The Reef

t Darrow across a table of the quietcoffee-room to which, after a vainly p

le she ran her fingers comb-wise through her hair. The gesture had acted on Darrow'snumb feelings as the glow of the fire acted on hiscirculation; and when he had asked: "Aren't your feet wet,too?" and, after

him his first full sight of her face; andthis was so favourable that the name

ckground of thatawful house in Chelsea, one of the dumb appendages of theshrieking unescapable Mrs. Murrett, into whose talons he hadf

you on the stairs,

Its fugitive slantinglines, that lent themselves to all manner of tender tiltsand foreshortenings, had the freakish grace of some younghead of the Italian comedy. The hair stood up from herforehead in a boyish

han the right; and her smile began in hereyes and ran down to her lips i

u wouldn't remember

r? But of course he DID! He was genuinelysure of

e past tense."She seemed to droop a little at the allusion; then shelifted her chin with a jerk of defiance. "Yes. All is atan end between us. We've just parted in tears--but not insilence!""Just parted? Do you mean to say you've been there all thistime?""Ever since you used to come there to see Lady Ulrica? Doesit seem to you so awfully long ago?"The unexpectedness of the thrust--as well as its doubtfultaste--chille

sayingthat you came for Lady Ulrica?" she asked, lea

! It wasalways for something else: the music, or the cook--whenthere was a good one--or the other people; generally ONEof the other people.""I see."She was amusi

d fullof eyes. Now, with a pair of them looking into h

o was there in your time? Mrs. Bolt--and Mademoiselle--andProfessor Didymus and the Polish Countess. Don't youre

ut we could see. And we all used to wonder about you----"Again Darrow felt a redness in the temples. "What aboutme?

----""Just a moment: who on earth is Jimmy Brance?"She exclaimed in wonder: "You WERE absorbed--not toremember Jimmy Brance! He must have been right about you,after all." She let her am

were goingon; and I assure you she took apart like a puzzle. In factI used to say to Jimmy--just to make him wild--:'I'll betyou anything you like there's nothing wron

franklyechoed. "Of course," she gasped through her laughter, "Ionly said it to tease Jimmy----"Her amusement

t sortof thing about her day after day, and never wonder why somewomen, who don't seem to have any more right to it, have itall tumbled into their laps, while others are writing dinnerinvitations, and straightening out accounts, and copyingvisiting lists, and finishing golf-stockings, and matchingribbons, and seeing that the dogs get their sulphur? Onelooks in one's glass, after all!"She laun

ot at Mrs. Murrett's--andI never ha

I stuck it out longer than any of the others."She

e he addedlightly: "Ah--then you will have Paris, after all!""Hardly Lady Ulrica's Paris. It s not likely to be roses,roses all the way.""It's not, indeed." Real compassion prompted him tocontinue: "Have you any--any influence you can count on?"She gave a somewhat flippant little laugh. "None but myown. I've never had any other to count on."He passed over the obvious reply. "But have you any ideahow the profession is over-crowded? I know

o be a confused and tormentedmood, rose from his seat and lifted her jacket from thechair-

t my dinner--and without my salary.""Ah--" he groaned, with a sharp percepti

as time for another look at the station; but the lookagain resulted in disappointment, since her trunk wasnowhere to be found in the huge heap disgorged by the newly-arrived London express. The fact caused Miss

back to the telegraph office. The enquirydespatched, he was turning away from the desk when anotherthought struck him and he went back and indited a message tohis servant in London: "If an