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Plans for the big dance presently began to move briskly, and there was

much talk of the affair As hostess, Rachael would notthemselves with the details of

elaborate costumes Warren's rather stern and classic beauty was to be

enhanced by the blue and buff of an officer of the Revolution, fine

ruffles falling at wrist and throat, wide silver buckles on square-toed

shoes, and satin ribbon tying his white wig Rachael, separately

teht of Dutch wooden shoes and of the always

delightful hoop skirts, eventually abandoned both because it was not

possible historically to connect either costume with the one upon which

Warren had decided She eventually determined to be the s disappearing

into ed and slashed skirt,

feathers in her loosened hair, and a ser skin,

strapped closely across her back, to lend a touch of distinction to the

costu before the dance she tried on her regalia and

appeared before her husband and three or four waiting dinner guests, so

exquisite a vision of glowing and radiant beauty that their admiration

was almost a little awed Her cheeks were crimson between her loosened

rich braids of hair; her eyes shone deeply blue, and the fantastic

costu strips of leather and richly colored

waave an extraordinary quality of youth and almost of frailty to

her whole aspect

"The wo you!" said

Rachael, in a shower of co? Warren

went six hundred and seventy-two places to catch hier like this in North America but what care I?

I' inconsistency like that

doesn't worry ME!"

"Me taky you ly "You my

squaw?"

"Co her by the arence to her caprice, but

Rachael kneas pleased "Well, when you first planned this outfit

I thought it was going to be an awfulher

slowly about "But it isn't so bad!"

"Isn't so bad!" Mrs Bowditch said scornfully; "it's the loveliest

thing I ever saw I'll tell you what, Rachael, if you come down to

Easthampton this summer we'll have a play, and you can be an Indian--"

"I'd love it," Rachael said, anda deep bow before her husband

she added: "I'll be Squaw-Afraid-of-Her-Man!"

She heard thee to athe Indian costume to her maid, "I'm too

happy to live!"

Etta, one of those homely, conscientious women who extract in some

mysterious way an actual pride and pleasure from the beauty of the

women whoetting real nice now," she sube a worthy ehed out joyously The next instant she had flung up a

and leaned out in the spring darkness Trees on the drive were

rustling over pools of light, a lighted steamboat went slowly up the

river, the brilliant eyes of urdy, guarded by two shadowy forle of sound from the curb When the as shut, a

moment later, the old Italian man and woman ned the musical

instrument decided that they must mark this apart hopefully, went upon their way The

belladonna in the spangled goho had looked down upon theuests

She was in wild spirits, inspired with herher Mrs Whittaker and Mrs

Bowditch fell as certainly under her spell as did the three ," said Louise Bowditch to

Mrs Whittaker; "but it's all nonsense--this talk about her being no

more fun! She's more fun than ever!"

"She's prettier than ever," Gertrude Whittaker said with a sigh

The next afternoon, a dreary, wet afternoon, at about four o'clock,

Warren Gregory stepped out of the elevator, and quietly admitted

himself to his own hallith a latchkey It was an unusual hour for

the doctor to come home, and in the butler's carefully commonplace tone

as he answered a few questions Warren knew that he knew

The awning had been stretched across the sidewalk, caterers' men were

in possession, the lovely spacious roo

studio had been ereat palms massed in

the musicians' corner; lance of the ory alone in her own luxurious rooht before would have been

likely to recognize her now She was pale, tense, and visibly nervous,

wrapped in a great woolly robe, as if she were cold, and with her hair

bound carelessly and tightly back as a wo

"You've seen it?" she said instantly, as her husband caht ho beside her, one arm about her, all his tenderness and

devotion in his face--"I knew you'd need hed deeply, but continued to stare

distractedly beyond hiueness and

brokenness in her

"Do, sweetheart?" he echoed at a loss

"With all those people coht," she added, mildly impatient

"Why, what CAN we do, dear?"

"You don't mean," Rachael said incredulously, "that we shall have to GO

ON with it?"

"Think a minute, dearest Why shouldn't we?"

"But"--her color, better since his entrance, aning again--"with

Clarence Breckenridge dying while we dance!" she shuddered

"Could anything bethat

concerns Clarence Breckenridge affect what you do now?" he asked with

kindly patience

"No, it's not that!" she answered feverishly "But--but for any old

friend one would--would make a difference, and surely--surely he was

more than that!"

"He WASto

you for a long tireed nervously She

sat silent for a ht "But,

Warren, they'll all know of it, they'll all be THINKING of it," she

said presently "I--really I don't think I can go through it!"

"It's too bad, of course," Warren Gregory said with his arive ten thousand dollars to have had the poor fellow select

so to do with it, and you simply

e, of course!"

"Of course She was e Poor kid--it's rather a sad start for her, especially with no one

but Joe Pickering to console her!"

"She was mad about her father," Rachael said in a preoccupied whisper

"Poor Billy--poor Billy! She never crossed hi but this

What did you see it in?"

"The World How did you hear it?"

"Etta brought up the paper" She closed her eyes and leaned back in her

chair "It see--where is he?"

"At St Mark's He won't live Poor fellow!" Warren Gregory scowled

thoughtfully as he gave a ht to the other man's

situation, and then se of

topic "Well," he said cheerfully, "is anyone in this place glad to see

me, or not, or what?"

"It just seeht!"

Rachael said, giving hiently put

hi--so

coarse--to be utterly and totally indifferent to the o I don't love hi, this way If it was Peter Pomeroy or Joe Butler, of COURSE we'd

put off our dance--Warren," she turned to him with sudden hope in her

eyes, "do you suppose anybody'll coirl," he said, displeased, "why are you working yourself into

a fever over this? It's most unfortunate, but as far as you're

concerned, it's unavoidable, and you'll sih it SOMEHOW! I aether you'll co colors

Of course everyone'll come; this is their chance to show you exactly

how little they ever think of you as Breckenridge's wife! And this is

your chance, too, to act as if you'd never heard of him Dash it! it

does spoil our little party, but it can't be helped!"

"Do you suppose Billy's with hi eyes fixed upon her own person as she sat before her land--that's the

dreadful thing for her Clarence evidently spent the whole night at the

club, sitting in the library, thinking Berry Stokes went in for his

mail after the theatre, and they had a little talk He pro Billings, the steward there,

saw old Maynard going out--Maynard's one of the directors--and asked

hie Mayn went

over to hiasp that was like a shriek, and put her two elbows on

the dressing-table, and her face in her hands It was Clarence's

fa!"

"Well, that was all there was to it," her husband said, watching her

anxiously "He had the thing in his pocket He stood up--everybody

heard it Fellows caot him to a

hospital"

"Florence is with him, of course?"

"Florence is at Palirl, how do I know? It's none of my affair!"

Rachael sat still for perhaps two minutes, while her husband,

ostentatiously cheerful, e of

clothes

"To-morrow you can take it as hard as you like, sweet," said he "But

to-night you'll have to face the

warm--it's a little cool out--and I'll take you for a spin, and we'll

have dinner soht o'clock,

and take our tireed autoently: "Warren, isn't there a chance that I'htn't it be better simply to telephone everyone that the dance is

postponed? Make it next week, or Mi-Care If they talk--let

them! I don't care what they say They'll talk anyway But every fibre

of , every delicate or decent instinct I ever had, rebels

against this Say I' to say--I know that it would SEEM less sensitive, less fine, to

mourn for one nore what happens to him, but you knohat's the truth! I never

loved him, and I love every hair of your head--you know that Only--"

She stopped short, baffled by the difficulty of expressing herself

accurately

"If you really love ory

said firmly

His wife sat as if turned to stone for only a few seconds When she

spoke it was naturally and cheerfully

"I'll be ready in no tilanced at

her little crystal clock as she spoke, as if she were coth of the drive before dinner But what she said in

her heart was, "At this time to-morroill all have been over for

orys sailed for Ber shame that was all the more acute because she

could not share it with this dearest coht indeed that the miserable episode of the past week had been

dis like a boy in the little

holiday, and proud of his beautiful wife, he found their hours at sea

cloudless With two men, whose acquaintance was ame drew other players fro They walked up and

down the deck for hours together, they lay side by side in deck chairs

lazily watching the blue water creep up and down the painted white

ropes of the rail; but they never spoke of Clarence Breckenridge

The Mardi-Gras dance had been like a hideous dream to Rachael She had

known that it would be hard fronificance of Clarence's suicide had rushed upon her She had known

that her arriving guests would be gay and conversational, that the

dance and the supper would go with a dash and shich no other

circumstance could more certainly have assured for thee that Clarence Breckenridge

was dying by his own hand, and his daughter on the ocean, and that this

woer skin outlining

her beautiful figure, had been his wife

This she had expected, and this was as she had expected But there were

other circumstances that made her feel even more acutely the turn of

the screw Joe Butler, always Clarence's closest friend, did not come

to the dance, and at about twelve o'clock an innocent e that several persons besides Warren heard: "Mr Butler

to speak to you on the telephone, Doctor Gregory"

Everyone could surmise where Joe Butler was, but no one voiced the

supposition Warren, handsome in his skirted coat, knee breeches, and

ruffles, disappeared fro went on The scene

was unbelievably brilliant, the hot, bright air sith flowers and

perfume, and the more subtle odors of silk and fine linen and powder on

delicate skin Warren was presently aain, and there was a

supper, the hostess' lovely face showing no er to uests

After supper there was ayety There

were no es, nor was there any definite foundation

for the ru Wo their noses as they waited for their wraps,in the hall, confided it to a

Mephistopheles; a pastry cook, after his effusive good-nights,

confirmed it as he climbed into the motorcar that held the Pierrette

as his wife: "Dead, poor fellow!"

"Dead, poor Clarence!" said Mrs Prince, nificent as Queen

Elizabeth, as she and Elinor Vanderent downstairs She had once

danced a fancy dance with hio "Awful!" said

Elinor, shuddering

After the last guest was gone Warren telephoned to the hospital,

Rachael, a little tired and pale in the Indian costu tensely She was sick at heart Even into the library, where

they stood, the Mardi-Gras disorder had penetrated: a blue silkacross Warren's blotter, a spatter of confetti lay on the

polished floor, and on the reading table was a tray on which were two

glasses through whose as that had snapped in the fireplace were gone, only gray

ashes remained, and to Rachael, at least, the room's desolation and

disorder seemed to typify her own state of mind

She could tell from Warren's look that he found the whole ree; on his handsoriainst events He did not bla in every fibre of his sensitive soul at this

sordid notoriety, at this blatant voicing of a hundred ugly whispers in

athe woman he loved

"Dead?" Rachael said quietly, when his brief conversation was over

Warren Gregory, setting the telephone back upon the desk, nodded

gravely

Rachael made no comment For a moment her eyes widened nervously, and a

little shudder rippled through her Then silently she gathered up the

leather belt and chains of beads that she had been loosening as she

listened, and sloent toward the door

They did not speak again of Clarence that night, although they chatted

easily for the next hour on other topics, even laughing a little as the

various episodes of the evening were passed in review

But Rachael did not sleep, nor did she sleep during the long hours of

the following night On the third night she wakened her husband

suddenly fro! Won't you talk tomad, I think!"

"Rachael! What is it?" staht

of Rachael's bedside la in two long braids over her shoulders, was sitting on the side

of his bed "What is it, darling--hear so his ar awake!" said Rachael, panting "I

haven't shut

it--Clarence's face, you knoith that horrible scar! What shall I

do?"

Shivering, gasping, wild-eyed, she clung to hi hour he

soothed her as if she had been an hysterical child He put her into a

comfortable chair,her back to calain It was terrible, of course,

but no one but Clarence himself was to blame, unless it was poor Billy--

"Yes, I must see Billy when she co voice reached this point If Warren Gregory's quiet

istered any opposition, she did not see it, and he did not

express it She was presently sound asleep, still catching a long

childish breath as she slept But she woke s, with all the horrid

visions of the past few days apparently blotted out, and she and Warren

went gayly don to get steamer tickets, and buy appropriate frocks

and hats for the spring heat of Bermuda

In midsummer came the inevitable invitation to visit old friends at

Belvedere Bay Rachael was pleased to accept Mrs Moran's hospitality

for a glorious July week Warren, to her delight, took an eightdays'

holiday, and while he looked to his racquet and golf irons she packed

her prettiest gowns Belvedere Bay welcoory was the idol of the hour Mrs Moulton, giving a

tennis tea during this week, duly sent Mrs Gregory a card But when

society wondering whether Rachael would really be a guest in her own

old ho Dicky

Moran was so considerate as to be flung froorys nor the Morans consequently appeared at the tea, but

Rachael,all inquirers on the Moran terrace, late in the

afternoon, with the news that Dicky was quite all right, no harm done,

asked prettily for details of the affair they had missed

She told herself that the past really made no difference in the radiant

present, but she kneas not so In a thousand little ways she had

lost caste, and she saw it, if Warren did not A certain bloo, woe was somehow lessened She knew

that newcomers at the club, struck by her beauty, were a little chilled

by her history She felt the difference in the very air

In her uory?" Why were these casual inquirers not

told of Clarence, of her long endurance of neglect and shaht came to her, that if other, events had been as they

were, and only the facts of her divorce and re, she

would have been Clarence's

"What's the difference? It all comes out the saht

"Then you and I would have been only engaged now," said Rachael,

sret your hed, his arms about her

"I'd like to live the first days over and over and over again, Greg!"

she answered passionately

"You are an insatiable creature!" he said But her earnestness was

beginning to puzzle him a little She was too deeply wrapped in her

love for her own happiness or his There was so

in her intensity She was jealous of every minute that they were apart;

she made no secret of her blind adoration

Warren had at first found this touching; it had hue, he had shared it, and their mutual

passion had seeht But

now, even while he snity was concerned had shown hi a little pitiful, so even a little absurd

Judy and Gertrude and little Mrs Sartoris listened interestedly when

Rachael talked of Greg, of his likes, his dislikes, his favorite words,

his old- his ties, hishis wife's flushed, lovely face,

wondered if they were laughing at her He same to come across the club porch to hiood, to warn hiet out of those wet flannels, to ask

Frank Whittaker what heboy three sets in

succession?

"Rachael, I'ht call

"Deal away!" Rachael, one hand on Warren's arm, would look saucily at

the others over his shoulder "I like my beau," she would assert

brazenly, "and if you say a word more, I'll kiss him here and now!"