The Silver Butterfly

greater part of Hayden's time for the next day or so; but in hi

ould secure his cousin's solicitude, then, at perhaps the third cup, he would in a spontaneous burst of confidence confess to a more than passing interest. This would at once gain Kitty's warm if unstable attention, her impu

ntioned to him any contemplated journey, and now, just as he was counting on enlisting her good offices, she had left

saying that he had so far made no progress in some investigations he was making, but felt, nev

lation and depression was greatly increased by the one, last, unnecessary, bitter drop in his cup--for the lady of his dreams had wantonly mocked him. Her promises had been idle as the wind. She had assured him that she would be anything but difficult to discover, had given the impression that he might chance to meet her

low. Then, by way of adhering strictly to this very good resolution, he proceeded to accept every social invitation which came his way, went religiously to luncheons, dinner

a new play in which an English actress of great reputation, not only because of her beauty but also for the artistic quality of her acting, was appearing. To his own surprise, the first act interested him suffic

es, for there upon her bosom, gleaming against the lace of her gown, was a great silver butterfly glittering with diamonds, while about her be

m very vividly before him. He turned now and again and carefully scanned the house, half believing that she was present and he might at any moment encounter her eyes. But no such luck awaited him, a

Where have you been? Although I have daily beaten on your doors

d I got to hate the sight of everything and everybody to such an extent, that I just ran away from it all, down into the country; and the best part of it was, that I actually persuaded Marcia Oldham to go with me. Think of that! But I succeeded in convincing her tha

ugh for bridge without me, so I just slipped away without a word to anybody and hid myself in a box. And I do hope you

nce, at an unlooked-for moment, the knowledge he had so ardently sought was his. He could afford to wait

her door she was in the full tide of some gay reminiscences, and she

d friends, and this was the first time they had met for several years. The rest, Hayden had either met casually or had to make the acquaintance of. Among this latter group was Mrs. Habersham, mentioned by Penfield as one of

d a sallow, angular, vivacious woman with an unbecoming blue fillet in her hair. He had been talking to Mrs. Habersham and Hampton, and had not really hap

erever he looked; but, poor victim of delusion that he was, he could swear that on Kitty's breast, gleaming against the laces of her gown, was the same silver butterfly which had earlier adorned the English actre

u? You look as if you had just seen a ghost. Your eyes are popping out of your

lief. "They're enough to ma

s?" she said complacently. "One is simply nobody this winter unless o

ars a set," he

a quick, rather surprised glan

t her, not ve

ere is any one in the world, with the possible exception of Warren, that I am half so fond of as I am Marcia? She is everything, the most all-ar

man on the other side of her. He showed a marked preference for his lobster in aspic, entirely ignoring the charms of her conversation and giv

Habersham was telling us that you had been to see this

ever heard of, and the beauty of it is that you don't have to go into any dens and caves to find her--none of the black hol

was a vision. Do you suppose she gets herself up that way really to c

sked Hayden, with, however, no p

te enough to see her yet," replied the b

black gown, Paris unmistakably, and"--Kitty threw great emphasis on this "and," and paused a moment for dramatic effect--"she wears a mantilla about her head, a

intment for me, Kitty, dear. They say that if I do so on my own account I shall have to wait weeks and weeks, ther

a plaintive feminine voice from the other side

stand why you waste your money on those people. They have absolutely nothing to tell you, and they are f

each!" scoff

" broke in a woman on her left. "Do tell us if it is true that

positively see it stiffen. "I really kno

are togeth

men about Marcia." Kitty'

ath. It was as if some weight had been lifted from him. "Marcia is odd, you know, awfully odd; but just the same, in that slow, unyielding way of his, Wilfred is determined to marry her, and"--she lifted her eyes--"his mother is crazy, simply crazy about it. For a while she contented herself with merely clawing the

"I should think that she would consid

'The shouting and the tumult' would be worth while, I can assure you. Oh-h," with one of her affected little shivers, "I wish you could hear some of the things she

not having heard a word she said; but this attempt on his part, instead of o

ones I've seen, prettier than Mrs. ----," mentioning the English actress, "for I got a good look at them at a reception the

re is as rich as cream; and yet, she can't afford those dreamy butterflies, while Marcia Oldham, who hasn't a cent in the whole world, wears a set which,

aracterized as whine-y Minnie, "but I must try and get an appointment with that for

unable to resist a school-boy temptation to tease her. "An o

outh," she said rapidly under her breath, and reverting to the phraseology of childhood. "Did you as

ariposa!--the butterfly. Horace Penfield's words recurred to him; "I am willing to bet now that you