Part 5 (1/2)
Her petulance annoyed hily, ”I am sorry to have spoiled it--to have 'let down the scene,' as they say on the stage But as I seem to have offended you I shall take my leave”
”If you do,” she cried, ”I shall never speak to you again I swear it!”
He stood irresolute After all, she looked such a darling when she was angry
”Well,” he said, te, ”if I stay for a while, will you pro her foot, and darted froled for the victory in Lionel's heart
”Confound her for her folly!” he thought, and then, ”Bless her for her inconsequence!” He sat down and lighted a cigarette, expecting her return at any minute, determined to stick to his resolve and sleep at home
When twenty nity How foolish!+” Ten minutes later he murmured, with a pained accent, ”She is huarette was half-consuh,”
he said; ”I will let myself out and call to-morrow If she refuses to see me, at least I shall have kept ”
Gru, he opened the door and went quietly out into the hall He listened for a ive her the chance to reappear and part as friends There was no sound: if it had not been for the light still burning in the hall he would have sworn that the household had gone to sleep
With a sigh he put on his hat and opened the inner door He anticipated no trouble with the outer barrier, but in this he rong It was padlocked, and flight was impossible His sense of huht: ”well, I have tried to be a good boy” He hung up his hat again and returned to the sitting-roo the bell As he had expected, it was answered by the maid
”Monsieur wishes to retire?” she asked, with a polite sympathy for a handsoo home,” he said pleasantly, ”but I suppose I'm to be kept a prisoner”
The one to sleep this half-hour I dare not wake her for the keys Besides, she expects you to remain”
”Then will you showdefeat
Whether Mizzi was as innocent as she seemed he could not decide, but noas deters take their course She held the door open for hiht an aood shaking and say ”Explain!” and presently kiss her heartily, for she was exceedingly attractive This impulse he controlled, and the next moment found himself in his bedroom
”Breakfast is at half past nine,” said Mizzi, as she drew a curtain ”At what time does monsieur wish to be called?”
”Ohabout nine o'clockthank yougood night”
”Good night, monsieur,” said the maid demurely as she tripped to the door, and then a lamentable accident occurred It was due to the eccentricities of modern fashi+on For several years Lionel had carried his handkerchief secreted in his cuff As Mizzi stepped daintily past, the handkerchief, which had been working loose, fell to the ground He and she stooped together for its recovery, and their heads approached nearer than was discreet Her fingers reached the handkerchief first, and she restored it as they were rising This was pardonable, but she ought not to have looked hiraphed ”I like you,” and his, so more Without judicious reflection Lionel clasped her ”You are a perfect darling!” he whispered, ”and I simply must kiss you--it is what you were asped Mizzi, ”it is a scandal!”
”Yes,” agreed Lionel, ”I suppose it is But it would be a graver scandal not to kiss such a bouquet of charms There, my attractiveeyes, andgood night”
Mizzi, with a stifled laugh, kissed hihtly in return, freed herself and escaped Lionel, his sleepiness a thing of the past, sat down on the bed
”Dash it!” he thought, wagging his head, ”I oughtn't to have done thatbut it was exceedingly pleasantexceedingly pleasantyet I ought not to have yielded to teue impression that I was in love with the maid's mistress If so, I was disloyal, a creature of no account Let us see whether there is not so to be said for the defense
”Suppose I do love her--the mistress, I mean--I must not kiss her, because she isto be loyal to the husband, the lady and the ideal--in short, neither kiss her nor any one else In a word, becorass-bachelor A hard matter, for I am not cast in the asceticSuppose, now, the husband died (and I regret that I can not regard this contingency with disgust) and there were at least a sporting chance ofinto his shoes--oh! of course not at once, but later--later--why, then I could face perht heart But to go through the world refusing all sweets because my favorite sweet has been appropriated, surely that were foolish
”Again, am I in love with her? Can one fall in love so suddenly, outside the realreat truth in the popular ballad that treats of 'a tiny seed of love'? Surely love is a seed, planted by chance or design--for exaradual growth--the sun of frequent intercourse--the rain of timely separation--the fertilizer of presents of flowers and bonbons--before it can grow to a splendid harvest This harvest of mine can not be love; it must be passion If so, it must be crushed
She is too perfect to sully even in thought”