The interest of the table naturally centered on Gremond, who managed adroitly to keep the conversation off himself, thereby winning the admiration of his hostess-she rather enjoyed a lion who did not roar.

Finally, with the arrival of the savory which followed the dessert-for Mrs. Lennox had adopted this English custom, she had the satisfaction of seeing Miss Marston and her husband deep in talk, Miss Davis and Kenneth "frivoling" as was their wont and was herself free to enjoy a tete-a-tete with her guest of honor.

"Your country is a source of endless interest to me, Madame," the Frenchman was saying, "but it is as nothing to your women. They rival ours-even surpa.s.s them."

"I am afraid we are in danger of being told that too often," laughed his hostess, gaily.

"Some things bear repet.i.tion, Madame."

"Have you known many of us, Monsieur?" she asked, interested. "I think you said you had been over here before."

"Yes, nearly two years ago, before I started off to Africa. It was indeed the cause of my immediate start for Africa," he said with a retrospective air. "Then, too, Madame, America became very dear to me through my friendship with Sidney Renshawe-we were like brothers together in Paris."

"Ah, yes, I know, he speaks of you with great affection. He will be up from Virginia in a day or two, will he not?"

"Not before I am off. I go to New Orleans on important business and from there to California, but I shall stay with him here on my return. Ah!

you cannot dream what he has been to me," he cried with Gallic enthusiasm, "he-and one other."

"Will you come and tell me about it later, Monsieur, when you have finished your cigars?" she said softly, picking up her gloves and giving the signal to rise.

"Madame is very good," he murmured, bowing low as he stood aside for her to pa.s.s.

Left together, the three men drew near and by a common interest caused Gremond to talk of his explorations for fully half an hour, which time was all too short to his listeners, who were greatly interested in the man as well as in what he had done. Though they had just met him within the week he was well known to them through Renshawe, a warm friend of Kenneth and the Lennoxes and the half hour over their cigars would unquestionably have lengthened out indefinitely had the women not been waiting for them in the drawing-room.

The party had expected to go to the opera together, but when the men rejoined the women they found a change of plan, Miss Marston having secretly confided to Mrs. Lennox that she had been "on the go" so steadily for weeks that it would be bliss to keep still, and "Couldn't we all spend the evening here instead?" Pretty, disdainful Miss Davis, seeing in this suggestion possibilities of a prolonged tete-a-tete with Kenneth Landor, was enthusiastic in seconding it; while Mrs. Lennox acquiesced gladly-she had put in an exhausting day at various charitable organizations and was more tired than she cared to admit. As for the men, they were loud in their acclamations of delight over what Mr. Lennox called "the joy of a home evening." Accordingly they left the formal drawing-room and repaired to Mrs. Lennox's sanctum, a unique room finished in ebony, the dark wood relieved from somberness by a deep frieze of Pompeiian figures done in red, while bits of this vivid color were everywhere conspicuous in the furnishing. In all its appointments it showed the touch of a strong individuality and expressed in its way the aesthetic side of Mrs. Lennox's nature. It had also what in a woman's room made it distinctive-s.p.a.ce. Mrs. Lennox was a person who liked free scope for her body as well as her mind.

The guests, therefore, distributed themselves about comfortably and Miss Davis found herself exercising her fascinations upon the distinguished foreigner, who encouraged her by undisguised admiration, which indeed he had given her throughout dinner by glances meant to convey what the distance of the table between them made it impossible to say. But the paying of excessive compliments to a girl like Miss Davis, who cares only for that sort of thing from the masculine s.e.x, sometimes palls and Gremond was just thinking a bit longingly of his charming hostess when that individual approached them.

"Miss Davis," she said, "Mr. Landor has been proposing a game of billiards. He wants you to help him beat Miss Marston and my husband-they have already begun to play, I believe. Will you join them?"

"Do Miss Davis, will you?" urged Kenneth, who always enjoyed the game.

Miss Davis looked at him and rose by way of answer. She had long ago discovered that her eyes did considerable execution. Then with a glance at Gremond which said that he too might follow her, she went with Kenneth across the hall into the billiard room.

Mrs. Lennox sank into a curiously carved old ebony chair, against which her bare arms and shoulders gleamed white. She was gowned in black, unrelieved except for the rope of pearls wound twice around her throat and hanging in a loose chain to her waist; but the severity of outline was exceedingly becoming to her slender figure and the absence of color emphasized the beauty of her skin, which was as fair and soft as if she were twenty instead of forty. She sighed a little as she leaned back in her chair, and Gremond reaching for some cushions from a divan near by tucked them in behind her comfortably.

"Madame is tired to-night," he said.

"Monsieur Gremond," turning her head the better to see him, "I feel as if I should offer you a thousand apologies. I had planned a gay evening for you and instead you are becoming initiated into intimate home life.

We are already treating you like one of the family. Fancy!"

"A privilege not accorded to many; is it not so, Madame? I feel flattered beyond all telling."

It pleased her that he was quick to recognize this as unusual treatment of the stranger within her gates and she said cordially, "I felt when I saw you that we should not make the usual beginning. It is a little peculiarity of mine that I steal into people's lives in the middle-when I like them. I have never a.n.a.lyzed it, but I trust to my instincts and I am not often mistaken. Now you," she said, leaning languidly back on her cushions, "you interest me and I've sent them all off to play billiards that we may have a quiet little talk together. I want to hear more of what you were telling me at dinner, if I may."

"Madame is very good," he said again. "We were speaking of Sidney Renshawe, were we not?"

"Of him-'and one other,'" she quoted, watching his eloquent face.

His black eyes softened and he leaned forward a little, using his hands in frequent gesticulation as he began to talk. "I am reminded, Madame, of a certain witty English author who said that Columbus discovered America but America discovered him. To paraphrase him, I should say that two Americans discovered me-dear old Renshawe and the most charming little girl I ever knew."

"Yes?" she said.

"But for those two, Madame, I might have been-anything!" He shrugged his shoulders expressively. "The one had faith in me, the other taught me to have faith in myself. She was my inspiration." It seemed as natural to him to confide in this charming woman as if he had known her all his life, and in this he was not unlike the majority of people in whom Mrs. Lennox showed an interest, for she had that divine gift which for lack of an English word we call "simpatica"-an open sesame to all hearts.

She was listening very quietly, but the look on her face was one of absorbed attention as Gremond went on.

"For several years, Madame, I had been formulating my African plans, but I lacked distinct purpose until I knew her. She had the American idea that a man must accomplish something in the world. She thought I should prove myself capable of the great things I talked about."

"She can scarcely have reason to find fault with you now," the woman said.

"I hope not, Madame, when she knows what I have tried to do and how much more I shall do when I return."

"Are you going to tell her-soon?"

"Soon?" with a quick indrawing of his breath, "as soon as I can get to California, but alas! that will not be for many weeks. I am not sure that she will want to listen to me, Madame, but I shall make her; I must."

"You met her in Europe, I fancy?"

"On the contrary, I met her in Southern California in one of the big hotels where I was stopping. She was living there and we were thrown together constantly, laughing, dancing, riding-a gay life. Now and then when we touched on serious subjects I was amazed and moved by her great comprehension and high ideals."

"Does she not know what a powerful factor she has been in your life?"

she asked.

"Not yet, Madame. I went away with my heart full of her, but said no word. I felt I had not the right on so short an acquaintance and before I had really accomplished anything."

"Perhaps not, my friend, but I am not sure that I altogether agree with you. I feel that she liked you, with possibly more than the ordinary liking, and a girl wants some sign."

"I wrote her once, asking her to hold me in remembrance; was that a sign, Madame? It was all I dared to make. It seemed to me it was deeds and not words that were wanted."

"It was both, Monsieur, if you will allow me to say so, for without words how could a girl know that deeds were done for her sake alone?"

"I thought she would know it all because I loved her so," he faltered.

"Oh, you men, you men!" Mrs. Lennox cried impatiently, "how you do expect a woman to take things for granted! Forgive me, Monsieur Gremond"-leaning forward and touching his arm-"but sometimes I get very cross over it."

"Oh Madame, Madame!" he exclaimed impetuously, "you cannot think, you cannot mean I have made a mistake?"

"Indeed, no," she replied rea.s.suringly, seeing how his confident manner had changed to despair, "but I do mean that the ways of women are not more enigmatical than those of men-_some_ men," she qualified.

He laughed, glad to have the tension of the past moment broken by her light tone. For a moment neither spoke. Across the hall came the faint clicking of the billiard-b.a.l.l.s.

"We must join the others, Monsieur," the woman said at last.

"May I thank you for the pleasantest hour I have spent since my arrival?" he said earnestly as he rose.

"The pleasantest-as yet. Eh, Monsieur?" with a charming smile.

"As yet, Madame," bowing gravely over her hand which he had taken in his.