The Place of Honeymoons

ion of title: they were merely a series of torturous enervating stairways of stone, up and down which noisy wooden sandals clattered all the day long. Over the entrances to the shops the p

was of vital importance. If she had not yet arrived, the presence of her friend presaged her ultimate arrival. The duke was a negligible quantity. It would have surprised Courtlandt could he have fore

uppy's part: the usual European war-scare, in which one of the belligerent parties refused to come down because it wouldn't have been worth while, there being the usual Powers ready to intervene. Courtlandt did not bother a

u. Funny little codger! To whom do you belong?" He turned the collar

Har

nt to remember. And still, as the needle is drawn by the magnet, here he was, in Bellaggio. He cursed his weakness. From Brescia he had made up his mind to go directly to Berlin. Before he realized how useless it was to battle against these invisible forces, he was in Milan, booking for Como. At Como he had remained a week (the dullest week he had ever known); at the Villa d'Este three days; at Cadenabbia one day. It had all the characteristics of a tug-of-war, and irresistibly he was dr

itz; where

p the puppy, who struggled determinedly to lick her face. Courtlandt lifted his hat. It was in nowise offered as an act of recognition; it was merely the mechanical courtesy that a

novels and post-cards, and when the polite proprietor offered him a dozen of the latter,

hose are one fr

ora had recognized him and had sent her friend to follow him and learn where he went. And he, poor fool of a blunderer, with the best intentions in the world, he had gone at once to the Calabrian's apart

from Luce

" bewi

which you are touchin

tel. Tea at the colonel's? Scarcely. He would go to Menaggio with the hotel motor-boat and return so late that he would arrive only in time for dinner. He was not going to meet the enemy

that?" asked

the wriggling dachel under her arm and

who stood by the door as we p

I was looki

d on ahead serenely; not a quiver of an eyelid,

knew her friend tolerably well. It would have been impossible for

a man dressed in white flannels and canvas shoes,

of those silk blankets. T

xcept when you want to,"

to the colonel's this afternoon. He always has

r, is usually a countess o

shall never marry a title. I wish neither to visit nor to entertain frumps. Frump,-the word calls up th

s on Como. His sister is the wife of an earl. You must not

l ladder, the social ladder! Don't you know, mother mine, that every rung

quoting t

dn't chosen the gown he would have been a poet. I love the padre, with his snow-white hair

xplaining to the Vatic

m going to co

hat?" aske

ze too small for me; that I should like to be rich without labor; that I am sometimes ashamed of my calling

that you would fal

e those lovely lace

s," was the moth

hings, yes

ly, "some day I am going to teach you two how to play at foils. It would b

s old set of gloves. He carries them around as if they were a fet

e future good fortune of the Harrigans. They had money; all that was required was social recognition. She found it a battle within a battle. The good-natured reluctance of her husband and the careless indifference of her daughter were as hard to combat as the icy aloofness of those stars into whose orbit she was

omewhere before the beginning of her own intimacy with the singer. They certainly must have formed an extraordinary friendship, for Nora's subsequent vindictiveness could not possibly have arisen out of the ruins of an indifferent acquaintance. Nora could not be moved from the belief that Courtlandt had abducted her; but Celeste was n

ollow him; why then all this bitterness, since she had not been told where he had gone? Had Nora forgotten to inquire? It was possible that, in view of the startling events which had followed, the matter had slipped entirely fr

henever a jewel found its way into a bouquet of flowers from an unknown, Nora would promptly convert it into money and give the proceeds to some charity. It afforded the singer no small amusement to show her scorn in this fashion. Yes, there was one other little mystery which she did not confide to her frien

lla. It was generally too much of a climb f

r at Cadenabbia last night I had a terrible scene wi

r Ro

es

peak to yo

in the world? No, thank you. There is enough scandalous st

had come to one decision, and that was that Nora should find out Courtlandt's presence her

stop all this ru

pray

ar

annoyance. I hate men. M

e preju

she had reason, she was disappointed,

ho's this chump Herr Rosen? He was up here last night and again this morning. I wa

. Harrigan, a flutter in he

ontract to sing to him in perpetuity," interrup

ughed Harrigan. "There's worse thin

think of just no