THE BEE: OMAHA. SUNDAY. MAY 14. 1922..
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The Romance of a Million Dollars t '
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iWlfc awraofaj by MrMrteH
rosissj fa imklm. Inmntly ii 1 1 Am
hmdi Ftp kmr tares mnd ate escapes
with dtfiemUr. Arrivd fa Ntw York, tkm
It im-acfd 4? an mUdenliiad woman to
mm Lenf Itlmnd mlmu of Mr. Dnnkwum.
Kmt, m woman of greet totiol frominsncm
mnd milk mm income from milium. Mr.
Dumbmrtom Km aflrr omm kmiiaiiom
lift Mario m pntiiion m tkmuauam,
Mmim quickly mouci ihtrm U m gtnuur
MMfWri ibonl tkm komokold, wkick
eontUu, fa addition to Mr. PunbarUm.
Kant, of kmr two maphawa. Wait and
Brarkanridga, mnd krr nUca Sofia. Mr.
Dunbarton-K! It kolding fa tnttt for
lasts three tkm free fortuna of kmr hu.
band. Mmrim k attracted to tkm tombmr
Brack. Going aboat kmr work, thm fnda
mm zeob and acctuorir of Mr. Dunbar.
eostJCWi motor myUoriotuir mining.
Skm talres krr rmpXoyrr driving mod is
qmnrtionad tUumh about Brack, ' at full
fa of whom the bad ttmrud, fancying
kU aym mamblad thou of tkm woman in
sables. Mr. IhtnbarUm-Ktnt tell kmr of
a mtUe koute" mmmr tkm wall of tkm Kant
estate, mnd of iu occupant, a mytteriou
Mr. Smith.
INSTALLMENT 111.
Vnkmppy Oar for Maria.
HER dinner that evening and her break
fast the next morning In the errant'
dining room proved a ousting expert
enoe to Maria. Qibba aeemed to have
ordained that she ehould eat alone, for which
Marie waa thankful until it became evident
that abe waa treated strangely. To her
peasant " Good-evening. Mr. Glbb ." the had
received a bow and an Intensely reserved
"Good-evening, miss." He had deposited hU
tray of viands and had hastened sway as if
to escape conversation. Then, at breakfast
time, Marie had encountered the cook In the
passageway, and to her smiling " Good-morn-tag,"
she received a flurried murmur, fol
lowed by a hurried retreat into the kitchen.
The cook then looked back at her In a pecu
liar way, then quickly averted her rase.
"There la a strangeness In the kitchen as
wen as In the rest of the house," Marie said
to herself, puzzled.
It troubled her, and her experience with
the man whom Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent sent
her to the station to meet after breakfast
Increased her bewilderment. It was all well
enough on the way to the house from the
station the man chatted pleasantly with
her about the weather and complimented
her on her skillful management of the car
but afterwards, when Marie was ordered
by Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent to wait and take
him to the farm and afterwards to the coun
try elub and bring him back to Kent house.
It was quite different
Marie had decided that the man was a
smoothly spoken person who wished to make
, himself pleasant to her. He waa a young
man, well groomed, and he evidently con
' stdered himself charming, he was so keen '
eyed, smiling, and facile tongued. He was
not quite a gentleman, Marie decided, not a '
friend of Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent's, but per
, haps of considerable business Importance to
. her, so he must be treated with extreme
politeness and a definite reserve.
After half an hour In Kent house the man
. came out to Marie as smilingly pleasant as
before, and his first remark was a compli
ment. "Ton look Ilk a pretty Canadian snow
bird, perched on the seat there. Mrs. Dun-
, barton-Kent waa telling me you came from ,
Canada. If a a splendid thing for a girl to
do, fill a man's position, and do it ao well,
" too." .!.-'.
Marie. said, "Thank you, monsieur," and
wept him down the driveway. .
He talked about Canada then, a country
of which he knew nothing, Marie decided,
and interspersed his remarks with questions:
by what route had she traveled from Canada?
What train had she taken out of Buffalo?
. On what day had she arrived in New York?
Ho talked then about New York, mentioning
various restaurants and streets as if she
must be acquainted with them. He. seemed,
. to think that she must have met bo me gal-
. last man In New York who had shown her
, the city. - v.- ..
"A pretty girl like you in New York and
. ao beau?" ha said teuingly. "I can't be-
' Beve that!"
"I waa In New York but a tew days,"
Maria answered calmly, though she was
Angry. What right had he to question in
this way? It was natural that Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent
should wish to know all about
her, she waa her 'employer. But for a
strange man to question and be ao familiar!
Evidently ha thought that all girls were
- silly and easily Impressed by smiling looks.
- She did not like him. . - -. ..
Then, looking full in her eyes, he asked
abruptly, "But what of the little adventure
you bad ow the train?"
Marie's heart gave a leap; she wss terri
bly startled. Was it possible he waa in
search of that fearful creature on the train?
He scrutinized her confusion. "He told
you Kent house was a good place to come,
didn't he, little girl?" '
Marie was swept by relief, and anger as
well. The conceited, impertinent Imbecile!
Did be think she was some ignorant serv
ant girl? The density of some men waa
remarkable They may be keen and sensible
- In conversation with men, but with girls
they had no Judgment whatever, if the girls
looked little and pretty, they considered
them as brainless!
Marie flamed at him. "I do not make
friends with strange men, monsieur, nor do
I speak with persons on trains! I have no
use whatever for the kind of man who thinks
vby smiles and talk to make an impression
on me! I am in the employ of Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent
and will drive you where she
has ordered me, but you will kindly restrain
yourself from questions which would make
me seem a silly fool! "
The man looked as it he had suddenly
encountered a hornet's nest, vastly taken
aback, then driven into a lively retreat.
. "I beg your pardon. It never occurred
to me to be impertinent," he apologized
hastily. - "You see, you have no idea how
charming and unusual you look. I was
interested in you the moment I saw you,
and what Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent told ns
about you interested me still more, so I
. teemed to be impertinent when I hadn't the
. least intention of being so."
"Perhaps that is so." Marie returned se
verely. ," but I think rather that you formed
ft wrong impression of me. It is necessary
eely for yov fa correct your manner, the
I have Bathing further to say."
Bbs paused abruptly, for they bad em w gad
from the park a4 had eome suddenly iipo
lirack, who was standing beside the road.
Evidently ho waa on his way to Kent bouao,
and bad stepped out of the road to 1st them
pass. He looked at them fixedly, and bo
lifted bis cap, but bis face was like granite
and his syat) tike siseL Maria saw bow bsj
looked at the man beside her, ft cutting staro
that traveled ever htm.
Marls smiled hurriedly at Brack, fearing
bo might wonder at bar flushed and angry
appearance, ferbaps be bad beard what she)
bad said. It was most unfortunate that ah
left her temper so easily be might think that
she had been rude to a guest of Kant bouse.
Bhs felt anxious and miserable.
The young man beside her studied bar
drooping Ups and bar wistful expression.
Then he said without ft trace of bis previous
facetlousnesa, "That's Brack Dunbarton
Kent, poor fellow. He bad a dreadful ex
perience during the war. It's made a lonely
sort of him. Whst be needs is sympathy
soma one to talk to. He's standomsh, evea
tditb bis family, but there are few men who
won't melt If ft woman's really kind to them.
It'a ft pity about him."
Marie was so Interested by this Informa
tion that abe forgot to be severe. " Do you
wish to stop at the farm? " she asked.
"No, thanks Just drive slowly by. I'm
thlcking of buying property out here, and
Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent offered to nave ma
driven about I want to take a look at the
country club, too."
They passed the farm In alienee, appar
ently the man engrossed In looking about
bim and Marie thinking of what he had told
bar. She wished he would tell her mora,
but not for anything would abe have asked
a aingle question.
Until they reached the highroad her com
panion was silent but when they could see
the roof of Colfax hall be spoks again.
" That's Allen Colfax's place," he remarked.
"He's let It run down, still It's a valuable
piece of property. His land runs from this
road clear through to the sound, and ba
owns half the field that's between Kent
bouse and the sound, too. There's been
trouble between Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent and
Colfax over that field Colfax could build
on his part of it or sell It so some one who'd
build and shut off all the view Kent house
bas. 8U1I, Allen's not such a bad tort,
though the Dunbarton-Kents and society in
general are down on him. What he needs is
a sensible wife to keep bim straight A nloe
girl. It she took him In band, could do won
dere with him and with Colfax hall. The
Colfax family Is on of the oldest on the
north shore."
The man continued to talk, his observant
eyes on Marie. " It's too bad Allen sold off
that strip next to Kent house park to Mrs.
Smith. She's a queer woman. They say not
a single woman out here has called on her,
but she seems to be satisfied with only her
piano for company. She's gay enough when
she's away from here, though."
This information also Marie treated with
silence. " This person is a gossip," she said
to herself with firm disapproval.
As they went on he commented on the
places that they passed, wealthy owners who
were absent for the winter, or families who
lived the year round In their north shore
houses. He talked for some time of a Mrs.,
Brant-Olwln whose imposing bouse was near
the country club. She had grown up In a
mining camp, he told Marie, but because
she bad Immense wealth, she had worked her
way Into society; she was noted for her won-.
derful Jewels and her lavish entertainments.
When they left the country club he told of
tho parties given there in the summer. " It's
millionaire's playground! " he declared.
. Though she looked as expressionless as pos
sible, Marie was interested. It was entertaining-
to bear about these people. But why
should be care to tell her about them? He
looked at her too much, and paused too often
ss if expecting anewera. She maintained a
determined silence.
But he puzzled her most by what be said
when she brought the car to a stop at Kent
house. "I've enjoyed my ride Immensely,"
he declared, "and now I'm going to tell you
something. Miss Angouleme: I liked best of
all the way you sat down on my Joshing.
You have plenty of good sense, and if I can
ever be of any assistance to you Just let me
know. This Is my card. . My name is Walter
J. Greene, and I can always be reached at
that address. There's trouble waiting around
the corner for almost everybody and, In case
you run up against it please remember you
have a friend in me and make use of me."
. Marie looked at the card. "It Is most
kind," she said reservedly.
"And shake hands? " he asked.
"With pleasure, monsieur," she returned
politely.'
Her unsmiling aspect did not seem to lessen
bis cordiality; he gave ber hand a close clasp
and lifted his bat a second time when she
drove off to the garage,. As she circled to
the back of the house she saw him still
standing In the ports eochere, looking after
ber. .
Marie's cheeks grew hot "If I did not
think him a two face, talking and acting
for a purpose, I should call him an imbecile! " '
the said to herself with decision. Then she
sighed. - " Each person I meet here Is more
strange than the last I do not understand
If
In the days that followed Marie sighed
often to herself. She did her best but things
were hot at all as they should be. She was
certain that Mr. Walter J. Greene had com
plained of her, for the next time she saw
Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent she . behaved so
strangely.' Marie drove her about every day,
but Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent would not talk,
to her and she gave ber orders curtly. .
When the garage supplies arrived JUarie
asked her what disposition she should make
of them, and she answered Impatiently: " I
don't want to be bothered about the garage,
Angouleme. Brack will look after the ga
rage. He'll give you my orders and you
can report to him, so don't come to me
about anything I have too many other
things' to attend to." Then she relapsed
into a grim silence.
So Breck appeared in the garage and In
spected the cars. Marie explained the short
age of tires and tools and showed him the
supplies she had unpacked. Hoping for a
word of praise, she told him: "The condi
tion within these cars was abominable, but
now every inch la clean as you see."
' Breck looked, but said nothing. Without
a word he carried the useless tires into the
storeroom and helped Marie put the new
tires Into their cases. Then he Jacked up
the roadster and took off the worn tire
which had worried Marie on her first drlya
with Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent He declined
her help: " No it's not work for a girl."
He did not look at her; be seemed to be
looking at her .hands, and Marie flushed.
Why did he not speak more kindly? It
pained her, his looking at her hands; it was
impossible to keep them looking well.
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" It Is the black oil that has stained the
' nails," she said Involuntarily. "Now that
' the cars are clean my hands will be differ-
ent"
Breck had glanced up at her then, a
swift keen look into her troubled eyes, and
she had flushed- still more deeply. , She
wished that she bad not spoken, and she
felt terribly hurt when he finished his work
. deftly and departed with the brief order:
" When there is a heavy piece of work like
this, I'll do it You can tidy up now."
She was shivering with cold, too, for he
1 seemed determined to Work with the garage
; doors wide open.
And so it had continued. He was a
strange man, Mario thought She puzzled
over him. Every morning, and sometimes
at noon, he came to the garage door and
delivered Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent's orders for
the day, apparently determined not to enter
the garage unless It waa absolutely neces
sary. Evidently he hated having anything
to do with the cars; Marie felt that he
thought it beneath him. Then he would
tramp off to tho farm. Usually he would
atop at the garage on his way back in the
evening, after dark, and ask in an even
. voice, "Are the cars all right," receive her
answer, and stride on to the back entrance
of the house, then up to his room.
Marie knew which, was . bis room, for
often he did not draw down his blinds. ' To
change his clothes he went into another
room which Marie thought must be his
bathroom. Ha would reappear In evening
dress, then go down to dinner and return
in about an hour, wrap himself in "s dress
ing gown, sit at the desk near his window,
and read and write late Into the night
Often Gibbs brought his dinner up to him on
a tray; that waa when there was company
for dinner, either people from the neighbor
hood or guests whom Marie waa sent to the
station to' meet
Marie could see all this from her bedroom
window, for she was given her dinner early,
before the family or the servants were
served. If she brought guests from the sta
tion she must wait for Gibbs to telephone
whether she was to take them back that
night or not. When people came in their
ears either they themselves or their- chauf
feurs, if the night was at all Inclement ran
their cars into the garage,' The chauffeurs
were most troublesome, Marie thought for
they tried to talk to her and even presumed
to make love. She found that having seen
the cars properly placed, the best thing was
for her to go up to her room and lock her
self in. They soon tired of the garage then,
and went off to the house, where they were
cared for by Gibbs. There were sHaaplnt
apartments there for such servants as Mrs.
: Dunbarton-Kent's guests happened to bring
. with them.
But It was not pleasant to discover that
she was regarded as a Joke by every chauf
feur in the neighborhood and of course by
their masters and mistresses. Marie was
aware of the covert smiles of the people
who passed them when she drove Mrs.
Dunbarton-Kent Often they passed Allen
Colfax riding a big gray horse and followed
by his mastiff, and always he grinned
widely. The guests whom she brought from
the station to Kent House asked her all
sorts of amused questions.
When she parked her car among others
while waiting for Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent or
Bella to emerge from some entertainment,
she understood perfectly the smiles and nods
of the other chauffeurs. Sometimes they
persisted in surrounding her car and talking
to her facetiously. Occasionally a chauffeur
tried to be really friendly, for " Mrs. D. K.'s
French Baby," as they called her, with fir
In her eyes and her black curia escaping
But for her half yard of hair
ha might hava baan takan for m
hoy aoldiar doing a stage tarn.
from her service cap, was a tempting vision.
But Marie proved adamant; she reared the
huge collar of her fur coat against friend and
foe and turned a contemptuous back upon
them. , . .
During nine days' time Marie was literally
a nine days' wonder and discussed in every
household within miles. Mrs. Dunbarton
Kent had defied custom; she was trying to
establish a precedent. And she had put that
little feminine tot of hers Into trousers! Of
course their daughters rode astride and wore
breeches, they had done that for some time; '
but think of turning over one's garage to a
girl, and such a baby at that! And this at
Kent House, which was a by-word for con
servatism! .
Then what Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent said on
the subject was passed about ' Whose
business is it whether it's masculine or fem
inine, big or small! " she had roared at an
afternoon tea. " It doesn't drink and go Joy
riding, which is more than most of you can
say of your six foot nuisances. Advertise
for a respectable girl ambulance driver, and
consider yourselves fortunate if you get her.
I'm tired of aU this fool talk! "
Bella . Dunbarton-Kent though she made
' no comments herself, was open to ; either
amused or derogatory remarks concerning .
. her aunt's remarkable choice of a chauf-.
feur, but after the above incident, no one
ventured any comments Jn Mrs. Dunbarton
Kent's hearing. Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent was ,
a much respected and, sometimes, a much
feared person; when she struck it was Usual"
ly a well directed and a forcible blow.
And whatever were their private councils,
the Kent House servants also maintained a ,
complete silence regarding the new chauf- I
feur. But there was one occasion when '
Gibbs administered to a lively young chauf- '
feur ft mysterious reproof which traveled.
The young man has asked Gibbs for court
plaster for his scratched face.
"Where did you get that?" Gibbs had de
manded in a startled way.
The little tiger cat in the garage." the
chauffeur confessed disgustedly. "I picked
ber up in fun, mind you, and she clawed
me up like this! The little she devil! "
Ordinarily Buckingham Gibbs was a most
lenient father confessor to any man serv
ant, but on this occasion he looked horri
fied. " You mend your own face,' you
chump!" he said aghast Then solemnly,
"Remember that angela is sometimes en
tertained unawares."
But when questioned by the next visiting
chauffeur, Gibbs denied any knowledge of
the occurrence, and the other servants were
equally reticent There was one subject
upon which they were dumb, and that was '
Marie Angora Lamb.
Marie knew nothing about Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent's
championship of her or of Gibbs'
mysterious reproof. She knew only that
she seemed to be ostracized, that Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent
would not talk to her, that
Bella never even nodded to her and looked
at her as It she bated her; that ahe was re
garded with curiosity and amusement by
every one In the neighborhood, and that the
Kent House servants shunned her.
V
Those servants! What was the matter
with them? One day Marie, driven by lone
liness, had approached In friendly fashion
Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent's. personal maid, a
bright faced, Intelligent looking girl, who
had ventured upon the grass plot between
tho house and the garage. The girl had
started convulsively and had almost .run
back to the bouse; she had looked fright
ened out of her wits: Marie had been cut
to the quick; she bad retreated to tho garage
with the tears burning her eyes. It was '
so utterly unaccountable! The attempts at
rough lovemaklng on the part of the chauf
feurs troubled Marie far leas than the con
duct of the Kent House servants, for she
had met with that sort of thing before and
, felt quite able to defend herself. But to be
feared and avoided' when she had done noth
ing to deserve it! , .
She was utterly lonely and miserable.
What did it all mean? It had never been
so in any other place where the had been;
always ber ' smile had been answered by
smiles. ' " Were It not for the good pay I
would leave tomorrow! " Marie confided to
' herself passionately. "It It as If I had
committed a crime! "
But ahe was compelled by necessity. She
had been horrified by the high cost of living
in New York. Her hundred dollars would
last her' only a short time In that place.
And her experience with the Kent House
servants gave her a terror of working In
any household capacity; the other servants
might make life unbearable. No, she must
cling to her present position until she naa
saved enough to feel Independent Then,
when not utterly miserable, she was stub
bornly determined to behave as it she was
indifferent to the slights shown her. .
Fortunately, during the day Marie had
little time tor repining; there was so much
to do. But when night came It was hard.
Then she sat in her room and thought. In
the darkness she could sit close to the win
dow and could see Breck sitting in his win
dow and studying. Marie felt certain he
was studying. Even x when bis window
shades were down she could see his silhouette
cast upon the shade. In a way it was com
forting to feel that some one beside herself
wss lonely; he seemed quite apart from his
family.
She wondered endlessly about him. What
was the dreadful experience during the war
which had made a lonely sort of him? Such
a war experience should have made his fam
ily sympathetic It was strange with this
family; they were highly respected, that was
evident, and their servants were devoted to
them, yet no member of the family seemed
to have any love for any other member.
Bella spent days at a time in the city, Marie
knew, because she waa constantly driving
ber to and from the station, a duty which
ahe dreaded, for, though muffled to the eyes
in a fur coat which concealed all but her un
usual height Bella's eyes looked cold con
tempt at her, and her icy commands were
little better than an insult Marie thought
Why Bella hated her she could riot imagine,
unlots It was Bella's nature to hate most
people, yet Bella must bavs friends, for an
pent so much lime In the dir.
Certainly It was a strange family; betweeft
Bellft and Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent there waa
almost no conversation, and certainly Preck
was entirely apart from bis family. West
Punbarton Kent was the only ont who
seemed to have ft smile In bis eyes, but she
had not seen htm since the flnt day, and
Mario thought be must live In the city, for
bis roadttor had disappeared from the garage
at the asms time that bs had disappeared
from Kent Home. Perhaps the reaaon bo
was able to smile waa tvwause be did Dot
have to live In Kent House.
Mario decided that there waa some bitter
family quarrel over property; It was so often
the case In families where there was much
money to quarrel over. Certainly there was
a quarrel with Allen Colfax over property,
and qu te Ukaly Breck had taken some part
In It which displeased his family ao much
that he was In deep disgrace with them;
perhaps at some time be had been ft spend
thrift The result of Marie's puttied and Indig
nant meditations wss a desperate eagerness
to prove her worth to these people. She
scrubbed and cleaned, oiled and polished.
She was proud of all ber cars, but she loved
best the splendid new seven passenger oar,
which was not used much now the weather
was bad. As one roust love something. Mart
fixed ber affections upon the big car; its run
ning board was her favorite seatj he patted
It sometimes and talked to It When tho
rain spattered on the garage windows or the
March wind whistled under the big doors her
favorite car was ft comfort Being ft young
twenty-three and aching for amusement, sho
tried to regard her cars as people. She gave
them names; West Dunbarton-Kent's road
ster, which he bad taken away with bim,
she called "The Unknown"; Mrs. Dunbarton-Kent's
roadster she called "Bella" It
waa such ft cold gray. The limousine waa
" My Lady "; It was a fashionable equipage
and did not interest her particularly. Her
big car ahe called "Breck"; It Interested
ber greatly, in spite of its immobile and
severely dignified appearance.
One evening, when darkness bad settled
without Marie amused herself by lying on
ber back and chalking on the under aide of
the running board of each car its name.
When she had returned from the station
that evening sho bad found West's roadster
In the garage, so all the cars ware there.
She was unconscious of being observed,
though a man waa watching her Intently
through one of the narrow windows up near
the celling of the garage. These windows
were used aa ventilators In the summer; now
they were closed, but through any one of
them the entire floor of the garage could be
seen. They were Just above the eloping roof
of the store room, and by climbing to the
root and crawling up to the windows one .
could lie flat and look down into the garage.
By sliding the windows back a little on
could hear as well as see.
It was Breck who waa watching ber. He
had taken a roundabout way through the
park which had brought bim to the back of
the garage.
He had used caution in coming; ho bad
even crawled on his hands and knees across
the shrub dotted space behind the garage and
had crept beneath the cedar tree which grew
against the corner of the store room. Hero
the roof sloped to about twelve feet from the
ground, and after listening Intently for a
few minutes he had removed his boots and
had climbed up the corner as nimbly as a
cat When his -'hands gripped the eaves
he had lifted himself clear of the wall and
had swung himself up on the roof with tho
skill of an acrobat; he waa a tall and broad
shouldered man, but he did it with an 'ease
that suggested practice. Then he had crawled
up the roof to the row of windows apd lain
prone; he had opened one of the windows
slightly so hs could both hear and see.
He saw Marie, chalk in hand, crawl un
der each car, then saw ber get to her feet
' and bow deeply to each car In turn, calling
' it by name. With each bow, ber loosened
curls fell over ber face, then were flung
back for another effort But for bar half
yard of hair, she might have been taken
for a boy soldier doing a stage turn. A
Cossack dance taught Marie by a Russian
soldier, a great clicking of heels and least)
into the air, and rapid whirls, completed
the ceremony. She looked a live, lithe little
thing, brim full of fun, grace, and energy.,
Flushed and smiling, she sat down then
on the running board of the big car. Then,
gradually, flush and smile faded, ber lips
began to quiver, and her eyes filled and,
suddenly, she flung herself down on tho
running board and began to sob, ft perfect
passion of weeping. Of what, good were
cars as companions?
Breck had watched ber throughout but
also with his attention given to tho garage
doors. When they "parted be drew back,
but still watching and listening; some one
- was coming into the garage.
It was West Dunbarton-Kent Evidently
from the door he had seen Marie doubled
up on the running board of the oar, for ho
' tiptoed over and stood looking down at her.
, She was a woebegone figure, given over to
grief. For three weeks she bad been bold
ing back her tears, now they were a deluge.
, West waited for some time, until she
quieted, then he said with concern, " What's
the matter. Little Cbauffeuress?" . -
Marie came upright with a start and
thrust back her hair. When she saw who
it was, she was utterly confused. " Mon
sieur " she gasped. .
" What la it? What has happened?"
, "It is not a happening," Marie returned
with an attempt at dignity. "It it is
continuous, and I do not understand." . Shs
set her teeth on a quivering lip and gath
ered up her hair.' Her hairplnt being scat
tered over the garage, she twisted it up la
a knot. Then, finding her handkerchief,
ahe rubbed the tears from her face, terribly
' ashamed at having been caught weeping.
"Everything all wrong, of course. I was
afraid it would be so. 4t's a shame!" he de
clared. ,
They were the first kindly words Marie
had heard since she came to Kent House
and her heart overflowed. " I do not under
stand the strangeness of your people, that is
my trouble. Monsieur!" she said passionate
ly. "Am I a criminal that your people
speak to me with eyes turned away and even
the servants run from me? Monsieur, you
have been away, ao you have not seen, but
Indeed I have done my work well I have
tried in every " way to please yet I am
treated as if I were in deep disgrace. If,
only I knew the reason? If only I could un
derstand what it is about myself that dis
pleases, I would try to be different but it
is to me' a mystery and no one will talk
to me to explain. You are the first person
here to speak kindly. On the first day you
were the only one to smile at me. Be kind
still, Monsieur, and tell mo what it can pos
sibly be?" Marie had begun hoUy and had
ended in pleading,
Contlnued N-xt Sunday.)
ICopjrrigUt. 122.)
