," "The Light of Asia"--poems
which, with their inversions, obscurities, and astonishing arabesques
of rhetoric, left Aunt Wess' bewildered, breathless, all but stupefied.

Laura found these readings charming. The studio was beautiful, lofty,
the light dim; the sound of Corthell's voice returned from the thick
hangings of velvet and tapestry in a subdued murmur. The air was full
of the odor of pastilles.

Laura could not fail to be impressed with the artist's tact, his
delicacy. In words he never referred to their conversation in the foyer
of the Auditorium; only by some unexplained subtlety of attitude he
managed to convey to her the distinct impression that he loved her
always. That he was patient, waiting for some indefinite, unexpressed
development.

Landry Court called upon her as often as she would allow. Once he had
prevailed upon her and Page to accompany him to the matinee to see a
comic opera. He had pronounced it "bully," unable to see that Laura
evinced only a mild interest in the performance. On each propitious
occasion he had made love to her extravagantly. He continually
protested his profound respect with a volubility and earnestness that
was quite uncalled for.

But, meanwhile, the situation had speedily become more complicated by
the entrance upon the scene of an unexpected personage. This was Curtis
Jadwin. It was impossible to deny the fact that "J." was in love with
Mrs. Cressler's protegee. The business man had none of Corthell's
talent for significant reticence, none of his tact, and older than she,
a man-of-the-world, accustomed to deal with situations with unswerving
directness, he, unlike Landry Court, was not in the least afraid of
her. From the very first she found herself upon the defensive. Jadwin
was aggressive, assertive, and his addresses had all the persistence
and vehemence of veritable attack. Landry she could manage with the
lifting of a finger, Corthell disturbed her only upon those rare
occasions when he made love to her. But Jadwin gave her no time to so
much as think of finesse. She was not even allowed to choose her own
time and place for fencing, and to parry his invasion upon those
intimate personal grounds which she pleased herself to keep secluded
called upon her every feminine art of procrastination and strategy.

He contrived to meet her everywhere. He impressed Mrs. Cressler as
auxiliary into his campaign, and a series of rencontres followed one
another with astonis