Part 7 (1/2)

”I should think,” she said, ”you would be ashaan; then stopped There was no need of speaking further for she had gone

CHAPTER VI

PLOT AND COUNTER-PLOT

Mr Heatherbloo for a way”, one was forced upon him It came to him unexpectedly; chance served hi his rinations in Central Park he had formed visual acquaintances with sundry folk; pictures of some of them were very dimly impressed on his consciousness, others--and thefaces, red faces, pale faces! One countenance in the last class made itself a trifle more insistent than the others Its possessor had watched with interest his progress, interrupted with entanglements, and had listened to the music of his march, the canine fantasia, staccato, affettuoso! Mr Heatherblooenerally led hih point, but it was the highest he could find, and he could look off on so--a lake, or reservoir of water, he didn't know just which, and a jagged sky-line

The person that exhibited casual curiosity in his ht and sinuous, sitting there against the stone parapet, and deep dark eyes accentuated the pallor of her face He did not think it strange she should always be at this spot when he came; in fact, it was quite a while before he noticed the almost daily coincidence of their mutual presence at the same place, at about the saard of him, she would look away; her face then wore a soft and melancholy expression; she appeared very sad

It took quite a while for this fact to be coh she shi+fted her figure often, as if to call attention to the pale profile of her face against a leaden sky, his thoughts remained introspective Only the sky-line see in the breeze to his feet

Absorbed in deep neutral tones afar, he did not see it; his four-footed charges, however, were quick to perceive the object

”Oh!” said the lady

Mr Heatherbloom looked ”Is--is it yours?” he asked

”It--was,” she reot up; there see to rescue the handkerchief now

”I'm afraid I've been rather slow,” he remarked ”Quite stupid, I'm sure”

She may have had her own opinion but maintained a discreet silence Mr

Heatherblooathered in the remnants ”You will permit me,”

he observed, ”to replace it, of course”

”But it was not your fault”

”It was that of es, then”

”No; the wind Let's blahed, her dark eyes full on his, though Mr Heatherbloom seemed hardly to see them

After that when they met on this little elevation, she bowed to him and sometimes ventured a remark or two He did not seem over-anxious to talk but he h somewhat absent-minded courtesy He replied to her questions perfunctorily, told her who, however, in turn, no inquisitiveness concerning her For him she was just some one who came and went, and incidentally interfered with his study of the sky-line

By degrees she confided in hilad of almost any one to confide in She wanted, indeed, needed badly, a situation as lady's maid or second maid She had tried and tried for a position; unfortunately her recon--from Milan, Moscow, Paris People either scrutinized them suspiciously, or _mon Dieu_! couldn't read them It was hard on her; she had had such a time!

She, a Viennese, with all her experience in France, Italy, Russia, found herself at her wits' end in this golden Ahed when she hadn't cried about it

She had even tried singing in a little music-hall, a horribly common place, but her voice had failed her Perhaps there was a vacancy at Miss Van--as her name? There _was_ a place vacant; the maid with the saucy nose, Mr Heatherbloom indifferently vouchsafed, had just left to marry out of service

”How fortunate!” the fair questioner cried; then sighed Miss Van Rolsen, being a maiden lady, would probably be most particular about recoible brand, froate Had she been very particular in his case? Mr Heatherblooh she dreords from hi deeply