inquiries. The Colonel was not a very o

aid Mrs.

intance of your son tha

ent, her face for the moment quite b

said. "And as for the cricket, it's quite tru

. It seemed to both his mother and Sir John, as they watched him steadily moving in and out amongst the throng-for it was the height of the season, and Lady Marfiel

ugh, which gave to him the look of a boy. "Let us see who it is t

point than her companion, and while she asked the question, her eyes followed her son's movem

the welcome of her smile. For a moment the gap remained open, and then the bright frocks and black coats swept across the sp

sharply. His fac

Mrs. Linforth. There w

lso a note

es

is

ver. Viol

rri

broken down. We all stayed for a couple of days together in the same hotel. Mrs. Oliver is a friend of my

quietly. She had been quick to note a very sl

he replied quickly-a

ed the way to the chairs which were placed in a nook of the room not very far from the door by whic

me what you

ad out his ha

nothing at all. Beyond that she is beautiful-really beautiful, as few women are. That, no d

nce-not for anything would she admit, even

ing me nothin

and opera. Her studies were interrupted by the appearance of a cavalry captain, who made love to her. She liked it, whereas she did not like studying music. Very naturally she married the cavalry officer. Captain Oliver took her with him abroad, and,

however, was

Oliver rich

. "His widow lives in a little hous

o-night very beautifu

rth q

reover, Sybil Linforth's eyes were at that mome

t she was wearing," he said. "The ga

for any woman," said Mr

time enough f

dressed," said Sir John with an assumption of c

cause of the constraint and embarrassment which had been audible in Sir John's voice, and noticeable in his v

r John straig

Mrs. Oliver now, if you had n

fire of questions. He turned the conversation into another channel, pluming himself upon his cleverness. But he forgot that the subtlest evasions of the male mind are clumsy and obvious to a woman, especially if the woman be on the alert. Sybil Linforth did not thi