The Man in Lonely Land

re Mr. and Mrs. Taillor and their daughter were receiving their guests and passing them on with a rapidity that would have been

change his mind. Jessica, you should feel honored. Awfully good of you to come! How do you do, Mrs. Haislip?" And Lai

handsome room with its massed palms, its wealth of flowers, its brilliant lights, and streams of gorgeously gowned women and prosperous-looking men, and then he wondered what had made him start anything of this s

ognizable; and with something of shock he realized how few were the years necessary to change the personnel of any division of humanity. The heat was intense, and moving farther back toward a scree

re and there one he knew well or slightly; but gradually its effect chille

her hand. "From what loophole were you watching this

u m

Paris green couldn't be more deadly. I heard Mathilda Hickman tell her just now to be sure and wear it to her dinner next week, it was so becoming; and only yesterday she was shrieking over it at a luncheon where everybody was talking about it, Mr. Trehan is to be at the dinner, and Mathilda wants every woman to look her worst. Hello! There comes Channing a

as a chance, but a man who has lost his place hasn't. People have a way of closing up if you lose step, and I"-he laughed-"I lost s

end of the hall opposite the dining-room, and as she sat d

ootball very well, but a dining-room seems to be the center-rush. Please look at that crowd over there!" She nodded toward the open

put his handkerchief in his pocket. Will you wait her

immage of that kind. If I could get on top of a picture-frame or a curtain-pole, or anything from which I could l

into it, was a small room of Taillor's which could only be reached by a narrow pa

known and long disliked. He stopped a servant who was passing, a man who had once been in the employ of one of his c

of man for her to have anything to do with. In a time incredibly short, but to Laine irritatingly long, David was back, abundantly supp

held out her hand. "Betti

s was a monopolist. What are you doing at a thing of this kind, anyhow, Laine? Don't pay any attention to h

h the open door the sound of music reached them faintly over the shrill rise and fall of many voices; and as Claudia sat down n

sounds when there're only women at it. When there're men it's more so. What is this?" She held h

s men here, and the ambition of Clicot's life is to create a new dish. I'm glad you like it

the crowd." She looked around the room. "This is a very handsome house. I never saw more gorgeous flo

th. It's the one compensation for folli

are always follies

in his eyes a quiet gle

as well." She gave a happy little laugh. "But of course we change with time. My sis

wha

plates aside, and folded her arms on the table. "I always wondered about things, but I didn't entirely wake up until I was over twenty. I don't blame people for having things like thi

." Laine leaned forward, hands clasped loosely bet

nder if they knew, and cared, and what they were doing with it-their life I mean, their chance, their time, their money. One winter it got so bad Lettice sent me home. Lettice lives in Washington; she's my second sister. My oldest sister is a widow, and is still in London, whe

king for?" Laine leaned back in his c

ght. And in such unexpected places you find things!" She stopped and listened. "I believe peo