Cer 5

    quot;Mot; o trusive ligting in t tting-room contained. quot;I am so ; sed, quot;and you must be oo!quot;

    Mrs. Vane  ened ers ;; s;I am only . You must not t your acting. Mr. Isaacs o us, and we owe ;

    ted. quot;Money, Mot; s;ter? Love is more t;

    quot;Mr. Isaacs y pounds to pay off our debts and to get a proper outfit for James. You must not forget t, Sibyl. Fifty pounds is a very large sum. Mr. Isaacs  considerate.quot;

    quot; a gentleman, Mote talks to me,quot; said to  and going over to the window.

    quot;I dont knohe elder woman querulously.

    Sibyl Vane tossed ;e dont  ; ted tals of rembled. Some sout over irred ty folds of ;I love ; she said simply.

    quot;Foolis; -pesqueness to the words.

    t t in radiance, t, as to .  of a dream hem.

    t ed at prudence, quoted from t book of coen. So remake  o searc  h.

    tered its met be ric of. Against t s by hin lips moving, and smiled.

    Suddenly s to speak. troubled ;Mot; s;--ell--t feel erribly proud. Mot;

    t daubed co ;Forgive me, Mot pains you to talk about our fat it only pains you because you loved  look so sad. I am as o-day as you y years ago. A me be ;

    quot;My coo young to t do you kno even kno, and really, ralia, and I o t say t you sion. ;

    quot;A me be ;

    Mrs. Vane glanced at rical gestures t so often become a mode of second nature to a stage-player, clasped  t, to t of figure, and  .  so finely bred as er. One ed betensified ally elevated o ty of an audience. S sure t tableau eresting.

    quot;You mig; said tured grumble.

    quot;A you dont like being kissed, Jim,quot; s;You are a dreadful old bear.quot; And she room and hugged him.

    James Vane looked into ers face enderness. quot;I  you to come out  suppose I s  to.quot;

    quot;My son, dont say suc; murmured Mrs. Vane, taking up a tarical dress, o patc. S a little disappointed t  joined t uresqueness of tuation.

    quot;, Mot.quot;

    quot;You pain me, my son. I trust you urn from Australia in a position of affluence. I believe ty of any kind in t I y--so  come back and assert yourself in London.quot;

    quot;Society!quot; muttered t;I dont  to kno t. I so make some money to take you and Sibyl off tage. I e it.quot;

    quot;O; said Sibyl, laug; are you really going for a  o say good-bye to some of your friends-- to tom  on,  is very s of you to let me  afternoon.  us go to t;

    quot;I am too s; ;Only so t;

    quot;Nonsense, Jim,quot; sroking t.

    ated for a moment. quot;Very ;  last, quot;but dont be too long dressing.quot; S of tairs. tle feet pattered overhead.

    imes. turned to till figure in t;Mot; he asked.

    quot;Quite ready, James,quot; s s ill at ease ure roubled ion, became intolerable to o complain. omen defend ttacking, just as ttack by sudden and strange surrenders. quot;I ented, James, ; s;You must remember t it is your oors office. Solicitors are a very respectable class, and in try often dine  families.quot;

    quot;I e offices, and I e clerks,quot; ;But you are quite rigc let o any  c;

    quot;James, you really talk very strangely. Of course I c;

    quot;I leman comes every nigo tre and goes beo talk to  rig about t?quot;

    quot;You are speaking about t understand, James. In tomed to receive a great deal of most gratifying attention. I myself used to receive many bouquets at one time. t ood. As for Sibyl, I do not kno present . But t t tion is a perfect gentleman.  polite to me. Besides, ;

    quot;You dont knohe lad harshly.

    quot;No,quot; ans revealed  is quite romantic of ocracy.quot;

    James Vane bit ;atc; ;c;

    quot;My son, you distress me very mucleman is  contract an alliance rust ocracy. , I must say. It mig brilliant marriage for Sibyl. te remarkable; everybody notices t;

    ttered someto  turned round to say somethe door opened and Sibyl ran in.

    quot;; s; is tter?quot;

    quot;Not; ;I suppose one must be serious sometimes. Good-bye, Mot five oclock. Everyt my ss, so you need not trouble.quot;

    quot;Good-bye, my son,quot; srained stateliness.

    Sremely annoyed at tone ed  had made her feel afraid.

    quot;Kiss me, Mot; said toucs frost.

    quot;My c; cried Mrs. Vane, looking up to the ceiling in search of an imaginary gallery.

    quot;Come, Sibyl,quot; said iently. ed ations.

    t out into t and strolled doon Road. t tting cloth a rose.

    Jim froime to time ive glance of some stranger.  dislike of being stared at, e unconscious of t srembling in laug s t talk of  prattled on about to sail, about tain to find, about to save from ted bus to remain a sailor, or a supercargo, or o get in, and a black s doearing to long screaming ribands! o leave t Melbourne, bid a polite good-bye to tain, and go off at once to to come across a large nugget of pure gold, t nugget t  doo t in a ed policemen. to attack times, and be defeated er. Or, no.  to go to t all. t intoxicated, and s eaco be a nice so see tiful  married, and come ful tore for   be very good, and not lose emper, or spend  s be sure, also, to e to o say  before  to sleep. God coo, and in a few years e rich and happy.

    tened sulkily to -sick at leaving home.

    Yet it  t made ill a strong sense of tion. to leman, and ed , ed inct for , and  y of ure, and in t sae peril for Sibyl and Sibyls s; as times them.

    o ask of

    tre, a  tage-door,  loose a train of s.  as if it ing-crop across  togeto a c his underlip.

    quot;You are not listening to a ; cried Sibyl, quot;and I am making t deligure. Do say somet;

    quot; do you  me to say?quot;

    quot;O you  forget us,quot; s him.

    ;You are more likely to forget me to forget you, Sibyl.quot;

    S; do you mean, Jim?quot; she asked.

    quot;You  told me about ;

    quot;Stop, Jim!quot; s;You must not say anyt ;

    quot; even kno; to kno;

    quot; you like t it. If you only sa ralia. You re to-nigo be to play Juliet. O! Fancy, Jim, to be in love and play Juliet! to ting to play for ! I am afraid I may frigen or ento be in love is to surpass ones self. Poor dreadful Mr. Isaacs o  to-nigion. I feel it. And it is all  I am poor beside  does t matter? y creeps in at t reing. ter, and it is summer noime for me, I t;

    quot;leman,quot; said the lad sullenly.

    quot;A prince!quot; s; more do you ?quot;

    quot;s to enslave you.quot;

    quot;I s t of being free.quot;

    quot;I  you to beware of ;

    quot;to see o rust ;

    quot;Sibyl, you are mad about ;

    Sook ;You dear old Jim, you talk as if you  is. Dont look so sulky. Surely you so t, terribly . But it  noo a ne do people go by.quot;

    took ts amidst a croculip-beds across te dust-- tremulous cloud of orris-root it seemed--ing air. tly coloured parasols danced and dipped like monstrous butterflies.

    Salk of s. . to eac a game pass counters. Sibyl felt oppressed. S communicate  smile curving t sullen mouter some time s. Suddenly s a glimpse of golden .

    Sarted to . quot;t; she cried.

    quot;; said Jim Vane.

    quot;Prince C; ser toria.

    ;So me.  . I must see ;  at t moment t out of the park.

    quot;; murmured Sibyl sadly. quot;I wis;

    quot;I wis;

    S ed  to gape. A lady standing close to ittered.

    quot;Come a; s glad at w he had said.

    atue, surned round. ty in  became laug ;You are foolisterly foolisempered boy, t is all.  knoalking about. You are simply jealous and unkind. A you said ;

    quot;I am sixteen,quot; ;and I kno. Moto you. S understand o look after you. I  going to Australia at all. I  mind to cicles  been signed.quot;

    quot;O be so serious, Jim. You are like one of to be so fond of acting in. I am not going to quarrel o see   quarrel. I know you would never ;

    quot;Not as long as you love ; he sullen answer.

    quot;I s; she cried.

    quot;And ;

    quot;For ever, too!quot;

    quot;ter.quot;

    S her hand on his arm. he was merely a boy.

    At t to ton Road. It er five oclock, and Sibyl o lie doed t s   present. So make a scene, and ested scenes of every kind.

    In Sybils oed. t, and a fierce murderous red of tranger o , ened and kissed ion. tears in  doairs.

    ing for  uality, as ered.  sat doo able and craained clotter of street-cabs, e t  to him.

    After some time,  a  t  to kno sold to  cattered lace cruck six,  up and  to turned back and looked at . In  enraged him.

    quot;Moto ask you,quot;  t;tell me trut to knoo my fat;

    S , t t nig last, and yet s no terror. Indeed, in some measure it ment to ness of tion called for a direct ansuation  been gradually led up to. It  reminded her of a bad rehearsal.

    quot;No,quot; s ty of life.

    quot;My fat; cried ts.

    S;I kne leman. Indeed, ed.quot;

    An oat;I dont care for myself,quot; ;but dont let Sibyl. . . . It is a gentleman, isnt it, oo, I suppose.quot;

    For a moment a ion came over t;Sibyl ; s;I ;

    touc to; ;but I could not . I must go no forget t you er, and believe me t if ter, I  ;

    ted folly of t, te gesture t accompanied it, tic o mosp time for many monto inued tional scale, but  . trunks o be carried doled in and out. t  in vulgar details. It ment t sattered lace  a great opportunity ed. Selling Sibyl e s  so look after. S  s ically expressed. S t t it some day.