The Dull Miss Archinard

, closed fiacre. He and Besseint had talked so late into the evening that h

d royally and delightfully over the art of writing, and as Besseint was certainly mo

omed him un

you down with Miss Archinard-over there tal

that Lady-- saw a really striking change come over his face.

e bored and are not going to be now! Your change of expres

e the greatest chums. Oh! it isn't Hilda,

nately, almost an unknown quantity; but Katherine will be a stepping-st

ed somewhat for the disappointment that Odd fe

nd. Mr. Odd tells me he has

chinard. She was evident

" said Peter. "Ten years does

d here is papa. Papa, isn't this nice? Mr. Odd, do you remember the day you f

e very white, and his good looks well worn, but h

atherine went into the dining-room togethe

arely goes out. Papa and I are the frivolous members of the family. Mamma goes in fo

ere was distinction in her coiffure-the thick deeply rippled hair parted on one side, and coiled smoothly from crown to neck; and Peter recognized in her dress a personal taste as distinctive-the long unbroken lines of her nasturtium velvet gown were untinged by any hint of so-called arti

d Peter, "how it comes that I

so have we; really it is odd that we should never have met. Of course

r no

ck. I heard vague rumors of Florence, and when

second-rate culture of the world seems to gravitate to Dresden

rance, yet the statement put a bond of familiarity between the

, and here we have been for over three years, and here we shall probably stick for who knows how long!

to say that your e

ifted and a suggestion of shrug i

da paint

edly individual, and that's the rare thing, you know. Over four years of atelier work didn't s

or?" Peter was conscious of a vague

n; well, you must see them, they really are original, and, in their own little way, quite delightful; they are, perhaps, a wee bit like

some remorse at having forgotte

rsonage! You have become rather cynical too, haven't you? As a child you did not make a cynical impression on me, and your 'Dialogues' did. I think you are even more cynical than Renan. Some stupid person spoke to

not as to principles," said

misanthrope, you

t admir

strong within you. You are not at all like Renan. And then you went in for P

y went out. The honors were dubious, Miss A

practical,' and I liked you for it too. If only you had kept in w

in Japan. I only got

lobe. But you have been to A

o. But tell me about

ith Lady M

having had no news of you. You did not see my sister in London; she

ainwaring pr

a enjoyed

njoyed herself after a fashion, I think. She only stopped a

little appartement, 3ième au dessus de l'entresol, where Mrs. Archinard spent her days as she had spent them at Allersley, at Dresden, at Dinard, at Florence. Change of surroundings ma

ll unconsciously, poor Hilda! Hilda is the most unconscious person. She fixes one with those big vague eyes of hers

s of a certain inner irritati

sible for me to imagine little Hilda wi

ery nice," Kathe

. But to think that Hilda

ertain tired playfu

too; have lovers too

is concerned. I don't think little Hilda is much less the child than when you last saw her. H

fully in saying that the ten years had left him unchanged. A good deal of white in the brown hair, a good many lines about eyes and mouth mi

the lines at the eye corners were still smiling lines, the quiet mouth sti

r herself. Miss Archinard was certainly the last woman in the world to be suspected of matrimonial projects; her frank, almost manly bonhomie, and her apparent indifference to ineligibility had combined to make her doubly attractive; and indeed Katherine was no husband-hunter. She would choose, not seek. She certainly intended to get married, and to a husband who would make life definitely pleasant, definitely successful; and she was very keenly conscious of the eligibility or unfitness of every man she met; only as the majority had struck her as unfit, Miss Archinard was still unmarried. Now she said to herself that Peter Odd would certainly be nice to his wife, that his position was excellent-not glittering-Katherine would have liked glitter, and the m

epoch her good-bye on that autumn night had marked as ended, rather than to the litt

ars! Did you know that my sister, Mrs. Apswith, had half-

since she was married. It doe

ucky number in life

own definitely now, I suppos

ack to Allersley in a few m

ou fill it w

I don't like pe

ere will be something of martyrdom, then, when you at last s

cation. Perhaps you will come back to the P

e you wouldn't care to see us! No, I

do with yours

efore one can fight. I feel I should be a pretty good fighter if I had my weapons!" and Katherine's dark eye, as it flashed round on him in a smile, held the same s

you would be a good fight

one only can with its own

il," Odd suggested; "is th

h through Persepolis,' like Tamburlaine, chain up people I don't like in cages! Oh, of course, Perse

others would

put them there! I'm very k

he world, what then? As life i

fashion. I am ambitious, Mr. Odd,

ng, as, another sign of the ten years, he adjusted a pair of eyegl

eapons in time, no doubt, but, meanw

American mélange; I read a bit, and I bicycle in the Bois with papa in the morning. It sounds like sentimentality

well, too,

t it." Katherine smiled with even more assuran

elling, then, more

n't feel pleasure if I were conscious

le was quite alertly interested, "a

uded. I am merely one among the many phenomena that come under my notice, and, as I am the nearest of them all, na

of enumeration, his smile becoming definitely

t the effect she had aimed for, but certainl

e should come for te

esn't get in till so late; and I know t

er painting so ser

else," Katherine said gravely, adding, st

ed," Lady-- said to Odd, just before he

only comparative. It was Hilda whom I

he is much help to her mother, you know, as Katherine is. Katherine goes about, brings people to see her mother, makes a milieu for her; such a sad invalid she is, poor dear! But Hilda is wra

temper; all seemed combined to push Hilda more and more

ain a roomful of people. Grace, tact, sympathy, the impalpable

hose quick and unreasoning little revulsions of feeling by which the judgments of a half-hour before are suddenly reversed. Katherine's cleverness was

tertaining a roomful of people. After

d, an unconv

the last pers

is hostess' tones, but his ejaculation meant to himself a volume

t of the room when Capta

and finely set eyes no longer saved his face from its fundamental look of peevish pett

sympathetic. After lifting their hats to Mrs. Brooke and Katherine as they drove out of

n; you said you were in the Marb?uf quarter, didn't you? We are rather n

ght was pleasantly fresh, and the Champs Elysées, as they turned i

nard, "and a jolly lot of disagreeable things may happen

y sorry to

ce of evils, though, if that is any c

ad as

I keep all worry from her; she doesn't know anything about my troubles; she lives as she has always lived. I make that a point, sacrifice myself rather than deprive her of one luxury." The tone in which the Captain alluded to his privations rather made Peter doubt their reality. "And the two children live as they enjoy it most; a very jolly time they have of it. But what is my life, I ask you?" The Captain's voice was very resentful. Odd almost felt that he in some way was to blame for the good gentleman's unhappy situation. "What is m

bacco. Thought I'd economize on these, and they're beastly, like all econo

red him a

uneven in this world. One fellow born with a silver spoon in his mouth-and you've got a turn for writing, too; once one's popular, that's the best paying thing going, I suppose

ainly is

ed un

his badly managed world. It would be kinder to immediately offer the loan for which the Captain was evidently paving the way to a request. But he reflected that the display of such quickness of comprehension might make the request too easy; and in the future the Captain might profit by a discovered weakness a little too freely. He would let him

; the Captain went upstairs with him to his room when the hotel was reached, and left it with a