Man and Maid

The Duchesse had dropped the "thee and thou"--it hurt me.

"I want to treat her with every respect--" I reiterated.

"Then believe me it is unnecessary for you to know her name--I am not

altogether pleased with you, Nicholas."

"Dear Duchesse! that grieves me--I wish I could explain--I have only

wanted to be kind--and I don't even know her address and could not send

flowers when her brother died."

"They did not want flowers, perhaps--Take my advice--of the best I can

give--Pay your secretary her wages--as high ones as she will accept--and

then treat her as if she were fifty years old--and wore glasses!"

"She does wear glasses--abominable yellow horn rimmed spectacles!" I

announced excitedly.--"Have you never seen them?"

The Duchesse's eyes flashed--.

"I have not said I ever met Miss Sharp, Nicholas--"

I knew the affair was now hopeless--and that I would only risk the real

displeasure of my dear old friend if I continued in this way. So I

subsided.--I had some instinct too that I would not receive sympathy

even if I owned that my intentions were strictly honourable.

"I will say no more--except that should you know these people cherè

Duchesse--and you ever discover that I could help them in any way--that

you will call upon me to any extent."

She looked at me very searchingly and said laconically.

"Bien."

Then we talked of other things, and I tried to reingratiate myself--The

war was going better--Foch would wish to push his advantage. Things must

have some end--in the near future.--When was I going to England?--All

these subjects we discussed.

"When I am out of the hands of these doctors and have my new leg and

eye--I will return, and then, I want to go into Parliament."

The Duchesse warmed up at once.--That was just the thing for me to

do--that and to marry some nice girl of my own world, of which there

must be an embarrassment of choice--with all the men killed in my

country!

"I would want such an exceptional woman, Duchesse!"

"Do not look for the moon, my son--Be thankful if she has been

sufficiently well brought up to have a decent conduct--the manners of

the young girls now revolt me.--I try to go with the times----but these

new fashions are disgusting."

"Do you think a woman ought to be perfectly innocent and ignorant of

life to make the marriage happy--" I asked.

"The insides of the minds of young girls one is never sure of, but the

tenue should be correct at all costs, so that they may have something

to uphold them as well as religion--which is no longer so surrounding

as it used to be."