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8 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

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[AIL RIGHTS RESERVED.] A Forlorn Hope BY MARY ANGELA DICKENS, Author of If A Question of Temperament," "That Ever-Blessed Kettle," &c. They did not seem to make much way. They did all the proper tilings; had a charming little house in quite the right quar- ter, with a delightful studio; went every- where gave capital little dinners. Never- theless, the fact remained tInt the Byrnes did not "arrive" socially or financially. It would be enip isising their position too sharply to say u. ,t there was a hint of the adventnrer about ihem. If they did culti- vate society as a matter of business it would be almost impossible to say how the fact be- trayed itself. Lack of money was never perceptioie in their establishment. Mrs. Byrne was always well dressed. She was .a tall, willowy girl, with soft, fluffy red hair and curious blue eyes, and the artistic style she affected suited her. Edmund Byrne was always ready to play cards, and lost his money with as good a grace as he won it. H-3 was a hand- some xn;n of a somewhat coarse type, fifteen years older than his wife, presumably. The c said that the amount of work which he u';t into his pictures was by no means re- in but this would not have: mattered if tcse same pictures had taken the worm s i-diicy. There lay the difficulty. Hie work appealed directly to the taste of the tiour it was always well in touch with the affectation of the moment. And yet it never became quite "the thing." There was nothing definite against the Byrnes—with the exception of a vague whis- per in the clubs with regard to the husband, dud even that was hardly forinulated. but they were not a success. "The Byrnes?" peopie said. "Oh, yes, i suppose we must have them. They go every- where, you know; though I can't imagine how they manage it." It was not MiA fault that things -remained in this unsatisfactory state. He did his very best lox j- 1 liuiid Byrne from every point of view, a 'A aidron was an ally hj no means to I) d t,i* d. He was a young laan, but he was rich, and held a promi- nent position as a uulucunte in the fashion- able world. He bought Byrne's pictures, he law that he met the right people, he was al- ways quietly in evidence, sometimes with the husband, sometimes with the wife at big functions. He spent a good deal of time also with Byrne in what may be called private life, and if he ever saw anything which mignt have confirmed that vague whisper of tne clubs he kept his own counsel on the subject. At last there appeared on the scene a cer- tain millionaire with a taste for art and libe- ral notioii-, as to its gratification. He was very much the fashion that season, and his lead was largely followed in matters artistic. And Max Waldron arranged an introduction to Byrne, with a view to the purchase by the millionaire of a certain series of Society Studies. Max Waldron did his- work thoroughly while he was about it. He provided for the social as well as the financial element, and the millionaire was to lunch with the Byrnes just a party of four—host and hostess, Wai- dron himself, and the great man. It was a sunny March afternoon when Waldron called on the Byrnes to the conclusion of the arraug-mo u «. Byrne was alone, and there was an "llLlconstrained simplicity about tier manner as s xteeived her guest which was quite unknown to society. She listened to"V:,i.}r[;n's news with perfect composure, thol"gil I'"m was the faintt.st possible liush on he cbcelč,s. hue was quite T olo r) SS as a I'll. vv r;n 1 ■: <;i.. >.uo, said what ') Had to eav i-i the mcst t of Lid u ) I i) » the i >- n-jtice is not a^uwtfsoiaa to i he l! 1 manner iv if al- v. ,\L ± 1 _J 1 U N 'IS « good v i' i t, d eemed i flu > i i' i. (i 'ii-u l iii Mrs. Bjrn" i I; "Not la the le ist, she said lx.eet'.iy. She rose witu a rest; .s>s, impetuous movemeiit, which was very characteristic of her, and mo.ed to th- "it w:L s;e ^uito an occasion, won't it., she said v\ ith rather pitched lightness 01 rono. She was standing with her back to him. Tlu-ij she turncu abruptly. "Eyc:" shait lei so,' she said suddenly. "1 promiM you. l ite words were uLt-red v,illl a lau«i.ig int-, .:a- tion, but there was a singular rio& in them. Waldron and to arrive at the hvrues' iioitse together, aed punctual to the tiine apt v h they etoed upon ine doorstep. The of the house pisen ted an eminently s*ms>*aetory appearanee ,e whole effect was Yery bright and trim, tut. there was rather n.orc than the ortuouox delay before the door wns opi. and a slight shadow fell upon Max Waldron s face as he glanced at the irreproachable parlour- maid who finahy _appei?.rjti. ei'.e >oa.d troubled and uncertain. He did not speak as lie followed the. millionaire to the ■drawing- room. It was a prettv reom, and it was en fêe to- day-full of flowers and particularly daintily arranged. But its only occupant was Edmund Byrne, and as he came forward to meet his guests Waidron's forehead contracted sharply. 'Ihere was a slight lurch in their host's walk, and his boisterously easy greet- ing was a trifle uncertain in utterance. "Upon my soul I'm charmed to see you," he said, grasping the great man's hand be- fore Waldron could utter his introduction. "When Waldron told me that you would care to look at my little things that was just what I said to him—charmed, my dear fellow -—charmed The millionaire was a modest man. disengaged his hand with some constraint, and be did not look at Waldron. H You are very good," lie said vaguely. "Not at all—not at all!" was the reply. "My, wife, you know be down directly- ,311e"il be charmed, too. Ah! here she is.' The door had opened as he spoke, and with a sharp movement, oddly compounded of relief and all unconscious pity, Waldron turn-id towards it. AlJd. thcn he stopped abruptly, slie had suddenly become a man of stone. Mrs. Byrne beul mused on the threshold, resting one hand heavily against the door- post. Her dress -was admirably chosen, and the Ions; d.ravierzes suited her tall figure to perfection. But even to the undiscerning eye it was eviderit that there was some- thing wrong wit'i it. It had a curiously :,i.d aact disordered rfir, and her hair was slightly dishevelled. Her checks were i-IUSLhed and her eyes were unnatural", bright. There was a wild beauty about her t and about tier pose as she stood there. Dot..i» she came across the room she stuiubUd Mainst a chair. Her voice, as she in turn greetedth million- j aire, was high pitched and straiaed, aft (1 <, w (nM'.i'l d it and h old* Y, 1 it h.vl i i a | ] vV hat punctuality7! she said, as though j the man she now ;>i;tr .-s'. i for the first i-ine had been a> iiitimen J'rieud of hers of many years ili«. '"R ailv »l tokes ones brt t i li vou, si, "acM d, in dm 3 out her left hand with aa eldioi 1 case aid 'an iLaritv. "L-et's go to 1 u > i I 011 passed off after some fashion or other, The host and hosteE;S shared the con- vt. sitioii betwees them, monosyllabic utter- i lt only being necessary from the guests, who kept their eyes for the most part steadily fastened to their plates. And almost imme- diately after luncheon, with a murmured ex- cuse from the millionaire, the two men took cuse from the millionaire, the two men tools their leave. The great man was merciful.' After one glance at Max Waidron's face as they stood once more upon the pavement out- side, he muttered something about an en- gagement, wrung the young man's hand, and hailed a passing hansom. The men friends and acquaintances who came across Max Waldron in the course of the next few days one and all put the same question to him in some form or other more or less definite. "Out of sorts, old man?" For his ugly, dark face had a drawn look, and he spoke little. But these same friends and accpuaint- (lices were few, for he was hardly seen .hiring those days. On the third evening he emed. to pull himself together during an I interval of self communing after his solitary dinner at his club, and he went forth to a theatre with the severe expression of a man who is determined to give his attention to, and to enjoy the amusement provided to: him. He was late, and the first act of the musical comedy he had come to see was well under way. He did not look about him till the curtain fell. Then the first people he saw were tho Byrnes in a bos. j Edmund Byrne, looking rather heavy and morose, was idly contemplating the stalls; evidently he had not as yet observed Wald- ron, Mrs. Byrne was staring straight into the b ick of the dress circle. Her profile, dlarply outlined against the dark back- <■<( rt, looked haggard, and there was some- 1 H rigid about her pose. As he saw her, w on iittshed darkly; he dropped his eyes ILÍs programme. The second act ended, and when the lights up Waldron was looking full at the Byrnes. box. He was averting his eyes with he start of a man surprised when Airs. Byrne leaned suddenly forward and made a dtsrht peremptory movement with her fan. She was alone. Mechanically and with his set into curious impassibility Waldron use. A moment later hp entered the box. Via. Byrne had pushed her chair back a Litle and turned towards- the door. As on apl.)eared her hands clenched round • fan with a twist, under which several of I c sticks gave way. Her face was flooded ith crimson, and before the shame of the one helpless glance she gave him Waldron dumb. Then with no preliminary greetind she spoke. I "I couldn't help it," she said. "You'll never want to speak to me again, but I musrt you She broke off, and Waldron interposed hur- ( l'iedlv. She was sitting quite still, her back- to the house, and Waldron was facing her al- most in shadow. No one would have observed anything unusual in the situation. "Don't!" he said, "for heaven's sake don't! There's no need." She glanced up at him ■ again. "No iielef-I w to tell "you—that—I wJsh I were dead," she II -aid, recklessly. "No, I suppose not. But I wan'- to tell you how it was. It makes no difference' really. But I have felt these last few da YS that if I didn't tell you I should go mad. It was like this:" But she did not go on directly. She leaned back in her chair clasping and unclasping her handtl round her fan. At last she said, abru • ')y: know how it is-I know you know. He d.ain't, do it much at first, but it gets worse. I've felt for a long time that if it isn 'tstopped it means ruin. Things don't go well with us, you see. If heconld gt on-- c;3h a position-I have thought that it might save him. He'll never be a great painter, of course—that is why he must be the fashion. If he could come to be 'the thing' he might take the trouble to pull up." "I know," interposed Waldron, in a low murmur. "Don't trouble to tell me." "I know you know," she said. "You knew what you were doing for us the other day. It was our chance. If it had gone off well—if that man had bought the studies—it would have made all the difference. It meant everything The poor soul knew it himself and it excited him." She had spoken hitherto of her husband in a curiously impersonal way, and the touch of feeling which broke through her recklessness now was merely an abstract pity. Strong emotion of any kind had long since died out —as a matter of fact it had never existed be- tween Margaret Byrne and her husband. She paused and then repeated. "It excited him. He talked a great aeal about what he would do and the success we were going to 't, and he began the day with whisky and soda in his elation. He had enough to take away his common sense, and then he got ner- vous and Said he wanted stringing up. I kept him from it all the morning, and then I had. to go and dress, and when I came down I found him with a bottle of champagne." She drew a long breath, and the sound that came from Waldron suggested that he had ground, his teeth. "I didn't know what to dü," she went on. The recklessness had quite died out of her voice and it was low » and pitiful. "He'd .had one glass and I couldn't get him away. I knew that he i would finish it and thcn- So I thought —if I drunk some myself—there would he less- And I took a glass. But a bottie uolds so much: it didn't seem to make any diiier- c.,ioe. He had had too much already. So I took some more, and tuerp was still some left took that,, and I was tired you know .d. Her voice died away into silence, and them broke out into a low, bitter cry. "Oh!" she said, "how I wish I were Hie curtain had gone up some monieiits be- fore, and a song with a dance and chorus was going oil, The lights in the house were dim against the brightness of the stage—the box was in shadow. She let her head fall forward on her hand as it rested on the back of her chair, and Waldron gazed stupidly over her At the gaily-lighted stage. He did not speak. Once or twice his lips moved. But what could \w say 5 At last she lifted her head. bhe looked not at him, but post him. "Well," she said in a low, hard voice, "vhat's all! Of course,; as I said, it doesn't nke may difference. But I owed you some A^olo«y. all over with us, you know," she added, speaking more ildi We've missed our chance, and we shall go straight dcivra hilL Oil, I know how it will be I" But he turned upon her fiercely, his face working. "It shan't be," he said hoarsely. "I'll see to it." "You're not omnipotent, I'm afraid," she said with a mocking laugh. "And now I think you'd better go." v Nobody knows how such things get about. But they do get about. Everyone had known that the millionaire was to see the Byrnes. Edmund Byrne had bragged about it to no small extent. And when the actual visit came to nothing, and its details, moreover, were buried in profound oblivion, people began to talk, and hints were whispered about which were rapidly worked up into highly coloured statements. "My dear, I know it for a fact," said one woman to another. "Oh, it's been an open secret-for a long time, about him. But I musi sav that I was surprised to hear it of her You never liked her! No, neither did I." The inciclent served as a pivot on which the floating 1 npopularity of the Byrnes was t< In e itself, and pv.blic' fancy, hitherto hole in sHspension, swung slowly round and de- itself t«i. ii «t them. Margaret Byrne hAd spoken only too truly. From that time i,ii w ?rd they began to go do hill. The\ were no longer among the potentialities of society—people to be cultivated as lions pre sumptive. p decided. They were "outsiders." People began to leay, Hieiu out when lists for select parties were to be made up, and only cards for "crushes" caint, to them. Nobody talked of Edmund rjse's pictures, and nobody dreamed of H was not long before signs of that deter- j ..nation which so often fellov.s in the wake of became plainly apparent about the Byrnes. There wa& no longer any need to whisper about Edmund Byrne's failing—it was patent to the world. For some time after that fatal luncheon party Mrs. Byrne's name dropped out of gossip connected with her husband. Then quite suddenly, springing from no one knew where, rumours declared themselves. "They say it's often so," report said. "Yes, it's dreadful, isn't it—such a young woman Oh, no, it's nothing new, of emurse, but it was all hushed up before." > When these rumours were uttered in Waid- ron's presence, he gave them the lie cour- teously, but with a grim emphasis which was unmistakable. He was not often at the Byrnes in these days, consequently his word went for less than it would once have done. But that it was absolutely sincere, no one could doubt. Then there came a large crush at which Edmund Byrne and his wife came face to face with Max Waldron. Byrne nodded sullenly and drifted away. Margaret Byrne met Waidron's eyes reck- lessly, and then broke into a laugh. "Don't look as though you saw a ghost," she said. "What did you expect? What does it matter with outsiders like us What does anything matter!" Waldron laid a peremptory touch on her arm and drew her aside into a little ante- room. "For Heaven's sake go home," he said. "You don't know what you are saying. To- morrow—— "To-morrow I shall have gone a step lower in the world and it will matter less than ever," she said. "And what concern is it of yours anyway?" Dazed and excited as she was, the meeting with him had so far strung her up that her strong personality vibrated through her words, and Waldron forgot the absolute futi- lity of argument under such circumstances. "This much," he said, hoarsely. "That I'd do anything in the world to save you!" She gave him one wild desperate glance and then threw back her head and laughed. Quite suddenly she stopped lif-,rsclf. il,e motioned him away with an odd impulsive gesture, and her lovely blue eyes bur;;ed as she fixed them on his face. "Keep away from me in the future," she iiaid in a low tone. "Don't speak to me un- less it's inevitable. I—can't bear it." For one instant she seemed to have escaped the bonds that held her. Then she laughed again and moved out into the crowd. After that evening things went from bad to worse with the Byrnes with surprising rapidity. Society is conservative up to a cer- tain point—that is to say it is loath to take the trouble of making a stand. But at last the inevitable happened. Edmund Byrne over-stepped the boundary line. He made a scene at a club and another at a dinner party. People began to declare that the husband and wife were "impossible" and invitations ceased altogether. They were almost for- gotten, when a temporary fillip was given to the memory of their former friends by the rumour that Byrne was very ill. One or two people said languidly, "We ought to leave cards you know," but they had not done so when the news circulated that Byriie was dead. "The best thing that could happen," said society. "And now I suppose she'll follow in his footsteps in no time. Shocking thing to be sure." Waldron had never been into the Byrnes' house since his meeting above recorded with Mrs. Byrne. During Byrne's illness he had asked for news every day at the door. He went to the funeral—at which Margaret Byrne was not present-and then betook himself to his own chambers for the rest of the day. The next day he called and asked if Mrs. Byrne wcre at home. The servant hesitat 'd. "Mrs. Byrne is not seeing anyone, sir," she said. "Take her my card," said Waldron. He hesitated for a moment; then he wrote on it one word: "Please!" snd gave it to the woman. She showed him in and left him. In a few moments she returned. "Wilt you please walk upstairs, sir," she said. The whole appearance of the house was pitifully altered for the worse since Waldron had seen it. The air of smartness and luxury had disappeared, and everything looked shabby acd slovenly. There were no flowers, rib daintiness of any kind about the drawing- room. And huddled in an armchair close by the fire more pitifullv altered than any of her surroundings was MT -t Byrne. She made no attompt to receive her visi- tor. She did not even turn her head. As the senant withdrew Waldron walked up to her, and she lifted her eyes for one instant. "You shouldn't have come," she said. For a moment Waldron could not speak. She looked so ill, so wretched, so forlorn. spoke quietly at last, but his voice vibrated oddly. "I know its—too soon," he said. "But I knew you were quite—alone. Margaret- when will you marry me?" She started violently, and a fiood of colour rushed over her face. It ebbed and left her ghastly. "Never," she said. "Why not?" She turned her face away. "You needa't ask me that!" is u » 1 I Hi 1 not?" She ii pot to be cruel," -di' ni < th lun^ her breath. "Well,, yes, if \iiii ••,» 1 )f- I'd rather not give you.—a dn.ii -n "I don't .< !.? '» ft you shall!" Waldron drew a < all over Y" She sho k 1 <. i H- t L and again the colour her ""It's too » she said hoarsely. "I shan't be i;top.. Ha knelt by her side and laid one steady hand on her fhÚJ" feverish fingers. "Yes you will," he said. "Because if you don't you will break iny beart." She did' not break iti# heart. They were married immediately, to the great scandal of all Waidron's f-riencls.and he took her abroad. For some months they saw no one except each other; but-they were well con- tent with thai limited circle. Then they came home and "lived happy ever after."

j ===—===—==_^3 ; ! A BOGEY…

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TERRITORIALS" HEAVILY FIFED.…

-_!.==---,-MARIE LLOYD78 ENGAGEMENTS.

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