The Splendid Folly

she encountered was Olga Lermontof. She still retained her dislike of the accompanist and was preparing to pass by wi

exclaimed, pausing on the staircase

ndifferently. "I've been playing accompan

e said impulsively-"Oh, do come int

egarded her with

aid in her abru

na had added a couple of easy-chairs and several Liberty cushions to its somewhat sparse furniture. A heavy curtain, hung in

gh of satisfaction, while Diana set the kettle on the fire to boil, and produced fro

t barrack of a dining-room downstairs. The bread-and-butter is always so thick-li

nod

If you saw my tiny bandbox of a room on the four

e so high up. She was invariably well-dressed-Diana had frequently caught glimpses of silken petticoat

thought aloud, Miss Lermontof repli

and owing to-to various things"-she stammered a little-"I can't get hold of it just at present, so I'm dependent on what I make. And an acc

omehow she didn't fancy the other had found it very

ose accompanying doesn't pay as well as some other things-the stage,

returned Miss Lermontof. "But, of

s still lay heavily beneath her light-green eyes. They were of a curious translucent green, the more notice

h Miss de Gervais," volunt

rprise crossed Olg

ou had met her,"

during my lesson. I believe I told you she had taken a hous

d a biscuit in silence.

have an odd sort of wish to do you a good turn. You h

the quick colour rushing into her face as it

why?" she

. Only take my advice

rotested Diana. "And"-wistfully-"

e seems. And your art should be you

a la

o want friends-I haven't nearly reached the stage

regarded her

ou're young-horribly y

ou yourself were

lah!"-l

till you come out professionally and you can have as many so-called friends as you choose. You'll scarcely need to lift your little finger and they'll come flocking round you. I don't think"- looking at her spe

ld like to have a few

e friends of my vo

de Gervais in the number

flush, and shrugging her sh

nd stop a marble rolling down hill. . . .

a moment in silence. Then she a

rrington

a's heart suddenl

of keenly, "is there any like

broke off

at he was just the kind of man who would marry.

ontof got

l is not gold that glitters. It i

ly apprehensive-"do you mean that he h

y, "that it would be very dishonourable of

door as she spoke, a

you tell me this

en eyes held an odd exp

one of the few genuine warm-hearted people I've met-and I don't want yo

ing to her seat by the fire, sat staring into

ssed some intimate knowledge of the affairs both of Max Errington and Adrienne de

d in a way this had added to her interest in him. It had seized hold of her imagination, kept him vividly before her mind as nothing else could have d

e of him to make you care

to add a substance of reality, came the memory of Errington's own bitter exclama

every now and then a single filament brushed against her-almost imp

et. The actress seemed to have taken a great fancy to her, and although she was several years Diana's senio

upying a somewhat unique position-frequently inspires in one younger than herself, and Olga Lermontof's grave warning might just as well have been u

had referred to it

e a friend of Miss de Ger

sensitively afraid that the other might misconstrue her meaning, "I know you believed what you we

ire. "Humph! I was wrong, was I? Nevertheless, I'm perfectly sure that Adrienne

lt solely around the present, and if by chance any question of Diana's accidentally probed into the past, it was adroitly parried. Even of Adrienne's nationality she was in ignorance, merely understanding, al

always made Diana especially welco

"Adrienne makes few friends-and your visits are such a relax

r professional success occupied a position of relatively small importa

usly tossed aside a newspaper containing a eulogy of her claims to distinction which

wered. "What is it? Mere

many people's lives. It's the bubble I'm in pursuit of, and if I ob

egarded he

me of Adrienne de Gervais is kn

ed at her

in the next few years, you will still be

miled acro

" she said lightly. "But-I

some vision of the future, but whether that future were of

r, for she frequently saw him leaving Adrienne's house on a day when she was expected th

and indifferent, and any effort on her part towards establishing a more friendly footing had been invariably checked by some cruelly ironical remark, which ha

e. Jerry was, in truth, the sort of person with whom it was impossible to be otherwise than friendly. He was of a delightful ugliness, twenty-five years of age, pe

d, and she was awaiting their return when the door of the drawing-room suddenly opened to admit a remarkably plain young man, who, on see

fond-and had so often described his charming ugliness to Diana tha

to him re

" she said calml

closed the door and a

n relieved tones. "Tha

ever

'm afraid you can't at present, as she's

h, with an engaging smile. "It will be much mo

l you-yet," repli

n half an hour," he r

Jerry Leigh, Erri

n, you're a ver

'boss' and very often gives me an 'afternoon out.' That's why I'm here now. I'm off duty and Miss de Gervai

responded D

satisfaction. "Then we ought to

credentials?" ask

e has only to

aughed

compliment I've ever rece

rather small and depressingly young, with Jerry Leig

sted Jerry stoutly. "It's just

'boss' wouldn't

nonse

as though I were a hot potato, and h

y ro

ps he's got

k; her hea

that. Mr. Erringto

d at her re

rue," he said at la

like him-very much-ei

w him," said the boy eagerly

sterious person,

ded her ver

ly, "every man's a right to h

re was s

er, and now his own secretary, the man who must be nearer to him than any other, had given

along-and without any prospect of re-soling. I'd played the fool at Monte Carlo, and, like a brick, he offered me t

kind of him," s

who'll give a chance like that to a yo

," she added, rather low

ould have sworn that as his eyes met her own a sudden light of pleasure flashed into their blue depths, only to be immediately replaced by his

hostess," observed the latter c

s from Jerry to Diana in a puzzled way-"th

Jerry. "We met by chance, like two angel

n smiled

ur-fellow angel-to sing

oes sh

g and ignorant friend, let me introd

ve heard all about you.-you're going to be the biggest star in the musical firmament-and here have

h at the boy's nonsense whe

doesn't in the least resemble ordinary mortals. She isn't afflicted by

or Diana that sent the colour flying up under her clear skin. There was

n the offender from first to last. Always, now, he seemed to be laughing at her, mocking her. He appeared an entirely

r head a litt

ficance. "I certainly don'

as well," retorted

ut, but it was perfectly clear to him that everything was not quite as it should be between his beloved Max and this new friend, this j

omething about "going

t," he bolted out of t

lone to

e turned an

unkind to me?" she burst

ted hi

o you. That is surely the privilege of friends. And you showed me quite clear

it likely that I should feel anything but gratitude-and l

out my meritorious deeds-completely. It was quite the best thing that could happen," he added hastily, as she w

He was politely telling her that any ov

as determined he should not knew it. Wit

r Adrienne. Will you tell her, please,

e repeated swiftly.

you any o

er mocking query

friend of yours?" There seemed a hint of disapproval i

I ought not to be

tle half-foreign shrug of his shoulders. "Miss Qu

into Diana's eyes at th

urt her enough, for one

y blindly out of the r

almost ran int

" he asked, in tone

any longer for Adrienne. I have

her a swift glance, could see that her las

ulated mentally. "Wh

e merel

ou have

that chanced to be passing,

d my talking to you this afternoon, did you, Miss Q

ittle. He was such a nice boy-the sort of boy one could be pals with. "Yo

. "Good-bye." And the taxi

-room to find Errington stari

his arm in that of the older man. "What had yo

I

he was-

nst his own twitch, and

horribly lordly, touch-me-not air about you when you choose. But I don't se

gton. "Miss Quentin

ike her," pursued Jerry

Miss Quent

y. "She told me so, and she seemed really sorry about

ghtful. But-you don't understand, Jerry-

ce that he might as well drop the subject. He could get nothing further out of Max, once the latt

round and laid his hand

your life-that you're free and untrammelled. All the world's yours if you choose to take it. S

ith pain. Never before had Jerry seen him thus with the mask off

chap . . ." he stamm

n regained his composure, but h

ch say. And that's the hard part of it-to be your own judge and jury. A man

ou? . . . N

ns away, allowing the victim to escape. And that's impossible! . . . Imposs

sted Jerry. "Give th

ally. He was rapidly regaini

pal, but a bad adviser

Errington turned composedly to greet them, the veil of reticence, momentarily