Innocent : her fancy and his fact

by either death or misfortune, provided these natural calamities leave our own persons unscathed. We are beginning not to understand emotion except as a phase of bad manners, an

sand human beings all whelmed at once in the pitiless depths of the sea, leave us cold, save for the uplifting of our eyes and shoulders during an hour or so,-an expression of slight shock, followed by forgetfulness. Air-men, recklessly braving the spaces of the sky, fall headlong, and are smashed to mutilated atoms

a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year, but by 'r lady,

expose one's self to derision and contempt from the "normal" modernist who cultivates cynicism as a fine art. Many of us elect to live, each one, in a little back-yard garden of selfish interests-walled round carefully, and guarded against possible intrusion by uplifted spikes of conventionalism,-the door is kept jealously closed-and only now and t

at as if she had retired into the grave to avoid the trouble and expense of the function. Cards inscribed-"Sympathy and kind enquiries"-were left for Lord Blythe in the care of his dignified butler, who received them with the impassiveness of a Buddhist idol and deposited them all on the orthodox salver in the hall-and a few messages of "Deeply shocked and grieved. Condolences"-by wires, not exceeding sixpence each, were despatched to the lonely widower,-but beyond these purely formal observances, the handsome brilliant society

ful! That poor Lady Blythe we

ng out a cup of tea for Miss Leigh-she started so

in a low, stifled voic

! It appears she was accustomed to take it for sleep-and unfo

hers. Nor could she realise that it was her mother-actually her own mother-who had been taken so suddenly and tragically from the world. The news barely affected her-nor was this surprising, seeing that she had never entirely grasped the fact of her mother's personality or existence at all. She had felt no emotion concerning her, save of repulsion and dislike. Her unexpected figure had appeared on the scene

ul Maude Osborne'-she was a very lively, wilful girl, and she had been rather neglected by her parents, who left her in England in charge of some friends while they were in India. I think she ran rather wild at that time. There was some tal

t, mechanically. She di

t on Miss Leigh-"I think it would have been better for her. I

irl answered in t

id Miss Leigh, with some anxiety-

sm

work too hard-it is such happiness to work-one forgets!

ned her own almost wealthy independence, and was free to do as she liked without anybody's control or interference, and that though she was so young she was bound to be in all respects untrammelled in her life and actions. She went where she pleased-she had her own little hired motor-brougham-she also had many friends who invited her out wi

use-you could indeed have a house of your own, with many more luxuries-why do you stay here

any better-I'm quite happy as I am. One thing is-(and you seem to forget it!)-that I'

g into vagaries of extravagance and follies of fashion. She had discovered a little French dressmaker, whose husband had deserted her, leaving her with two small children to feed and educate, and to this humble, un-

" she was wont to say to some of her rather envious women friends. "I would

or the peace of her mother's soul,-she knew from the old books written by the "Sieur Amadis" that to do this was a custom of his creed. She missed it out of the Church of England Prayer-book, though

and sorrow they may be suffering!-away from all that they once knew

spirit might be lost and wandering in a chaos of dark experience without any clue to guide or any light

Miss Leigh's house and asked to see her. He was admitted at once, and the pretty old lady came down in a great flutter to the drawing-room to receive him.

ther day. I have something important to tell you-" He paused-then went on-"It's rather startli

e was my college chum"-and he walked closer to the picture and looked at it steadfastly-"That must have been taken when h

lady looked regretful-"She ha

ittle room-"I would rather talk to you alone first. Yes!-that portrait of Pierce mus

azed at him

aude Os

borne, who afterwa

t her in a dazed way as though seeking for some

"We are both elderly folk and shocks are not good for us. There!"-and he took her hand and patted

d, faintly-"He did

rce?-My dear lady, forgive me!-

composed hersel

aged-but he suddenly went away-and I was told he had gone with some very beautiful girl he had fallen h

k the worn little hand a

le to him"-he said, at last, very gently-"But-yo

daugh

up, white

m and held it fas

The girl who lives with you-the famous author whose name is just now

k in her chair and covered her face with her h

mured, sobbingly-"H

life of unbroken fidelity-wasted in its youth-solitary in its age-all for

does she know this?" she

I think to save the honour of all concerned. And she has made her name famous to escape the reproach of birth which others fasten

iss Leigh. "She kn

ed, ver

he was silen

step in the passage-they looked at one another half in wonder, half in doubt. A moment more and Inn

, her cheeks grew pale-she hesitated, instinctively guessing at

now that you are the daughter of Pierce Armitage, and that your mother was my l