The Reason Why

ipped out noiselessly, a few minutes after she left the library. The sun had completely set now and it was damp and cold, with the dead leaves, and the sodden au

bad for Mirko to wait in the cold. Perhaps they would have gone on. But no; she caught

ndersized little cripple of perhaps nine or ten years old but looking much younger; as it could also be

would never come. But now that you are here let me eat you-eat you up!" And the thin, little arms, too long for the wizened body

d yesterday. I think it was foolish of you to risk it. At least in Paris Madame Dub

nsisted upon cooking garlic in his food at every meal!-we had thought to have broken him of the habit, you remember?-and up, up it came from his stove. Body of Bacchus! It killed inspiration. I could not paint, my Chérisette, and Mirko could not play. And so

s voice trembled with a pitiful note. "You are not

two pools of ink softened from the expression of the black panther into the divine tenderness of th

him may be over. He expressly said if I would come quite alone, to stay with him for these few weeks, it would be to m

the angels, Mirko mio; but soon we shall be all rich and famous. I had a dream last n

ypri was a con

n Neville Street, Tottenham Court Roa

imo hastened to reassure her, "an

sound. Countess Shulski drew him

oldi? He was a kind little old man

ing place, until our affairs prospered, and we

receive the letter. Have you

when we arrived. Our little necessities and a few paints took up two of the twenty-franc pieces, and we have eight of them

ng of his father that gentleman was capable of giving one of them to a beggar if the beggar's face and story touched him, and any of the others could

s forestalled for the wants of the family-the little brother wh

pair had been wiped off the list of the family. And Maurice Grey, after cursing them both and making a will depriving them of everything, shut himself up in his castle, and steadily drank himself to death in less

ar sinister the financier could not brook the disgrace of Elinka. He had loved her so-the one soft si

ts, while both Mimo and Mirko watched her f

not come in until Christmas; mine is all gone until January, and it is

press love and romance, devotion and tenderness, to wile a bird from off a tree or love from the heart of any woman. And even though Zara Shulski knew of ju

t th

lung out his arms

strange, gray fogs are giving me new, wonderful thoughts-dark, mysterious-two figures me

hile he cooed love words in a soft Slavonic language. Two big tears g

it two sovereigns and some shillings w

ill-I must-find some other way for you soon: and now I shall have to go. If

e light from the opening door and her figure disappearing between the tall servants who had come to open it, the two poor, shabby figures walked on with a sigh, to try to find an omn

ch precluded all idea of familiarity. It did not even strike Turner, or James, that her clothes were what none of the housemaids would

ames-quite a bit of the

t full of pain and rage against fate. Here she sat down before the fire, an

airy of light, always gay and sweet and loving. And then of that journey to a far country, where she saw an old, old, dying gentleman in a royal palace, who kissed her, and told her she would grow as beautiful as her grandmother with the red, red hair. And there in the palace was Mi

n-returned-came from Uncle Francis. And ever the fear grew that if Mimo were absent from her for a moment Uncle Francis would kill him. The poor, adored mother! And then of the coming of Mirko and all their joy over it; and then, gradually, the skeleton of poverty, when all the jewels had been sold and all Mimo's uniform and swords; and nothing but his slender income, which could not be taken from him, remained. How he had worked to be a real artist, there in Paris! Oh! poor Mimo. He had tried, but everything was so a

he Zoo never looked fiercer when Francis Markrute poked hi

t mother's life for that winter. And though it was a strain to extract anything from Ladislaus, still, in the

knew now that he had been far away, in South Africa, at the time, and had never received them, until too late; but then, it seemed as if God Himself had forsaken them. And no

hérisette, with you and Mimo and Mirko. It wa

coals. But Zara's decision had come. There was no

d-her cloak had already fallen from her-and wit

ating the time. It was twenty-five minutes to eight; his guests would be coming to dine at

as he wished never entered his head. It was only a question of time but it

tered the room. So she had come! He had not relied

n on her gardenia skin, and her great eyes gleame

e certain happiness of M