An Illusion

If Lcfebvre's two sisters and bis aunts had not treated the wholo thiug so superciliously, and his cousiu Laura, in spitc of her generous bohavior, bad not every now and then lookcd large-eycd disapproval, very likcly ft would have como to nothing long before. But of course those women and a host of othcr femalo relations werc not going to bo wiser than he, Lncian Lefebvre, Captain of Engineor and Colonel by brevet, stationed at the capital, and guardián of the nation's citadel - dancing duty, Bell called it. " Introduccd to that doll ?" said Bell, when hc came up to them, at Hie Seerctary's proposing the introduction. Bell was the married sister; Hélen was unmarried, uud oliitle nissce but i person af dignity. " Why, does she taih. ?■■ " Qtfïte a pretty piece of mechanism," said bis aunt. "Very well put together." Lefebvro looked at them in nmazement and indignation. " lïoally," said he, "it is -wondcïfnl what women are made of." "Not this one," said Helen, deliberately putting up her glass. "Sbe is Ealse from the crown of her heod to the sole of her foot. How can you be so taken in ? I don't know what you are made of, Lucian, to think of introducing sueh a oreature to your sisters, nor how slie made her way here." He -was just turning on his heel in speechless anger, but, remembering that he had left the side of the lady in disputo for the avowed puipose of bringing his sisters to her, he exclaimed, "Whatever she is, some of you must come with me and be presented to lier, as I am here for that purpose, and I will not have her insnlted." "Indeed!" said Helen, looking over the top of her fan into infinite space, but not stirring. " I -will go, Lucian," said Laura, who had not spoken. "Come, Bell, help me out." " Well, Laura, for a little goose ! Ho-wever, I will never desert a companion in arms. Do you suppose she bas observed our council of war ?" as tbey moved off beside Lucian, with his chin well in the air. "She is a fine picture. A person should go on the stage tbat can make up as well as that. I should like to see her in the privacy of her midnigtit retirement. How old" should you think? Forty?" "Forty!" cried Lucian. "I heard her myself arranging for a picnic on her 23d birth-day." " How touching ! In the life to come. Her 23d ! She'll never see her 43d again in this Ufe." "Bell!" " Oh yes, Lucian ; if you choose to force unwelcome acquaintance on your family, at least they must enjoy freedom of opinión conceming it. The very set the woman is with speaks for her. Good evening, General. What a crush ! All because of this young Eussian hero - a beauty, isn't he ? Ah, you too are making for the cynosure, I sec ; all the world is being presented. It will never do not to follow the fashion." And directly Lucian was presenting his sister, Mra. Garnier, and his cousin, Miss Laura Nelson ; and Miss Nekon had behaved exactly as Lucian wished ; and, although he could never have said what was wanting in Mrs. Garnier's behavior, he knew that a challenge of defianco was in her very air, and that her mero manner had told the other woman what she thought of her. Perhaps Bell presumed that that was the way to manage him. Ho would shortly iher know. Col. Lefebvre came clattering down stairs next morning, his horse waiting at the door. "Whither bound, Lucian?" cried Helen from the library. " To ridc with Mrs. De Beman." " Oh, your newwidow," she said, gayly. " Have you called yet ? No? How very accommodating in her lo ride with you first !" " She is not a punotilious fooi," he muttered, drawing on liiu glovti. " Certainpunctilios," put in AuntSusan, " are only self-respeot." "If you will go and cali with me, Ncll," said Lucian, " I'vo no doubt she will postpone the ride " " Now, Lucian, dear, you know Ihate not to gratify you," said Helen. "But really the last tbing Bell said was that it would not do. She should not cali, nor could I, if, for nothing elee, forlittle Laura's sake, who is too young and innocent to have anything to do - " "Just as you please," he said, angrily, and had slammed the door behind hira. You can imagine his surprise when, as ho reined his horse up at the steps of tho houso where Mrs. De Beman waa visitiug, Ue Bftw bis opusin Laura comiug down with Mrs. Vaughn, a leader of th fashions, with whorn she sometimes wen out; for Laura was an heiress, and bu little gainsaid in her wishes. " I tliought you would like to liave me," Laura said, timidly looking upwitl her brovra eyes, as he dismounted. She never did have any spirit. "It is just like you, Laura," he said fervently. " I - I don't think you will admire he so much by daylight," she said agaiu timidly; and he had laughed and handec her..into the carriage and disappearec befpre she knew she had ventured to sa; so muoh. But a more judioious cnrtain had been dropped within the drawing-rooni; am áéf Mrs. De Beman sat pensively leaning her liead on her hand that bore a gleam ing sapphire, a dark curl straying over the contour of the white hand set in its laoe ruffj and the damask shadow of a great vase of roses on the table, tullei than herself, falling round her, Col. Lefebvre thought he did admiro Mrs. De Berrian quite as much by dayliglr - iflthöngh it occurred io him later thai Bell would have called it rose-light or curtaia-light instead. He was confirmec in his admiration l:efore he left her. He was not sure but that by the time he saw Mrs. De Berrian again he should be really in love with her. And his little cousin Laura ? Well, thank Heaven, he could áfford to marry where he chose. She was ratlu r an enehanting woman af ter her kind. ' ' I will teil you about her," said Laura to her cousins, when sho had endured their reproaches. ' ' She makes it a vital point to picase - in her person, her manner, hor voice. Her face can only afford smiles, so she never resent, not even such a look as Bell's. She was charmingly dressed. She is visiting peoplc juat on the verge of society, Mrs. Vaughn says, but she doesn't seem to belong to them. It is my belief that she has liad money, run tlirongh nearly all of it, and that this is hor last throw for station and a husband." "Laura, where iu the world," ciled her displeased aunt, " did you piek np such " - "Frcnch novéis," said Bell, who had run over. "I must say, Laura, I think you took a great deal oh yourself. Now slie will return the cn.ll." " Slie - sho would like to bc respectabloy" stamrncrcd Laura. "And you know vory wcll that if you want Luciau to go and marry sucli a womau out of hand. you have only to persecute l)er. " " Persocute lier! Yon do has select, terras. We let her alone, which you hart bettcr have done." " 1- I didu't want Lucían to bo mortifiert." ' ' So you mortif y us. " And 'by tbc time Lueian camo home Laura was in a flood of tears, and BODped out, in reply to his amazed inquiry, " Oh they are abusing me so !" And then ovoryone laughed at the idea of fneir abnsing littlo Laurn, the darling of tho liouse. "■ vr.u, ", t .„„,.„ aai,i hQ iu not abuso you. I invite you To our pw nie to-morrow to Great falls. Mrs. De Berrian will chaperon you." "Mrs. De Berrian !" roso the chorus. "Madame Arroyo, the Spanish Minister's wifo, invites her." "Well, tobe sui-e," said Bell, cat"hing lier suspended breath, " nobody krióws anything about her either- an adventuress, all tíie legation say." ' ' Tho Oount Zara escorts her. I suppose nobody knows anything about him." The Austrian attaclie- yes, he hit Nell harrt then, he thought. "And the youiig Eussian Duke tliat enchanted you so " " Oh, men, all of them !" "Very fine men, and some of the finest ladies at the capital. I'll take care of you, Laura, Ü you'll go." 'Til go, Lucian." " Pcrhaps she'd best," said Bell to Helen, at the door. " I shouldn't let him out of my sight, if I were slie." It was a month later when Bell ran over one evening, as usual, now the gayeties were so few, and sat talking gloomily with Helen. "I never would have believed it of our Lucian," said she. "AU but engaged, as he was, to Laura, and with her fortune, that would have just doubled his own, and she so gentle- and now perfectly lost and infatuated over this Freneh doll." "T can't imagine that it is the same brother who turned pale when we came down with carmine on our cheeks the day after we first saw the Freneh play, and who expostulated with us so." " Our turn now." "He would have made Laura such a goodhusband," said one. "But now this deraoralizing woman And while they were bemoaning his decline and f all, the subject of their complaint was whirling away in a palaceear, surrounded by wraps and rugs and lunch baskets and periodioals and Freneh candy and Mrs. De Benian, the waxlights shining softly down f rom above on the charmiDg pioture the lady made, as, having removed her hat. sho leaned back among her oushions under the shelter of the rose-colored scarf passed over her dark curls. Mrs. De Berrian had been summoned to New York on important business ; Col. Lefebvre had suddenly found that he had business there too. Mrs. De Berrian perhaps meant to give him some business before he returned. Neither of them was aware that behind the curtains of a neighboring section, whose berths had been made up and occupied just as the train started, reposed one of his aunts and his cousin Laura. Il simply an ïniatuauon over meiu beauty wcre in case, no one eoiild marvel at Col. Lefebvre's infatuation. By eandle-light at night, behind a veil outdoors, iu the dim, deep-curtainod drn.wing-room, Mrs. De Berriau was worthy a painter's pencil - delicate features, Bcarlet lipa, deep dimples, ponciled brows, the sparklc of teeth, the soft, dark giow of great eyes, tho snowiuess of the forehead under multitudinous wavcs of shadowy hair - beauty could hardly bo botter imaged forth, although possibly 011e might tire of it, and of the set, unvarying smile, for all its _ swectness. Lueian had uot tired of it yet once or twice there had croased his mine a suspicion that its owner was not aito gether a woman of high principie, bu whether he had put the thought away as treasonablo, or had feit with a ïiotim i usual masculine vanitytliat he. con , chango all that, or had not just thei ; cared so mucli for high principie, it die not hinder his own color from niounting i when he looked at hers, or his puls ■ from quickening when this woman touched his hand. As for Mrs. De Ber rian, she was beginning to feel a tolera , ble assurance that at last her pendulou i position on ' ' the verge of society " waf E to be exohanged lor the fixed and solic ï station of a membor of tlie Lefebvr 5 family, with 11 thoir wcaltli mi rk their rcspectability, consideration juk friends. And, when it sbould be - why then shc meant to show tlie womea ii that family who she was ! It carne near being a settled fact tha night as they rolled comfortably along almost all tho rest of the car behini their curtains, the soft light, hiili' gloom half liglit, falling softly ou the lovely face, a setting moon traveling with them and looking in at the window at ever turn. Col. Lefebvre had changed lii seat for one at the lady's side, that the sleepers might not be troubled by thcii voices - his voice, rather, for it was he that talked; she listened, with the lovely smile, the musical word. His arm laj along the back of the seat, his face was bending over hers; her great eyea we re cast up at him in the dim light; her lijjs seemed to tremble. He was noting the gentle rise and fall of her breath, the charin of every outline of the beautifu head resting op that hand with its gleam ing sapphire, aware of a stracge quick throb with the thought, half a certainty half a fear, that all this was doubtless his should he choose to take posses sion - "Tickets!" said some one at his elbow - the conductor, who had come aboard at the last station, and who mistook them for a portion of the gay party that had been taken on with himsclf. It broke the spell for that night. Ooi, Lefebvre started to fmd how late it was, and"went away to his berth, leaviugMrs. De Berrian, iil-plcased, to order the porter about as he made up her own. Col. Lefebvre woke very early on the next morning from his fitful slumber, restless with f eeling and with heat, and, looking from his window, saw that tiiey were rolling along the green flats of New Jersey. Then he half parted his curiains, and took an observation down the car. Some one was up before him - somc young girl ; he could not see plain.y, with all the obstruction of drapery. Th ere was a familiar fling of a scarf. jood gracious ! was that his cousiii Latirá ? The siglit of her made him fall sack on his pillow and begin to recall he events of the evening before. It was ust then that some onecame rustliug by lis closed curtains - a lady who wished ;o make her toilette bef ore the rest of .he car wíis astir. Tho sound stopped short ; the person did not go on. Instinctively Ooi. Lefebvre glanced hrough the crack of his cnrtains. A netting of the. lady's fringe had caught on tho hook of somo projocting vaiise - t ho porter was disengaging it- an oldsh, frowzy sort of woman. One uplifted niml grasped the curtain for support ; ipon ifc sliono a gleaining sapphire. The 'rops started out on his forehead. Was t - impossible ! He sat up and glarcd t her. She held a toilet case in her ther hand. She was makiug for the ittle dressiug'-room. Therc was the ame bronze green luster of silk, the ame black laoe about the throat, the apel of the same rosy scarf of woolon jauze had been tliat instant thrown up rom hor face. But that face ! No ; it been a horridly ïiot ïiight ; the best bï aint would run ; the best of powder vould cake and roll off ;the peneiling of brows would rub all about ; the pigment hat so darkened and increased the eye would smear hero and there raggedly. Vhat has happened to that mouth ? Or vas there no mouth there ? There were o tceth there ; they were in her hand. fbie dimples - they were two long furows ; the scarlet of the mouth had someïow streaked them. And as for the dropping curls - they were dropping off. Tho jeautiful Adelaido De Berrian had gone out like the blown flame of a candle, and eft only the ashes - had left only a worn and withered womanwith white lips, and a wrinkled pallor that was blotched and ileared, whose face had been a mask, ' whose mother was her painting." " ' Falso f rom the crown of her head o the sole of her foot,' " he repeated, in lelen's words, and shut his eyes ; and ;here sat Laura, brown-eyed and fair, with her smooth hair, a little Madonna of a face, as he opened them again. An hour afterward, the other women of the car havmg clamored in vain the last hird of that time for admittance, an elegant lady issued from the dressingoom, crimped andcurledandpowdered, a blooming, smiling picture, seated herelf in her rearranged section, and awaitod her cavalier. She waited a long while. While she was in the dressingroom, that cavalier had stepped off the rain at Elizabeth. As Col. Lefebvre sp.t in his aunt's room in the Brevoort that night, he re)lied to her query cöncerning his ;loom, " Let it be. I have a right to je a little disturbed. I havo lost a 'riend. I have escaped a terrible danjer. I have found an invaluable possession that I had mislaid. What did you sring Laura here for ? Her summer inery ? lam going to take her a long drive in the Park to-morrow morning. Say, Aunt Maria, don't you make any purchases till we come back. And, Aunt Maria, don't you think it would be stealing a fino march on them all at horee if Laura and I went back on one ticket - " "One ticket?" " Well, no, not exactly. Husbands and wives are not one financially, are they? Eailways haven't any