Lifted Masks

ured young woman assured him were bien chic was edging nearer her. She was never so conscious of the truly American quality of her French as when a countryman was at hand. The French themselve

tself, but with an arrogant new American brand thereof, she moved a l

, n'a

equately represented the figure bro

e of a broad grin? And because it was such a long time since a grin like that had been grinned at her

of them. In fact, I should say, if anything-a little more so. But do

black hose she was thinking of purchasing dangled a

n't think it can be the cloth

ured Virginia, "wer

s if you used to play tag with your brother. Something-anyhow-gives a fellow that '

t w

ris out at right angles? Now look here, Young Lady, for that matter-why can't you help me buy some presents for

please tell me the nearest way to-?" but preposterously enough-she could not for the life of her have told why-frowning upon this huge American-fat was the literal word-who stood there

re thinking of buying these

em? Look as if they came from

w"-this quite as to that little boy who might be buying the ribbon-"American women don't always care for al

pair in her life. That's why I

y. There were times when dim

oo bad, wouldn't it, if after you got these clear home your wife should turn out to be one of those people? Now, I think these grey stoc

t look here. We'll take both. Sure-that's the way out of it. If she don't like the red, she'll like the grey, and if she don't like the-You like the grey ones, don't you? Then here"-picking up two pairs of the handsomely em

tantly the colour of the condemned stocking

"Like to have you have 'em. Seems as if strangers

ding up the stockings alluringly.

nounced Virgini

shoulder and outstretched hands were saying. "If the ki

ou what you might do," he solved it. "Just take 'em along and send t

uld send with the stockings. "Mother dear," she would write, "as I stood at the counter buying mysel

t thought of its showing she could not keep it from showing! And how cou

utting the stockings in a box. The Frenchwoman's eyebrows soon put that dimple in its proper p

and her mother herself could have done it no better, "but I am sure our little joke had gone quite far enough. I bid you good-mo

go up," she fumed. "Now his weren

m," she was sure. "And then laugh at him in the bargain. A man li

rapid headway, their smiling deference scantily concealing their amused contempt. The spectacle infuriated Virginia. "They just think they can w

artment was saying, "that this garment is a wonderful value. We

doesn't know what to do. He just does need somebody to look after him." She stood there looking at his back. He had a back a good deal like the back of her chum's father at home. Indeed there were various thi

rancs," she heard th

er national rage, was lashed into action. It was with very red cheeks t

fening clerks. "Seven hundred francs-indeed! Last year's model-a hideous colour, and "-picking

athed, again wiping his brow. "You kno

ge and glaring uglily, stepped

t, partner. The young lady's a friend of mine-see? She's looking out for me-not you. I

e to buy dresses,

e places were to buy things,"

ant to buy?" demande

l thing from Paris, you know. I came over from London on purpose. B

just have to take you. There doesn't seem any way out of i

you I will be grateful if you'll just stay by me a litt

from Paris," began Virginia didactically,

ght. Still it never struck me there was an

ia in teacher-to-pupil manner. "Lace is always in good taste, never goes out o

e, truly chastened. "Here

ons. Her companion turned several times to address her, but it would have been

and seeming to want to get me away. And when they tell the price, no matter what they say, just-well sort o

to do that he

ou should get it. You, and people who go shopping the way

Young Lady, I'll do the best I can. Never did act

she heard him murmuring

ore her. His contempt for everything shown was open and emphatic. It was also articulate. Virginia grew nervous, seeing the real red showing through in the Frenchwoman's cheeks. And when the price was at last named-a price which made Virginia jubilant-there burst upon her outraged ears something between

ou to act like t

ns to the letter. Don't think for a minute I'm going to bring discredit on

presume you notice, howev

ther shop," she then volunteered, in a turning the other cheek

f I was feebl

med at seeming to suggest any more parts; "just sit the

the money end of it isn't cutting much ice, and isn't there any way you can just buy things-t

t unless you want them to laugh and say 'Aren't

l show them a

them nothing here

he rear of the shop, buried her face in her handkerchief, and seemed making heroic efforts to sneeze. Once more he was following directions to the letter. Chin resting on hands, hands

shopping alone; she could see how hard it would be for her own father; indeed it was seeing how difficult it would be for her father had impelled her to go with him, a stranger.

look here, Young Lady, I don't doubt but this lace is great stuff. You say so, and I haven't seen man, woman or child on this side of the Atlantic knows as much as you do. I'm mighty grateful for the lace-don't you forget that, but just the same-well, now I'll tell you. I have a very special reason for wanting something a litt

k. He walked toward it, Virginia following. "Now there," he tu

it was billowy; it was insis

e ticket!"

ery strange position, not knowing what your wife likes or-or has. This is

e'll just get every

is-or New York. If one is-now my mother wouldn't care for that c

eamed. "I want it. Very th

an do here as you said you wished to do, simply go in and pay what they ask. There would be no use trying to get it cheap. They would know that a

one beam over finding a tin horn: "Oh well, take the horn if you want to, but you can't haul your little red waggon while you're blowing the horn." There seemed something peculiarly inhuman a

w opera cloak. They paid for that decorative garment the sum of two thousand five h

t." He was leaving Paris that night and held that during his stay he had

ts-"the kind you see some folks wearing." One was the rainbow done into flowers, and the other the kind of black hat to outdo any rainbow. "If you could just give me

look right on her head she may e

man! As if a hat were any good at all

ait rien; the man with the open purse said he couldn't see that it figured much, but the small American held firm. That must be replaced by a perfect plume or they would not take the hat. And when she

n as tight under the other, "I'm tired-hungry-thirsty; feel like a ham sandwich-and something. I'

drop the velvet gown and furthermore, she would like a cup of tea. There came into her mind a fortifying thought about the relative deaths of sheep and lambs.

ittle tea-shop right round the c

right, then"-and he

of the desirableness of being slain for the lesser animal. Fo

go with them that afternoon as she must attend a musicale some friends of her mothe

ime remembering the musicale, she bowed

as stooping to pick it up the violet velvet gown slid backward and Virginia had to steady it until he could regain

towered like a human mountain over the dainty thing, twisting now this way and now that. It seemed Providence-or at least so much of it as was represented by the

think a fellow was to do with his knees? Didn't they sell tea enough to

d called them doll-baby sandwiches; now that seemed literal: tea-cups, petit gateau, the whole s

ing around the room. And when he brok

nothing to do but sit around and eat thi

int note of wistfulness, puzzl

ve so much. Maybe some of these women helped out in the early days when things weren't s

t he "getting it back?" The mon

abruptly, "you must

red feebl

der what I want with all

wife, isn't it?" s

e a shrewd one, Young Lady; judging

lves, terms which she had fought with kind and good-natured and generous. Their purchases she had decided were to be used, not fo

t all, that ten to one it would never do anything more than lie

mit that that would

about it to hardly anybody, but I feel as if you and I were

re was something so real abou

ome invisible thing by the throat. Then he said, cutting off each word short: "Young Lady, what do you think of this

Oil. Oil on a bit of land I had. I had just sense enough to make the most of it; one thing led to another-well, you're not interested in that end of it. But the fact is that now we're rich. Now she could have all the things that t

at. In a dim way she was glad to see that the girls w

spirit redeemed the flesh. "You're smart. You can see it without my callin' your attention to it. Last time I went to se

owing the rush of sympathy and understanding

got it to do-frets her to thi

ay?" she whispered. "So

said simply, "is the meaning of those. I

words. And she had thought it cheap ambi

n, thought something real gorgeous like this might impress money on her. Though I don't know,"-he seemed to grow weary as he told i

ot speak. Her hand w

ping right on trying. And anyhow-a fellow likes to

ss, their lovable absurdity and stinging irony-those things they had bought

heart. Right there in the tea-

ed clumsily. "Why, look here, Young Lad

gs-when you think of her bein' bound to 'em for life just because she was too faithful doin' 'em-when you think that now-when I could give her everything these women have got!-she's got to go right on worrying about baking the bread and washing the dishes-did it for me

a-a noble man,"

me. My life goes on. I've got to eat, drink and be merry. I'm built that way. But just the same my heart on t

n who aren't well. Such soft, lovely things to wear in your room. Not but what I think these other things are all right. As you say, they may-interest her. But they aren't things she can use jus

et 'em?" he dem

selected with more loving care than that which Virginia picked out that afternoon. A tear fell on one particularly lovely robe de nuit-s

ona thing you liked," he said, "and a trinket or two. Now that w

end them to my mother," Virginia replied, a

ey had said good-bye and the cocher had cracked his whip when he came running a

s telling me something last night that made me sick. He said American girls sometimes got awfully up against it here. He said one actually starved last year. Now, I don't like

one's knowledge of life may only penetrate life a very little way. Her cab stopped by a blockade, she watched the burly back of

d Virginia. "It just goes to

ad brought to Virginia's girlish face the