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U n dee s y m b o l es s u v an t s ap p a rai t ra s u r l a
d er n er e m ag e d e ch e q u e m i c r oti ch e s a l o n l e
"
A S U I V RE l e
cas : l e s y m b o l e
s gn f e
"
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FI N
sy m b o le V s g n f e
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L es ca n es . l an c h e s . ta b l e a u x . et c . e u v e n t et r e
til m ds a d es ta u : d e r dd u ct i o n dii ter e n t s
ors q u e le d ocu m e n t s et t r o
g r a n d o u r et r e
re r o d u t e n u n se u l cl i c h d . il es t ti l m e a a rt r
de l an g l e s u pdri e u r g a u ch e . d e g a u ch e s d r o t e
r e n a n t le n o m b r e
s r de h a u t en b aa . e n
d m ag as nec essa r e L es d a g r a m m es s u v a n t s
ll ust re n t la m st h o d e
L
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T HE
W
I N N I N G G AM E
BY
M A D G E M A C B ET H
W
W
BRO
NE
AD
AY
PU B L I S H I N
Y ORK
1910
G
CO
.
To
MY
MOTHER
W
i n n i n g G am e
T he
C HAPT ER
I
.
Algy T i d boa t d tha t th e h d only b
g t d es ir i hi s li fe
g ti fi d
H is planation of th i s nvi abl e st at was
ry a ti fact o ry th o ugh it w as t o hi m lf
ffi i t H e w as no t k e n ly i n tr osp ti v
'
ress
“
one
s e
ar
e n
a
,
un
ex
ve
su
s
c en
It
e
ra
.
e
s
,
een
a
re
e
se
,
e
.
ec
not
all
,
e.
h a ve bee n tha t h e nev e r rea l ly wan ted
m any thi ngs ; it may h av e bee n tha t h e posses sed
th e dogg ed pers i s t enc e and f o rce of wi ll w hi ch
w rest f rom li fe th ose thi ng s whi ch seem worth
w hil e ; i t may h a v e been a b it of bo th A t any
r a te w h a t e v e r T ressi dar set hi s min d upon he g ot
—be it a h o r s e a w oman o r whi sky
Ga mbli ng w as by w a y of mild ex c itemen t— mi ld
beca us e h e nev e r seeme d t o p ut hi s wh ol e sou l into
anythin g ; h e was w nat mi ght be te rm ed cas ual
Y et T r essi dar di d expe ri e nc e a so rt of thri l l a
pl easu r e i n hi s c ompani on s ackn ow l edgm en t o f hi s
ab ility t o tri umph h e rath e r en j oyed h eari ng th a n
may
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’
,
say :
3
T HE
4
“
W I N NIN G
ME
l u k las t
GA
I
"
h ad a s t r ea k of T r essi dar s c
ni g ht
w hi c h me an t g ood l u c k
H e was ge ne rally ca reless with hi s vi ctory often
w o n de ri ng why h e tri e d t o win ; in fac t T r essi dar
was o nly h a ppy in th e struggl e
W hen h e l ost h o w ev e r h e did n ot mind i n th e
l eas t ne ve r h a vin g kn own th e grindi n g gnawi n g
wo rry o f h a ving n o fu nd s a t his comma nd T h e re
a lw ay s see m e d to be a n u nc l e a n a u nt o r e v e n a
fo rtu nate gambl e ju st a t th e c ruc i a l m ome nt I n
s po rt s h e e x ce lle d be in g un lik e ma ny o f his cou n
t r y m en— me nta lly a l e r t a nd q u i ck t o s ee wh e r e ad
v an ta ge m ig ht be t ak e n o f his oppo n e nt s w e a kn e ss
A lw ays de fe nsive c o n s e rva tive h e Spe nt hi s an tag
on i st with o u t pl a y in g th e game t o a n y ex te nt him
s e l f A s i n gamblin g h e did not mind l o sing fo r
i n th a t e v e nt th e h o n e y o f t r i umph w as ge ntly
pl u c k ed f ro m th e winne r and th e ba lm o f symp a thy
g iv e n to A l gy ; th e vi c to r w a s a lw ays m ad e t o f ee l
as th ough h e sh ou ld h a v e l o st
Ye t wh a t h e did h e did w e ll s ayin g th a t h e n e ver
w o rri ed abo u t a pi ece o f w o r k a ft e r g iving it hi s at
t e nti o n— i t w as d o n e a s w e ll a s it co u ld be d o ne
L ike th e sac re d o ra cl e a t Delphi c ircum sta n c es
u s ua ll y w o rk e d t o his a dv a nt a ge n o m a tt e r whi ch
wa y th ey fe l l
W ith ”w ome n h e w a s ce rt a inly a n epi cu re J u st
“
wome n di d not sa tis fy h i m ; th e r e mu st be a v e ry
p a rti c ul a r woma n o n e s ought a nd co v e te d b y o th e r
m e n wh o ; p e rch a n ce h ad infinitely more c l a im to
h er f a vo r s th a n T r essi dar
’
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W I NN I N G
T HE
GA ME
5
on e kne w wh e th e r h e realiz e d thi s o r not
alway s l a ugh e d with tol e ra nt amu s em e nt wh e n
compani ons iro ni cally sang :
No
,
“
he
hi s
They say tha t th e bes t is none t oo g oo d for Algy
H e h ad
"
.
a d ange rou s intu itiv e po w e r be in g able
t o d i scov e r wh e re th e w oman fou nd h e r s u itors
l acki ng ; h e sa w th e di ff e re n ce be tw ee n th e m a n d
th e me n th e y w e r e a sk e d to be— h e him s e l f su p
pli e d th a t di ffe re n c e a nd w o n
T h e d ea dli e st w eapo n o f whi c h h e w a s p o ss e ssed
w as a pol ite ly al oo f a nd indi ffe re nt m a nne r I f h e
cu ltiv a te d thi s n o o n e w a s th e wis e r Bu t h e w as
n e ve r s ee n in a ny exce ss o f e nth u si a sm ov e r any
thin g wh a t eve r a nd wh e n th a t a ttitu d e i s n o t a
po s e it t e ll s
A m a n o f th a t s tam p t o wh o m things m a t eri a l
come t oo ea sily is da nge rou s in a ny comm u nity es
peci al l y in th e I ndi a n H ills wh e r e h u sb a nd s an d
b roth e r s a re s e nt o ff t o du ty a nd d eath l e a ving
wives a nd s i st e r s h ome si ckness a nd h ea rt ac h e be
hind
Whi sky ? Ye s T r essi dar really w a nte d whisky
bu t h e a lw ay s go t it He did n ot t a ke a drink
h e dr an k— d r a nk a s me n d o in I ndi a fi rs t a nd all
”
“
th e ir liv e s afte r A nd wh e n h e w as drinking h e
h ad th ought f o r n e ith e r God n o r m an m e r ely f or
mo re m o re m o r e !
Bu t wh en h e w as n o t drinkin g hi s mi nd h ad to
be s ti m ula te d an d h e t u rn e d t o w ome n ; h e gr e w t o
l o ve bei ng lo v ed t o l oo k f o r it t o expec t it be
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TH E W I NN I N G GA ME
6
ca u s e h e was aff ec ti on ate in his l a zy w a y M a ny
a w oman wh o did n o t u nd e rst a nd th e po te nt ca ll of
d r ink w o nd e r e d w h y h e l eft h e r with ou t a w o r d
o f fa re we ll a n ex cu s e o r e ve n a reg re t h avin g fe l t
o nly a w ee k befo re th a t sh e w a s j u stifie d in bel i ev
ing him s in ce re in hi s l o ving
I t alw ays h appened th a t the w oman appeared t o
int e re st h e rs e l f in A l gy fi rst f o r h e pl ay e d th e game
o f l o v e as h e did te nnis— d efe nsive ly He m a de
him s e l f n ece s sa ry by th e proce s s o f e limin ati o n so
t o sp e a k ; h e a lw a y s h a d th e a ppea ra n ce of be in g
so ught T h e w oma n in th e ca s e s e ldom rea liz e d
h o w h o pel e ssly e nta ngl e d sh e w a s m th e t o il s o f h er
o w n w eavin g u ntil A lgy l ef t h e r a pre y to bu rn ing
thirst a nd c o mme nce d t o drink f orge tting h e r as
compl e tely a s th o ugh sh e h ad n e v e r bee n a nd tu rn
in g u p s ix m o nths l a te r a t hou s a nd m il e s a w a y with
th e mos t e ss e nti a l o f his bel o ng ings t agge d a n d a
mild cu ri osity as t o h ow it a ll h appe ne d
Pe r forc e h e w as s ome thin g o f a tra ve ll e r and
l ea rn e d to kno w w ome n fa t ally w e ll
O n a rrivin g a t a pl ace th e h u mo r o f th e s it u a ti on
w o u ld some time s strik e him He w ou ld try t o d e
c id e wh eth e r to s e arc h fo r comp a ni on s with wh om
t o while a w a y th e n o c t u rn al h ours in a truly Ba c
ch an ali an m a nn e r o r wh e th e r t o p u t hims e l f in th e
pub li c— th a t is t o say th e feminin e ey e —a nd e n gage
o n c e a ga in i n ga lla nt pl e a s a ntri e s N o t th a t T r es
sid a r c ons c i ou sly th ought ou t hi s cou rs e of acti on
s o m inute ly ; a s h a s bee n s a id h e w as n o t a n a lyti ca l
b u t h e w o u l d o f te n t o s s u p a co in ca re l e s s ly— h eads
.
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T HE
GA ME
W I NN I N G
7
w om an ; t a il s Scot ch O f cou rs e Sco t ch alw ay s
w o n in th e l o n g r u n
B u t th e o n e d e sire— th a t w as tw e nty y ea r s ago
wh e n A lg y h a d come t o N e w Yo r k wi th his b ro the r
a nd th a t br o th e r s t u tor He w as bu t te n a will fu l
spo il e d child wh o s e wish w as l aw a t h ome— La dy
T r es si dar did n o t be li e v e in c ro ssing c hild r e n sh e
sa id it spo il e d th e ir dispo siti ons and S ir A nth o ny
A h ! w e ll h e h a d trou bl e s o f hi s ow n th e re w as
La dy T
A t th e h o te l i n N ew Yor k th e r e w as a fl ax en
h aire d e l f o f a c hild you n ge r b y s e ve r a l y ea rs th an
A lgy a nd whil e h e rath e r s corn ed th e id ea of pl ay
i ng with gi rl s s o me ho w this c hild int e r e ste d him
and h e h ad t o acknowl ed ge s h ameface dly th a t h e
like d h e r
S h e did ev e rything a s w e ll o r be tte r th a n h e ;
cou ld th row a ba ll as st ra i ght a nd h a rd a s a ny bo y
cou ld c li mb a nd ru n faste r th a n th e l a zy E nglish fe l
l ow
Bu t s h e w o ul d n ot s u ff e r him to be a bully
sh e w ou ld n ot be a ni ce t e r rifi e d obe di e nt white
m a n whil e A lgy b ra ndish e d his t oma h awk an d
rou ghly dragge d a t h e r m o p o f fi ax en h a ir I n f act
o n e d ay i n a fin e sho w o f t em pe r sh e so u ndly
slapped him a nd fe ar le ssly w a lke d a w a y f rom him
t o th e d oo r o f h e r room whil e h e a sto nish e d to th e
po int o f stu pidity stoo d moti o nl es s liste nin g t o
the ke y gra tin g in th e l oc k
Wh ate v e r th e off e ns e w as it appa re ntly ra nk l ed
dee p i n th e littl e g i r l s h ea rt fo r sh e re fu se d t o m ee t
a
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TH E
8
Algy agai n
W I NN I N G GA M E
and
so two day s w en t by b ri ng i ng th e
h o u r of hi s d e pa rtu r e s i cke nin gly n e a r
A t first h e h a d tri e d t o pe r s ua d e him se l f th at h e
d i d no t ca re w h eth e r sh e cam e o u t a n d pl a ye d o r
no t bu t th e oth e r c hildre n s eeme d stupid a nd ti re
som e in compa ris on a nd fin ally h e co n fe s se d th a t
h e w ant e d h e r T h e n h e satisfi e d hi m s e l f with th e
assura n ce th a t sh e too w ou ld be lo n e ly fo r him
a nd w o u l d c ome W h e n sh e did n ot h o w e ve r h e
began t o w a nt h e r w a nt h e r fa r m o r e th a n h e h ad
lo nge d fo r hi s pony his gu n his w a tch o r e v e n
hi s pre c i ou s j a ckkni fe He ra ppe d on h e r d oo r then
h e p o u nde d th e n ki c k e d
”
“
I w ant th e gi rl to “c ome ou t i h e sh ou te d to” th e
m a id wh o Op e n e d it ; I w a nt t o sa y goo d by e h e
a dd ed a littl e mo r e polite l y
T h e m i d spo k e qu i e tly o v e r h e r sh ou ld e r ge ntly
coaxingly th e n fin ally tu rne d bac k to th e boy a nd
s hook h er h ea d
“
Sh e say s sh e d o e sn t lik e y o u a ny m o re and
”
sh e w on t com e ou t
! u ite s u dd e nly th e knowl e dge bu rst u po n him
b itte rly ; it w as true sh e did n o t lik e hi m sh e w o u ld
not come ou t e ve n t o s a y good by e !
A blindin g rage g rippe d him min gl e d with a
n g wildly u p
per fe c t pa ssi o n of l o ng ing a nd J um m
a n d d own h e ye lle d fu r i o u sly :
“
I f sh e w o n t come d rag h e r— ”dr ag her to m e!
I w i ll h av e h e r ! Drag h e r I s ay i
Bu t it was h e wh o go t c rue lly dr agge d a w a y
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T HE
WINNIN G GA M E
II
CHAPT E R
“
I
9
.
”
h a ve some thin g fo r y ou Le sli e sa i d Don
Crowl ey as his siste r M a rga re t a nd M i ss Lori ng
cam e int o th e dra win g roo m
”
“
“
Oh Don you old dea r cri ed th e girl d i d
y o u rea lly ge t me o n e ? W ith a l o v e ly fl a t bl ac k
nos e a nd s pikey tee th th a t s ti c k up— thi s w ay— on
”
th e ou ts i d e ?
Crowl e y l a ugh ed a nd th e c o ntinu a ti o n of hi s u n
controll e d mirth ga v e L e sli e s e nth u si a sm time to
cool He r e age r l oo k wa s s upe rse d e d by on e of
pe rpl exity
“
W h a t i s it th e n
sh e a sk e d with a pre tty po ut
”
“
I th ought yo u ha d discov e re d m“y drea m dog
C rowl e y t u rn ed t o his sist e r
I gathe r that y ou
h a v e n o t pa v e d th e w ay in yo u r u s ua l t ac t fu l styl e
M arga ret Leslie w a s he re t o l unch w a sn t she
Marg a re t nodde d
“
”
A nd i t i s n ow s e v e n o c l oc k contin ue d h er
“
brothe r loo kin g a t his w atch
I f you h av e n t men
t i on ed th e la t e st ite m of int e re st pra y wh a t h a ve
y ou t alk e d a bo u t th e s e l on g r a iny h ou r s
”
“
Wh a t i s it D o n ? Do n t t e a s e l Lesli e c ri e d i m
pa ti ently
Ma rga re t Cr ovsi ay a nsw e re d th e que s ti on i n h er
b u siness lik e ma tte r o f f ac t w ay
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10
W
T HE
W I N NIN G GA M E
h a v e been talkin g S oc i a l Eco n omy I be
l i ev e f o r th e m o st p a rt th o ug h so me o f th e tim e
”
L e s li e was t elling m e abou t h e r n ew cl oth e s too
s h e adde d a p r e y to acc u ra c y o f d et a il whi c h i s en
t i r el y s u pe rfl u ou s in a w o m a n
”
“
Do n — L e sli e s ta mped h e r foot
“
”
“
He i s a n Englishma n la ughed Crowley wh o
h as n ot a fl a t b l ac k n o se n o r Spik e y t ee th whi ch
”
s ti c k u p on th e o u tsid e— so
He ma d e tw o t us ks
o f hi s f or efi ng er s a n d pl ace d th e m tip u pw a r d be
s id e hi s nos e
“
”
Ma rga re t ex cl a ime d a nd h e r f ri e nd sa i d Pou f
”
“
I
s th at a ll ?
i n dn u st
“
He i s c o min g t o din e t o nig ht— sh ou ld be h e re
now with Geo rge B u rnl ey a nd V e ra S tea rns
D idn t y o u t e ll Le s wh e n I ph o ne d
h e a ske d
t u rn ing t o hi s si s t e r
”
“
N o I fo rgo t by th e tim e I go t u pst a ir s
Ma r
“
gare t a d m itte d
I t didn t matte r really you know
a nd w e w e r e so inte re ste d in o u r c o nv e r s a ti o n Sh e
kn ew s h e w as t o sta y t o dinn e r a nd h a d a gow n
”
h e r e it m a d e n o di ff e r e n ce wh o w as coming l
”
“
N o a pol ogi es nece ss a ry D o n ass u red his s i ste r
“
w ith ex agge ra te d kindn e s s I w a s o nly a sking t o
sa ti s fy a v e ry mild fo rm o f cu ri o sity By th e w ay
”
h a ve y ou no n e ? h e a sk e d o f Le sli e wh o w as s tand
i ng o n tiptoe tryin g t o ca t ch a r ef r ac to ry l oc k an d
pi n it u nd e r h e r b r a id
“
Th e g irl sh ook h e r h ea d emph a ti cally
No t a
b it l I t so un d s u nint e re sting s o fa r— fo rg iv e m e i f I
s eem t o tr ead bu t y o u re me mber th e l as t on e— er
“
e
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T HE W I N N I N G
12
GA ME
f ri e nd s scoff ed a t h e r in ab ility t o do so and hi nt e d
th a t sh e st ay e d th e r e ju st t o pro v e th em i n th e
wron g N e v e rth el e s s th e bu rd e n o f h o u s ek eep
in g h a d bee n Margar e t s e v e r sin ce h e r e i ght ee n th
b i rthday a nd th a t ex p e ri e n ce comb in e d with n at u ra l
comm o n s e ns e m ad e h e r h o me a pl e a su re to h e r
b ro th e r a nd his f ri e nds
“
Geo rge te”lls me th at M r Mathe son i s not “so
w ell t o night Ve ra w a s s ay ing with a nx i e ty
I
wish h e w ou ld l e t s ome o f u s d o s omething H a v e
”
y ou s ee n hi m D o n ? sh e a sk ed t u rnin g t o th e i r
h o st
“
Ye s this a fte r n oo n
Poo r o ld boy h e w as
r a th e r ba d fi ghtin g fo r his b rea th a nd o nly abl e
t o whispe r W h e n I l ea n e d o v e r th e bed h e s a id
T h e d oc t o r ca lls it pn eumo ni a bu t I call it He ll I
D oe sn t th a t s ou nd like hi m ?
Le sli e s ey e s fill e d with t ea rs a nd sh e c l a sped h e r
h a nds tightly t oget h e r
“
”
“
He s imply m us t ge t bette r sh e sa id h e mu st !
”
W h a t w ou ld w e d o W ith o u t him ?
B u rnl ey sp ok e
“
T h e c l ub w ou ld n e ve r be th e same t o me I
kn ow i f M a th e so n w e r e n o t th e r e T h ough so
m uch old e r th a n th e re st o f u s h e is be yond a ll
o dd s th e gre a te st f av o rit e and as h e s ays th e
you nge st bo y th e re
He n o w feels p a rti cu l a rly
b l ue be cau s e o n acc ou nt o f his illne s s h e i s u nab le
”
t o d o th e p rope r thin g by T r essi dar
A t th e m e nt i o n o f th a t n ame Ma rgar e t Cro w
l ey l oo k e d a t th e m a ntel a nd f row n e d ag a i n T h e
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WIN N I N G GA ME
T HE
:3
h and s po i nt ed t o th e qu a rt e r T o h e r con venti onal
mind thi s w as a c rime— being l a t e fo r dinner
a nd at a s tra nge r s h om e
“
W h a t h a s h e t o d o with M r T r essi dar
asked
Le sli e showing h e r inte re st fo r th e first time
”
“
H“e had l ette rs to Ma theso n ex pl a ined B urn
l ey o r a l e tte r f ro m his e ld e st b ro th e r w h o w as
”
a f ri e nd a nd s ch ool mat e o f his I be li e v e
”
“
“
Ye s C ro wl e y inte rru pte d th e old c h a p s h os
i
l
t
e spiri t writh e s bec au s e h e h a s t o d e pe nd on
a
b
p
He h as o nly s ee n T r essi dar
u s t o d o th e h o n o rs
”
once
”
“
B l e ss hi m m u rm u re d Lesli e a littl e u n stead
.
,
’
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’
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.
,
il y
.
“
Ma rgaret
,
“
”
v e nt u re d M r s S te a rn s did y ou r
r ais on d etr e kn o w a t W h a t h ou r th e C r owl e y s
dine ? I doh’t W ish t o s ee m i m pa ti e nt o r u nd ul y
glutto n ou s bu t th e hid eo u s tru th i s— th a t I a m
bo th I am di e ting n o w you kn ow a nd only e a t
”
a ch ee s e s t r a w o r tw o in th e middl e o f th e d ay
Whil e th e o th e r s l augh e d M a rga ret blu she d an
uncom fo rtabl e re d S h e kne w Ve ra s speec h w as i n
t end e d t o be fu nny a nd r ec ognize d its t ac t in t u rn
ing th e co nve rs a ti o n f ro m a s ubjec t so distressin g
t o Le sli e bu t a t th e s a me ti me sh e w as s en sitiv e t o
a fa nc i e d rebuk e in o pe nin g h e r doors t o o n e so
gros sly i gn o rant of hi s p r i v il ege a nd s h e t u rn e d
a littl e sh a rply t o h e r b roth e r
“
D id you t ell M r T r essi dar th at w e din e a t
h al f past s e v e n Do n
Bu t Crowl ey h a d a lrea dy mo ve d t ow a rd th e doo r
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-
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WINNIN G
T HE
14
GA M
E
an d
w as acce pti ng th e som ew ha t ca rel e ss apol og ies
o f hi s la t es t gue st
”
“
Th ough c a re l e ss i s h a rdly expre ss ive
In
thi nki ng a bou t it lat e r Le sli e w a s ra th e r a t a loss
t o find a correc t a nd a ppli cabl e ad jec tiv e descr i p
tiv e o f T r essi dar s m anne r He cam e s l owly int o
th e r oo m with a g r a ce an d case whi c h a ppea l e d to
h e r a t o nce y e t sh e re sent e d an abse n c e o f contri
ti on pe n it ence a t hi s ta rdy appe a ran ce
Th e w o rds a nd e ve n th e to n e of his v o i ce w e re
sc ru pu l ou sly co r r ec t bu t th e re w as th a t lacki ng i n
both fo r whi ch Margare t C rowl ey a nd h e r f ri end
look ed
”
“
I a m aw fully s o rry t o be so la te T ressi dar
“
sa i d in a pl easa nt l ow E n glish v o i ce
I w as de
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’
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,
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,
.
,
.
,
,
tai n ed
”
.
Th a t w a s a ll
I n it sel f it w as suffi ci ent— ve rbos ity gushing
t e ll s a ga in s t a pe r s o n bu t L e sli e felt someh o w th a t
T r essi dar hi m s el f a ttach e d n o i m po rt a nc e t o th e
occ u rre n ce an d sh e re se nte d it
”
“
“
M y s iste r M arga re t Do n sa id a nd M r s
S t ea rns m a y I intr od uce o u r gue st ? M is s Lo ri ng
— a nd B u r nl e y y ou a l rea dy kn o w ”
A f t e r sh aking h a nd s with B u rnl ey th e E nglish
m a n t u rn e d bac k f or a mome nt t ow a rd L e sli e wh o
h ad mov e d t o h e r fav o rit e pl a ce be sid e th e ma nt el
H e looked a t he r cu riously and s eemed abou t t o ad
d re ss h e r r econsid e re d it an d w alke d t o th e di v an
be s i d e V e ra S tea rns
“
”
L e s li e al w ay s k eenl y a live t o s itua ti ons al
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m
W I NNI N G GA ME
a
:5
a l ittl e Pu ssy i n th e cor
n e r g ame took place Bu rn l ey l e f t hi s sea t and
mo v ed t o Mar g a ret whi le Don ask ed h e r t o l oo k a t
a new pi ece of t a pe s try a t th e fa r e n d of th e room
A s th ey passed th e divan Ve ra w as sayi ng :
“
S pe ak qu i ckly while I stran gl e a pla tit ude— I
was ju st abo u t t o as k H o w d o y o u l ik e N ew
Yo rk ?
T ressi dar l a ugh ed and k e pt his e ye s on h e r face
as th oug h oblivi ou s t o a ny on e e lse i n th e r oo m
”
“
Well ? a sk ed Don wh en out o f earshot
“
Le sl i e s eye s twinkl ed wi ck edly 1
sh e be
mos t laug h ed o u tri ght ,
as
-
-
-
.
,
,
.
,
,
‘
’
.
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,
’
,
“
D i nner M i ss Crowley
,
”
,
nnounced
a
th e
fa ith ful
T HE
16
WINNIN G GAME
C H A PT E R
In
I II
.
spite of expe rt a tt e nd a nc e ma t e ri al com fort
and th e e a rn e st praye rs of m o re f ri e nds th an man y
of u s a re v ouc hsa fe d i n thi s v al e o f compe titi on
an d t e a r s A l be rt M a th e s o n bac h e l o r pa ss ed t o hi s
e terna l re s t th e d ay fo llowin g th e C rowl ey s di n
,
,
,
,
,
'
,
ner .
A t noon th e nu rse be nt t e nd erly o ve r him ask
in g i f th e re w as no t s ome o n e h e w ou ld lik e t o
see a nd i n a nsw e r t o th e st a rtl ed in qu iry i n hi s
ey e s tw o sca ldin g t ea rs r a n d ow n h e r c h eek s
Don a nd L e sli e re ach e d th e a pa rtm e nt a lmost
s imu lta n eo u sly T h ey w e re both calm a nd cou ld
be d e pe nd e d u pon
”
“
I h av e no thin“g t o sa y gaspe d M r M athe son
trying t o smil e a nd a m n o t go in g t o giv e aw a y
my f a mily je w e l s no r th e pi a n ola I s imply w a nted
”
—
t o see yo u bo th th a t s a ll
T h e tw o s a t o n th e edge o f hi s be d v a inly tr y
in g t o s u pp re ss th e l oo k o f s u ff e ring th ey kn e w w as
i n th e ir eye s
"
“
I a m so gla“d you let us com e dear w h i s
pe r ed Le sli e
I
f you o nly knew h ow w e h a v e
”
miss e d you
“
”
Th a t s goo d n e ws t o a n old d uff e r lik e m e
“
th e s i c k man wh ee z e d
Yo u tw o h av e a lw ay s
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T HE
been
WI N NIN G G A M E
:7
my l ittl e w o rld s i nce K itty
H e ceased spe aking and a s pa sm contract ed h i s
fea tu re s Do n p u t hi s a rm a bou t Le sli e ca rrying
h e r prote sting f rom th e roo m and l ef t h e r fo r a
m om e nt i n th e d e n
Wh e n h e retu rned sh e w a s sta ring a t th e ph oto
gra ph o f h e r m oth e r whi c h M a th e son a lway s k ept
abo v e th e ma nt e l
"
“
I a m go in g to“ tak e y ou h om e with m e dea
r
”
h e s a id t e nd e rly M a rga re t w o n t dist u r b y o u
Sh e di d n o t a nsw e r th e n bu t outsid e i n t h e
h a nsom Sh e a sk ed t o go t o h e r o wn h ome fo r 3
a t l e a st a nd C rowl e y did no t i ns ist u pon
havi
hi s w ay
Le sli e Lo ri ng w as a n o rph a n a nd lived al one
He r s w as o n e o f th o s e u n fo r t u na te a nd pecu li a r
cas e s wh e re both o f h e r p a re n ts w ere o nly c hildre n
a nd sh e w as th e ir o nly c hild Ca pta in L or in g a
ga y y oun g n a va l o ffi ce r a fte r a y ea r s a b s e n c e f rom
hi s wi fe co ntrac t e d a ma li gn a nt fe v e r o n hi s h ome
wa rd c r uis e a nd n e ve r s a w his b aby
K itty Lo r in g in co nso labl e a t fi r st gra d u ally d e
c id e d to ga th e r t og e th e r th e b rok e n th rea ds o f h e r
y ou n g li fe a nd a ft e r three yea rs o f wid o wh ood
m arri e d an offi c e r i n th e I ndi a n a rm y much to
A l bert M a th e s o n s s o r row a nd m isg i v in g
Sh e
t oo k h e r littl e g irl ou t t o t he col o ny w ith h e r
a lik e i gn o ra nt a nd distru st fu l o f th e sto r i e s told
c o n ce rnin g c li ma ti c c onditi ons for th e in fa t ua te d
Col o nel A sh bu ry fe ar in g l e st th e child sh ould stan d
in hi s w ay e ncou raged h e r t o t ak e Les li e
,
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’
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W
W
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TH E W I N N I N G
18
GA ME
A f t e r tw o y ea rs o f in c e ss a nt st ruggling t o keep
th e baby a liv e K itty A shbu ry divid e d betw ee n h e r
l ov e f o r h e r h u sba nd a nd d a ughte r d e c id e d t o
se nd th e l a tte r h ome a nd to mak e a t rip a t l e ast
o nce a year t o s ee th e c hild S h e h e r s el f w a s fa r
f ro m st rong a nd a t ti m es a si ck e nin g d re a d o f en
t er i c fe v e r t o o k firm h o ld o f h e r a nd w ork e d sad
h av oc with h e r n e r ve s
T h e g i ga nti c p robl em co n f ro ntin g h e r h o w e ve r
w as w ha t t o d o W ith L esli e a f t er sh e r eac h e d N ew
Yo rk Ha v in g no n ea r rel a ti o ns a nd u nder th e
c ircu m st a nc es n o t ca r in g to a sk o ld M a d a m Lo r in g
t o t a k e th e littl e g i rl t h is qu e sti o n cau s e d K itty
ma ny r e stl ess ni g hts Sh e fina lly d e c id e d t o s e nd
h e r ma id a nd compa ni o n a w oma n W ho s e fid e lity
a nd d e v ot i o n w er e a ss u r ed w i th he r li ttl e c h a rge
to E d ge vill e a sma ll h aml et w ell o ff th e beat e n
trac k wh ere a ll t h e in hab i ta n t s w ere in a mea s u re
as o n e l a rg e fam i l y a nd w h er e u nder Mrs E dge s
ca re L esl i e co u ld reco ve r h er l o st vit ality a nd
st ren g t h
A f t e r this w as accom plish e d the re w ou ld be tim e
t o think o f th e n ex t mo v e
Mr s Edg e w as s e ve r a l yea r s o ld e r th a n K itty
A shbu r y bu t befo r e h er ma rr i ag e h a d bee n r a th e r
a n in t i mat e f ri end S h e w as th e ph legma t i c so rt
o f w oma n w h o settle s h ersel f com fo r tably d own
a nd n ev er c h a n g es a n y thing t akin g co lo r f rom
the to n e p redom in an t W ha t e v e ry o ne e ls e did
SOph i e Ed ge did t oo ; th e w a y o th e rs live d sh e
l iv ed a l so a nd th e pos iti o n o f th e fu rnit u r e r e
,
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TH E W I N N I N G
20
GA ME
s imu ltaneou sly with th a t o f th e s to rk wh o l a id i n
Sop h i a Edge s w a itin g a rm s a ch ubby y ou n g s on
K itty A shbu ry kne w n o t h ing o f this o r it might
h av e mad e s ome di ffe re n c e in h e r pl an s th oug h th e
l e ng th o f tim e requ ire d fo r a le tte r to re ac h M izra
po r e a nd th e a nsw e r t o find its w a y t o E dge vill e
w as s o g r ea t th a t th e n e ws w ou ld h av e bee n s t al e
wh e n h a l f th e jou r n ey w a s c om pl e t e d
So Lesli e a nd Cec il ey s ettle d d o wn a s muc h as
Le sli e cou ld s e ttl e a nd s e ve ra l mo no to n o u s yea r s
ro ll e d o n
S h e s a w h e r mo th e r bu t o nce K itty m a d e th e
trip a l mo s t — y es a l mo s t— re lu c ta ntl y
She h ad
g ro w n t o l o v e th e l i fe i n I ndi a a nd sh e ca re d qu it e
s e ri ou sl y fo r he r h u sba nd T h e r egu l a r repo rt s
f rom Cec il e y w e r e mo r e th a n s a tis fac to ry a nd it
s eeme d a s though Le sli e g r ew l e ss a nd l ess a p a rt o f
h e r I t w as mo r e t h a n a ppa re nt th a t th e c hild h a d
o ut g rown th e need o f he r mo th e r
So eac h y ea r t h e t r ip w a s p o stpo ne d u ntil a t
l a st th e d ea dl y ent e r i c fe v e r did its w o r k a nd M rs
A sh bu ry t h e mo st po pu l a r w oma n a t the po st w a s
f rom w h i c h sh e
t a k e n u po n t h at Lo n g J ou rn e y
co u ld n ot re t u r n
H er dea t h m ea nt littl e t o Le sli e— th e re w a s ai
w a y s Cec il ey He n r i e tt a Edge w a s fl atter i ng l y pli
abl e a nd pl a sti c v e ry lik e h e r mo t he r a ni c e c hild
t o mo u ld i n t o o n e s d ea o f t he id ea l pl a yma t e ;
th e n too th e re w a s Tom se v e r a l yea rs h e r ju ni or
bu t s t ill a h appy r e l ax a ti o n a f te r som e h ou rs spe nt
i n He n r i e tt a s c om p a ny s o L e s li e Lo ring fo u n d
,
’
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TH E W I N N I N G
GA M E
2!
mpl e w ork o f it s ki n d f o r h e r res tl e s s m ind and
di d n o t m iss s o me thing sh e h a d n e v e r kn o w n in
the lo ss o f h e r m o th e r
W h e n th e t i me c a m e fo r s e l e ctin g a sch oo l out
s ide th e limite d ra di u s o f Edg ev i ll e s ide a o f e d u
cati on th e gir l as s ume d th e wh ol e re spo nsi b ility o f
the ch o i ce h e rs el f a rgu ing tha t s he w as th e o n e t o
be pl ea se d a nd t ha t i f sh e c h o se it a nd w a s di sap
point ed n o o n e w ou ld e v e r kn o w— i f th ey c h o se a
“
”
—
s chool u nwise ly
w e ll yo u kn o w m y dispo siti o n
Lesli e s a id with a d a rk an d s iniste r s h ake o f h e r
yellow h ea d
Sh e rea d o ve r th e c i rc u l a r s a nd dis cu ss e d th e ad
va ntages a nd dis a d va ntag es o f each with h e r e ld e r s
s howing s uc h intelligen ce th a t fin a lly M r E dge
s a id :
“
We ll S ophi e l e t th e c hild go wh e r e sh e pl e a s e s
I feel t hat s he is m uch lik e my o ld ho rse M o lly
gi v e h er th e reins a nd a ll o w h e r t o g o ah ea d sh e
will keep to th e mi ddle o f th e roa d a nd s a fety
T ry t o gu id e h er a nd ma ke a pa th fo r h e r— sh e
will p u ll aga inst y ou a nd p robab ly l a nd y ou in a
”
ditch Ho r s es a nd some w ome n h a v e s e nse
Sophi e Edge plac idl y acqu iesce d He r f r i e nds
sa id sh e h a d a b eau ti fu l fa i th i n P rovid en ce T h o s e
wh o w ere n o t s o c h a r it abl y in c lined s a id sh e w as
l azy How e v er i n this insta nce th e re s u lt w o u ld
h ave bee n th e s ame
Le sli e ch o s e a v e ry s el ec t s ch ool wh e re th e re
w a s lis te d among m a ny ex t ra s a nd littl e sta r s th e
amou nt re qu ire d fo r a m a id s com fo rt a nd s u ste
a
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TH E W I N N I N G
22
GA ME
na n c e th ough wh e n asked w h y sh e sh o w e d a p a r
t i al i ty f o r th a t s em in a ry abo v e a ll o th e rs Le sli e
h a d a nsw e r e d t hought fu ll y a s i f u nprej u di ce d by
th e obvi ou s e l eg a n ce a nd hi gh sta nding :
“
W e ll y o u see ! ee ! ee
( h er n ame fo r M r
“
E dge ) a t M a d ame s th ey a ppea r to ex pect a gre a t
d ea l o f you I lik h a v ing a grea t d ea l ex pecte d of
m e fo r I ca n d o j u st tha t m u ch W h en n othing is
e x pec te d o f me — sh e u n co nsc i o u sly gl a n ce d i n
“
He n r i ett a s di rec ti o n— I d o n o thing th a t is u ntil
I simply c a n t stand i t— the n I do some thing d read
,
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e
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ful
”
.
“
E z r a E d ge l a u gh ed ind u lge ntly Le sli e s 6 ad
”
f u l thi ng s a l w a y s refl ec t e d upo n h e rs e l f a l o n e
h e r s ens e o f h o n o r w as s o g r ea t th a t sh e n e v e r ai
l o we d To m o r H en r i etta t o sh a re h e r disg race bu t
n e i t h er did th ey s ha r e h e r g l o ry i n t he speec hl e ss
a dmi ra ti o n o f th e f ew ch ild ren with W h om sh e
e l ec t e d t o pla y whil e comm itting th e s e d ee d s o f
r ec kl ess dis obedi e nce a nd p a lpabl e d a nger S h e w as
a lw a y s the ni mbl e c r eat u re o f fa n cy swin ging p e r il
o u sl y f rom a r a f t e r in th e ba r n— th e o th e rs i m pl or
ing h er i n sh r i eks o f t e rr o r to re t u rn t o th e s a fe
i f p ro sa i c fou nd a t i o n o f th e fl oor besid e th em ; it
w a s Le sli e w h o sp r inkl e d h e r sel f with a thin co a t
in g o f st r a w a nd st oo d tra nsfix e d with r apt u r e a t
h e r ow n cou ra g e whil e sh e s e t he rse l f a light— th e
n ob l e J o a n d A r c cou ld n o t h a v e kno wn a mo me nt
o f g rea te r o r mo r e inte ns e gl o rifi ca ti o n
T h e gen u in e ago ny o f Tom He n r i ett a a nd th e
o th e r cn i l dr en a ba nd onin g th e ir pri e s tly and mo b
’
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W I N N I N G GA M E
TH E
2
3
bish rol e s t o que n ch th e fl ame s o nly add e d j oy t o
h er dram ati c t em p erame nt ; it w a s a lw a y s Le s li e
w ho l e d a nd th e o th e rs w h o ob edi e ntly f o ll o w e d
I f sh e urged them into m ischief sh e also ex one r
ated th e m f ro m a ll b l ame a nd took wh a t p u nish me nt
w as me te d ou t to h er w ith S p a rtan cou rage an d
S toi c indiff e re n ce
H ad th e Ed ges wish e d t o cu rb th e s e flight s of
fancy a nd th e ir o f ti m es disa s t r ou s r es u lts th e y
shou ld h av e p u ni sh e d th e oth ers a nd l et Le sli e g o
f ree B u t p a r ents a nd g ua rdi a ns u su a lly h av e a
poo r p e rspec t i v e a nd n ee d th e c hild re n o r ch arge s
th em sel v es t o sho w th e m t he w ay
Somet i mes in d e spe ra ti o n sh e w ou ld a sk :
”
“
“
Henny w ha t sh a ll w e d o ? o r Tom ca n t yo u
s ugg e st som ething rea lly th r illin g ? bu t in v a r i ably
with th e s ame r es u lt— th a t of h avin g t o d o all th e
plannin g and o rga nizin g h e r s el f
Wh a t w o nd e r tha t s he w as Spo il e d— o r w as sh e
spo il ed ? I s a child spo il e d w h o a lw ay s h as h e r
own w ay ? Ye s ? B u t w h y i f h e r w ay is be tte r
tha n th a t o f h e r a ss oc i a t e s ? W h o cou ld a ss e r t
th a t So phi e E d g e w as a be tt er g u id e fo r Le sli e th a n
Lesli e h e r se l f ? I f th e cre dit o f th e c hild s u p
b ringing w as du e to a ny o ne it w a s du e to Cec il e y
“
thoug h th a t fa i th fu l sou l o ft e n a v e rre d th a t M is s
L esli e w as o n e o f th o s e c hildre n w h o is bo rn
”
brought u p a nd e d u ca te d l
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T HE
24
WI NNING
GA
C HAPT E R I V
ME
.
A t fi ft een with o nly s uc h s ch ooling a s could be
h ad in Ed gevill e a s e t tl eme nt o f o ld m a ids a nd
mi a sm a Le sli e Lo r in g e nt e re d Ma d am e B ag n eau s
F inishin g Sc h oo l N o o n e n o t e ve n vi gil a nt Cec i
l e y kn e w th e nig hts o f ago ny a nd s el f dis c iplin e
th e c hild live d through p re p a ra t o ry t o l ea ving th e
littl e r ea l m wh e re sh e h a d r e i gn e d s up reme
Fo r n a tu ra lly a n a lyti ca l th e girl w a s m or e sh e
w a s c l e v e r e nough t o rea liz e h e r o wn sh ort c o ming s
an d li m itati o ns
“
”
O f cou rse sh e said t o h er sel f ove r a nd o v e r
aga in with a p e r fec tly gi g a nti c amou nt o f s el f
“
I c a n p retend th at I know a lo t mo r e
con fi den ce
th a n I d o a nd m ak e th em beli e v e it to o t hough
th ey a r e n o t a s stu pid a s M iss Ca rs o n— o r Le w H i g
”
g in s sh e a dd e d with a co nt empt u o u s littl e l augh
whi c h w ou ld h a v e u ps e t th a t g entl ema n s di ge stiv e
orga ns g reatl y h e be ing a p r ey t o n e rv o u s dys
i
n
o
nly
w
a
rd
e
d
b
y
g
r
ea
t
ca
r
e
a
nd
th
e
e
s
a
o
ff
e
g
p p
“
e ra l h omage a nd c o nsid e r a ti o n o f th e pub li c
Bu t
th e qu e sti o n is d o I w a nt t o ? I a m g o ing t o be
c l e v e r ! I sn t it bett e r t o be a littl e mo re i gn o ra nt
e ve n n ow a nd be rea ll y s u r e o f t h ings a f te rw a rd
th a n t o h av e a — sh e h esit a t e d fo r a w ord sufli
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THE
WIN NI N G GA ME
2
5
— “su er fici al
p
y
l oft
knowl e dge bo th n o w an d
e ve r a fte rw ard ? H e a v en s i f th e s e gee s e h e r e o nly
kne w th e tru th— h o w o f te n I a m st ump ed f o r an
sw er s a nd th e w a y t o ge t i n fo rm a ti o n fo r th e m
they w ould l augh ! I o f t e n r emind mys e l f o f L ew
H iggins wh o w as neve r kn ow n to s ay I don t
know
W h o c ou ld l ea rn anythi n g a t s c h oo l h e re
“
sh e a ske d h e rs e l f a littl e bitte rly
I know a ll th e
que sti ons th ey a sk m e f rom th e boo ks a nd th e y
do n t kn ow th e o n e s I a sk a nd I h a ve n owh e r e to
find th em Oh wh a t jo y t o h a v e s om e on e t o an
sw er th in gs !
”
“
I do n t kno w “h ow g irls trea t each other — th en
a littl e g u iltily— th ey m i ght l oo k u pon m e a s I do
He n r i et t a a nd I c ould n o t bear th a t ! O f co u rs e
it w ou ld o nly be a t first th ey w o u ld d a r e fo r a f te r
I am told wh at to lea rn I ”c an d o it fa ste r a nd bet
t e r th a n they mo st lik e ly sh e th ought
T 0 0 p rou d to discu ss th e ma tte r with Cec il e y
for fea r o f re v ea ling h e r l ac k o f s e l f con fi den ce
Le sli e s ome ti me s fo r th e shee r s a tis fa c ti o n o f t e st
ing h e r st re ngth spok e of h e r c h ange o f co nditi o n s
t o He n r i ett a a nd T om
“
Y o u will h a v e t o w ea r y o u r be st thing s e v e ry
day mam a s ays a nn ou nce d t he forme r with a
“
mi x tu r e of a w e a nd co mm is e r a ti o n— th a t i s th e
”
way c ity peopl e live
“
Sa y Le s wh a t w ou ld yo u d o i f y ou co uld n t
”
l ea rn th e ir w ay ? a ske d To m mo re t o tea s e th an
for in formati o n T h e qu e sti o n w as a n s w e re d by a
withe r ing cont empt uou s l ook
ci entl y
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26
TH E
W I N N I N G GA M E
It
w as c h a ract e ri sti c of Le s li e th a t sh e did no t
wa st e a mome n t s th ought u pon th e po ssi b ility o f
bei ng u n abl e t o d o wh a t w a s requ ire d o f h e r— h e r
so u rc e o f a nxi e ty la y i n th e u nce rta inty of h ow
sh e w ou ld be r ec e ive d— liked i n o the r w o rds
Su pe r s e nsitiv e hi gh st ru ng a nd mo r e th an
o rdina rily a ff e c ti o n at e a c o ld c riti c a l re ce pti o n by
th e g i rls w ou ld h a v e i m pe r ill ed h e r h appin ess fo r
m o nth s S h e rea liz e d h o w d e pe nd e nt sh e h a d be
com e u p o n th e a ffec ti o n o f th e s e cou nt ry c hild re n
”
“
— th e ir wh o l e s o u l e d
o u r q u ee n c a n d o n o w ro n g
a ttitu d e a nd kne w s he w o u ld m i ss it T h e f em i
n in e w a s po t e n t e n o u g h t o ca ll fo r p u rpl e r a i me nt
an d h a nd embro id e red lin e n bu t Cec iley a tte nd e d t o
m o st ) I h e r s ho ppi n g e nti rely by ca ta l o g u e still
e v e n ca ta log u e c l o th es i f s el e c te d j udi c i a lly h a v e
”
“
a i r a nd Le sli e n e v e r felt t hat sh e
a ce r t a in
l ook e d in a n y w ay lik e a cou nt r y gi rl : s h e w as
v e ry p a rti cu l a r a bou t h e r d re ss a lw a y s fee ling it s
I nfl ue n ce u n co ns c i ou sly co nfi rm in g t he fam ily di c
“
F in e fea th er s mak e fin e b i r ds
tu m —
N o n o thin g distu rb ed h er a s muc h a s th e w o r
r y i n g th o u g ht th a t sh e h a d t o m a k e g oo d be for e a
m or e c riti ca l au di e n ce t ha n s he h a d e ve r know n
To s o m e peo pl e th e kn o wl edg e o f a co nfli c t b r ing s
o u t much l a t e nt po w e r a nd t he y ma r s ha ll a ll th e i r
fo rc e s t o m ee t th e eme rg enc y Le sli e w a s mo r e
lik e a s e nsiti v e pl ant th r iving b l o ss om in g b r in g
in g fo rt h it s l o v eli est a nd best a t the ga rdne r s
ge ntl e touch a t th e s u n s a ff ec ti o n a t e w a rmth S h e
knew tha t i f he r receptio n we re a co ld o ne sh e coul d
’
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2
TH E
8
W I N N I N G GA M E
th e re was u rge nt n ee d of a ll th e funds i n trus t fo r
M is s Lo ring Th en a t tw e n ty o ne some thi ng of
th e re stl e ssn ess s ub sid e d a nd sh e a nno u n ce d h e r i n
t e nti o n o f living a l a bac h e l o r ma id in a N e w Yo rk
ap a r tme nt M r M a th e so n w a s fill e d with gua r
d i an l y c o nst e rn a ti o n— h e h a d s ee n com pa ra t i v e ly l it
tl e o f his w a rd a nd l oo k e d u po n h e r as a y ou ng
la dy o f p a rti cu l a rly u ni que a nd l a wl e s s whi m s Sh e
d e ni ed be in g t oo y ou ng sayin g th a t age i s no t a
m att e r o f y ea rs bu t of wi sd om a nd expe ri e n c e
E dge vill e w a s indi gn a nt a nd sni ffe d I t i s pe r
missibl e t o sni ff i n Edg e v ill e th e fa shi o n h a vin g
bee n set by th e R e v e re n d Mr s C l a ph a m h e rs e l f w ho
h a d h e r o wn pec u li a r c o ntem ptu ou s li f ting o f th e
n o st r ils accom p a ni e d b y a sh o r t a nd s a li e nt his s ;
bu t Le sli e i mpe rv i ou s t o p ro t e sts a nd sni ffs si gn e d
”
“
a l o ng l e a s e a nd s e ttl e d
S h e h a d ma d e ma ny
f ri e nds d u ring h e r s ch oo l d ays a nd s e ve ra l more
whil e tra v elling be sid e s N e w Yo rk i s e ve r y o ne s
M ecc a a nd to be th e ce nt re o f thing s w as b rea th i n
th e no st r il s o f Le sli e Lo r i n g
W i t h Cec ile y as a c o mb in a ti o n l a dy s m a i d a nd
d ue nn a a nd wi t h a n e x ce ll e nt a nd d e vo te d E nglish
gi r l fo r e v e rythin g e l se th e d ome sti c ar ra ngeme nt
o f th e m en age did n o t cau s e i t s m istre ss g rea t n u
ea sine ss a nd s h e had a mpl e t i me fo r s uc h dis s ip a
ti o n a s h e r fa n c y di c ta te d
Ye t with a l Le sli e s li fe w a s n ot empty by an y
mea ns A ssoc i a ti o n with M a rg a re t C rowl ey ac te d
a s a spl e ndid ba ll a st i f sh e rea lly stoo d in n ee d o f
i t T h e r e w e r e sl u mmin g c l ub s rea l w orkin g o rg a
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WI NN I N G GAME
T HE
29
ni zati on s,
do i ng muc h g ood t o th e toi l h a rdened
c rim e bu rd en ed cre a tu r es o f th e te n em en t s ; th ere
was a coo kin g c lass a nd a R ea di ng c l ub sew i ng
sch ool an d th e n e w sboy s c l ub a ll o f whi ch a ppe al ed
t o th e y o un g girl a nd t o whi c h s h e d e v o t ed h er
be st e n e rg i e s e nth u si as ti c ally in t u rn
Many ti me s sh e w a s c ruelly i m pose d u pon al l ow
i ng he rs e l f t o be pe r su ad e d th a t it was h e r d u ty
to d o mo re w o rk th e n th e O th e r m embe r s be ca u se
sh e h a d no h om e ti e s o r in co nv e ni e n ce s S h e w as
n e ve r idl e f o r wh en no t ac tua lly en ga ged i n some
so rt of w ork sh e w a s diligen tly re a di ng I n o th er
”
“
w ord s Le sli e d evel o pe d
S h e h e r se l f felt it a nd ra d i a te d th a t know led ge
i n a st a rtlin g d egree wh e n o n th e night of h e r
tw e nty fi r st b irthday A l be rt M a th e s o n l oo ki ng at
h e r with di ff e re nt eye s ro s e f rom th e din n e r tabl e
a n d propo se d a toas t in the se w o rd s :
“
T o th e yo u ng e st s age o n re co rd t o th e most
compl ex fema l e it h a s ye t bee n gr a nte d us t o
kno w t o th e comb in a ti o n o f i ri d e s cen t wit and
a ngeli c ge ntl e n ess t o th e queen o f ou r hea rts and
”
th e goddess of our reason— LESL I E l
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T HE W I N N I N G
0
3
GA
CH A PTE R V
ME
.
S itti ng l istle ssly i n h e r room jus t as Don
l ef t h e r Le sli e liv e d o ve r th e s e years b it by b it
with an acu t e s e n se o f l o ne line ss whi c h gre w m o
A s i s so o fte n th e case a t the
m en tar i ly stro nge r
tim e of a s u dde n s h oc k sh e w as me rc i fully d ull e d
t o th e la rge r mo re vit a l iss ue s an d only th e trivi ali
ti e s occu rre d to h e r
“
H"ow queer not t o see him a t“ the tabl e on Sun
sh e mu se d h al f a lou d a nd w ha t e ndle ss
day s
"
d ay s withou t a t e l e ph on e call f rom him l
T h e to n e s o f his v o i c e r ec u rre d vividly t o h er
a nd tw o sca ldin g te a rs spl a sh e d on h e r clas ped
h a nd s
”
“
“
He s d ea d sh e repe a ted di l ly rea lly d ea d
I kno w I shall fo rget a nd ph o ne him some d ay
H ow silly I am ! I te ll y ou h e is d ea d l
Cec il ey p a ss e d qu i e tly through th e r oom T h e
w oma n kn e w int u iti ve ly as a m o th e r w ould h o w to
h a ndl e the va r i ou s moo ds t o whi c h h e r y o un g mi s
tres s w a s p r o n e I n this inst a n ce a g l a nce a t th e
d ejec t e d fi gu r e w a s suffi c i e nt a nd inst e a d o f as ki ng
L e sli e to li e d o wn o r s ugge sting a cu p o f t ea
Cec il e y w e nt st ra i ght t o h e r h ea rt s id ol a nd ge ntly
u n did h e r v e il T h e n sh e t oo k o ff th e f u r t oque
,
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T HE
W I NN I N G GA M E
3:
and ran her fing e rs lovi ng ly th r oug h Les li e s
go l de n ha ir
“
W
as he ve r y h ad my baby darl i ng sh e asked
"
“
“
I don t know was the v ague r eply ; I don t
kno w how bad they eve r are H e tri ed to smile and
j ok e— O h Cec i ley h ow d r ead ful t o thi nk h e i s
go n e ! I can t be li e v e it can y ou
“
”
N ot yet lamb not y et
“
A nd i n a c o upl e o f w eek s think anoth e r bi rth
d ay wi ll be h e re an d wh a t on e a rth wi ll th e d i nner
be with o u t him
Cec i l ey d id no t answ e r and th e girl w en t on
m u s i ng ly :
“
Th e fir s t one seems o nly y e ste rda y and it w as
Don t y o u remembe r
r e a lly fou r long y e a rs ag o
Cec iley h o w muc h a f ra id o f him I w as and h ow
h e seemed t o av o i d m e
“
Ah bu t th e r e w as a g ood re ason fo r that my
”
da rl i ng i n te rrupt ed th e ma id anxi ou s to take
u p i magi na ry cu d ge l s i n defe nse of a m an sh e h ad
“
l ong cons id ered a h e ro a g od am ong m en
Y ou
reminded him o f M i ss K itty i n l ook s y o u see but
we r e so di ff e re n t o th e rwi s e h e co uld not ge t u s ed
t o you I thi n k— no t u ntil aft e r th a t first pa rty
w asn t it ? Th e n h e re a lly seem e d t o think o f yo u
and M is s K itty s e para tely an d e ach o f y ou h a d h e r
”
ow n pl ace
S h e pa u s e d sec re tly pl e a s e d a t th e l uc id expl a na
ti on sh e h a d giv en Le sli e o f some thing th e g irl h a d
al ready known
“
”
I wonde r why moth e r di d not ma rry him ? w as
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THE
32
W I N N I N G GA M E
Le sli e s n ext th ought Spoke n a l oud a nd whil e th e
r e a s o n w a s c lea r e nough t o h e rse l f Cec il e y fou nd
i t a lit tl e h a rd e r t o ex pla in
“
Pe rh a ps sh e kn e w hi m too w e ll— I me a n knew
wh a t to e x pec t You s ee M iss K it t y w as n ot a s
a s b ra iny a s y o u ar e bab y d a rlin g sh e w as a ll
f o r s u rp r is e s sh o w a nd g lit t e r a nd wh e n Colo ne l
A sh bu ry came t o h e r o n e e v e ning a ll d re ss ed u p i n
a sca rl et s u i t j u st co vere d wi th gold b ra id a nd ta s
s e l s I s a id to m y s e l f th e in sta nt I c l a ppe d ey e s on
hi m— tis good by e fo r e v e r t o you r ch an ce s M r
Ma thes o n— a nd s o it w as
”
“
a rgue d K itty s
B u t sh e mu st h a v e l o v e d hi m
“
d au g hte r c ling ing t o h er p o in t fo r y ou s a y th a t
”
al w ay s h e r fi rst t ho u gh t in e v e ry thin g w as o f h i m
“
“
N o t e x ac t l y
co rrec ted t h e ma id
N o I did
no t s ay j u st th a t ; I s a id tha t befo r e a ny o n e e l se
e v e n be fo re th e col o ne l a n d
sh e t u rn e d t o hi m
wh e n sh e f ound w e w o u ld h a v e t o l ea ve th a t po i s
o n ed pl a c e in I ndi a sh e e v e n ha d a n id e a of s e nd
i n g u s r i ght t o him— o nly fo r th e t a lk it w ou ld
h a v e m a d e T h a t w a s w h y sh e pu t y ou r m o ne y i n
hi s k ee pi ng t o o— h e a lways did e v e rything in j u st
th e w ay t o pl ea s e h e r a nd sh e t r uste d ab so l u te ly i n
”
hi m
Th e t e l e ph on e r a ng a nd Le sli e w a lke d i nto h e r
littl e stu dy op enin g off the living roo m t o ans w e r
it s uppo s in g Do n t o be ca lling h e r
A s sh e p u t th e rec ei v e r t o he r e a r t u rning h e r
b a c k to th e d oo r Hatti e th e m a id p a ss e d a l o ng th e
h allw ay l ea di ng t o th e f ront door of th e apa rtm e nt
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T HE
W IN N I N G
GA ME
33
Sh e kn e w nothin g o f h e r m i stre s s s di s tre ss o f
m ind a nd u nh e sita tingly a d m itte d Mr s S t e a rn s
w h o w a s a f req u e nt visito r a nd a ge ntlema n W ith
“
”
ou t th e e va si ve I ll see
V e ra s eeing L esli e a t th e ph o n e si g n alle d T r es
s id a r t r tiptoe a nd sat d o wn p ati e ntl y s o t h a t f o r
Le sli e w h o sw eet ly bu t p e r siste ntl y r efu s e d Ma r
g a r et s u rge nt r eq ue st t o sp e nd a fe w d ay s with
h e r th e re w as n o e s ca pe
“
I ran in sans cer em o“n i e bega n Ve ra in he r
t e ns e e nth u si a sti c sty l e p a lp ably t o a sk y ou t o a
pa rty bu t ac tu a lly— l e t this s ec r e t be b u r i e d with
—
o
u
sh e a d mo nish e d in a h ea v y mys te ri ou s
y
“
whisp e r actual l y t o displ a y th e p r iz e w a vin g a
n ea tl y gau ntl e ted h a nd i n T r essi dar s di rec ti o n
Le sli e la ugh ed a littl e I t w a s h a r d no t t o l a ugh
a t Ve ra a nd a nyw a y th e me nt i o n o f h e r g r i ef
w ou ld be qu i t e ou t of pl ac e a t this ti me ; a t be st
T r essi dar cou ld o nly evin ce a po lit e inte rest in h e r
gua r di a n a nd s o sh e d ec id e d with c ha rac t e ri s ti c
rapidity t o ge t th r ough th e visit a s c hee r ful ly as
possi bl e a nd l e t V e ra find ou t th e s a d ne w s fo r
he rs e l f l a t er Some thing i n th e n a tu r e o f jea l ou s y
p rom pt e d this s ec re ti v e n e ss o n th e gi r l s p a rt j eal
ou sy t ha t A l bert M a th e s o n s m emo ry be a s tén der l y
h a ndl e d a s sh e a nd Do n C rowl ey c ou ld wish
“
”
W e ll ? M rs S tea rns inte r ru pte d i mpa ti e ntly
whil e th e o th e r tw o w e re go ing through th e c u s
“
toma r y g r ee tin g
h a v e y o u n othi ng t o sa y to e ithe r
propo s iti on 2
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TH E W I N N I N G
“
GA M E
”
is th e p a rty ? que sti on ed Le sli e with a
vi e w t o be in g rel ea se d
“
Vu lg ar a nd m a te r i a l be ing I sc o ff ed th e wido w
“
Le t me po int thi s o u t to y ou M r T r essi dar — th a t
sh e fa ste ns u p o n th e s e ea r thl y ma tte rs in p refe re n ce
t o d r a wing ps ychi c in fe re n ce s a s t o o u r— affin i ty
s h a ll I say ? o r s u ch a p robl em a s How I bag ged
T h a t doe sn t s ou nd e x ac tly ri ght s ome
t h e li o n
“
h o w sh e r a t tl e d o n a t h i gh spee d baggi ng a li o n !
N o m a tter s u ch t r ivi a liti e s d o n o t int e re s t me !
T h e ma in thing is
“
Ve r a —Le sli e s v o i ce h a d a ti r ed n o t e o f ap
pea l in it whi c h T r essi da r n o ti ce d thoug h his com
p a ni o n did n o t Ve r a S tea r ns w a s n o t a n ob s e rv a nt
pe rs o n G ive n a n e rr a nd o f me rc y t o pe r fo rm th e
a n ge ls in h ea v en co u ld n o t ca rry it o u t m o r e s a tis
f acto r i l y bu t sh e w a s singu l a rly o b tu s e abo u t fi n d
”
“
i ng a n e rr a nd a s i t w ere
Ve ra rep ea t e d Le sli e
“
d o be r a ti o na l on e mome nt w hil e I ask M r T re s
s id a r t o r ing fo r t ea S i n ce I m u st co nt ra di c t you r
in v ect i v e in s el f d e fe ns e I w ou ld sa y th a t I ap
pr oach ed th e s u bjec t o f yo u r l a t e co nv e rs a ti o n sys
t em a t i call y th a t is t akin g u p th e first o n e fi r s t
a nd inte ndi n g in p rop er o rder t o r e v e rt t o th e n ext
I sh a ll se iz e t h is occa si o n to a sk y ou h o w y ou
b agge d th e li o n I s th a t wh a t y ou w a nt e d
“
“
Vipe r l a u gh e d V e ra
S h ame u po n y o u f o r
a n u nn a tu ra l femal e dis c l o sing t h e fo i bl e s o f you r
s ex th u sl y ! I am o nly makin g co nv e r s a ti o n
s h e co ntin ue d r a isin g a s e ri ou s f ace t o T r essi dar
When
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TH E W I N NI N G
36
GA ME
th e o th e r cou ld d r eam o f To th e I
l i sh m an
m aking swi f t comm en ts spu rr e d by a n u n u su a l
c u r i o sity Le sli e a t t ha t mom ent fa r ec lipse d he r
f ri e nd in ge n er a l a tt rac t iv en ess— a fac t h e h a d n o t
t ec0 g n i z ed u ntil n o w
A lmost inst a n tl y h o w ever th e li ght di ed o u t o f
h e r eye s a nd sh e ga v e h i m t h e i mp ressi o n o f bein g
e ith e r bored o r du ll o r bo th He bega n t o wis h
“
th a t Mrs S tea rn s w o u ld wh ee l hi m a w a y— h e
w as n o t acc u s t om ed t o s ee a bor e d l oo k u pon a
w oma n s fac e
“
I “h a ve a no th er pi ece o f ne w s Vera w as say
in g you c a n n e v er g u ess w ho is go in g t o be mar
”
ri e d
”
“
You s u g g ested L esli e
”
“
S illy e x po st u l at ed th e littl e wid o w g ro win g
“
”
I t is a ma n
foo li sh l y pink
“
W ell o f co u r se t ea sed Le sli e m a r vellin g i n
w ar dly a t h er s o n g fr o i d a nd w o nd e r in g i f th e y
“
Y ou co u ld n o t ma r ry a w om a n
w o u ld n ev e r g o
W h o is ”th e l u c k y perso n ?
“
“
Ca t sn a pped th e o the r
Fa n c y Mr T r essi
d a r fa n cy ca llin g my p ro spec tiv e h u sba nd a pe r
son
“
A sh ad e be tt e r th a n ca llin g hi m a p a rty
”
though A lg y s ug g ested
“
Ye s pe rh a ps W e ll n o ma tt e r l et it p a s s I
w a s referr ing
this wit h ex agge ra t e d h au t eu r
“
t o Mr W a lter B r yce
“
W a lter Bry ce ! ec h o ed Le sli e
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TH E W I N N I N G
“
GA ME
37
’
Th e sam e my de a r
Ve ra l e a n e d bac k com
f or tabl y be tte r t o w a t ch h e r f ri e nd s as to ni shme nt
”
“
Why th“a t is — sh e bega n th”e n r emembe ring
sh e co ntin ued
T ressi dar — I a m s i m ply ag h a st
“
s peaking t o him direc tly fo r th e firs t time be c aus e
thi s boy h a s bee n a mo st trying inh e ri t a n ce t o hi s
d otin g a u nts h a s comm itt e d mo st o f th e s in s o n th e
cale nd a r a nd h a s b rought th em n o e nd o f tro u bl e
Th e o n e s a vin g gr a c e w a s t ha t h e h a d re f ra in e d
f rom b ring in g th em a n ext ra w o rry in th e sh a pe o f
a wi fe H i s tw o a u nts M iss L i bby an d M is s P olly
a re o f cou r s e t o bl ame fo r t he y n e v e r l e t h i m
l os e s i ght o f th e fac t t ha t h e w as th e v e ry w orld
t o th em F rom this li m it e d po int o f vi e w his id eas
bega n to a ss ume gi g anti c p ropo rti o ns a nd h e fina ll y
beca m e a ss u re d th a t th e king c ou ld d o n o w rong
B e fo r e h e h a d f a i rly go n e t h rough co ll ege h e ha d
go n e a ls o th rough a v e ry l a rge s um o f mon ey ou t
m i l l i on ai r i n g th e m illi o n a i r e s them sel v es in his pl ay
f u l e xt r a v aga n ce s a nd sin ce th e n h e h a s bee n t oo
”
muc h of a gentl ema n t o w o r k
S h e stoppe d a littl e c o n fu s ed
“
O f cou rse you ca n t sympathiz e qu ite can you ?
I be li e v e in you r cou nt ry th a t id ea is still pre va l e n t
— t h a t o f a gentl ema n be in g e x empt f r om w o r k
”
“
T r essi dar a nsw e re d
U nd e r s ome co ndi t i o ns
“
F ro m wh a t y ou h a v e to ld m e h o w e v e r it s eems
o nly ri ght th a t th i s c h a p sh ou ld h a v e d on e some
”
—
thing t o repa y his au nts i a th a t I qu it e ag r ee
“
V e r a spoke
He n e v e r h a d a n id ea o f d o i ng
s uc h a thing h e bl ee d s th e m u nme rc i fu lly h e m ake s
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TH E W I N N I N G
38
GA ME
an ass e t with di abo li ca l c l e v e r n e ss o f hi s d e pen
d e n ce u po n th em h e w o rks o n th e i r sym pa th i e s a nd
t ra d e s u po n t he ir l o v e fo r hi m a nd th ey— w ell
th ey ar e j u s t gee se th a t s a ll sh e e nd e d v eh e
,
,
,
,
,
”
’
,
,
m en tl y
.
“
”
“
Ye s mu rm u red L esli e s a dly d o ting l o v i ng
blind o ld gee s e Th ey ca n t see h i m a s h e is and
I do n t know o f a ny o n e w h o wou ld ca re fo r th e
t a sk o f e nlig h t e ning t h em
“
V e ry s a d ind eed fo r th em
A l gy w a s qu it e
int e re ste d no t in th e s to ry o f W a l t er Bryc e tha t
w as n o th ing t o hi m b ut in t h e v a ry in g e x p r e ssi o ns
o f L esl i e s fac e so ma n y o f th e w ome n h e kne w
h a d l o ng since s t ifl ed th e abilit y t o s how a ny rea l
feelin g this di spl a y o f M iss Lo r i ng s w as a t rea t
He r face ha d a fam ili a r
“
Oh “dea r i t s time fo r me to g o Ve ra inte r
w h en Le sli e l ooks lik e tha t sh e is e i the r
r u pted
ge ttin g read y to mo ra liz e o r sh e is g o ing t o mak e
Th at u s ed t o be o n e o f he r sta r t r i c ks
u s a ll c r y
a t s choo l Mr T r essi da r ma kin g u s c ry
“
a sk e d th e En g lish ma n
Re h a lly
“
“
W e u s e d t o m ak e
Re h a lly ! m i m i ck e d V e r a
bets th a t s he co u ldn t bu t s he a lw a ys cou ld By
th e w a y L es y o u h a v e h a d m e o n th e v e r ge of
t ea rs s e v e ra l ti me s this a f te r n oo n ; I f el t s ome thi ng
sa d t ru l y I did ! Do n t t ell me tha t m y psychic
h a t w a s th e ma t te r
se ns e is a t fau l t !
T h ey stoo d a t th e d oo r l ea din g int o th e h a llw ay
S tea rns to
a n d T r ess i dar h e ld it o pen fo r M rs
pass thro ugh
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T HE
“
H umph
WI N NI N G
GA ME
39
sh e a sked
A l oo k of p a i n d a rke n e d Le sli e s e y e s a nd h e r
v o i ce h a d l o st s o me thin g o f it s st ea din e ss as sh e
a nsw e re d :
“
D on a nd I w e re with M r M a th e s o n wh en h e
”
di e d j ust a li ttl e whil e bef o re y o u cam e
.
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T HE
40
W I NN I N G GA ME
CHAPT E R V I
.
T h e c l ub w a s a d rea ry pl ace o n t he fo ll owing day
bu t o n e a nd T r es s i dar h a d h a l f mad e u p h is m ind
t o l ea v e N e w Yo rk a nd jou rn e y s o u thw a rd fo r a
m o nth o r s o u ntil th e m ember s h a d r eco v e red f rom
th e e ff ec t o f M a th es o n s d ea th I t w a s ra th e r a
n o v e l e x pe ri en ce t o A lgy— this ge n u in e g r i ef fo r
th e l o ss of a ma n He r emembere d a se r i ou s a lt e r
ca ti o n with his b roth er a fe w yea r s p a st re s u lting
f rom a to t a l ab s ence o f r eg re t o n his pa r t fo r a
l o st com ra d e R am s a y T r essi dar h a d s tood ga zin g
a t th e ph o t o o f a f ri en d wh o s e d ea th sh ou ld h av e
m ea nt m u c h t o bot h b ro th e r s wh en A lg y e nt e re d
th e room See ing hi m Rams a y sig h ed a nd s a id
“
Poo r d ea r Cyr il !
“
T h e y ou n g er ma n l a u gh ed out ri g ht
Wh a t
“
m au dlin r o t h e s co ff ed
Poo r d ea r Cyril i n
d eed !
I t w a s a q u a rrel t o be rem embe re d e nding j u s t
wh e r e it bega n R am sa y T r essi dar c l a i m i n g tha t h e
“
poo r
w as n o l ess a ma n t o s ho w r eg r e t a nd s ay
d ea r Cy r il a nd A lg y co n tendi n g th a t it w as r i di c
n i o n s s e nti me n t a lis m a nd th a t h e w o u ld n o t be s u r
pris e d t o fi nd a s t ra nd o f th e d ea d m a n s h a i r in hi s
b ro th e r s l oc ke t
S omethin g of th e same re s e ntme nt aga i ns t th e
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TH E
WI N NI NG
GA
ME
4!
cl ub m e n n ow pa ss e d o ve r th e ir gue st a nd h e w as
wo nd e r in g h ow t o pu t in th e a f te r noo n wh e n an os
t e nta ti o n s you ng ma n a pp roac h e d him a nd h old
i ng ou t his h a nd a sk e d :
“
T r essi dar ? A h I t ho u g ht s o
M y n am e is
”
—
B ryce W a lte r B ry ce
h a t will y ou d r ink ?
T h ey li ghted c i ga r e tte s a nd mo v ed t o w a rd th e o pe n
fire
“
You m u st find it bea stly d u ll a rou nd h e r e t o
d a y e v e ry o ne h a s g o ne t o poo r o ld M a th e so n s
f u ne r a l
A w fu lly g oo d s o r t y ou kn o w
My
a u nts th ou gh t th e w o rld o f hi m ; i n fac t bu t f o r
”
hi m I sh o u ld n o t be h ere n o w th e y ou n g m an
e nde d with a l augh combinin g emba rr a ssme nt an d
co ntem pt
T r ess i dar w as bor e d B ryce s typ e did n o t ap
pea l t o him in th e sligh test d eg r ee ; th e a ff ec t a ti o n
in his m a nne r a nd d re ss w a s i rr it a ti n g th e mi s
placed bon ca m ar ader i e amou ntin g t o u n du e fam il
i ar i ty o ffe nd e d A lgy s s e nsi t i v e n e ss an d abov e a ll
his loqu ac i ou sn e ss r e pe ll ed h i m bu t h e re a ppare ntly
w as a willin g spirit with wh om t o drink
A kin d
o f exhil a ra ti o n t oo k p o ss e ssi o n o f hi m a s e r i ou s
form o f th e c r a vin g abou t w h i ch Ve ra S tea r n s
h a d spo k e n s o lig h tly in r efe r e n ce t o h e r a f te r n oo n
t ea A l th ou g h t he me n wh om h e h a d me t h a d n o t
i mp re ss e d hi m a s b eing a t a ll n a rro w m ind e d o r
ab stem i ou s still t he r e w a s a ce rt a in fee lin g o f
delicacy a res t r a int wi th t h em whi c h A lg y w a s
qu i c k t o no te a nd s o fa r h e h ad c u rbe d hi s thirst
admir a bly
,
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T HE
212
W I NN I N G
W ith Walte r
GA
ME
Bryc e h ow ev e r a ll that re s tra i n t
v a ni sh e d
a nd a k ee n l oo k a t hi s w e a k f a ce w as
su fli ci en t gua r a nt ee t o T r ess i dar o f a th o ro ug hly
en j oy abl e e v e nin g
"
“
Bry ce co n
B u t fo r M a t he s o n I w a s s a y ing
“
1 sh ou ld n o t h a v e bee n h e r e
t i n ued o v e r his g l a ss
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n ow .
“
h a lly
a sk e d A lgy with fl a tte rin g inte re s t
“
You s ee th e old g irls— m y a u nt s— a re ju s t
abo u t tw o ce ntu r i e s behind th e ti me s a nd th ey can t
u nde r st a nd o r sy mpa thiz e with me — W a lter thre w
a n i mme nse amo u nt o f p a th o s a nd b itte rne ss i nt o
this sta teme nt whi c h w a s a ll t oo t rue th e y n e v e r
“
c ou ld u nd e rst a nd s uc h a s li e— y ou kn o w you rs e l f
T r essi dar i f you a re a U ni v e rsity ma n th a t o n e
h a s t o fall in line s o t o spea k a nd k ee p th e b al l
r o llin g in a mo re o r l e ss individ ua l w ay
T h e Englishma n n odd e d a pprec i ati ve ly a nd be ck
ou e d th e ste w ard
“
W hy th ey w ou ld h a v e ma d e a pars on ou t o f
m e I s u ppo s e i f I h a d a ll ow e d it B u t c omin g
bac k t o M a th e s on h e s o r t of st oo d spo ns o r fo r m e
h e r e n o t t ha t I rea lly n ee d e d it you u nd e r st a nd
b u t th e y th oug ht a c l u b w o u ld be m y u nd o i ng I
s u ppo s e a nd M a th e s o n c ou ld h av e ke pt m e ou t
h a d h e wish e d Fan cy be ing tre at ed lik e a sch ool
bo y ! N o w o nd e r I brea k l oo s e onc e in a w hil e
”
is it ?
“
I t w ould be s u r prising o th erwise replied th e
o th e r with c o nvi c ti o n W a lte r began t o g row m o re
i nte r es ti ng
Re
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T HE
44
W INNI N G
GA M E
a bo u t d eeds o f h e ro ism o r dipl o macy i n whi ch he
h a d fi gu re d l a rgely j u mpin g f ro m o n e id e a t o an
o th e r with am a zin g ra pidity a nd h e gre w tired of
th e nam e M a th e so n
“
He h a d n o t h in g pa rti c ul a rl y t o re comme nd
"
him h e a rgu e d
Gi ve me a m a n o f muscl e a
m a n t o wh o m h a rdship is n o thin g Why I kn ow
th e s tro ng e st ma n in Lo ndo n ! 8 th e tru th ! A nd
h o w d o y ou s u ppo se h e go t hi s mu s c l e ? Sh i m ply
by d ra w i n g u p h is r i g h t a r m— so— a nd be li e vin g
”
th a t h i s l e f t o n e w o u ld g row a s st ro ng and i t di d !
\V a l ter w as v a g uel y i m p r es se d
“
Fee! m y mu scl e f eel i t
A lg y insis te d as th ey
m a d e th ei r w ay i n to t h e c ro wd ed l obby o f t h e th e a
“
tre
W i th j u s th t a li t tl e p rac t i c e I co u ld h a v e
m u sc l es lik e t ha t m y sh el f I m a sh st ro n g a sh a
“
bu ll h e boa sted thi c kly
M y G od it s ho t i n
h e re
“
W ell M a t h e s o n w a s
bega n B ry ce st ub
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bo rn l y
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Ro t ! s n a pped t he E ng li sh ma n
He w as h
m u sh— Sh i m pl y m u sh ! Loo k a t his d ea th th e re s
a proo f— co u ldn t s t a nd a n a ttac k of p n eumoni a
h y I v e h a d e nt e r i c th r ee t i m esh
L oo k a t me
”
a nd am a sh go o d to d ay a sh e v e r
Bu t W a lt e r w as n o t liste nin g ; th e sc a ntily c l a d
c h o ru s cl a i me d a ll his a ttent i o n a nd h e a ppl au d e d
with fl a tte r in g regu l a r ity a nd insistence
T o th e ca s u a l obse r v e r th e re w a s n oth ing in T re s
si dar s ma nn e r o r h ea r i n g t o indi ca t e his co nditi o n
He sa t u pri ght in th e bo x a nd l ooke d w ith easy
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T HE W I NNIN G GA ME
4;
indi ff e rence a t th e pe rfo rma nc ; h i s b lack ha i r la y
i n glossy w a ve s c l ose to his hea d his bronz e fac e
w as ve ry slightly flushed a nd hi s inscrutable y e l
l ow eye s were compa ratively clear a nd wide ope n
contracted e ver so li t t l e at t he corners perhaps
W a l te r presente d a striking co ntrast His fai r
h a i r w a s in a damp untidy mat o n his forehead
a n d with eve ry swe ep o f his hand t o smoo t h away
a n imaginary look he made wild havoc upon th e
ta ngi ble growth
Naturally pink a n d i ndefinite looking he l ooke d
pinker and more unste a dy o f eye and mou t h tha n
e ve r He slouched in his chair and did not eve n
t ry t o keep awake after the first act and i n ter m i s
s ion T r essi dar looked at him curiously and an
access o f sel f satisfaction surged over him with a
prayer o f thank f ulness that he w as n ot as other
men
Th e pe rformance over bo t h men swayed along
with the crowd o n e idea uppe rmost— ano t he r
d rink
S uddenly B ryce c lutched his companion s arm
“
”
There s Lesli e Loring over there
he said
“
”
Come on and I ll introduce you to her
“
”
“
Don t be a n ass answered T r essi dar
To
begin with that s not Miss Loring and again— I
”
already know her
“
Y ou do
asked Walter i n some excitem ent
“
What do you think o f her
“
"
N ot a bad sort was the lo f t y r eply
“
"
Too i ndepe ndent a nnounced the younger man
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WI N NI N G
T HE
46
'
GAM E
“
Th e k ind wh o th i nk s h e r se l f as goo d or be tte r than
”
any m an and al l tha t N o he w ent o n focu sing
“
his ey e s upo n the girl ahead of them of co urs e
she wouldn t be here She and Mathe so n were
great friends The old gi rls you know wanted me
to go in fo r h er in f act I did go to s ee her quite
a lot j ust to p l e a se th em Y ou know
he broke
off suddenly
“
”
W el l ?
“
Y ou know she is w o rth abo ut h a l f a mi l lio n
”
dollars l
“
”
Oh sa i d T r essi dar not too drunk to be dis
gusted There was always a l ive that sens e o f
chivalry in him which shrunk f rom bringing a
woman s name into th e conve r sation at inoppo rtun e
p laces
“
”
I found her too dogmatic Wal te r went on
“
not noticing the other s manner too pe danti c a nd
sel f as as serti ve we could never get along to
”
geth e r so I told the o l d girls — h e began to laugh
“
—
cu nningly
I told the o l d girls that I cou l d not
with any degree of honor go in fo r her because
Math Math son w as going in f or her himsel f
Wasn t that i mmense eh T r essi dar
"
“
And what did they say ?
Walter spre a d out his hands and over hi s pink
puff y face came a l ook o f divine renunciation
"
Oh they said th at be ing the case it woul d
"
n e ver do fo r me to s ta n d i n Math M ath s n s w ay l
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T HE
W I NN I N G
GA ME
CH APTER V II
“
47
.
Les l i e I ve brought the se le tte rs to yo u— th e y
o ug ht to be in your keeping and there is nothing
absolutely nothing more among his pape rs of a
private nature His was the cl ea nest li fe I hav e
”
ever k nown
Leslie took the p ack age o f letters an d he l d i t
reverently She knew be fore looking at th em th a t
they were f rom her mother to Albert M athe son
a d she knew be fore D o n told her that there wa s
nothing secreted in his private e ff ec ts that from
D on s chivalrous point o f view should be held
from h e r She came nea re r t han sh e kn ew to l ov
i ng Al be rt Matheson
Don spoke aga in
“
Here is another letter to you I f you woul d
like to read it now I wil l leave these other mat
”
ters and come back some other time
”
“
“
N o no wa s the quick reply
You a re th e
most thought ful perso n in th e world Don and I
have no words to tell yo u h ow I appreciate all your
”
goodness to me during these pa st two weeks
Her e yes filled with tears and sh e lowered her
h ead over the pape rs i n he r lap F rom childhoo d
she had always been deeply aff ected by kindness
in fact M r Edge w as fo n d o f t eas ing her now
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T HE
48
W INN I N G GA ME
abo ut a n occasion when she deserved punishm ent
for some misdeed an d deviating f rom former pre
ceden t he undertook to gently remonstrate W ith th e
lit t le girl She bo re t he kind words stoically for
a few moments th en bursting into a torrent o f
passionate tears exclaimed :
“
Oh punish me ! ee ! ee please punish me but
”
don t b e kind to me !
And Don s untiring and u n obtr u sw e thought ful
n ess w as in a measure h ard to bear ; she would i n
finitely have pre ferred to fight hersel f thus having
the com fort of a counter irritant Having things
done f or her always gave Leslie the sensation o f
incapability— inertia would have been death to her
”
“
“
K ind to you echoed Crowley
Oh Lesli e
darling I know this is not th e time to tell you
but I have kept i t t o mysel f s o long and sweethe a rt
gi rl I love you love you how much you can neve r
know ! He drew her unresisting to him an d
kissed her hair Then with trembling fi ng e r s h e
ra i sed her face to his and very gently kissed h er
”
“
lips
Do y o u love me ever so little dar ling ?
he W hispe red
Th e girl did not answ e r a t once O f course be
ing quite alive to a certain amo unt o f her cha rm
she could not pretend to have bee n blind to Crow
ley s devotion but vagu ely l oo king back she real
i zed that i f sh e considere d th e ma tter at al l sh e
thought o f D on as capabl e o f doing and acting th e
same toward any other w oma n in n ee d o f a man s
h el p a n d fri e nd ship
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T HE
W I NNIN G GAME
49
There had a l wa ys been a free an d norma l good
fellowship characterizing their acquain tance which
Leslie did n ot acknowledge could hardly la st f or
ever For nothing s t ands still— not even f ri endship
— i t either is a b sorbed into the atmosphere whence
it sprung or it goes forward and develops into what
the poets have been pleased to call the divine pas
sion just how divine it is— is entirely a matter o f
the bank account
So Don had not b een impersonal I t was be
cause he loved her VVi th charac t eris t ic prompt
n ess Leslie almost f orge t f ul o f his presence b ent
all her mental energ ies upon this new asp ect in h er
li fe and w as s t art led— actually star t led when th e
man the subjec t o f her thoughts mistaking he r
long silence f or consent suddenly held her clo se
against him and passionately whispered :
“
My lit l e W i fe !
Leslie came to hersel f and very gen t ly pushe d
away f rom Don She looked at him wi t h f ar more
t endern ess than w as warranta ble considering sh e
was going to re fuse him
Her very as t onishment w as a hindrance her mind
seemed clog ged and she cast a bout among her shat
t er ed me n tal f orces f or firm means o f settlin g thi s
ques t ion
“
”
“
Don she beg an W hether you believe it o r
not I never dreamed that you were in love with
me ! Wait she held up her hand with an i m
per i ou s little gesture which Crowley had o f ten no
“
ticed and loved I am not going to dis gus t you
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T HE
50
W I N NIN G GA ME
’
with the sisterly business but that attitude is th e
be st ex pl a nation I can give of m y
“
interrupted the man
D o n t say i t ! I
believe y ou if you tell me Les and dear little girl
I am n o t blaming you f or my a ff ections havin g
”
be en hope lessly misplaced — h e stopped a mome n t
“
only— o nly every one else noticed i t— even Ma r
”
ga ret
They bo th laughed
“
The age o f rom ance and fluttering hearts seem s
to be passing Leslie said with total lack o f fl i p
“
pancy and I don t look for that sor t o f love B ut
Don i f I promised to marry you an d did no t change
from the way I feel toward you now — d o you know
I should always be a f raid afr a i d that some one
would come who would make me care as I know
”
people do this kind o f a perso n particularly sh e
“
”
tapped hersel f gently
I am made to b e ex t reme
“
sh e went on
and can imagine my sel f oblivious to
everythi n g good advice good Opinion everythin g
b u t— Him
”
“
Leave that to m e Don answered vehemen t ly
“
then he smiled
Trust me t o t ake goo d care o f
”
Him Say you ll give me a figh t ing chance Les
“
he begged taking her hand again
Som e one
ought t o have the right to take care o f you li t tl e
gi rl and I am concei t ed enough to think I could do
”
it well
Hi s voice was deep and tender his da rk b lue eyes
w e re be nt earnestly upo n her and raising her head
Le sl i e felt a s o rt o f th ril l pa s s th r oug h h e r at th e
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THE
52
W I NNIN G GA ME
“
sa i d but will leave you to read your l etter Co unt
abso lutely on me never to bo t her you but I shall
wait— always wait f or you to come to me and s ay
Don I ve changed my mind about H im
I n the
mean t ime things are as they always we re be tw ee n
u s aren t they Leslie ?
You w o n t a void me be
”
c ause y ou know ?
And she with her rare gi ft o f intuition kn ew
w e l l that she would never change her mind a n d
sh e kn ew that things would never be the same
but a nswered the last question with the s m ile
which those w h o knew her watched for
“
I shall make a fair start by asking you t o t a ke
”
me to Vera s t o morrow night
Crowley had hardly closed the door be fore Les l i e
tore open the envelope con t aining Al bert Mathe
so n s letter to her Don had come to explain that
h e had le f t all o f his property to his be loved war d
with a very few b equests to ol d f riends such a s a
few hundred dollars each to Miss Polly and Mis s
Libby B ryce and a hundred dollars to Ceciley who
when told o f her inheritance had the first and only
case o f h y ster xcs I n the Loring f amily since Mrs
Stanhope Ashbury died
Every thing else w a s le f t to Les l ie for what r ea
son t he letter soon reveal ed
I t read :
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LI T T L E LES L I E : When you Open this I sh a ll be
no more— s t op you bad girl don t blur these pa g es
w ith your tears — you know O l d Gua rdi an Bo y al
’
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,
T HE
W I NN I N G GA ME
53
w ays h a ted t o see you cry— but you must know a n d
realize al l through this l etter that I am in pe rfect
health while wri t ing it I am laughing at you baby
girl I nvoluntarily your mind turns to me as yo u
las t saw me suppos edly i n a sickbe d though i f I
have my way and suffi cient courag e I sha ll not le t
them send fo r y ou Howeve r chas e that gobli n
o f regret away and think o f me now n o w — si tt ing
at my desk at home sending you this little note
“
T o begi n with Little Leslie I want you to know
that I love every inch o f yo u and that i f the year s
go on and you invite me to ten o r fi f teen mor e
birthday parties on a little card inscribed Leslie Lo r
ing I want you to know that I am going to u rge
you to b lot ou t the Loring and put Matheso n i n it s
s tead There I ve told it ! O f course in such a
per fectly impossi ble event I can t le t you have this
letter for I wil l have to write ano ther one To my
wi fe
“
There there little silly Love you are cryin g
ag ain and Al bert Matheson is o n e rare bru te
Please don t darling f o r even where I have gone I
can see you and feel you crying and— good
heavens girl look at your nose ! Ah that s be t
ter !
“
N o w listen and for the instant I am going to
be very serious I want you to crush the instin ct
to mourn Leslie dear I t is a f ter all a compa ra
t i v el y new idea and the o l d o n e— the one o f r e
j oi ci n g f or a departed soul w h o has foun d peace
was i nfinite ly better We bo th agr eed that thi s
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W I NNI N G GA ME
T HE
54
change called Death w as but the opening o f a noth e r
Li fe and i f not a be t ter on e w hy would the Cre
ator have us make the change ? I am happy I
h a ve many friends here— and I have K i t ty B u t
you will mar my happiness i f you mourn Litt le
Leslie ; y ou and Crowley were my little worl d and
I h a d hope d hopes and dreamed dreams which I
thought wiser to confide only to my o ld pipe So
this applies to Don too I want you to think o f
m e y es and talk o f me b ut weep f or me never !
“
There w as once a chap a friend o f mine w h o
died and I was asked to be one o f the pall bearers
As the four o f us were driving home there was
l ittle attempt at conversation We hesitated to
spe ak cheer f ully f or fear o f being thought heart
l ess and we could no t would no t mourn At last
I risked th e good Opinion of the o ther three an d
A f t er laughing appr eci
t old a very funny story
ati v el y one O f the o ther m en exclaimed with gen
Oh h o w I wish Morton were here to
u i n e regret :
enjoy t hat one Matheson !
“
I n just such a w ay I wish you all to remember
me Will you make the e ff ort conscientiously to
please an o l d man w h o would have done anything
no mat t er h ow diffi cult unreasonable o r silly to
gra t i fy your sligh t est whim ? And explain this
earnest desire o f mine to the others mischievous
l ittle Vera and B urnley and the dear B ryces
“
O ne thing more and I am finished I am leav
ing you my material com f orts principally bec au se
t here is no o ne else wh o h a s any claim what e v e r
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T HE WIN N I N G GA M E
55
’
upo n me You do n t actual l y need the money fo r
although i t gr a tes upo n my shrinking nature I
must say that my s tewardship of your affairs h a s
not bee n unsatis factory H owever I want you t o
reserv e th i s little sum of mine and use it a t so m e
c risis some cru ci a l moment in your li f e ( for w e
al l hav e the m ) to he lp you o ut of a diffi cul ty o r to
aid in th e fulfilment o f a genuine de sire I put
th e matter clumsily because it is v agu e e v en to m e
— br i efl
y I feel that y ou wi ll want this mon ey so m e
day for a specific something— and — you hav e i t !
“
That is all Little Leslie The instant y ou finish
this letter I ask you not to stop to think it over I
want you to do the maddest most impulsiv e thing
you r imaginativ e brain can conjure and wh e n Don
is with you the next time— o r whoeve r i s Don the n
tal k it o ver d o not th i n k it !
”
“
A L B ERT M AT H ESO N
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Lesli e s a t a moment with the l etter in her l ap a
thousand thoughts crying f or her notice and asso rt
ment B u t true to a t r ust and feeling as on e m igh t
who was turn ed ro und three times then told to
look for the collar button she rose and walk ed
aimlessly into the den J ust at her hand was th e
telephon e Ah s o much was a ccomplished— sh e
would ph o ne so me one Whom ? O pen upon th e
table lay a note of reg r et from Cli ff ord Sc ott a
nice boy the younge st member of th e c lub t o which
Matheson belonged The s eco nd po int was sett l ed
She woul d te lephon e th e cl ub ! u ite unex pec tedly
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T HE
56
WINNIN G
GA ME
name o f T ressi dar occu rr ed to h e r wi th such
sud d en n ess i n fact sh e h ad th e imp ress i on o f h av
ing h ea r d i t spok en
Ye s M r T ressidar w as a t that mo men t i n th e
c lub ; w ould she wa i t ?
“
Are you th ere M r T ressi dar
“
”
Yes
“
”
Th i s is Le sl ie Lo ri ng
”
“
H ow d o you d o ? cam e through th e rece i ve r
graci o us but entire ly u nsurprised une nth us i a sti c
"
“
O h I m vulga rly he al thy
Les l ie answered
“
with a tinge of pe tulance
Do n t l et us discu ss my
h eal th I w anted to know i f yo u felt like be ing
bagged thi s afternoon right away or a re y o u al
”
rea dy i n the hunter s toils ?
”
“
”
“
“
N ot at all ( T r essidar said not a tal l ) d e
l ighted I m su re I wi l l come right a w ay and
”
th a nk yo u s o much Goo d by
Le s l ie hung up the rece iver with a qu eer s en se
o f having acted through no vol ition o f her own
a nd sat dazedly looking at the clock with out see
i ng it I t s ch ime suddenly aroused her an d sh e
ra n into her roo m calling for Ceciley
“
”
Come dress me quickly ; I m in a hurry sh e
s a id in rather an exci t ed manner
Ceciley laid a snuff colored broadcloth o n the
co uch
“
I don t want to touch your hair baby d ea r I t
”
l oo ks too lovely to be disturbed
Leslie l ooke d a t h e rse l f criti ca l l y th en n odded
smil i ng
th e
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THE
W I NN I N G
GA M E
57
Th e g o wn w as a c red it to Osmo nd e Bo th loo se
and tight it hung i n clingi ng grace fu l folds ov e r
the gi rl s rounded hip s actuating h e r wi l lowy sli m
nes s a nd youth f ulness o f fo rm ; it s s can t tri mming
consisting o f hand embroid e red ba nd s o f th e m a
t er ial la y in c la ssi c fo l d s acro ss h e r breas t a nd
the lon g tight c ru shed chi ffon s l ee v es complete d
the e ffect of straig htness and s impl icity
Ceci ley pu t a heavy g ol d fi l ag r ee band ac ross th e
gi rl s fo reh ea d a nd pul l ed o ut h e r h a i r th e l east bi t
over he r ears Und e r th e so ft sh a ded li ght i t had
a wonderful bu rn ish ed l oo k quite i mposs ible to i m
i tate and the sh ad e of th e gown hei ghtened tha t
e ffec t
M ist re s s a n d ma id w e re sa tis fi ed and sm il ed i nto
each oth e r s ey es a s the be ll so unded
“
Tell Hattie th at I think M r T ressi dar wi ll be
”
he re for di nne r Lesli e sa i d, laug h ing as sh e le ft
the room
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T HE
58
WI N N I N G
GAM E
CH A PT ER VI I I
.
A day ca n be bu sy in tw o ways : one by h av i n g
n umbe rs o f duties crowded in to i t— dm
w on
wh i ch the mind must be ben t in harw a y wi t h
th e i r manua l per f ormance and ano t her in whi ch
the mind does its work alone when ther e are pr ob
l em s to so l ve o r be considered r equ i rm g n o ai d
outside itsel f Th e re had been man y such f or Le s
l ie and she use d to cause her f ri ends mu ch am use
“
ment by saying : I h av e bee n t r emendously busy
”
t o day !
“
”
B usy ? D oing wha t ?
“
Thinking !
“
T o day was another thinking day
First th e re
was Don to consider in a n ew light next w as Mr
Matheson s message and last there was T r essi dar
Although quite positive that her decision i n r e
ga rd to Don was right an d fina l there were sev
e ra l po ints t o contemplate To begin with s uppose
she should rec onsider him— there was every rea
so n that she should— c ould she eve r love him ?
“
M arg aret and I are the be st o f f riends Don know s
m e well and in spite of that loves me— I mean I
h a v e never tri ed t o pleas e him— h e stand s in j ust
s uc h a po siti o n t o m e as d ear M ath y di d to m y
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60
TH E W I NN IN G
’
3
w
L E
I
d ang er tha t he woul d i ntrude himsel f upo n h e r
fu rth er consideration
Al bert Matheson s letter needed a certain amount
o f thought not strenuous o r decisive
but rather
l ingering passive vag ue almost uncer t ain there
being no necessi ty to drive her mind along any
given channel or arrive at a conclusion I t wa s
a tender mental amb le There w as much the sam e
sensation as tha t upon waking an hour earlier than
the usual time for ri sing and having the intense
satis faction o f kno w ing t here w as no th ing to do
but lie there and revel in the knowledge that it
was not time t o get up
How delica t ely he had put the matter of th e
money O f c o urse he could have le f t i t to some
o n e else b ut b ecau se o f a pr esentimen t that she
might need it he had le ft it t o her
ha t by the
way did tho s e words mean ? Albert Ma theson
was n o t a man o f idle fancies — h e must have had
some t hing in his mind B u t W hat ? There is
some thing weirdly pr Oph et i e a bout t he words o f
one w h o has depar t ed— trite banalities seem to
take on gi g antic si g n i fican ces ; like t he words o f t he
soothsayers w e fi t them to t he occasion at hand
“
a nd awesomely whisper : I t is as h e said !
He had loved her ! H umanly enough Leslie los
i ng f or the instant that keenness o f which she lik ed
to boast crowned her guardian with a halo o f de
v o ti o n and sentiment she would hav e considere d
m awkish a few w ee ks ago N o one could e ve r
t a k e his p lac e
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THE WI NN I N G GA M E
6!
On th e t able lay so me sl ips o f pape r rel i cs o f th e
e veni ng previ ou s when sh e and T r essi dar h ad been
making ghosts This pec uli a r form o f amusement
had entertain ed the Englishman immensely a n d
the absolute childish abandon with which his h ost
ess thre w hersel f into the spirit of it ch a rmed h im
more tha n he realized at the time
Lesli e wrot e her name with a heavy pen li ke
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then fo lded th e pape r di rect l y underneath blott ing
it ; the result was suppo sed to look lik e she woul d
a fte r sh edding h er presen t m a terial fo rm
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T r essi da r
ma de a pa rticu la rly etherea l gh o st
w riting be in g small rou nd and conci se
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“
One w ould ne ver imagin e f rom your present
”
“
fo rm h e sa i d l ooking ac ro ss the tabl e h ow
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62
TH E W IN N IN G GA ME
buxom a ghost you are to become Really those
propo rtions are quite eart hly Unless I keep thi s
likeness continu ally be fore me I doubt tha t I shall
”
rec ogn ize you
“
Well this — pointing to a pa rticularly black
“
—
ened ma rk
th is Mr T r ess i da r is the prescribe d
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”
R ed carnation interrupted Algy tri umph a ntly
”
“
Exact ly l
“
I suppose tha t being entirely origin al there will
be no danger o f duplicates ? he asked apparently
a prey to searching doubt
I n ex aggerated seriousness Leslie puckere d h e r
brow and shook her head vaguely
”
“
“
I can t vouch fo r i t she murmured th e world
”
is full o f imi t ators
“
”
Then I mus t keep this constantly be fore me
“
I n o ther words w e
T r essi dar said positively
will exchange photographs— I beg y ou t o a ut ograph
”
t his
A fter a moment s writing Lesli e said :
“
Well it pleases me to note that ou r po sitions
wil l be reversed for n o mat t er h ow complex and
”
Opaque you may be now at th is stage o f the game
l aying her finger on the slip bearing A lgy s sig
“
nature I shall b e ab le to see through you with
the greatest ease Really I never saw anything s o
”
filmy and t ransparent
“
”
The men o f o u r f amily have always bee n lean
s ighed T r essi dar apologe t ically
Le slie l aughed outright as she remembe red al l
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T HE W I
N NI NG
63
GA M E
on sense the y h a d t alk ed th e happy bu bbling
i rrepressi b l e no n se nse o f to ta l a bsenc e o f co n
s tra int ; in o th e r words th e ir congeni al ity de l igh ted
h e r She remembered w ith a thril l o f p lea su re
ho w e asily T r essi dar h a d droppe d into se ri ous nes s
th e instant M r M a thes o n was menti on ed an d how
sympa theti ca lly he seeme d to liste n t o her ta lk of
hi m— th e e v en ing wa s far too sho rt and th e i nstan t
h e w as gon e Le slie thoug ht of a doz en pos it i vely
b ril li a nt things sh e might hav e said
T h e ph o ne ra ng and Vera s v o i ce t ense and ex
c ited asked :
“
hat do you think ha s happ en e d
“
"
Ca lamitou s or otherwise ?
”
“
Oh othe rw ise w as th e qui ck reply fol l owe d
by a delici ous giggl e
“
”
Wal te r s engageme nt is b roken
sug ge st e d
Le sli e
”
“
N o— you ll never guess — a force ful paus e th en
th e
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“
M ar g ar et has
a s u i tor
!
”
“
Presentl y Vera shrieked : Are yo u the re Le s ?
Spea k prompt ly or I sha l l accus e mysel f o f murder
”
in the telephonic d egree
“
”
“
Here but fainting Lesli e w hispe red
I s it
i n human form
“
Ay verily i n th e fo r m of a socia l ist gr ee n
c lo thes spect a cles rubbe r ba nd aged umbre l l a an d
all He is coming to night An d see h e re w h o
”
else d o you think I ve got ?
“
B reak i t ge n tly wh oever i t is
”
“
Tom Edg e !
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T HE
64
‘
W I N NIN G GA M E
“
Oh spl endid ! Vera your pa rty is a h eaven
”
bo rn i dea— ther e is only on e flaw sh e a dd e d
“
”
I kn o w I know interru pted the other quickly
“
bu t remembe r what he said what he wished Don
t old me last night
Are you coming with Don ?
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"
Well good by l I have dozen s o f things t o do
“
Can t I help ?
“
Oh no thank you my dear M y h a ir a nd my
a nd really important thing s like th a t you
na ils
k now
Go od by
Ve ra s house w as ideal fo r ente rtaining a n d sh e
t oo k espec ial pride in having it look its be st th e
n ight o f her triumphant re entry into the Ne w Yo rk
s oc ial l i fe a f ter three years o f mourning
S itting with T r essi dar a ga inst a ba ckgro un d o f
b ea uti ful violet b lossoms in th e far end o f the con
serv ato ry Leslie wondered whether by a ny S atani c
intuition he guessed th a t sh e ha d l ed h im th er e by
d ark desi gn
Guiltily she l o wered her ey es a s h e said v e ry
ge nt ly :
“
I wo nder whether y ou kn ow how bea uti ful yo u
look against those flowe rs ! You m ust kn o w th at
you l ook very very l ovely t o night— your ma id an d
”
yo u r mirror have told you
B y the time T r essi dar had complet ed his fi rst
s enten c e the girl was pe r f e ct mistre s s o f her se lf
and looking at him with spa rkling eyes s h e an
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sw er ed :
“I f you think for a mome nt I a m go i ng to sa y
.
65
THE W I N NI N G GAME
’
’
Oh do n t be silly o r even murm u r a mod est
th a nk you you re wrong That is j ust th e kind
o f talk I can stand for hours ; in fact there is no
limit to my enduranc e so pray spe ak on st ra n ge r
”
your story interests me l
A f ter a moment T r essi dar said :
“
I seem fated t o deal in personalities to n i ght
bu t really you h a ve the most in fec t ious laugh I
eve r hea rd I am not la ughing at what y ou said
”
I am laughing because y ou laugh
“
B ette r and be tter
sighed Leslie cl osing h er
“
ey es i n languid enj oyment
Really you are a v e ry
”
supe rior pe rson Mr T r essi dar
“
W e seem to ag ree admirably upo n ev ery po int
Miss Loring B y the way do you be lieve i n th e
tra n s migration o f souls
Leslie sa t suddenly e rect upon th e r u sti c div an
Al be rt Matheson s imag e came vividly into h e r
mind
“
Are you serious she asked slowly
And he surprised at the rapid change i n h er
l a ughingly answered :
“
Of cours e not ! I was only w ond e ri ng wh e re
I ha d known you be fore
You seem to l ink m e
”
with a long forg ott en past ; in that I am seriou s
“
”
Cross my palm with silver began th e girl h i p
”
“
and you shall know al l I kn ow
Th en
pantly
loo ki ng a t h i m a l ittle strange ly h e th ought sh e
“
w en t o n : Onc e there w as a horri d Engli sh child
nam ed A lgy ( hi s brothe r ca lled it
w ho
cam e t o Ne w Yo rk fo r h is h ea lth pe r h a ps o r for
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THE WI N N I N G
66
h is pa re nts
GA ME
h eal th— th ey may hav e need ed a rest
He was a li tt le bull y and no t nice a t a ll to th e oth e r
c h il dre n in the hot el but h e seemed to choo se a
s ma ll gi rl i n preference to the o th e rs t o act a s a
”
fo il t o h i s questionable deeds of va lo r
S h e leane d back and ra ising both white a rm s
cla sped h e r hands behind her he ad th e tips o f h e r
e lbows be ing very close to T r essi dar s cheek H is
i nscrutable yellow eyes narrow ed impe rceptibl y
while h e w atched the girl a nd h e ben t fo rw a rd
s l i ghtly to catch her words
“
N ow the girl did n ot l ike the boy— O f co u rse
b oy a nd gir l are spell e d with capita l letters— th e y
a lways are i n books you know— s h e did no t l i ke
th e pe remptory way h e ord e r ed her t o d o thin gs
s he did not like be ing a massacred pe rso n a ny mor e
t han he did and on e day when h e too k hold of he r
h a ir a nd held her sh e thought he w a s go ing to
sca l p her again aga in st he r wi ll Sh e ra is ed a n
a ngry face to his only to rec eive
the re w as a
v e ry long pa use and A lg y mo v ed a shad e near e r
The veil of y ea rs rolled away as tho ugh by magi c
a nd h e coul d fee l a mass of tangled ha ir on h is
a rm an d in his h a nds now ; he cou l d fee l the hot
sh a rp breath upo n his fa ce— God h e cou ld st ill
thrill with the ex ul tati o n o f that rem emb ran ce .
glo rying in his pow e r to hold by b ru te fo r ce thi s
t hi n g he w an t ed i n his gras p
”
“
Yes h e whispe red very sl owly
”
“
A w et a nd sloppy ki ss l
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THE WI NNIN G GA M E
68
CH A PT ER I X
.
“
I h a v e bee n l ooking everywhere f o r you Les
announced Cliff ord Scott ap
l i e suppe r is mine
pea ring at this very oppo rtune moment
“
Don t be peevish Cli ff ord o r your oyste rs won t
agree with you answered the girl soothingl y
“
Who is your fate
she asked turnin g to Tre s
s idar
“
Mrs S tear ns said she had arranged eight o f u s
a t one t a ble I think and I was to be pe rsona ll y
”
responsible fo r her guest Miss B raba zon
“
”
“
Sple ndid cried Leslie enthusiastically
Y ou
wi ll sure l y love Angelique won t he Cliff ord ? Sh e
i s one o f the most fascina t ing girls I know Didn t
”
y ou like her when you me t her ?
”
“
I thou ght her quite amusing w as T r essi dar s
u nenthusiastic reply
“
Oh y ou make me rage with all your Engl ish
“
storm ed the girl
Y ou are ei t he r
c onserva t ism l
a fish o r else you put su ch a cur b on a really goo d
i mpulse that some day when you want o n e you w ill
”
fi n d i t cruelly s trangled
B o t h men laughed at her vehemence and th e
E nglishman asked teasingly :
”
“
I s e nthus ia sm a goo d impu lse ?
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T HE
“
W I NNI N G GA ME
69
”
“
Som et im e s Le sli e a nsw e red qui ck l y
B ut I
”
pa rt i cu la r ly mea nt th e ca pa city for a dmi ra ti on
Th ey w ere unabl e to discuss th e ma tter furth er
for a grea t c lamor was ra ised by th e res t o f th e
pa rty waiting fo r suppe r
“
“
Ch o ru se s o f Wh e re have you bee n a nd
e
”
ha v e been s ta rv i n g fo r hours w ere h ea rd f r om all
sides
A s Leslie sea ted herse l f sh e turned haughti l y to
the group
“
”
We h ave bee n di scussi ng a previous ex isten ce
sh e said
“
”
“
Cie l ejaculated the little F rench g i rl h e ess
"
h e r one— how do you sa y Mr T r ess i dar — h obo !
”
“
“
Oh Angelique chided Mrs Stearn s you must
n ot call the gentleman names
That is sh ocki n g
"
bad form
”
“
What ha f I said ? Angelique ques t i oned i n
“
”
embarra ssed alarm
Ah monsieur she continu e d
“
piti fully dis horrible English O f yours it is m ek
me so angry ! Me I go t o N ew York to Madame
to learn English and voi la when I get dere I fi n
Madame she make every o n e to spik French A nd
de gi rls— even Leslie— she don t help me not a li t
tle she say Angel ique it is beauti ful to hear y ou
spik l ak dat but me I must to learn French an d
lak every on e else who do what she say me I al
ways spik F rench to Leslie ti ll Monsieur sh e i s
”
spik l ak on e native
T ressi dar turned to th e gir l besid e him
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THE WIN NIN G GAM E
70
“
'
Th e re is reall y n oth i ng you ca n t do is th er e
h e ask ed i n a l ow tone
B u t M iss Lo ri ng a fter a peculia r gla nc e a t h i m
t u r n e d to y o ung Sco tt without an swering a n d A lgy
fe l t rebu ff ed fo r i n hi s way he had meant to com
l
i
m
ent h e r
p
“
I rem em be r th e d ay Lesl i e came t o sch ool don t
y o u M arga re t ? W e a ll con gregated in Elsi e Da
v i es roo m t o tal k her over a nd vote as t o w h e th er
”
s h e w a s eli gibl e to the Uppe r T en
“
”
I rem embe r that I liked her at once Ve ra
a ns wered Ma r gare t Crow ley in her precise way
“
but yo u and Elsie were inclined to consider her too
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f or w ar
S h e turned to th e ma n beside h e r H erbe rt Ca r
ter th e soc ia l ist
"
“
e w e re sch oo lmates
Mr Carter she ex
“
a nd I fear that a t these little reun io ns
pla i n ed
”
e ve ry o n e e l se su ff ers
”
“
Reminiscences a re a lw ay s i nterest i ng mur
mured th e man pe rfunct o rily
“
I ga ther that Miss Lo ring w as a dmitted to th e
”
Uppe r Ten sugg e sted T ressi dar
”
“
Oh yes Angeliqu e continued whil e Vera and
“
So ver ma ny
B u rn l ey leane d f orward to hear her
z ings happen ed that day to mek h e r l ike At study
hour she do Vera s h algebra she fin h answe rs t o
Milly Cross histoire ah
she spread out he r
“
ha nd s— she tell us a fter she say to herse l f sh e
”
m ek us to lov e her
T ressi dar laug h ed an d w as a l ittl e su r pri sed that
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WI N NI NG
T HE
GA M E
7:
o the rs d i d not j o in h i m He saw with am use
m ent th a t th ey t ook Ange l i que s words quite se ri
th e
.
,
’
,
Ve ra a fte r gl anci ng in h er gu est s direction and
fin d i ng h e r eng ross ed in so mething Cli ff ord Sc ott
w as saying lea ned a l ittl e fa rther across the table
and fix ed her la rge dark eyes on Al gy
“
”
You a re amused by o ur seri ousnes s a re n t you ?
sh e a sked j ust a li tt le rese ntfu l ly Then without
“
w a it i ng fo r an a nswe r : I t is true what A ngi e
s ay s— Lesl i e ma d e up he r mind that we should l ike
To begin wi th she ha s mag
her — tha t s uffi ced
”
s h e pa used a nd T r essi dar sti ll am used
net i sm
“
nodd ed a dd ed to that she is a natu ra l bo rn ac
t re ss ; agai n sh e rea l iz ed even at tha t age th e w ay t o
wi n peopl e I mean by that she w as a da ptable
w hen wi th Ma rga ret Crowley she was quite a d i f
feren t so rt o f gi rl tha n the one sh e w as with me
fo r ins tance a nd it was not a ff ec ted she f ee l s g en
n i n e sym pa thy t o ward her co mpa ni o n o f the mo
m ent
Sh e i s th e u nusua l sort of pe rso n w h o mag
”
net i zes wom en as w e ll as men
“
”
I t remble m u rmured the Englishma n t rag
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Oh you are joke sighed A ngie B rabazon
”
“
J us t w a it ti l l yo u kn o w her be tter !
“
”
I t rem bl e mo re
la ugh ed the man out right
“
”
Know whom ? as ked Les l ie turning sudden ly
to w a rd th em
“
”
We w ere speaki ng o f the o ld sch ool da ys Vera
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T HE
7:
WI N N I NG
GA ME
“
in te rru pted
Do you rem embe r the e leva tor boy
who fe ll in love with you
"
“
Oh V e ra protest ed Lesl ie getting pa in fu lly
red u nd e r h e r c lear skin
”
“
Wh o ? asked T r essi dar
”
“
The e l evato r bo y
repe ated Mrs S te a rn s
“
Fi rst o f all he confided his a t tachment to one o f
the maid s — sw ea ri n g her t o secre cy as to his iden
tit y Th en w i th that powerfu l and u b iquitous all y
a s messe nger he bes to w ed his en t ire salary ( i n
cluding tips ) upon the innocent object o f hi s a f
f ecti o n s in various ways— fl o wer s candy books
l ovely go ld em bossed t hings— Ella W ilco x s Poems
O scar
ilde a magnificent copy o f
o f Passion
B yron
”
“
Vera Leslie s voice held so mething o f a com
“
mand stop at once I in sist ! Don t believe it
Mr T r essi dar she turned t o him qui t e overl ook
ing Herbe rt Carter w h o had ceased s peaking to
Margaret and was lis t ening to Mrs S t earns
B u t Vera spurred by the o b vious interest and
whole souled attention o f her audience w rinkl ed
her eyes to mere dots o f dancing mischie f and pro
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ceeded :
“
Le slie thinking it w as the assistant clergyma n
o f Grace Church who had hin t ed at a hopeless at
t ach m en t f or her upon o n e o f our a t h o mes
continued to ride up and down in the proximity of
the adoring Henry b liss fully unconscious o f the
burning flame i n his b reast At la st — she gloated
“
—
ove r the clima x
on e dark and s t ormy night wh e n
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THE WINN I N G GA ME
Lesl i e w as a lo ne i n the el eva to r h a v i ng bee n se nt
fo r t o see a v i sitor Henry seized the oppo rtun i ty
o f c as t i ng d i sc re tion to the winds a nd made a pa s
The sa d story c ame
si onate a vowa l i n his descent
”
—
po int
to l ight th ro ug h n o word o f the s i ren s
ing a d rama t i c fi nger a t Miss Lo ring who s a t i n
di gn ifi ed silence waiting f or the end o f th e se v e ry
a nnoy i ng di sc l osures
no she never eve n hinted
o f th e occurrenc e to us— her sworn tri ed a n d t rue
friends I t w as through Henry himsel f i n a mo
ment of ineb riation t hat the pain fu l tru t h came
”
to be known
M a rgaret Crowley s y mpa thizing some wh a t w i th
Les l ie s di sco m fitu r e added her ple a that Ve ra
shou l d spe ak o f some thi ng el se — on ly to be si le nced
by an imperious w ave o f the hand a nd a n a udible
a side to M r Carter
“
She is only jealous because it did n o t h appen
t o her B elieve me ladies and gentlemen her char
acter is irreproacha b le ! T o con t inue H e nry ma d e
a fata l error— he got drunk shu ffl ed to Leslie s door
h i msel f wi t h ano t her love o ff ering— I have forgot
ten whe th er in the m o m I b ring t hee roses or vi o
lets — a n d Madame w h o happened to be conversi ng
with he r dearly beloved at that inopportune mo
”
ment ferreted ou t the lamentable aff air
”
“
Oh but you have not told inte rpo sed A n
“
h ow when L es l ie saw him drunk she sa y
g el i qu e
to Madame do no t blame him poo r zing and she
”
fa int
“
”
I was coming to that replied Mrs S tea rns
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T HE
74
W I NNI N G GA ME
“
w ith crushing ha uteu r
SO annoying to h a ve th e
cl imax of a good story spo iled sh e continued i n
a ton e of mock despa i r to an imaginary per son be
hin d h e r
“
”
Why di d sh e fa int ? a sked T r essi dar o f An
g el i q u e so intere sted th a t h e fo rgot Lesli e h e rsel f
could hav e answe r ed with fa r greater satisfaction
“
Ah she is so— so — sick so so rry to s ee a ny o n e
”
dru n k
The girl frowned impatien tl y a t h e r i n
“
ability t o spea k her thou g hts with clearness sh e is
”
mek s i ck to s ee any o ne who is la k da t sh e t e
.
”
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peated
.
“
A s l ong as the outstanding feature of thi s whole
supp e r seems to have been the repe ti t ion of m y
”
“
Leslie hersel f interposed Mr T r ess i dar I
n ame
w i ll say tha t by some peculiar inheri tance pe r haps
i nstea d o f knowing fear a dis taste fo r any pa r
ti cu l a r anima l or such— I have always bee n ma d e
v i o l ently il l at the sight o f any on e under the i n
O f course Vera h a s exaggerat ed
fl u en ce of l iquor
a ll thi s a ff air — with a deprecating w a ve o f th e
h and a s thou gh to free his mind f rom al l remem
“
—
b ra n ce o f i t
but th e fact is that I was dre adful ly
u pse t by wh a t H enry said to me in the e le vato r
a n d when I sa w h im sta nding in my doorway with
Ma dame s co l d critica l eyes fixed upo n him a n d
sa w him obl iv i o us t o her pre sence stagg e r foo l ish ly
fo rw a rd tow a r d m e I succumbe d to the ol d hor
ro r and fainted Has every o ne fin i shed— th e room
”
is so clo se ?
Geor ge B u rnley rose a nd g omg to Leslie s side.
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THE WIN N I N G
76
GAME
“
’
Tell me wh a t to get fo r you ? Re a lly I m
”
awf ull y s o rry
Leslie s lips pa rted in a sm i le The w ord s we re
so conventiona l— the tone so n early res embling th e
o n e he us ed to say the same words at Marga re t
C rowley s home Could no thing rouse him ?
At that instant t w o forms appe ared in th e door
w a y O ne w as t ha t o f Morton Vera S tea rn s mo st
ex cellent man the other w as Wal t er B ryce
He w as trying to shake o ff th e butler s detain
ing hand and pu shed ro u g hly past him in t o t he
co nservatory Ca t ching sight o f T r essi dar he came
as quickly forw ard as his uncertain s t eps a nd vi
sion would permit
“
”
Ver man— w ant to see he mumbled thickly
“
want you t com e spend night wi t h me Got
rooms— d o w n t o w n— where were b f o r e— lo t s booz e
”
Ah his manner changed to a would be ga l
“
lan t carelessnes s— see y ou wi t h a lady— sorry to
disturb y ou Lesh lie by God ! My but you re
sh t u n n i ng — a l ways thought
“
Stop ! cried Algy springing forward and a s
he di d so the crowd o f people f rom supper cam e
gayly into the room Don Crowley overloo ked
B ryce at first his eyes sought only Leslie standi ng
whit e and silent under a great pa lm B u t B urn l ey
t oo k in th e situation at a g la nc e a n d gr asped Wal
te r s a rm l ightly
“
"
Come and hav e a d r i nk old ma n h e w hi s
”
“
Hurry !
pe red
“
"
N ot w i thout m ol d college chum T ressh i dar
him
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T HE WI NNIN G GA M E
“
u te red obsti na te ly
Wan t h i m too !
”
h e s g o ing i n fo r th h ei r ess h h e whispe re d
“
pe rfec tly a udi ble hiss hate t stu r b him
”
“
Do n cri ed Le slie taking a totteri ng step
”
“
wa rd Do n oh ple a se take him away l
C row ley spra ng forw a rd but not in time t o
v en t Le s l i e from falling a so ft sw ee t bu rd e n
A lgy s outs t re tch ed a rms
he
st t
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77
See
in a
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f or
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p re
i nto
78
TH E WINNIN G
GAME
CHAPT ER X
.
A lgerno n T r essi dar awoke ea rli er th e n ext m om
i ng th a n usual which circumstance needs comment
owing to the fact that he had l a in awake h our s
a fte r getting to bed
“
I wish I could keep from being fore v e r ta ngle d
”
“
with some woman he thought i rritably
I f I sta y
here
Egad ! I see the consequences no w a n d
i f I g o— well I don t want to go j u st ye t Th e re i s
”
the govern or to placate
Fo r a f ew moments his mind wandered ba ck to
his home to his parents to his last inte rview W i th
Si r An thony I t was not a pleasant reminiscence
for the forenoon so h e allow ed th e picture o f Le s
l ie t o blot out such disagreea ble memories
T r essi dar went over bit by h i t his association
W i th her not omitting their v e ry first meeting so
many years ago He tried to ana lyze her childish
a t trac t ion for him then but finally gave it up He
asked himsel f i f she really at t racted him n ow and
couldn t answer Certainly she amused him — she
was good t o look at she was pleasing to talk with
she satisfied h is f astidious tas t e in little thing s
“
"
I see y ou ar e going in for the heiress B r yce
”
“
had said
Damn ed beast l A lgy thought a ngri ly
”
“
why can t a man d rink li ke a gen tlema n ?
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T HE
W I NNIN G GA ME
79
“
”
Cer t ai nl y h e w as not going in f or h er
Must
he have ma trimonia l desi gn s upo n every woman
to whom he pa id atte nti on ? Ah in I ndi a it w as
di ff erent There was Claire Fai r bo r oug h a woman
past thirty f ully conscious o f her powers and her
f ascination for him and sh e had n ot expect ed him
t o marry her
S t ill he had no t needed
Ah well that was
pa st ; but th i s idea the maudlin figment o f a be
f uddled b rain recurred so pers i sten tly that a t las t
quite annoyed the Englishman got o u t o f bed
looked at his wa t ch and finding i t w as only ha l f
past ten allowed himsel f t he luxury o f sweari ng
steadily for five minu t es in Hindus t ani
Then be ing somewhat relieved he phoned to the
ca fé fo r bre ak f ast taking the precaution to sta rt
the day with an eye opener lit a cigarette and sa t
down once more to think
Altoge ther he w as not having a poo r time o f it
in N ew York The m en were very nice the club
an excellent one an d the women— bo the r the
women anyway !
And yet bec ause he w as not self analytical Algy
T r essi dar would have been su rprised to know how
dependent he was upon women Leslie had cer
Her fai r
t ai n l y been f ascina t ing t he night be fore
hair parted o n her forehead and held back by a
heavy jet band gl owed li ke an aureole Her eyes
— b lue
violet gray hazel what were they
changed so rapidly t hey were bewildering B e
wildering he r epea t ed the w ord that described 116
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80
THE WINNIN G GAME
ex actly He never kne w wha t h e shou l d fi nd h e
n ever kne w precisely whether she w as seriou s o r
j oking ; he l oved t o see her blue eyes dance ; h e
loved to see her gray eyes la rge humid shadowy
Pe r
as they we r e on the a f t ernoon Matheson died
h a ps that ex pla ined her cha r m it w as he r v a ri
ablen ess
"
“
Go ing i n fo r the heiress — the he ire ss— w ell
a fter all why not ? The pa ter w as a ssuredly ho ld
i ng out very credita b ly aga inst his a dvances tow a rd
r econciliation and al t hough a mercen ary ma rri age
i n its literal sense did not appeal to T r essi dar h e
h ad always claimed that it w o uld be a l u cky da y
fo r him when he ma rri ed a fort u n e W ha t a so ft
hearted l ittle soul she was too ! A ching with pity
fo r a lout o f a menia l who ha d dared fa l l in lo v e
with her and wha t a quee r th ing this fa i nt i ng at
“
I suppo se I
t h e sight o f an intoxi ca ted perso n
”
he mus ed
s h o uld have to bec ome quite respe c table
Then a s ud
w himsica lly o ver his ro lls and co ff ee
den revu l sion o f feel i ng s w e pt o ver him and h e
la ugh ed al oud
"
“
“
Wha t a ba ll y ass I am he sco ff ed
I do n t
”
e v en pretend to care a bout her
N otwith standing this conclusion T ressi dar t el e
phon ed an order f or a dozen America n beau t ies to
be sent to Miss Loring Abo ut noo n his mind sti l l
travelling a long tha t channe l he phoned Leslie her
sel f to ask how she was Ceciley answered th e
ca ll N o M iss Loring was n ot at home she had a
cl ub mee ting in th e morning and ha d no t re turned ;
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THE WINNIN G
GA ME
8!
'
might be a t M iss C rowley s Was th ere any
message ? T ressi dar le ft hi s number th en hal f re
He w as not su r e h e wanted to see L es
g retted it
li e a fter a ll An d ha ving begu n t o w eig h the
ma tte r fo r a nd aga i nst without com i ng to a deci
si on h e w ai ted fo r a ca ll a ll th e a fte rnoo n a t first
with som ethi ng l ik e rel i e f a nd th en surp rise . and
tow a rd dinner time he w as keen ly i rri ta te d Ei th e r
Mi ss Lo ri ng had poo rly trained se rv ant s o r else
w as ca reless abou t her obligation s I t neve r oc
cu rred t o Al gy t o do as Don Crow ley o r Cl i ff o r d
Sco tt o r any of Le slie s othe r friends w o ul d hav e
done ring up the a pa rtmen t aga in
Tha t e ven ing h e spen t a t th e C row ley s an d
while thorough ly e njoying the qui e t d ign ity o f
thei r home h e w a s unconscionably bo re d by Ma r
p
o
nder
o
usnes
s
her
distressin
g
co
nv
e
nti
o
n
a
l
r
s
a
e
t
g
ity thro ug h wh i ch he c lea rl y saw a l ud i c rous at
t empt to inte rest hi m As h e ex pect ed they ta lked
a great d ea l of Les li e w h o see med t o be a mo st
perv ading perso n and T ressidar ca rri ed home a
fu nd o f quaint an e cdot es about th e gi rl wh o so
pe rs ist en t ly cla im e d a sha re o f hi s th ou gh ts
I n the fi rst ma i l on th e followin g morning w as
a little not e f rom he r than ki ng th e Eng l ishman fo r
hi s flow e rs ha l f h umo rou sly a polog i zi ng fo r her
ch i ld is h lack o f c on tro l th e n i ght pre vi ou s a nd a sk
i ng him to ha ve t ea with her th e same a fternoon
“
I wi ll ha ve Angeliqu e Ve ra and som e othe r s
”
sh e w rot e
w h om y ou ma y be int ere sted t o kno w
“
tha t is i f we p rovinci a l Got hami tes can i n terest
she
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T H E W I N N I N G GAME
82
yo u a t al l Yo u really pre fer l i fe among th e I n
di a ns don t y ou with m assac res a s a da i ly d i ve r
sio n
”
“
“
I t wil l be ra ther a nuisanc e thoug ht A l gy
I
”
“
n e ver lik ed crowds bu t I might invei gle he r ( h er
m ea nt Leslie ) to go to the th ea tre a fterward I
h av e a sort o f curiosity to see w ha t kind o f gow n
”
she will w ear
This was not as foolish as it sounded f or it w as
a well known and discussed f act among Lesli e s
friends that no tw o s t y les o f dresses became h e r
alike Chamelion l ike she seemed to take ton e from
her clo t hes and because O smonde b uilt th em th e
tone w a s very g o o d
hen in a riding hab it sh e
looked se v erel y t a i l o r m a de f o rm al and aloo f ish
I n her home sh e loo ked co zy and as Vera said as
though her na m e shoul d be Sue I n the summe r
t ime do w n in Edg e v il l e or a t Vera s country home
Les lie gave the appearance o f being simpl y a
healthy normal g irl pu tt ing her heart into th e
s
w
ame
o
f
tenni
hich she play ed wi th so much
g
vigor A t a dinn e r w i t h care f ully coiff ed hair a n d
a so f t clinging elu sive gown o f one o f th e i ndefi
ni t e shades she loved to wear Leslie was va gue
subtle powerful
Wi thou t explaining t his to himsel f Algy recog
n i zed and liked i t
The t ea w as very enj oyabl e a f t er all There w as
there w as
a struggling young pain t er de Fores t
Mildred Grant t he au thoress ; and a Count d e V i n
ville ; there were Angelique B rabazo n Ve r a T om
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THE W I N N I N G GA ME
84
w orldl y wis e W i th T ressi dar he always
seemed j us t on th e po in t o f say ing the w o rd o f con
fi r m i ng th e suspic ion as i t we re but neve r r eally
and
.
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,
To
Lesli e the da ng e ro us j oy o f pl ay i ng a seri ous
sh e h ad no
a
m
e
w
a
s
t
oo
g
r
e
t
to
r
e
s
ist
He
r
e
a
g
beca use sh e fe l t th a t i f e ith er o f th em
sc r upl es
w ere u n eq ua l to the bout that o ne w as h e rse l f
T ress idar ce rta i nly a tt ra cted her k ee n l y a nd she
f o und h e rse l f d e voting a grea t d ea l o f th ough t to
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H i s a ppa rent tota l lac k o f impu lse fasc i na ted h e r ;
i t seemed to stand fo r giga n t ic strength latent
w a it i ng a fitting oppo rtunity for s howing i t se l f
Th e re w as mad joy in breaking down one by o ne
l i tt le attitu d es o f restraint toward her pe r so na l ly
Th e re w a s alluring ha ppiness i n th e thought th a t
sh e he rse l f h a d to pave the way toward th e ce s
sa tion o f tri vi al co nventional ities the b reaking dow n
o f which al mos t any other man w ould ha ve ta ke n
upo n himse l f I n o the r words she had to en
co urage him to drop a ce rta i n amount o f fo r
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mal i ty
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appa rent hesita ncy i n ma king l ig ht o f ph ys
i cal conta ct appea led pa rti cula rly to Le slie s se n
T o her it r epre sent ed t h e epitom e o f
s i ti v eness
chiva l ry— o f reve rence I n he lping her in o r out
o f a h a nsom for ex am pl e h is h a nd neve r l ingered
o n e mom ent lo ng er th a n seem ed nece ssary to sho w
considera tion and atten tion
I n saying
e very
goo d ni ght a fter a congenial evening when thei r
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TH E W I NN I N G
GAME
85
ry nearness wou ld perh aps seem to warrant or
con done an ex agg erated ex pression o f pleas u re in
her so ciety T ressi dar sh ook h an ds as fo rma lly as
al oe/1y a s w i th Ma rg aret C rowley
One a fternoon in Ma rch w h en w alk ing home
f rom a n uptow n tea r oom Leslie and A lgy ba ttled
a ga i n st th e fierce s t w in d th ey ha d ev e r en cou nte red
Th e gi r l s face w as st ung and i n some places her
t ende r ski n w as bl iste red he r ha nds p r ot ect ed only
by thi n kid glo ves ach e d with s uch c ruel pe rsistence
th a t t ea rs roll ed dow n her sma rt i ng cheek s
Sh e
fla tly re fused t o le t T ressi dar phone for a ca b as
th ey w e re o nly a fe w bl ocks from h ome
Arrived at the apa rtmen t C eci ley hersel f w a s n o
more tender a nd solicitous than A lgy H e showed
himse l f in a d i ff erent l ight to both w omen I t w as
he who de ftly un fas t ened Le sli e s vei l and found
th ree ha tpi ns without the u sua l masc uli ne cl ums i
ne ss lea ving h er hair in it s accustom ed waves ; h e
did th es e thi ngs while Ceci le y w ent for hot wat e r
and bra n dy An d it wa s A lgy who in the ge ntl es t
ma nne r r emov ed Leslie s gloves an d t ook th e red
sti ff en e d fing e rs in his own
Then wi th th e s l i ght
es t hesita tion th e lea st trace o f di fli dence h e bent
n ea re r h e r and sa id :
“
I th ink the pa i n should soo n di sappear by m y
h olding you r h ands in mink tha t i s if I may ?
”
—
! u ite gen t ly you see thi s w ay
Lesl ie ra ised h e r d eep bl u e eyes t o h is an i nstant
a nd w as con sc ious th a t the blood rushe d t o he r
cheeks S he real i zed w ith bi tt er h um ilia tion that
ve
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M I CROCO' Y RESOI UI ION TEST CHART
( AN SI
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USA
86
THE W I NN I N G GAME
even in T r essi dar s tone there w as nothing more
than a desire to ease her su ff ering there w as noth
ing i n his clasp to indica t e t ha t he did t his for her
because she w as Le s lie ye t sub tly his atti tude i m
plied that he di d tha t i f sh e encouraged him suffi
llow him sel f great er f reedom o f
ci en tl y he would
speech and ac t ion He al w ays made Leslie feel as
though s h e held him in check
T r essi dar clo sed his hold over the girl s two
”
“
hands a tri fle and repeated so f t ly : I f I m ay ?
Ceciley re t urned w ith the b ra ndy which she held
to L eslie s lips A f t er swallo w i n g a mou th ful and
making a w r y face she again raised her eyes to
the man standi ng be fore her and said i n a per
f ect l y natural t on e :
“
You cert ainly may only i t seems cruel to let
you share my torture You mus t feel as though
you held a lump t he size o f t he nort h pole Wasn t
I stupid to have forgotten my mu ff
“
Size repeated Algy in that same elusive ten
“
Size— what o f size ? These hands are
der voice
the very smallest I have ever seen Size is merely
relative comparative
h at is size
“
”
That reminds me answered K itty Loring s
daughter closing her eyes to shadow y dreamy
“
pools o f g r ay that reminds me o f an answer I
once gave at school rega rding size I was asked
why is pape r sized
And
“
And I cleverly answered with almost a contempt
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THE
\V I N N I N G
GAME
87
for my teacher a t the childishness o f her question :
Why to fit the envelope o f course
She b roke into a ring ing peal o f laughter and
be ing truly f eminine she f elt rather than saw t he
astonishment A l g y experienced at her swi f t regai n
o f sel f control the to t al absence o f shyness o f co
q u et r y o r sel f consciousness which he might reason
ably have expected She took keen deligh t in r e
in t hat
a l i z i n g intuitively that he asked himsel f
“
moment : Could I have be en m istaken after a ll ?
B u t w hy the b lush
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88
THE WINNIN G
GA ME
C HAPTER X I
“
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"
Vera wh a t a goose y ou are compl ained Le s
“
l ie laughing
That f airy tale you told me abo ut
M a rgaret s socialist Why w il l y ou tell lies
”
“
So much more interesting th a n the bald truth
“
a nswered Mrs Stearns laconically
Good heavens
what would prosaic li fe b e stripped o f a little m i l d
ex aggeration o f a few rosy lights o f a peck o r
two o f l urid tar r i di ddles ? Just W hat fib do you r e
fer to Miss Loring
“
Well to be gin with y ou said that Mr Ca rte r
wore green clothes or was it goggles ? and tied hi s
um brella in the middle with an elastic band so that
I expected to see him de f tly reverse the uses o f hi s
kni f e and f ork drink ou t o f his finger bo wl o r
po ur his co ff ee into his saucer
“
Vera laughed
Oh well you know what th ey
”
a re generally like I j ust used him as a type
The girls were sitting in H armonie Hall w a it
ing for Herbe rt Cart er s l ecture Le slie had al
w ays been more or less interested in S oc ialism a n d
a ssociation with Margaret Crow l ey for wh om sh e
h a d a genuine fondness even th ough it was n ot
a congenial aff ection had grounded he r in ma n y
M rs S tea rns thirsting f or
soc ialistic theories
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T HE
90
W IN N I N G GA ME
cept in its c lean ness a chin square at the ba s e w i th
the slightest suggestion o f a cle f t in it Carter w as
a man whom people never forgot
”
“
I am here to speak to you this a fternoon h e
“
began i n a slow even voice on a su bj ect o f vita l
i nterest to the world
I n f act it is the only su b
j cet which can hold us all in its huge grasp which
can b ring us the peace and happiness which sho uld
be ours— Socialism
“
There is no thing else in all of li fe but S oci al
ism it embraces everything in its true a nd b roadest
sense it s t ands f or the b ro t herhoo d o f man I am
glad to tell you that our party more than doubles
it s number every four years in the United S t a t es
and in Europe they did so until now they have i n
e very parliament a strong disciplined uncompromis
ing minority which seeks r efo r m not o ffice !
e
do not consider the individual w e consider work
for the Cause We are not aiming to W in y et !
We want a maj ority o f Socialis t s not votes We
ca n t hope to b e more than a m inori t y until th e pe o
ple know enough to wan t t o work together we can t
hope to have a coopera t ive commonwealth until
then and when that is accomplished they will have
developed a common sense o f common service a nd
a drilled capaci ty f or coOper at i v e l abo r That i s
the essence o f Socialism that idea o f coOper at i on
o f working for common instead o f individual
good I n that way you will get j ust as much a s
in this on e sided way in vogue at present Putting
the matte r ch i l dishly : I f every o ne works f o r you
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T HE
W INNI N G GA ME
9:
wi ll yo u not get j ust as much and more a s th ough
you tried to gra sp everything f o r yoursel f ?
”
“
Soc ialism is a science Carter continued ap
pea ling to his a udience as though expe cting some
“
one to deny it
I t is an interpretation o f history
a theory o f soci a l evolution not a mere visionary
Utopia it is a religion a fai t h a hard cold caleu
l ation that beca use th ings were they are as th ey
a re a nd because they are as now they must pe r
force be somethin g di ff erent ; and that di ff erenc e
wi ll te nd more and more to the conditions exempli
”
h ed in Socialism
He spoke for an hour ending feelingly with Her
be rt Spencer s famous dic t um :
“
N one can be f ree till all are free ; no ne can
”
be happy till all are happy
There w as another dinner at the Crowley s a f ter
ward to which Leslie T r essi da r Ve r a Angeliqu e
Tom and George B urnley were asked Don had
l e f t for the South some days previous and Leslie
almost laughed at Margaret s po nderous e ff orts t o
be bo t h host and hostess
The lecturer one o f the gu ests shone in a much
more mellow light than a t Vera s supper He s eemed
to have g ot nearer them all and talked wi th ease
and unrestraint upon the theme so dear to his
heart
Margaret Crowley a f ter the first course w as
served appeared at her best She had s t udied th e
doctrines o f Ca rter for some years and was al
most as fami l i a r with them as w as the man him
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T HE
92
W I NNI N G GA ME
e l f and it w a s she who fo r th e mos t pa rt an
sw er ed Leslie s m a ny questions turn ing e ve ry n ow
a nd then a little de f e r entially ( fo r her ) to th e ma n
from whom she learned these theorie s
“
And do you mean to tell me that you woul d
e ncourage trusts
a sked Lesl i e i nereduou sly
“
Why I thought the ba tt le cry was D own with th e
tru sts
“
"
“
N ot at all cr i ed Ma rga ret w i th animati o n I t
i s the private owners of the trusts wh o do ha rm
Do y ou not remembe r the last time w e di scuss ed
these things I was reading y ou a speech o f Mr
Carter s bearing upon this very thing ? Let th e
go vernment ow n the trusts removing th e m en w h o
control who exploit them and also the s toc khol d
e rs w h o draw u n ear ned dividends Peopl e shoul d
w o rk for what they get— i t is not sufficient t o put
one s name to a slip o f paper then sit back a n d
watch th e dollars fl ow in while other pe opl e a r e
s trug gling valiantly using every means i n th e i r
”
power to earn a livelihood and f ail
“
Would you have the government s eiz e th e
trusts o r pay for t hem asked T r ess i dar with his
inscru t a b le smile and Leslie looking keenly at him
could not tell whether he w as seriou s in his questi o n
o r whether the smile cloaked hal f a sneer
“
We would off er to pay for them we s tan d fo r
"
“
j ustice replied Carter tensely
e want to a voi d
friction we want n o t war but evolution W e stan d
f or inherited civilization not cannibal i s m— blood
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T HE
94
W I NNI N G GA ME
wretched toilers themselves bu t under Soc i a lism
”
that would be changed
“
How would it be changed
Les l ie put the
que sti o n to Margaret
"
“
B y a bolishing profits
th e woman a nsw e re d
s lowly turning to her guest for confirmation a n d
“
a ppro val
We would produce for use n ot profit
We would produce f ar more than we do now be
cause under a more cul t ured civiliza t ion the de
mand would be greater than i t is now B ut i f w e
found t hat w e were prod ucing in any on e l ine
more than w e could use w e would reduce the at
t r act i v en ess o f la bor in that b ranch and increase it
in another Germany n o w schools labor along tho se
"
l ines with entirely satis factory results
They rose f rom the table some o f them at l e as t
anxious t o continue the discussion
T r essi dar w as a li tt le b it bored in f act he rathe r
disli ked seeing Leslie so absorbed in anything othe r
t han himsel f
As he sat beside her on the same divan upo n
w hic h he had sat with Vera S t earns some week s
past his eyes res t ed thought f ully on Margaret
“
I wonder whe ther w omen divide men into tw o
classes t hose t hey could m ar r y and those they
could not pos si bly marry DO they ?
Leslie did not reply ins t an t ly Finally she said :
“
I suppose I know W ha t you mean b ut the pres
ent re ference is a little incomprehensible M a r
"
garet is so— so— b ig and who lly splendid
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T HE
W I NN I N G
GA ME
95
“
Ex act ly ! Sh e remind s me o f some stat uesque
Grec i a n priestess wh o should si t be side a smoki ng
u rn a l l da y a nd un fold to th e pa ssing pilgrim th e
in sc ru ta ble decree o f the god s She is the kind of
w oman one coul d never get n ear one wh o h as few
c onsequently few temptati o ns
l o ng ings
Sh e
w ou l d never digress o ne j ot fro m the st ra ight an d
uninte res ting pathway and could not co ndone o r
e ve n understand a lapse no matte r how great th e
p ro v oc ation in any on e else I could not brea th e
"
in such a constantly upli fted atmosphere
Lesl i e smil ed appreciatively She was rath e r su r
prise d almost disturbed by Alg y s accura t e read
ing o f Marga ret a nd she thought with a so rt O f
me nta l ga sp that pe rhaps h e had been a s clever in
see i ng her own l ittle foibles and subterfuges Wh a t
a contempt he would have for a woma n he could
rea d eas i ly !
”
“
What is the matte r ? the Englishman asked
a s Lesl ie ro se suddenly a n d walked toward th e
“
pian o have I off ended you by my frank criticism
”
o f your fri end ?
“
N ot i n the lea st I only f eel my piti ful i a
”
—
abil i ty to cope with any one so clever that s al l
“
I neve r quite know whether you a re j oki ng or
”
not complained Algy
“
“
"
I don t mean you to laughe d th e girl
Listen
w hi l e I quote y o u somethi n g :
Th e woman w h o knows and knows she kn o w s
— s h e is wi se fol lo w her
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96
THE W I NN I N G GA ME
Th e w oma n wh o know s not and kno w s no t
s he k now s not sh e is foolish
h er
The woma n who knows not an d kno w s she
kn ows n o t she is childish teach her
“
The w oma n who knows and know s no t she
kno w s sh e is asleep . W ak e he“
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T HE
98
W I N NIN G GA ME
home in a maud l i n state o f imbe cility he ea s il y
pe rsuad e d her that he had dined a nd wined rath e r
less sumptuously than the other mem be rs o f th e
pa rty— those things were amon g the privile ge s
“
”
which gentlemen o f bi rt h and fashion enjoy
Ala s f o r little Mrs B ryce t hese privileges were en
j oye d with monotonous f requency by her husba n d
o f birth and f ashion When Walter married the
aunts made another inroad upo n thei r little bank
account in order that his wi f e might share what
ever com forts a nd l uxuries he did N eedless to
say Clara forever remained in ignorance o f th e
provision made f o r her
Since t he night o f Vera Stearns reception B ryce
ha d frequently dined with T r essi dar t hough to d o
the l atter justice he vowed a f ter each t ime th is
would surely be the last As at the beginning o f
their acquaintance Algy always felt a contempt
a nd l oathing for this puppy ; yet because he rathe r
inclined to move along the line o f the least t e
he allowed himsel f t o be persuaded to
si stance
A f t er th at
spe nd the first hour with Walter B ryce
it w as h e w h o prolonged the night o f revelry
I t was a fter an evening spent in this fashion
early i n May that Algy found himsel f totally u n
able a t t w o o clock to keep an appo intment wi th
Leslie
This was t he second time lately he had f aile d
her the first b eing a morning ride in the park some
I t seemed a crue l j est o f Fate
t w o weeks be fore
that sh e and Walte r should w a nt him a t th e s ame
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T H E W I NN I N G GA ME
99
time an d while Algy found himself more and mo re
ready to a nswe r to the f eminine c all he cou l d not
withstand the ol d desire At least he did not ca r e
to resist it that is the way he put the matter to him
sel f he did not want to see Leslie so much— enough
to re fuse t o spe nd an evening n ow and again with
B r yce
Fo r his see i ng Leslie had gradually grow n t o be
a daily occurrence Perhaps for days he did no t
see her alone but in some way they met
Ofte n
Mrs Stearns invited him there perhaps Mis s Da
v ies asked him to her home
f requently B urnley
Sc ott or some o f the men b rought them t ogethe r
and when no on e else did Leslie hersel f always ha d
a little j aunt to suggest And i f the idea itself did
not wholly appeal to him at fi rst he soon fo rgot
his lack o f enthusiasm in the exhila ratio n of th e
girl s presence
T oo stupid by f ar to realize more than his utt e r
inab ility to rise T r essi dar mentally shrug ged hi s
“
”
shoulders and wondered h ow she would ta ke it
Then he dropped o ff to sleep again and forgot a
thumping heada che a pai r o f bu rning eye ba lls a
much enlarged and very dry tongue a gen t ly roc k
ing bed and— a pair o f reproach ful s o rrow laden
hazel eyes
Although Leslie had not be en present whe n
B urnley and Vera Stearns made up the party sh e
understoo d that six o f them were to take a trip up
the Hudson an d o f course T r essi dar was invited
H e had seem ed to fit into their crowd quite n atu r
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THE WIN N IN G GAME
1 00
lly an d a tta ined a sort o f familiar footing amon g
them sliding easily and grace fully into the vaca nt
place le f t by Al bert Matheson wi t hout years or
months o f preliminary acquaintance
As two o clock struck and T r essi dar had n o t
come Lesli e allowed hersel f a moment s honest
thought and introspec t ion A peculiar lassitude
stole over her as she grew assured that he w as n ot
coming which w as not entirely due t o a longing f or
his presence
There had been so many instances o f T r essi dar s
lack o f punctuali t y t hat o n e more or less did no t
matter except that some day had to be a reckoni ng
day
N a turally a slight o f any kind to her was hard
to bear A girl w h o has become accus t omed to the
de ference homage and adora t ion o f men has a
right to look f or a t least an obse r vance of the f un
dam en tal social laws
B u t to th ese Algy seemed
o blivious— that is he al w ays apologized for hi s
non observance o f t hem— and repea t ed the o ff ense
Finally it became a mat ter O f gigan t ic momen t to
h ol d h i m to his word
And a great ques t ion arose
i n her mind w h y did he not keep his engagements ?
Was it because he w as bored ? Hardly ! N O o ne
not even T r essi dar could feign cons t ant pleasure
in her society and this he surely felt acted an d
finally acknowledged
Perhaps h e felt himsel f una ble to keep pace with
the generou s spendthri ft s f or all o f the men Les
l ie kne w intimately were men o f means but that
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THE W I NN I N G GAME
1 02
I n th e case o f the trained nurse I think o ft en an
e lement o f gratitude is at the bo ttom o f what men
mistake for l ove B eside t hat their lazy natures
”
a re fostered they are so e ffi ciently taken care of
“
she laughed
Don t you remembe r that Ma rk
Twain said the only times he w as ever supremely
h appy were when he got his Ox ford degree an d
when he had the measles ? Men are like that
they like making a sensa t ion and nurses are trained
to humor idiotic whims don t you t hink which
would be pooh poohed in a married man s home
by his wi fe no mat t er how loving she w as The
patient in question there fore probably t hinks to him
sel f that this white capped angel is his affi ni t y he
l ies in bed and revels i n the idea that he is t o be
ca tered to and taken ca re o f this w ay f or y ea rs t o
”
c ome
“
Well
“
”
ell he u s ually isn t
“
”
Yes but does he l ov e her ? repeated Algy i n
s i sten t l y hoping to see the pink creep in t o Leslie s
ch eck s as it generally did during any intimate dis
cu ssi o n regarding love
“
”
“
Of course not she had answered
I n fact
I sometimes ask mysel f do men ever l ov e women
S he said the words slowly l ooking past Algy ou t
into the smoky sky She had seemed to f ollo w
her thoughts l iterally le aving him alone behi n d
her
Fo r a n inst a nt ne ither spoke the n Le s l i e w as
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T HE
m3
W I NNI N G GA ME
a rou sed by a subtl e something i n hi s vo ice a s h e
as ke d th e question :
“
Do y ou m ake us lov e you
S he chose to misunderstand him
“
I shou l d sa y there is proof enough o f th a t
Look at the actresses who make men love th em
who make aen break good wives hearts and wh o
"
ca use fina n ci al ru in as wel l to hundreds o f home s
“
"
No w w e are getting to the point replied Algy
“
a nd I re fer to my question once more do m en
l ove w omen who are not their equa l s
“
B u t some of these women ar e n o t o nly e qu a ls
”
but supe riors obj ected Leslie ; she fel t an under
cu rrent o f something u n defi nabl e in all o f T r essi
d a r s se ri ous discussions he seemed to ente r int o
things s o coolly with so little heart— j ust head that
sh e put a stri ct curb on hersel f for f ear that i m
pu l si vel y sh e would be trappe d int o a n admissi o n
sh e w ould a fterward regret I n other words Les
l ie a l ways tri ed intuitively or oth e rwise to see
Algy s po int long before he had l ed her up to it
“
“
”
S eldom contradicted the ma n
Thei r edu
c ation is o nl y i n their own l ine and their sole ai m
”
in li fe is to be adm ire d an d kow towed to
“
I hav e kn ow n s e vera l a ctresses
bega n
Le slie
“
”
So by Geo rge hav e I l
“
How e v e r the ones I h a ve known and the o ne s
"
yo u have kn own would be di ff erent the gi rl sa id
i n a ton e which impli ed that it w as only natu ra l
t ha t T r essi dar sh o uld ch o s e the choru s girls a s th e
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T HE
:9 4
W INNIN G GA ME
’
eve ning s div e rsi on a nd th a t she shou l d m ak e a
fri e nd o f the s ta r a woma n whom she could inv ite
t o h e r home
And Al gy taken off his guard by the po sitiv e
ma nner i n which she spoke o f and accepted thi s
s ta teme nt which was a fact answered :
”
“
Ye s probably
“
I should like to hav e seen you during th e throes
"
she continued speak
Of your first g r au de pas si on
“
i ng lightly
Y ou doubtless followed the pa nt o
mime girls abo ut like faith ful F ido H ave you fo r
gotten
”
“
“
B y no means
laugh ed the other
I n f act I
can t remembe r the time when some a ctress h a s no t
”
interested me
”
“
N ot n ow ! Leslie pretended to be incredul ous
“
N ot now when you realize how transi e nt the
"
glitter is
“
Well the cl ever girls don t let you see that
“
”
it is transient admi t ted T r essi dar
Of course
they haven t diamond butterflies attached to tartan
skirts and the pink kid slippers are only for the
footlights— but they are an aw fully jolly lot most
”
o f them
“
I suppose the English girls are o f a better cla ss
"
than ours Leslie mused aloud
And again her apparent lack o f curiosity her air
o f simply contin ui n g a conversation misled Tre s
sidar
“
O h I have met some very att ractive girl s out
h e re too
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1 06
T HE WIN NIN G GA M E
for you to meet u s downtown ? I am a l ittl e la te
my se l f an d though t of course e very o n e els e h a d
s ta rted
”
“
“
I am j ust rea dy now sa i d Lesl i e and wi ll
”
t ak e the subway
They met some moments l ater
The girl s lack o f enthusiasm puz zl e d C row ley
a littl e
”
“
Have y o u a headache ? he a sked i n a ma n s
u su al way
"
“
Why n o
“
D on t you w an t t o go
”
“
Oh yes Leslie answered quickly pu t upon
“
her guard by Don s question
Yes indeed I shall
”
love it ! I s Margaret going ?
Crowley shook his head
“
She is engag ed wi t h some bomb manufa cture r
or otherwise explosive ge ntleman interested i n th e
noble scheme o f mankind s be t terment so w e a re a
g irl short I t is j ust as well that T r essi dar ca n t
"
come
I t w as o n the tip o f Leslie s tongue to a sk Don
why he couldn t come but fea ring that h e only
j udged such was th e case by his no n appea ran ce
w ith her she mere l y an sw ere d :
“
Ju st a s well
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THE WINNIN G
GA M E
C HAPT ER X III
3 07
.
Vera St ea rns moved to her co unt ry h ou se about
F or the last tw o o r three yea rs
th e middl e o f June
Le slie had a lways gone down with h e r to he l p h er
Ver a insisting that sh e was under th e d octor s or
d ers not t o ex e rt o r overwo rk herse l f
”
“
A tota lly unnecessa ry comm an d Vera a ssu red
“
h e r friends fra nkly bu t th en h e h as o n ly known
”
m e since chil dh ood 1
How ev e r this yea r Le s l i e plea d ed a n u rgent
n ece ssity fo r sta ying i n town : th e N ewsboys Club
th e F resh Air Fund the Playgr ounds and ma ny
oth e r ch a rities I n whi ch she too k a n a ctive inte rest
kept her s o sh e said Vera w a s ac custome d to ac
qui e sc ing w ithout argument so she went to De
scheu es alone for two weeks Then the house be
“
ing in it s gala dress spread w elcoming arms to th e
”
c rowd
Th e night they al l a rrived B urn ley a nnounced
“
”
tha t he was go ing to g ive a party
“
”
You ar e all invited h e sa id gra ndiloqu entl y
“
i ncl uding Vera there ! I have a lways pri ded m y
”
se l f upo n my democratic id ea s
I n th e sam e spirit ev ery o ne th ank ed h im ex cep t
A ngelique B rabazo n a nd pe rhaps He rbe rt Ca rt e r
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1 08
TH E W I N NIN G GA ME
who could not withstand Vera s urge nt reque s t t o
come down a t l east for th e week end
“
W hat wil l Mr B urnley do a ske d A nge l i qu e
o f Leslie seriously
“
“
N othing answered th e other smiling
Prob
a bly order the servants around and us too f or
that ma t ter mixing up the places at the ta ble and
pe rhaps pair us o ff the w ay we don t want to g o
”
all except himsel f and Vera
”
“
B u t w h y do he say he is to mek ze pa rt y ?
asked the French girl mystified
“
“
J ust a whim answered Leslie a mere fan cy
a jest— une drolerie— wha t you will
“
Mon Dieu w hat jokes sighed Angelique
Ge orge B urnley had a surprise in s tore f or th e
gu ests however in f act it w as something o f a s u r
prise to his hostess ; he announced his engagement
to her and presented her wi t h a most ravishin g
Princess ring
For the first t ime since the old schooldays Ver a
succumbed to a transient and fleeting e mba r ra ss
ment
”
“
Vera asked me to tell you to night v ol un
teered B urn ley wi t h a fatuo us look at his fi an cée
“
I had not I ntended to commit mysel f so soon but
once having become entangled ( my f ascinations
have proven too strong for her to resist ) she h a s
hooked me
Ge ntlemen be warned l
Congratulations were enthusiastic and si ncer e
To Angeli que s dramatic mind the who l e afi ai r
sma cked o f delight f u l romance
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THE W I NNIN G
I I0
GA ME
“
"
K i ndly re frai n f rom i nte r rupti n g haught ily
“
rema rk ed B u rn le y
N ow a s each en gagement is
a nno un c ed i t w ill rece i ve high marks in propo rt i o n
t o th e su rprise it c r ea tes and at the end of th e
sea so n the coup l e with the highest ma rk m ay ex
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pect
“
”
A priz e s uggeste d Tom Edge
— to j oin Vera and her husba n d i n M enton e
”
about Christmas time Of cour se he continu ed
“
blandly of course w e have a li t tle chart as i t were
pa iring o ff the couples in such a ma nne r as t o
s t i mu la te their ambition to enter thi s contest ; fo r
”
i nstance his eyes wandered vaguely a round th e
group at last meeting those o f Angelique w ho di d
n ot exactly kno w h o w much o f this was seriou s
and h o w much jest Catching her glance he slow l y
but intelligently trans ferred his loo k to T om who
half expe ct ing it had moved behind T r essi dar
They al l were o bliged to laugh though Lesli e
“
tried to be stern and mumbled B east !
“
”
Or B urnley went o n oblivious appa rently to
“
the epithet flung at him or
Don Crowley sat wi t h his back to them talking
to Elsie Davies and was there fore unconscious o f
the calculating scru t iny o f George s glance This
travelled slowly b ack to Leslie w h o with scarlet
cheeks w as trying to make conversation S uddenly
a change occurred to B urnley a change in his pro
gram f or he fixed T r essi dar with a stern relent
less eye raised his brows questioningly a nd fin al ly
nodded t o h imse l f with i m me nse s atisfacti on
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TH E W I NN I N G GA ME
I I I
Les lie had i n th e mea ntime c rossed th e r oom t o
Vera and was arrang ing fo r the coming w eek s
fest i vities
S ince th e day T ressi dar had failed he r she h a d
His attitude a s usual
not seen him very often
puzz l ed her and the exa ct standing she should tak e
i n the matter was something o f a probl em too
I f she had been wholly o r e ven mildly disinter
csted she would have lis t ened polite l y to his apol ogy
and n ever allowed h i m the same footing ag ain
Unfortunately she w as tremendously interested and
the sm all insis t ent voice o f her heart called out
aga i nst the big gruff voice o f her r ea so n urging
h e r t o give him another chance
Ve ra had been most indign ant at his disappo int
t nothing short o f the
i ng them a nd vowed
man s death or a t least a roke o f para lysis wou ld
induce her to reinstall him in her f vor For an i n
stant Leslie s heart st ood s t ill I f Vera really meant
this T r essi dar wou l d n ot be included amon g th e
guests for her house party An impulse was strong
to plead for h i m then two things intervened her
pride and her reason N ot even Ver a shoul d know
that i t mattered that her head and heart ached on
account o f this indi ff erent Englishman who evi
den tl y fel t himsel f superi o r enou gh to treat her as
he pleased H e r reason argued that plea din g his
cause would n ot win the po int
”
“
I don t believe h e is w orth consi d ering Vera
“
Leslie said indi ff erently
You must have noticed
how w e u rge h im to j oin u s a nd when he does not
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TH E WI NN IN G GAME
112
ca re to come he simply leaves us in th e lurch a t the
last moment and g oe s his ow n sweet way I call
"
him a decided boor
“
"
“
A boor shrieked Mrs S tearns a boo r ! W hy
girl you are crazy
“
”
“
Well he has no manners insisted Leslie
A
pe rso n with bad manners is a boor isn t he
“
Why he has the most— th e m os t charming
"
ma nne rs o f any man I have ever known replied
“
the widow positively and you know it I think
"
you are very exacting
The girl shrugged her shoulders S he could
“
”
hardly keep fro m laughing
I cert ainly am sh e
“
assented i f expecting a m an to keep an engage
”
ment with me is a test
”
“
“
H e was ill
objected the other and explained
that he overs l ept himsel f until too late to telephone
”
You know that
“
"
S ounds fishy commented Vera s f riend with
“
another shrug
I kno w he won t be an addition
”
to the h o u separ ty she con t inued aghast at her ow n
duplicity and bo ldness
”
“
“
Addition fairly scream ed the o ther
Why I
"
s hould not consider the party at all but f or him
“
You are going to ask him then ? questioned
Leslie wi t h well feigned astonishment
Vera s contempt w as too great for words
“
”
We l l I should think George would be j ealous
s uggested Lesli e at last
"
“
“
H e is
l a u ghed the othe r a n d I kno w s o me
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W
THE
1 14
I N N I N G GA M E
“
”
Oh do Leslie pl eas e ! There was a babe! o f
entreaty for an instant
“
Then Leslie rose slowly
D on t make such a
”
“
fuss she complained almost petulantly you seem
to be dis t urbing even the moonbeams O f course
”
I ll sing i f you like
“
I n the doorway she paused
You want the
banjo Angelique— w h y not t he gui t ar
”
“
Regarde cried M lle B rabazon dramatic al ly
“
she stan lak dat all in white ze red rose at he r
breast it look black sa d an o f ze b roken heart
so so f t— so wh at y o u call— appeal — not gay ab an
"
d on lak ze Spani sh o f ze gui t ar
“
T r ess i dar cla pped his hands lightly
B ravo !
“
M ademoiselle is right Mi ss Loring ; let me help
"
you find t he banjo
“
There is no t hi n g you can t do he con t inued as
they pas sed in t o t h e m u si c ro om is there ?
Leslie t urned t o h i m w i thou t sm i li n g and let
him look lon g in t o h er upli f t ed f ace in t o her deep
gray e y e s
“
“
I don t know she answered slo w ly
I am
"
going t o find ou t
The man caugh t his b reath sharply ins t inc t ively
he knew that in som e w ay she re ferred to him ;
she appealed to him as never be fore and standing
there in the moonli t room he longed to crush her to
him t o f eel her b rea t h on his cheek to put his
m outh upon hers hard un t il she struggled in his
arms unt il she murmured th rough her ki s bound
”
“
l ip s Y ou are hurting me !
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T HE
WI N N I N G GA M E
1 15
“
’
Ma rga ret
Cr ow ley s vo i ce brok e the spell B ring
”
a scarf f o r me pl eas e Le slie she call ed
T r essi dar let the gir l go ou t on the v e r andah
a l o ne he pleaded the excu se o f go ing ups ta irs fo r
more cigarettes I n reality he wa n ted a drink to
stead y himsel f N eve r in al l his woman spatte red
l i fe had he so nearly l ost himsel f that is at a time
when he had not meant to At this rate he could
not hold himsel f i n check much longer
When he j oined the o thers Leslie was sitting on
the fl oor with her banjo close against the blood red
rose an d she w as singing this song :
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W
b u lt a t em ple in m y heart
here m ot h and rust can never come
A t emple sw ept an d k ep t apar t
To mak e m y soul a hom e
I
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A n d round abou t
H ang g arlands
the doors o f i t
which fo rever las t
Which ga thered once can never fade
The Roses o f the Pas t
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H e could not tell what made th e song so sad
h e c ould not explain w h y the song a ffec ted him so
strangely what magic w as in the singer s voice
he only k ne w that a great so b rose in his throat
a n overwhelming regret surged ove r him f or thin gs
sh rouded by the veil of time An agony o f l ong
i ng i mpelled him to be the man he knew she would
ha ve him be ; the desire o f a hal f an hour ag o w as
sti l l st rong in him— h e w a nt ed h e r
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1 16
T HE W I NN I N G GAM E
“
”
El si e c r i ed Les l ie th rowing th e ba nj o asid e ;
“
"
E l sie D a vi es don t you dar e to c ry l
“
”
O h Le s lie it is s o sad hal f sobbe d the othe r
“
a n d i t reminds me of poo r ol d Ma thi e H ow
coul d you s ing i t to night
T here w as sile nce for a f ew m inute s then Le s
li e whispe red :
“
”
I think he l ikes to h ea r i t
I n that instant T r essi dar s hea rt b urne d with a
b li n d u nrea son i ng j ealousy e ven o f the memo ry
“
o f A l be rt Matheson
I am going i n for th e
”
“
heiress he said to h imself an d I a m goi ng to
”
pl ay a w i nning game
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I 18
THE WI NN I N G GAME
“
”
Oh deah he simpered foolishly in a shril l
“
falsetto
Oh deah girls I wonder i f she means
”
me !
Every on e l aughed and Leslie felt t hat she must
mak e good so turning cold eyes o f scrutiny upon
her neigh bour she an swered :
“
I thought I had eff ec t ually cloa k ed you un d e r
the guise o f a T h i ng I f you will persist in allow
ing your person ali t y t o intrude itsel f upo n my co n
v ersation you must tak e the consequences
A
Th m g l s f ar worse than a person
o r eve n a
part y
And she turned her bac k upon him
T r ess i dar extrac t ed a no t e boo k f rom his poc k et
tore o u t a lea f and wro t e some thing upon it The n
beckoning th e bu tler he said in an unnecessarily
”
“
loud v oice Deliver that at once to Miss Loring
The waite r handed the tray to Leslie w h o rea d
the words :
“
Return at once al l is f orgiven They say th e
chee ild is i n London
”
“
PA REN T S
O f course she laughed with the keen appreci a
tion o f one who recognizes greater ab ility i n a
loved o n e than is po ssessed by onesel f Algy was
serious o r f rivolous just as her moods dictat ed
only i t seemed t o her that he w as just a little mor e
so than she e v er was
Tom Edge rose shyly f rom his ch ai r
“
”
I believe this is my party to night he sai d
s miling at Angelique
“
Eh ? What
Bu rn ley hel d his gla s s poised i n
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T HE
m idair
W I NN I NG GAME
n
“
9
”
Has the young i d e a b egun to shoot ? h e
“
asked inc redulously
I s it possi ble t hat my meagre
"
little j est has b rought forth results P
A glance at Angelique s face answered the ques
tion— and much merrime n t ensued
”
“
There are only a f ew o f us le f t sug geste d
“
the Count to Leslie as they le ft the table
Will
you wal k with me through the rose garden by
moonlight
“
Except that there is no rose garden and there
is no moon your invita t ion is delight ful and i s
”
accep ted murmured the girl
“
Tha t being the case stroll with m e o n the south
pike begged T r essi dar
”
“
This popularity will turn her head gentlemen
“
wa r ned Vera coming up behind them ; remembe r
she is an heiress and not accustomed to masculin e
”
attention
I n spite o f all this badinag e
T r essi dar winced
he had decided to ask Leslie to marry him be fore
leaving Deschenes and it was a posi t ive proo f of
his love for her that he felt his inability to spe ak
the committing words He read in this hesitan cy
— emb arrassment
a depth o f sentiment i n ex per i
I t was not al
en ced in any previous at t achment
t ogether that ho wever I t w as an uncertainty as
to the exact state o f Leslie s feeling f or him Ev ery
f ew days his point o f view ch anged ; first he fancie d
she cared then as o n the day he as ke d pe rmission
to hold her hands she caused him to veer to th e
oppo site opinion He compared her manner tow ar d
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T HE WI N N IN G GA ME
120
h i m w i th that t owa rd Crowl ey o r th e Coun t whom
h e i n stin ct iv el y detes t ed a n d could not h onest ly
d i sce rn much d i ff erence H e had pr oven to hi m
se l f that l ife wi th out whiske y w a s bea rable fo r
s ince be in g a t Desch en e h e ha d on l y s ippe d mod
estl y o f whate v e r l i qui d re f r eshment w a s o ff e re d
sa v e once a n d a l togethe r i n spite o f a v e ry li m it e d
a ll ow a nc e owing to Si r Anth ony s p rot racte d d i s
pl ea sur e T r essi dar gaze d upo n a ra th e r a tt ract iv e
outlook
Mrs S tea rns allusion to Leslie s finances u nde r
th e circumstances grated uncomfo rtably and agai n
he seeme d bal ked upo n th e th reshold o f an auspi
c ion s ope ning
“
”
Come outside with m e the Count was sayin g
“
ea rn estly we must contin ue ou r discussion abo ut
”
that book y ou k now
“
Miss Lo ring has al rea dy promised me this hou r
a fter dinner dedicated to strolls and con fidences
Discussions o f books must wait a more practica l
”
s eason
“
”
I s it so ? the Count asked turning to Le slie
v isi bly unwilling to be dismissed by the English
man And Leslie not wishing to ma k e things u n
com forta ble e v aded the question slightly and said :
“
Yes I am going f o r a wal k with Mr T r essi
”
d ar
“
”
That w as v ery good o f you Algy began when
the t w o had passed beyond the Count s s ini ste r
“
”
glance
I don t li ke that fellow
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I do
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THE W I N N I NG GAME
:2 2
not Le s l i e wa s c o n sci ous o f his ne rv ousne ss and
inwa rdly cursed himsel f f or a mawkish fool
“
D o you remember o u r conversation abo ut men
marrying their in feriors
he aske d present ly
”
“
“
Per fectly answere d the girl
We ne ve r a r
r i v e d at a very satis factory conclusion did we
“
I think not but t hat w as your fault for switch
i ng me o ff to actresses I want to go bac k to that
”
su bject and ask you abo ut something you sa i d
“
Well ?
“
Y ou said you wondere d whethe r men e ve r l oved
women did you not ?
“
I believe so
“
Well what did you mean by that ?
“
I think I meant something li ke th is : do m en
ever gi ve as much as they get ? Do you realize
wha t a woman sacrifices when she loves ? I t is
n o t an episod e wi t h her— i t is her li f e
Do you
”
kno w M r s Browning s poem on that th eme ?
“
N o but never mind Mrs Browning just now ;
I want to hear Miss Loring— Leslie — o n th a t
”
theme
Had the name slippe d o u t ina d vertan t ly o r ha d
it e v en been spo k en naturally there would not have
been that deep significance w hich made Leslie trem
ble The hesitation alone w as potent added to that
the tone caressing tender conveyed more than a
m ad declaration would have done
5 0 Leslie not being quite sure o f herself dr ew
i n h e r sails
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T HE W I N N I NG GAME
12 3
Oh I ca n t pit mysel f aga i nst M r s B r o wn ing
sh e s a i d turn ing back tow a rd the h g u se
”
“
D on t go yet urge d Algy ta k ing a step fo r
“
wa rd but not touching he r
Tell me d o you
”
th in k y ou have a large capacity for loving ?
”
“
“
How material that sound s she l a ugh ed some
thing l ike a gaping cavern into whi ch one th rows
lone ly young creatures pining f or some on e to
”
lov e them
“
Oh be serious Lesli e— I inten d to cal l y ou Le s
l i e n ow do you m i n d ?
Then without w ai ting
“
fo r a n answer he continued D o y ou think yo u
coul d love some o n e w h o w as your in ferior who
was n ot really fit to touch you w h o could bring
you nothing but a properly repentant heart and a
”
desire to prove worthy o f you ?
An d because Leslie feared that he would fin d
her too easy a quarry she encase d hersel f in the
s t rongest a rmour through which passion has t o
pierce— humor
“
Do you think you could love li k e that
”
“
Without the daddow o f a sh ou t ! she answ e red
solemnly
I n Spite o f the glorious sunset toward dayb reak
menacing clouds rolled across the sky an d sheets
o f lightning shot luridly against an inky b ac k
ground The g uests ha d al l retire d— at l east they
ha d gone to their rooms quite early— the inten se
sultriness being most trying Leslie slept soun dly
dreaming o f the Count s words to T r essi dar an d
hersel f when th ey came back to th e v e randah Sh e
“
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T H E WI NNIN G GA ME
:2 4
gain h is t ri umph an t m anne r a fte r l eading the
conv e rsa ti on t o th e proper po int a s h e sa i d :
“
I fa nc y y ou h a f m issed d ose c o nge ni a l li ttle s up
”
pe rs a t She rry s Eh mo n am i ?
“
”
Wh a t su ppe rs ? a sked Ve ra
“
A h but T ressi dar he re know s ze poe t ry o f
”
f ood I Th e Count rais ed re ve rend hand s to th e
“
God o f Gluttony and continued rapi d ly tw as ze
n ight o f ze da y when yo u haf i nvite me h e re d ea r
l ady I join my fri ch T r essi dar an d B ryce— {h e
young— h o w do y ou say— honeymoo n with such
l
o r odo r a at She rry s
o
f
i
q
uante
ladies
the
F
Me
p
I was not o f ze pa rty but my good f r i ch h e re
h e se e my d esolation an d he say anothe r chai r fo r
ze C ount garcon and anothe r o n e fo r the l a dy
for surely the Flo t adora can spa re ano t he r lad y
e h Fanchette ? he say tu rning to Mademoise ll e
A n oh ze suppe r Madame ! I t r em i n me o f a
”
—
petit e ca fé at my home i n ze be lov ed Paris
Th e
dream became con f used T r essi dar and the Co u nt
s eemed to be struggling o ver an object lyi ng on
the fl oo r an d when she unnoticed by them stooped
t o pic k i t up sh e f ound it was a blac k wig The re
was a great noise in the restaurant a loud boo m
i ng then all the lights flared up with dazzl ing bril
l i ance an d she awo k e
Something ha d happe ned but for a moment sh e
w as t oo stupi d to realize what it was Then su d
den l y the t r uth dawned upo n he r— the hou se h ad
bee n st ruck by l ightning and was burn i ng
”
“
Cec i ley l sh e ca lled be fo re remembe ri ng th at
saw a
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12
6
THE W I NN I N G GAME
“
”
Your manicure set suggested Algy gropin g
his w ay down the stairs
Vera pounced on t hem as they reached the
s
rounds
and
shoo
k
Le
lie
g
“
Where have you been ? she demanded an grily
“
I have be en f ran t ic think ing perhaps you were
”
hurt
“
She was collecting her things said Al g y as
“
N ow
i n commenda t ion o f such presence o f mind
I am goi n g to h elp Are the serv ants all o ut ? he
called over his shoulder
“
”
I thin k so shou t ed Vera between her hands
“
Morto n will see to them
“
We should help said Leslie with her eyes o n
“
the r oo f
I can pump at an y rate while the men
”
carry buck ets up an d do w n
The fl ames h ad not made appalling headway al
though t he wi n d w as very high Don Crowley had
ca rried several pieces o f ho se to the roo f the i n
and he and Burnley
s tant t he house w a s struc k
B u t the smo k e w as blinding
w or k ed li k e d emons
cho k ing in i t s densi t y
The forms o f the men on the roo f silhouetted
a gainst the fi t f u l fl ames lo oked weird and unreal
Every n o w and t hen t heir shouts o f warning or
comman d could b e h eard by the watchers below
But for the mo st part the scene w as pantomimic
w i t h on ly t h e d ea f ening crashes o f thunder and
s hrie k ing o f w i n d t o o ff set the silence
Vera w as pluc k iness itsel f
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THE W I N N I NG GAME
“
12 7
”
Let the house go she shouted a dozen time s
”
“
futilely I w a nt you t o come down here
The serv ants were moving out ev erything get at
a ble and tw o o f the men had even venture d on the
second floor but were drive n back With a change
i n th e wind th e fire m l i ci ou sl y spread ru nning
the house
s wi f tly d own the e aves
”
“
“
I t is no us e cried V er a again
Geo rge don t
1
hear
me
come
down
ou
y
Sudden l y Angelique who had been sobb ing
childishly with her head against Elsie Da v ies u t
t er ed a wil d shrie k and flung up her hands
”
“
"
Mon Dieu she cried J ai ou bl i ée m a bag ue
”
d or ! th e n promptly had hysterics
“
Les l i e shook her roughly Stop that and tell me
”
where v ou put it she deman ded speak ing rapidly
i n F rench
I ncoherent ly Angelique poured f o rth a v olume
but Leslie g athered some in formation
o f words
from the disjointed sen t ences I t seemed that Tom
had given her a ring o f his o w n which was much
too large and the girl sentimentally put it unde r
her pillow When Vera warned b y Burnley that
the house ha d been struck sent T r essidar to tell
her she fl ew excitedly to the door and downstairs
precisely as she had leapt f rom he r bed
Elsie Davies and Marg aret had made more
thought f ul pro vision for themselves so that they
we re abl e to l en d her clothes a fter they a rrive d
upo n the scene Don Crowley B u rnley an d Tom
E dge we re the firs t on the roo f Th e onnt
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s
T H E WI NN I N G GA M E
12 8
unde rtook to rouse the serv ants an d T r essidar se l f
”
“
ishly insisted upon helping Leslie
“
She doesn t need any more help Burnley ha d
“
almost angrily
Stay here and get a
c alled
”
blan k et
”
“
Be b ac k directly called the E n glishman swing
ing over the side o f t he roo f wi t h mon key li k e agil
ity
As a m atter o f fact he hardly realize d wh at
he w as doi n g Lesl i e s yieldin g form h eld so close
again st h i s o w n h ad cau sed him such an in t ensity
o f emotion as he h ad never k nown He had passe d
through so ma n y emo t ions indeed in such a short
time t h a t he w as almost irresponsi ble for his ac
tions F irst his firm determination to ask th e gir l
to marry him her parrying o f him his blinding
rage at the Count s poor scheme for revenge his
exci t ement when the alarm w as given and agai n
Leslie Leslie always Leslie
”
“
M r T r essi da r
crie d Vera Stearns as h e
jumped f rom a l o w han ging b ra n ch to th e ground
“
quic k Leslie has gone in t o the house in to Angie s
room We could not prevent her she called a fte r
h i m as wi t h an o a t h he b ounded past t he now ter
r i fied women up the steps o f the verandah
where
the flames were mak i n g headway
“
“
Leslie he shou t ed Leslie !
A flash o f ligh t ni n g illumined the stairway par
t i al l y that is Al g y saw the thic k smo k e which had
settled so densely over everything— i n the blac k ness
o f a mome n t ago he had only f elt it
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I
THE W I NN I NG GA M E
30
pas sion Was this th e mom ent o f which sh e h ad
d reame d ?
“
”
“
Spe ak t o me dearest he was plea d ing tell
”
me that y ou l ove me
O ut o f th e dark ness a form emerged an d th e
Count s v oice so unded close at hand
“
Ah mes amis you are here he said s u av e l y
“
Mad ame ha s sent me to fin you but I see you a re
quite sa f e so an revoir he waved his hand airily
—though they did not see— and was gone
”
“
“
Come sai d Leslie 1 must go to Angeliqu e
”
they will al l be worried
“
Here is your ring Cheri e — now hush eve ry
body I am not hurt and Mr T r essidar may pri de
himsel f u po n a noble deed o f heroism in sa v
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”
The heiress interposed the Count with a cle ve r
imitation o f a laugh
”
“
“
The heiress
repeated Leslie slowly
f ro m
”
th e hungry flam es
“
”
Ah mon Dieu but you are une ange mig non
“
cried Angelique through tears
How can I ev e r
”
thank you ?
“
Here are your beads too an d I wanted to brin g
”
y ou some clothes b ut my b reath gave out
“
The idea ! ! ue vous e t es stupide Leslie ! How
”
e ver she said casting a regret f ul look in th e d i
r ection o f the house f rom their temporary quar
“
te rs I wish I had my beaut i f n l at ze one wis
all ze f eazh er s — the f eazh er s o f ze u sban d of ze
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1
T HE
W IN N I NG GAME
CHAPTER
!V
:3:
.
Taking al l in all the damage done to Desch ene s
w a s comparati vely slight O f course repairs ha d
t o be made at once so the house party was o blige d
t o d issolve
Angelique sailed f rom ! uebec with
h er sister Ce leste for Havre in that week Elsie
D av ies went to f riends o n the St Lawrence Ma r
gare t Crowley an d her mother le f t fo r the coun
try shortly a f terward and Leslie finally accepte d
Miss Polly s invitation given so o f ten through th e
l ast month and decided to spend a f ortnight with
the B ryce s The Crowleys also wanted her but
instinctive l y she felt that they would not as k Tres
sida r an d she wante d to follo w up the advantage
gaine d while at Vera Stearns
On the morn ing a fter the fire she had not see n
h i m a l one f o r naturally there w as great con fusion
about the place people driving over f rom all di
rections to see the result o f the fire an d o ffe r as
si stan ce the guests leaving as they g ot their be
l ongings so rted and Vera between la ughte r an d
tears urging them to stay and help shingle the roo f
then in th e next b reath beggi ng them to g o and
o r ganize a benefit f o r her sending he r daily ham
”
“
pe rs f rom so me mod est Chop H ouse
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I
T HE W I N N I NG GAME
32
Le slie le ft with the C r owleys an d T r essi dar w as
to come up on a later train with Ge orge Burnle y
The Count had gone earlie r with T om and Ange
l i que
A rri ve d at the Bryce s Leslie tried to forget he r
se l f and her o w n a ff airs and devote her entire tim e
and attention to the dear ol d ladies o f whom sh e
was so fond
Thei r main topic o f conv ersation w as as usua l
Wal ter ; it w as tragi c to hear their loving excuses
f or him
Miss Polly would tell Leslie how i m
proved the dear boy w as how his marriage had r e
formed him ; ten minutes a f terward Miss Li bb y
would tell her h ow hard it must be for a boy o f
Walter s restless convivial temperament to settl e
d own and h o w un fortunate it w as that Clara w as
a lready in too delicate a condition to go out a g reat
deal w ith him
“
”
I t may be the mak ing o f him though sh e
“
added hope fully a child has such a loving r e
”
straining influence
“
”
I don t care for settling down mysel f Lesli e
“
answered smiling ; for a cup o f co ff ee it seems
only right and proper but a person should have a
f ew grounds floating near the sur f ace in my Opin
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I on .
”
“
Well dear of course your views are very good
a n d no dou b t qui t e adequate to fit your needs bu t
I would li ke to see Walter b rea k away f rom those
a ssocia t es w h o lead him into temptation
Y ou see
”
—
—
Cl ar a is easily a ffected by any any excitement
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T HE W I N N I NG GAME
1 34
use d to go without being as ked We always kn ow
when he is wi th T r essidar because
a pain fu l
red crept into the delicate chee k s and she seeme d
to regret the fulness o f her confidence
”
“
Because he is worse then ? suggested Les l i e
Miss Li bby nodded
”
“
He usually tells Clara anyway sh e cont i nued
“
a fte r a pause he is never as bad as that other man
he says ; a nd oh my dear sometimes even th e
w omen are— are— drun k
He r voice sun k to a
whisper and t w o tears rolled down her cheeks
“
“
Dear Miss Li bby cried Leslie don t think
abo ut i t so seriously Wal ter is only a boy and
and I am sure Mr T r essi dar will b e di fferent afte r
”
this I mysel f will as k him
B e fore Mi ss Li bby could protest Clara B ryc e
entered the room and the conversation w as imme
di a tel y turned along di ff erent channels I t was keen
torture requiring t he utmost sel f res t raint and dis
ci pl i n e f or Leslie to sit an hour wi t h the t w o o f the m
and listen to their pla t i t udes and their constant al
l u s i on s to Walte r and his prospects
She had rathe r
expected Al gy to send her some word o r come to
see her during the a f ternoon or evening b ut when
he did not make the e ff ort she accepted an invita
tion from Count de V i n v i ll e— just w h y she did not
even ack nowledge to hersel f While dressing for
dinner she thought over Miss Li bby s words and
l ook ed hersel f squarely very squarely in the eye
”
“
I love Algy T r essi dar she told her own image
“
There I h av e said it ! I am going
i n th e mirror
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T HE
W I NN I NG GA ME
:35
marry h i m but he is g oing to w ant to ma rry m e
He does not know that j u st yet but I believ e h e
will i f I can only keep him away f rom other attr ac
tions such as midnight suppe rs and the ladies o f
”
t te Fl o r od o r a
She k new what k ind o f a man he was at la st ; she
realized n ow the reason f or all the b ro k en en gage
m ents the reason he w as so unenthusiastic abo ut
morning j aunts o f any k ind f or she had seen Cl ar
en ce Stearns— Vera s hus band— o f ten during th e
l ast year o f his li f e
“
”
?
How could you marry h im
she had as ke d
“
Ve ra
Did you k now it
”
“
“
Oh yes I k new he dran k she had replied but
I thought he would want to stop which w as the
same thing to me as stopping and anyway I didn t
ca re very much Fa t her said he w as a fine f ellow
and I was pleased to think I had the catch o f th at
s eason and many other seasons at my bec k and call
I m not sorry she had added
But Ve r a w as so di ff erent Ali k e incapa ble o f
any great emotion— love hate sorrow— o f cours e
it did n ot matter N aturally she did not pre fer t o
have Mr Stearns come in t o the drawing room in
such a condition as Wal t er Bryce had the night o f
he r reception but i f he did there w as always some
one o n whom she could depend to help her ma k e
the best o f i t and at l east the man was a gentl e
man
F inally a f ter concentrated thought and a waver
ing once o r twice Leslie decided that any one o f
to
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1 36
T H E W I NN I NG GAME
’
T r essi dar
m ake
coul d st0 p i f he had the de
s ire i f he had an object o f suffi cient interest to
ma k e him want to re form A l l great re forms have
come thro ugh w omen she argued w h y not this
s
o
up
,
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,
,
o ne ?
“
The Count was not averse to spea k a bout his
but as o ft en as possi ble Leslie l ed him away
f rom the topic it savored to her o f eavesd r o pping ;
besi de s sh e could not tell ju st how much dependenc e
to pl ace upo n the man s remark s
”
“
You were cruel to m e at Deschenes he said
“
so f t ly spea k ing in Fre n ch
\Vh at have I done to
mak e you cha n g e t o w ard me
“
I have n ot ch anged Leslie ans w ered smiling
“
ever so lit t le
They say that when o n e finds an
”
o ther changed the cha n ge is due to on esel f
They were s i tt ing at a small table i n a corne r
some w hat o u t o f t he line o f o bservation f rom th e
careless throng o f Roo f G arde n ers
Leonard de V i n v i ll e hesi t ated a f raction o f a sec
o n d then spo k e quie t ly force f ully f or him wi t h a
to t al absence o f the birdli ke stacca t o j erk s which
u sually characterized his speech and ac t ion s
“
You are r ight Mlle Leslie I have changed in
the great w onder f ul w ay which only comes to a
man once I see everythi n g di ff eren t ly more beau
t i f u l l y ; I m ysel f am radia t i n g a power a f orce a
strength I n ever k new w as in me
He laid h i s
small white hand upon his b rea st an d leaned across
“
I t is you w h o have m ade t he change
the table
it i s all for you ; I can ma k e mysel f what I please
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T H E W I NN I NG
:38
GA M E
give y ou up so ea si ly m an ador ée O f course i t
may mea n nothing to you but I want to t ell you
th at I am not l i k e so many o f my count rymen fo r
whom I blush an impecunious fort une see k er M rs
Stearns words though spoken in jest l ast night at
he r charming home stung I h a ve estates which
a re well kept up Had you n ot a centime I would
a sk yo u just the same Leslie will you marry me ?
Ah don t spea k I k now that ma kes no d i ff ere nce
”
o nly I had to tel l you
"
"
“
“
I am sorry said Leslie again so s or ry
”
“
I t might come sugges t ed the Count a l ittl e
brok enly
“
T he girl shook he r hea d
I suppose y ou wi ll
go away li k e they all do an d I will have lost an
”
other f riend
"
“
Ah but no De V i n v i ll e exclaimed v ehement ly
“
you do not kn ow how I lo ve you I shall stay an d
I shall be your f riend always always— i i you w i ll
”
le t me
“
”
“
Thank y ou answe red Leslie simply
Th ank
y ou a n d goo d night
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A gentlema n calle d yo u up my dear whispered
M iss Polly trying to pe rsuade hersel f th a t pe rhaps
Miss Libby and Clara were asleep ; whereas sh e
knew that they too li k e hersel f were tossing rest
l essly a bout waiting f o r Walt e r s return
“
h o was i t— D on
“
I th i nk no t fo r Do n w ou ld hav e to ld me and
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T H E WI N NI N G GA M E
:39
pe rson w ould give ne i th e r h is name M
m
"
o r number Wal te r is out sh e added w i th pit i
“
I th i nk that M r T r essi dar m us t ha ve
ful br av e ry
Th e ph on e ra ng soo n a fte r you r f ri end
ca ll ed him
”
had fi ni s he d
Lesl i e too k h e r ha t o ff a n d ra n he r ha nd th rough
h er h a i r be fo re as ki ng :
“
”
D i d yo u sa y wh ere I h ad go n e a n d w i th wh om P
An d M iss Po l ly fea ring she had bo re d h e r guest
by such const an t re fe re nces to W a lte r a nsw e red th e
que sti o n a lmost l oqua c ious ly She h a d t ol d th e ge n
tl em an a ll sh e knew of Les l i e s wherea bo uts tha t s h e
h ad gone not t o th e C ro w ley s o r Mrs St ea rn s as
h e suppo sed bu t t o the Roo f Garde n— ye s she r e
membe red saying sh e h a d gon e with Cou nt d e V i n
v ille was she right
Leslie kisse d the lov able Miss Po lly good night
and went to he r room Sh e was gla d to think that
Algy had tri ed to see he r and that joy a lmost coun
t er bal an ced th e fearfu l rea l i zation o f wha t A lgy s
al ternati v e mean t H e would have his w ay o r he
woul d drink What a swo rd to hold ove r h e r h e r !
Les lie the ca re free the sole mistress o f herse l f
t o ba rte r herse l f fo r a little l ov e and much misery
how m uch she cou ld not tell !
Margare t Crowley sat with her in an a ttitude o f
obvious un eas in es s pe r ha ps ten days a fte r th at
n ight
“
Won t y ou change you r mind a n d come sh e
u rged for th e fi ftieth time
“
N o dear tha nk you I d o n t beli ev e I can g o
th is
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I
THE W I NN I NG GAME
40
you t o mor row Pe rhaps later in th e s umme r
”
I may run down i f you will have me
Margaret l ooke d hopelessly at the sli ght fo rm
standing n ow be side an Open window The a i r was
heavy and sult ry ma k ing her long fo r space f ree
dom and purity o f atmosphere Leslie was puzzling
h er somewhat and she wanted to put her suspicions
to rest
“
Where are you going a f ter leaving Mi ss
Polly
”
“
Oh I don t k now w as the evasive answer
“
Edgeville maybe the Adirondac k s
sh e
“
sh rugged her shoulders
You k now how r i di cu
l o u sly indefinite I am M argaret don t tease there s
”
a dear
“
”
You are the least indefinite pe rson I know
“
c omplained the other ; there lies the whole trouble
I don t want to f orce your confidence Leslie but
w o n t yo u tell me what has come over you lately
”
“
“
Dear me sighed Leslie
w h o would ha v e
tho ught that my manner would a ff ect ev e ry one s o
seriously
“
Then others h av e noticed it asked M a rga ret
e agerly for her
Le ! !ie bit her t ongu e then d eci ded th a t M a rg a ret
m ight a s w ell know n ow as any othe r tim e— mi ght
“
”
a s w ell know something o f what ha d ch a nged he r
s o sh e sai d :
“
Count de V i nv i l l e a sked me to ma rry hi m— a nd
”
I — refused
T here w a s s i le nce for a moment M a rgar et
w ith
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THE WI N N I N G GAME
1 42
“
Leslie smiled
I s that all
“
N ot hal f ! Listen : All t hese things I am going
t o tell you I k n ow ! To begin with Mr T r essi dar
was sent ou t here because his parents were ashamed
to have him at home His de bt s nearly ruined his
father and his disgrace ful conduct nearly b ro k e his
mother s pride Since coming here he has but con
tinn ed his accustomed mode o f living he has drunk
wit h sickening persis t ence h e — Margaret stopped
it was hard to spea k o f these t hings at any time es
“
he has indulged him
peci all y to Leslie j ust now
sel f unstin t ingly in o ther ways a n d Leslie h e can t
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s top!
The cloc k ticked irritatingly ; a fly having dis
covered some secret passage in to the house fl au n ted
his superior knowledge by b uzzing insistently
around Leslie s head She noted these thin gs with
heightened sensi bilities a keenness o f perception
which almost hurt Yet to show Margaret that he r
words did not matter she leaned close against the
screen pre t ending to gaze inten t ly a t something i n
“
”
the s t reet below
H e can t s top!
“
”
You have no right to say that until he has tried
“
she finally contradict ed
A person can do anything
they wish i f they wish i t enough
“
”
Yes
cried the older woman triumphantly
“
there is t he point he will never wish enou g h to
stop He wants a thing until he gets it then wants
some thing else Oh Leslie thin k what y ou are do
ing ! Why don t you reconside r poor Pe rcy H aslet t
”
she a s k ed d espe rate ly
a n d marry him ?
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THE WI NN I N G GAME
“
I
“
”
43
Po u f l Leslie made a m an e o f disgust ; that
id iot ! I n j ust about ten years he will be bald have
c reases in his nec k which will ma k e it hang over his
collar and he will have a round fat stomach N ot
”
much I
“
We l l even the Count
“
N o nor the Count when he gets ti red of me h e
wil l ma k e f r iends with the children o f all the pretty
”
women as a stepping ston e — you know the k ind
“
Oh Leslie I wouldn t say that a bo ut him e ven
though I heartily disapprove o f intern ational mar
r i ag es
C li ff ord Scot t
“
A babe in his cradle ! N o than k s Ma r g a ret ;
when I want to adopt a child it will not be Cli f
”
ford
She w as excited and spo k e a li t tle more
sharply than w as intend ed as she inquired sarca s
tically :
“
”
Are y ou su re you have not forgotten anyone i
A glance at Margaret s f ace b rought quick r eal i z
ation o f what she had said and tears o f m o r t ifi ca
tion sprang in her eyes
“
There is o n e more whose name I had purposel y
refrained f rom mentioni n g— i t is Don Why n ot
”
Don Leslie ?
She looke d straight into the so ul o f Leslie Lor
ing a nd subter fuge w as u sci ess
“
h y God hears me that i s th e
I don t know
”
truth— I don t k now w h y I onl y kn ow
There was ano t her long silence
“
I have love d y ou ever since you came into th e
room a t Ma dame s Leslie I love d my home be
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T HE
:44
W I NN I NG GA ME
caus e it w as a p l ac e for you to come I was glad I
h ad a br othe r to be nice to you That was yea rs ago
an d I used to ache sometimes to thin k how being
only a d ay schola r I could not b e with you mo re
Late r when we grew to womanh ood and you stil l
w ere sweet to me accepting my love in its dumbnes s
I was gl a d I had Don to lavish on you al l the fon d
ness I felt and could not show Very recentl y I
saw my cherish ed dreams coming t rue an d n o w
now— you would give him up for
“
D on t say it Margaret don t !
I f anyone ever had called Margaret Crowley by
She
a ni c k name Leslie would have done it now
wou ld have done an ything to get close to this i dea l
cr eature whom she felt would not understan d by
reason o f her ve ry ideality A l ittle more qui etl y
L eslie spo ke
“
There was once a time— a hal f minute pe rhaps
— when I thought o f marrying Don
Y o u don t
know h ow v ery hard it is for me to spea k t o y ou
li ke thi s
she broke o ff with an appealing o ut
“
stretching o f he r hands
When I tried to picture
myse l f happy with him Margaret it w as f arcic al
I tried to think o f watching for him to come home
to dinner to show him a new gown to plan a sum
mer s outing— i t was hopeless The tragic truth is
d ear dear Margaret that I take D an f or g r an ted
Ah i f you could k now the di ff erence between that
a ff ection a nd this other thing which is a part of me
"
“
f or which I live
She laughed a l ittl e
I am t ry
”
i ng no t t o be mel od ramatic
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I
T H E W I NN I NG GAME
46
a c reatu re o f i mpul se that I have not wei gh e d th e
conseque nces I f you d o you are mistaken I r e
a l iz e that I m ust neve r relax that I must gua rd
hi m without l etting him know it that my patience
and my forgi v eness must be l imitless that I mu st
not fill my l i fe with other things that I must no t
t ry to forget but to remembe r I can t expect t o
hol d him with o ut constant eff o rt I must n ot be
frett ed by his casualness that I must demand l itt le
a nd give much What o f it ? I t w ill be the mak
"
i ng o f me it will be my discipline— m y happiness
Again the re was a pause and Margaret tho ugh t
o f he r l i fe barren in a measure She thought o f
h e r great strength and capacity for lov ing an d
wonde red w h y it had not been give n h e r to gu i d e
T r essi dar s wayward f oo t step s
“
”
Has he as ked you to marry h im ? inquire d
practical Miss Crowley in a tone which w as mean t
to be k ind She w as totally un prepared f o r th e
change which came over Leslie for the girl a f te r
catching her b reath sharply shoo k her head
an d crumpled up in an inert heap on the floo r
The following a fternoon Vera and Burnley Cli f
ford Scot t Leslie and T r essi dar were havin g
tea together The Crowleys had le ft in the morn
ing and Leslie w as getting ready to go down t o
E dgeville she said
”
“
Ah sorceress cried Vera sha k ing a k nowi ng
“
finger at Leslie have you been f urt h er importun ed
”
by Mr Higgins o r perhaps by Mr Carson ? Sh e
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T HE W I NN I N G GAME
T r essi dar
I
47
“
s ighed : Oh th e r espon
”
si bi li ty o f be in g a siren l
“
Who a re these gentlemen
as k ed Algy l oo k
ing away f rom Vera
“
”
S S h ! she l ai d a sec retive finge r on he r lips
“
One is the sage o f Edgeville a man who l ai d
cla i m to Leslie s a ff ections even at a tender age
and the other— has the engagement been renewe d
”
so far this summer ? she as ked in anothe r tone
as thou gh th e Fates themselves hung i n th e bal
ance
“
N o he h as not ta ken time by th e fetl ock a s
”
replied the gi rl la ugh
L ew Hig gins use d to say
mg
“
What do my ears deceive me
Burnley w as
“
utterly incredul ous ; is it possi ble that y ou are n ot
”
engaged ?
”
“
She is al w ays engage d to some on e inter
“
to whom is it now
ru pted V era scorn f ully ;
Leslie
A sud den tenseness seemed to grip the m all
F rom badinage there w as an indescri ba b le sliding
into seri ousness
“
re
To whom are you engaged now Leslie
peated the widow trying to laugh
”
“
Algy T r essi dar
answered Kitty L oring s
daughter with a sob in her throat
”
“
Count de V i n v i l l e announced M or ton as
though waiting fo r a pause in the co nv e rsa ti on
tu rne d t o
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PART II
.
C HAPTER I
.
’
is bu t natural that a woman s ma rri age ma r k s
the greatest change in he r li f e Asid e from th a t
it is pe rhaps di fli cu l t to l ay one s finger upon th e
yea r o r numbe r o f y ears stamping o ne s li fe pa r
It
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t i cu l ar l y
.
The five years f o llowing her marriage were ful l
of changes— events intimately connecte d with Les
lie T r ess i dar and ones which came with ala rm i ng
suddenness F i r st came the ne ws of M r Edge s
death ; Cliff ord Scott whom sh e had alway s co n
si der ed irreproachabl e
from a mora l sta ndpo int
ran away wi t h a notorious woman leaving Lesli e
“
a l ette r f ull o f bitterness anger and reproach
I
coul d have bo rne it ha d you chosen Don or e ve n
”
“
D e V i n v i ll e it said among other things but by
wantonly ruining your o w n l i f e this way y ou ar e
responsi ble f or mine as well T his will be a com
f orting thought f o r you some night when you li e
”
awak e and curse the hour y o u were bo rn
About two years a fter he r o w n marriage A n
g el i qu e and T om Edge f ollowe d her example an d
the foll owi ng yea r when jo urneying f ro m th e sou th
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: 5:
T HE
:52
W I N NIN G GA M E
w h ere Tom h a d settled t o Edge vill e wi th the ir i a
f a nt daughte r th ey w e re k ille d Th e baby s li fe
w a s sa ved a n d she w ent i nt o th e Edge h ouseh old
a l on el y l itt l e c reature mo re se t apa rt from her su r
round in gs than Le sli e was a t th e ti me o f her ad
v e nt th ere Margaret Crowley was v e ry mu ch th e
same se rio us earnest worke r and Do n— had she
bee n a sked Le sli e wou ld h a ve sai d that she saw
hi m f re quentl y As a matte r of fact it w as rath er
se ldom so se ldom that he was unch ange d to her
t hough Marga ret saw him with v e ry d i ff erent eyes
M rs Crow ley had passe d away a n d the b ro th e r
a n d sister d rew much neare r o n e a nothe r
La st the re w a s th e baby not that he made as
grea t a change i n th e T r essi dar s li fe a s in the o r
d i n ary home ; still a baby i s a facto r and a ny spare
time o r thought not gi v en to Algy Leslie devoted
t o l ittle Loring H e was a peculiar chil d pr eédu
All o f a mother s passion
cated o n e might say
a te love w as given him be fo re his birth thre e yea rs
a fter Leslie s marriage
H e had been a gigant i c problem t o he r th i s
baby the greatest which had ever confronted he r
N o o n e w h o knew Algy T r essi dar w o ul d accu se
h i m o f an atom o f domesticity and thos e who did
n ot know Lesli e wel l sai d in that respe ct i f in no
o the r the T r essi dar s w ere well matched A s a
matter o f fact she was both domestic and ma ternal
an d she had yearned f or a little child as on ly on e
bo rn to be a mother coul d I t wa s on Algy s ac
c ou nt that sh e hesitate d to satisfy he r lo ngi ng and
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THE W I NN I NG GAME
54
h o ur when it is g oo d an d w h o wonde r with ill
concealed annoyance w h y a troublesome ch il d eve r
w as born
She realized that he would be totally
u nsympathetic an d unintereste d in any v ital issue
concerning th e child
and she wondere d whethe r
s h e was equal to the tas k alone
The hard thing a bout dealing wi th Algy was
that he was always good natured he always ac
quiesced b ut i f he did not li k e the decision Leslie
made he would leave her and amuse himsel f i n h i s
own w ay Because o f his indi ff erence to the worl d
at large he could not unders t a n d the t remendous
amount o f import ance his wi fe a t tached to his pres
ence with her— h e could never feel that she ab so
l u tel y relied on his being nea r f or her happiness
Consequently he was reprehensively l ax in k eeping
h i s appointments with her especi ally where s ocial
e ngagements were concerned
“
Margaret is going to have a dinner on Thurs
”
“
d ay
she had told him o n e day at lunch ; it i s
going to b e great fun— a crowd o f prominent so
o f course Mr Carter
ci al i st s will be t h ere and
Actually Algy she is almost exci t ed !
“
”
Really ? as k ed T r essi dar smiling at his wi fe s
enthusiasm
“
"
You were thinking o f something else accu sed
Le slie po uting
”
“
N ot a tall declared the man going around to
“
he r chai r and be nding ove r her
I hear d every
”
w ord
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T HE
“
W I N N I N G GA ME
:55
am go ing to ha v e a n ew gown by th e n Os
”
mo nde sa ys
“
”
Wha t waste a new go w n o n Socialists l
“
Oh some oth e rs wi ll be the re Won t i t be
I
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fun ?
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”
“
J olly agreed Algy kissing h e r ful l re d l ip s
B ut wh e n th e evening came Algy telephoned
f rom town saying he could n ot get home he w as
s or ry ; couldn t Miss Crowley fill his place ?
Anothe r time he an d Leslie were looking o ve r
Countr y L i f e an d she was going i nto raptures o v e r
some o f the illustrations
“
Oh Alg y I ha v e a lways wanted to build a
”
“
bungalow she c r i ed
Loo k at that one ; isn t i t
”
a love i
”
“
A pe rfect l ov e her husband breathed with
e xaggerated en t husiasm
Leslie hal f clo se d he r
eyes and pulled his h an d t ight a bout he r snuggli ng
clo se against him
“
J ust think a dea r little bungalow way way off
in the co untry m aybe in the woods where w e
wo ul d n eed a guide every time we stepped beyon d
the doorsill and n o on e else but Algy and Leslie
an d perhaps a dog Yes o f course a dog Think
o f the canoe we would ha v e and the long days
with boo ks and maps an d a pipe and l unch way
way off where there was no one but Algy an d
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An d th e gu ide he interru pted
“
N o not e ve n th e gui d e no r dog
g o out a t s unse t a n d pa ddl e into the
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We co uld
g o lden tw i
T HE
x 56
W I NN I NG G A ME
‘
l i ght unti l th e s ta rs tumbled out n eck and crop
and we d think that we surely were dreaming with
the pe ace o f the worl d piled on top
J u st Algy
and Leslie ! Oh darling wouldn t y ou lo ve to
”
buil d a little house li ke that — she ha d s tra ight ened
u p an d was loo k ing at him now
looking fo r an
answe r a respo nse to he r enthusiasm
F ind i ng i t
“
—
was not there she burst i nto a merry laugh
an d
”
then not l ive in it
A lgy caught her to him and tilting he r h ea d
back kiss ed her lingeringly
“
That is j ust what I shoul d li ke to d o L i ttl e
”
“
La dy he said build a li t tle bungalow off in th e
”
w ood s and— not live i n i t
The subj ect w as fo r
e ve r dropped
One day Clara B ryc e brought he r seco n d baby
f or Leslie to see a nd Algy happened t o be at
home He looked at his wi fe cu riously as s h e too k
th e tiny c reature i n he r a rms a nd obl i v io us t o
ev erything e lse tal k ed to it a s only a woman can
“
I sn t h e a d arling A l gy
Le slie ra ised dewy
s hadowy eyes t o her husba n d
”
“
He ce rtainl y i s a v e ry nice baby co nceded
T r essi da r patiently
”
“
“
Take him begg ed his w i fe take h i m and
”
see whether he cries
The resul t w as unsa ti sfacto ry fo r th e young
scion o f th e B ry ce family r ent the p eace ful ai r wi th
s hri ek s a nd howls
”
“
H e e viden tly doe sn t ca re f or m ale soci ety
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T HE
1 58
W I N N I N G GA M E
”
l ing husba nd sh e continued in a di ff e ren t tone
“
sinking o n a large white rug besi de him A lgy
darling I can t help l oo k ing queer— i t i s not O s
monde s fault I am a f raid— I l l — loo k— worse
"
—
than this for a little while
T r ess i dar drew away f ro m h e r— recoi le d i n
d eed and l oo k ed into the upturned anx ious face
“
My God his voice w as full o f conste rnati o n
”
“
My Go d Li tt le Lady you are jok ing !
The next three mon ths were serious ones ; bo th
Leslie an d her hus band tried to forget that night
and f rom the very avoidance o f the topic made it
more momentous
When the child w as born T r essi dar pleading a n
ina b ility to see Leslie su ffer w ent a w ay f or a week
Another w oman w ould have resented t his as a
sign o f neglect but Leslie did no t harbo r any
feeling o f rancour because she w as gla d that Alg y
“
should not see he r at h er worst
Margaret Crowley w h o came to see the happy
mother a day o r so before Algy came home as ked :
“
What did your husband say whe n he saw th e
”
baby ?
"
“
Oh h e is away a nswered Leslie a s th ough
i t was the most natura l thing in the world
”
“
Awa y l repeate d Margaret in astonishment
S he opene d her lips to spea k f urther looked at Les
lie lying there with the child in her arms then ros e
“
quick ly and ligh t ly kissed h r ch eck
I must not
“
tire you she said good by l
”
“
I sn t Leslie a wonder ? aske d Vera B u rn ley o f
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T HE
W I NN I NG GA ME
:59
“
h e r a s they met in the hal l below
Oh I kne w
Algy ( Ver a was th e only on e who call ed T r essi
da r by his Christian name ) was away Geo rge tol d
me I also think he has gone wi t h Walte r Bryce
though George did n ot qu i t e say that But j u st
i m in e letting him go
“
ar g ar et shrugged
her shoul de rs
She not
only l ets him— she urges him to do whateve r he
”
pleases
"
“
She h a s always been so patient with him
“
sigh ed Vera env ious ly ; he ought to crawl into her
”
p re se nce on all fours
”
“
Well h e does love her Margaret fel t sh e
must d o ev en T r essi dar justice
“
Why shouldn t he ? She has ne v er rel axed one
iota since h r marriage li ke most O f us do ; she
keeps him g uessi ng she flirts wi th him she feed s
the brute as Max O Rel l advises she concentrates
i n a whole soule d and romantic way upo n him
al one I t is as though they were sweetheart s
m ore she holds him in the v ery way I shoul d i m
agi ne a man s mistress woul d try to k eep h i m
“
Then Vera l aughed
Why do you know Mar
garet she was panic stric k en because she did n ot
k now what to do with her glorious hair
“
Hair ? Margaret repeated puzzled
“
Yes hair She could not w ear it uncurled and
would n o t put it up when he might see her ; she
even dreaded meeting h i m for the first time each
day I wormed that ou t o f Ceciley An i n ti ma te
ex istence s trippe d o f Li fe s nice ti es w o u ld h a ve
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1 60
T H E W I NN I NG GA M E
d isgu sted A lgy T r essi dar and st rangl ed e ve ry a tom
”
o f a ff ecti o n
Margare t th ought proud l y o f h e r own conven
t i o a al home an d pictured Algy sitting oppo s it e he r
in the morning Then she fl ushed guiltily
V era went o n :
“
Le slie alw ays sai d sh e l oathed the so rt o f
woman who l ooks li k e a surprised feath er bed i n
the morning and is only well groomed a fte r lunch
H ea ven knows she has lived up to he r s ta nd ard
She goes through more Delsa rte an d Swedish move
ments— she spends more time in beauti fyin g h e r
sel f i n a week than I do in a month an d sh e does
it al l fo r him Me I don t care ; I thi nk Geo rge
is a hero an d he thin k s I am an angel an d I l ov e
to be comfy
I cra w l into a fa ded ol d kimo n o
an d put my feet up o n the c o uch ta k e a no v e l and
a box o f cand y a nd live Whe n I hea r Geo rg e
Ope n th e d oo r I fl y i nto his a rms a n d squ eez e
”
h im
“
M a rga ret l a ughed and a lmost ma de a j oke
I
”
d o n t believ e y ou she said
Ve ra w av ed a d eprecatin g ha nd
“
Let it pass I f you won t inte rru pt me I will
d ra w a vivi d comparison showing you tha t Les li e
fixes a s o u r Southern friends say fo r my bra v e
”
A lge rn o n
T hey spoke in lowere d tones for a
“
moment th e n Vera finished : I f she i s resting
an d she hears him coming up she j umps fli es to
the glass po wders her nose pat s he r hai r and
”
oth e rwise ma k es hersel f lov ely
S he si gh ed oom
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1 62
T HE W I N N I NG GAM E
w a s A lgy no t Olg y no r U g ly At firs t T ressi
da r wa s a nn oyed th en pe rhaps becaus e i t wa s t oo
m u ch troubl e t o pe rse vere he gav e up t ry ing t o
co rrect th e c hild, a n d found much humo r i n hi s
n i cknam e
“
Why doe sn t U gly get up w he n w e d o
”
M ammy ?
“
”
He d oe s n t l ik e catching th e wo rm pe rh aps
ans we re d Lesli e laughing
“
I s that a j ok e ? Where is a wo rm
”
“
We may be th e worms son o f mine th e
mother said
“
What makes U gly stay out s o l ate then asked
th e boy still mo r e earnestly
Le sli e started a nd loo ke d a t hi m cu r i ou sly
“
How do y ou know he stays ou t late she asked
”
“
I h ear him
a nnounced the l itt le chap tr i um
“
ph an tly an d I get ou t O f be d some t imes an d w a tch
An d once he lowered
h i m com i ng up the stairs
“
his v oice to a confidential whispe r I saw him com
i ng slowly up the stairs holding tight to the banis
t e r a nd tripping j ust li k e I used to And Mammy
I hi d behin d my do o r an d when yo u Opene d you r
d oo r you cried out loud an d said : Oh U gly
you d id break you r wor d again I What is brea k
you r w o rd Mammy
Leslie listened horror stricken H ow much d i d
th is chil d know ? His ve ry silence all these month s
m ay have been proo f o f hi s knowledge ! Sh e
thought h o w care fully h ow painstakingly she h a d
a l w ay s t r ie d to make Lo ring l o ve his fath er h Opi ng
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T HE WIN N I NG
:63,
GA ME
th a t by the v e ry fulne s s o f love— confidence en
t ru st ed to h i m Algy w oul d s trive ha rder to be
w o rthy o f i t Then sh e realized tha t th e boy w as
w a i ti ng fo r a n ans we r
“
T o break you r w o rd dea r son is to p romise
something a n d n ot keep that promise S uppose
y ou promise d mothe r that y ou would neve r speak
o f you r d ea r fathe r i n— i a— th i s— thi s way to any
on e e lse but he r then dar l in g you w ou l d h a v e to
k eep you r p romise o r y o u wou ld be b reak ing your
word ; d o you understan d
”
“
Yes Mammy dea r
“
Wel l will y ou p ro mis e o n ly to t a lk to mo th er
”
abo ut th es e thin gs ?
“
N ot e ven Ceciley
Lesli e hesitate d a n instant O f co u rse Cec il ey
kn e w th ough by unremitting care sh e pre vented
Algy s l apses from be ing gene rally kn own ; h e w as
ne v e r bo isterous a nd never i ll Stay i ng i n hi s or
“
"
he r roo m so much o rdinaril y the se days a fte r
caused n o pa rti cula r comment amon g the se rv ants
”
“
Well pe rhaps Cec iley sh e co nce ded th ought
“
fu l ly but no o n e el se ; d o you p romise
”
“
Yes I pro mi se
There was a long s ilence Leslie bu sy with he r
o w n thoughts fo rgot a l l abo ut the se ri o us ey ed
She l ooked into th e mys
ch i l d sitting be si d e he r
t i c sha d ows cast by s l o wly rising fl ames an d w on
d ered whethe r that pe ace t ha t ha ve n from t ea rs
a n d sighs such as sh e ha d known d uri ng th e first
y ea r o f he r ma rriage w ou ld eve r come agai n For
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T HE WINNI N G GAM E
:64
th e last few days s h e h ad w a tch ed A lgy wi th mis
giv i ng a nd co nce rn T h e suspi c i ous res tless n ess
became mo e a n d mo re appa ren t u nti l u na ble t o
fight any lo nge r h e ha d announce d hi s int enti on
o f go i ng fo r a long t ram p that a fte rn oon
“
"
Tak e me dea r begged Lesl i e pu tt ing her
a rms about h is n eck wi stful ly
“
N o t t o da y Little Lady I would ra the r g o
”
al on e i f I may
He alway s remem be red to be
al oo fl y poli t e an d he k isse d he r good by with j us t
a sh ad e l ess O f delibe ration than was h i s wont a n d
w ent out o f th e room
”
“
Mothe r the child s v oice im pli ed th a t h e h a d
spo k en be fore He was standing in f ront o f Le s
l ie hi s great solemn eyes fastened upo n h er
”
“
M oth e r t el l m e is Ug l y a dr u nker f
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:66
T H E WI NN I NG GAM E
fa r but then sh e forced hi m ba ck aga i n a nd som e
“
”
“
d ay sh e hoped to land him
I t is a game which
”
I play she o ften sa id to h e rself while waiti ng fo r
“
the sound o f his st ep one in w hich time count s
fo r n othing I must be a ble to stand o ff and look
o n at each success from grea t e r heights The fai l
u res then will seem small an d dim in compa r iso n
I mu s t t ake success for gran t ed and be abov e
”
failu re
T ru e th e first time Algy ha d come to the hous e
in a state o f intoxica t ion Leslie through he r ve ry
illness really wan t ed to die to ta k e he r li fe U p
to tha t time she could not believe the curse which
had fallen on Clara Bryce would e ver come t o h e r
B ut instantly she put the t hought vehement ly from
her as unworthy She remembered a disse rta t ion
o f her o w n delivered to Vera Stearns i n on e of
he r very few melancholy moods
“
”
“
Suicide ? Leslie had said
N o the idea is
”
prepos terous my dear l Leaving f ea r o f the pe r
f o r m an ce the blot o n one s family and re l ig i o n
out o f t he question suicide is useless— i t gains noth
ing As well as poe tic Li f e is tiresomely p ract i cal
mathem atically so I might say Al l o f Li fe is a
Problem— o urs di ff er very slightly though w e ca n t
see that— and when we pass on to another existence
we s imply take up highe r mathema t ics a s it w e re
I f y ou leave your problem unfinished h er e it onl y
means that y ou will have to g o ove r th e same un
”
i nte re sting w ork ther e
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T H E WI NN I NG
“
How big y ou a re Le sl ie
,
:67
GA ME
”
V e ra
,
s igh ed
en v i
o usl y .
Th e sec on d time Algy lapse d Les l i e w a s mo re
o r le ss p repared for it
and she di d not fee l so
t ragically hurt The hideous illne ss w as j ust as
bad the aching just a s great but in some wonde r
“
f ul way she ma d e i t less a pa r t of her
I t is a
“
game she kept saying to hersel f only a game
a nd I must play to w i n— impersonally One get s
”
a bette r pe rspe ct ive by being less personal
5 0 she waited for him at the top o f the stairs
he r eyes w ide w ith horror her sou l wri thing
T r essi da r di d not see his wi fe un t i l he reache d
the landing a f ew feet f rom her Then he took
O ff his hat po l itely and made a sort o f stagge r in g
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Sc use me fo r coming home drunk L i t l Lady !
Sh no ush
5 pe rfec tly in scu seabl e realize fact
to sh tay up m not ver bad— musht go t bed
”
“
Algy my h usba n d crie d the gi rl b ro ken ly
“
”
let me help i
”
“
For days h e d rank and for the most part
Leslie kept a way from him no r did he sen d fo r
”
“
he r an d when th e attack was over she redouble d
her te nd e rn es s
“
I a m not w o rthy o f you r slightest consideration
”
dearest T r ess i dar to ld he r a dozen time s du ring
“
the fi rst w eeks a fter a nd it appals me when I thi nk
”
how I h a ve ru ined y ou r l i fe
”
“
Y o u hav e n ot ruin ed i t— y ou n eed not ruin it
s h e co r rect ed fixing he r gre a t l um inous ey e s o n
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1 68
T H E WI NNIN G GA ME
“
t rust you eno ugh to know that you will
mak e a fight s uch a s n eve r be fo re and you wil l
wi n won t yo u she p lea d l ean ing t ow a rd h i m
“
"
Oh God h ow I love you ! he b rea thed ca tch
“
i ng h er to hi m
Don t move ex cept to come
"
c lose r t o m e
Thei r lips m et and th e m an m ade a l itt l e sound
o f delight
”
“
Algy Le s li e whispe red forgetting a ll th e
w orl d in the rapture o f his cares s
“
”
An attack always te rminated in a scene o f th is
so rt a n d th e su bject was droppe d until the next
time
Anothe r ti me she thought sh e w ou ld e xper iment
an d see i f a n attitude of wounde d pride would
have greate r effect Once she tried tea rs a nd pro
testa t ions I n e ach case the man was p rope rly r e
n tan t
he a po l ogi zed h e was passiona te ly ten
e
p
d e r an d loving with his wi fe— an d sinned aga i n
Leslie s f rien d s hel d di ff erent v iews rega rdi ng
her and he r l i fe
Don Crowley wa s a sa dly change d ma n th ough
sh e di d not s ee it or i f sh e did at t ri bute d i t t o
a premature aging o f on e who came o f natu ra l l y
He staggered under the weight o f
serious stoc k
the burden o f remorse and a rathe r far fetche d
self accusation for having brou ght T r essi dar a n d
Leslie together
He watched the two wi t h mo rbi d so licitude a n d
knowing what manne r o f man ha d robbed hi m o f
Le sl i e he cou ld not bri ng hi mse lf to bel i ev e th at
h im
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T HE WI N NIN G GA M E
:70
It
w as th e unce rta i nt y th e ne rv e rack i ng uncer
tainty which h u rt so Consta nt ly o n th e qu i vine
consta nt ly expecting him th e te nsi o n w as ho r ri ble
Even Lo ring s bi rthday his sixth bi r th dav fa i led
t o c rea te a happy di version for Lesli e ga ve so much
o f h e r time a n d thought to l itt le thing s i n con
n ect i on w ith A lg y
“
”
Pe r ha ps he wi ll come this afte rnoon sh e ha d
“
said
I will order everything he l i kes fo r d in
”
ne r and w e will go to the theatre a fte r
She ate the dinne r alone and ca ncelled th e o rde r
f o r tic k e t s
“
He will surely come to night she had th ought
“
and so I wi l l fix ev e rything comfy and cozy i n
his room
She dressed hersel f in a favori te kimona ( Ve r a
Burnley said Leslie ne v er u n dr essed ) put a rose i n
her hai r and waited until the gray dawn stretch ed
a warning finger across the s k y
”
“
“
I must sleep she sighed o r I ll be a fright
w hen he comes t o day
and so on
Some o n e came up the s t eps ; the needle stripped
o f its gu i dance slid sha rply i nto Leslie s te nd e r
s k in
and drew a l a rg e trembling drop o f blood
f rom it She di d not notice her hea rt bea t u n
com fo rta bly and he r l ips pa rte d in wh a t she
thought w as a smi l e
The steps paus ed outsid e h e r d oo r w hi ch w as
aja r and some o n e knocked
"
“
Come in she cri ed r ising eag e rl y
“
”
M r Crow ley to see you madame
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THE W I N NIN G GA M E
I
7I
’
’
To th e w oman s o ve rwrought ne rv es Th oma s
"
“
t one so und ed sym path eti c
A re y ou a t h ome ?
h e asked de feren tia lly
“
”
I will be down i n a f e w moments
a nswe red
h is mist ress cont roll ing h e rse l f with an e ff o rt
”
“
C lose th e doo r
A s th e la tch caught Les l i e T r essi dar p res sed he r
han ds aga i nst he r hea d and moane d Then rais
i ng he rse lf sh e dre w a long breath
”
“
Pe rhaps he has sent me a message she sa id
“
Ceciley l
”
“
D id y ou call me Miss Le slie ?
“
Cecile y M r C rowley is downstairs I think I
”
sha ll go down Do— er — do I — e r — l oo k sl eepy ?
This faith ful se rvant shared something o f Do n
C rowley s fee l ing in that she longe d f o r a break
ing o f th e ba rrier Le slie raised betw een them
“
I f sh e ha d o nly sai d I am a little bo t here d to
d ay will you see that no one disturbs me o r i f
she would show j ust once a lapse into he r o ld i m
“
I am worried about M r
pu ls i v en ess and say
Ceciley would have had fewer hea rt
T ressi da r
ache s This constant secreti veness even to h e r
cau sed her many hou rs O f agony but to Le slie i n
he r selfi sh abso rption Cec i ley s suff erin g wa s no t
at a ll apparen t
“
N o lam b you don t l ook sle epy th ough I da re
sa y the air would freshen y ou up a bit W ill you
”
g o out j ust to pl ease me ?
M rs T r essi dar l oo ked a t he r ma i d sha rply th en
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T H E W I NN I N G GA ME
:72
into th e m irr o r Th e l ine s about he r lips were not
as faint as fo rmerl y no r we r e th e l i ps a s red
“
Go out
she repeated pu tt ing o ut he r foot
“
we ll pe rhaps I wil l Y ou m ight cha n ge my sh oes
”
anyw ay
D on abn o rmally al e rt in st ant ly exagge rate d th e
chang e he saw in Leslie although h e w i sel y di d not
mention it He ha d really come to find o ut wh eth er
o r not T r essi dar had r etu rn ed fo r a fte r the first
three days carousal the man had e lud ed hi m and
this time he was evidently alone fo r Walte r B ryoe
ha d gone home two or t h r ee days ago and knew
n othing o f his wherea bou t s
”
“
Will y ou come for a drive Les ? as ked Do n
“
I ha v e the car here
Leslie hesi tated ; Algy would surely com e t o
n ight he might come and find her gone T he n
what would he say ? She had always bee n w ai t
mg
“
”
We won t go far Crowley sugge sted no t too
“
a nx iously
I mysel f have an engagement fo r di n
ner ; this is only in case y ou were going to i n s ist
he a dded with a happy re
u po n m y stayi ng here
tu rn o f his Old time ma nne r
“
”
Leslie la ughed
I wish you woul d s tay h e re
Sh e w as
sh e sai d though so me what mechanicall y
w o nd ering h ow to as k Don whethe r he had see n
Algy with out letting him kn ow the whole c i r cum
s ta nce s connected with his l ong disappe a rance
”
“
I ve n o t seen Ma r ga r et lately sh e cont inued
"
“
in th e machine i s she away ?
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T HE
1 74
W I NNIN G GA ME
"
hou se Do n answ ered in what h e h oped w as an
evasiv e tone He wanted Leslie t o quest i on hi m
furthe r
“
"
You did not see Algy t here did you ?
The
woman turned slow ly f rom her scrutiny to C ro w
ley and her eyes made him ache
"
“
he answered almost care le ss ly
N o t to day
“
Oh was h e there yes terday
Perha ps Les
l ie would have been more o n her guard we re sh e
n o t in such a pi t iab ly nervous s t ate
for sh e had
n o t intended to let D on know that her husband h ad
"
"
an a t tack
“
N o dear n o r yes t erday I came to see y ou
this a fternoon to o fi er my help i f you will o nly take
it Leslie D o n t pu t me a s ide ! Oh please don t
put me entirely out o f your li fe ! I f by hel ping
“
—
—
h e hesi t a t ed at the pronoun
him
I ca n he lp
”
o re t han to do i t that w ay l
o
u
I
ask
nothin
m
g
y
There w as a momen t s silence
“
I don t know where he i s i f t hat is what y ou
”
mean
Leslie spoke each w ord slo w ly and wi t h a
peculiar emphasis as th o ug h she wan t ed Don to
“
realize that she w as no t evading the subj ect
Do
"
you ?
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‘6
N0
I 9
.
There w as silence again and they turn ed towa r d
home
“
When did you l ast see h i m
"
“
At the club three days ago
“
I s Wa l ter at home
“
Yes I h a v e vi si ted a ll th e i r accu s tomed
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W I NN I NG
TII E
-
“
GA M E
1 75
”
Haunts suggest ed Le sl i e
“
B u t d on t f re t an d worry Le slie
I i ntend t o
find him t o night o r to morro w without f ail I
only w a nte d to fee l that my search w as a n eces
"
—
I mea n that he was no t at home
sary one
“
O f cour se I can phone you i f h e comes in th e
”
me antime
“
Will yo u n ot come somewhere and have dinner
”
with me now i
“
B ut y ou said you were en gaged for dinner ; he
sid es
Don waved a deprecating hand
“
W e l l I never like to be away in ca se he mi g h t
"
come
"
“
“
Jus t thi s on ce Crowley begged
You look
as t hough you needed a change
The look o f tender solicitude touched Leslie i t
was su ch a novelty to be thought o f and taken care
of
She would like to dress have dinner and go
h y no t ?
t o the theatre
"
“
When shall I come back ? ask ed Do n a s though
she ha d consented
”
“
I n abo ut an hour return ed th e woma n ha l f
afra id
Th e even ing pass ed qu ickly for th em both
"
“
N ow supper j ust for the sake o f old times
Don sa id leading her o ut of the crowded lobby
car efully ; he w as n ea r e r happines s than he ha d
Pr oximity to Le slie al w ays
been for months
thril led him an d he r l ea ning toward hi m a n d ai
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1 76
s
GAME
W INN I N G
low ing h i m e ve n a gli mpse into h er t r o uble seemed
to d ra w them wonderful ly c lose once mo re
"
“
No Do n don t pity me she sa id when th ey
“
w e re eat ed at a small table
I don t fee l as badly
broke n up as y o u might think Oh I l ove S he rry s,
”
d o n t yo u P
"
“
W il l you send fo r me a nd a l ways let me he lp i
a s k ed C rowley fearful l est he should lo se hi s ad
“
Will y ou promise
v a ntage
“
There i s n othing you can do th a t you h a v e not
”
al rea dy done the tone was serious a nd the huge
“
Y o u can t k ee p him from
gra y eyes were grave
— I t —and th e only thing that sometime s worri es
m e i s the thoug ht that th e re ma y so me da y be
"
a nothe r w oman
Do n s face refl ect ed th e c rimso n flush whi ch rose
t o Les l ie s bu rnished hai r Yes he too sha red
h e r feel ing— d ri nk w as ba d en ough but wine and
“
”
w ome n with Leslie waiting there God his teeth
"
“
snappe d t oge ther spa sm o d i ca lly
I woul d ki ll hi m !
h e mutte red to h im se l f
“
I shou ld fee l as thoug h I w e re fighting i n the
”
d a rk h e hear d Le slie sa ying a s though to he r
“
"
se l f only I think I should l ike to kn ow
”
“
Rea lly ? th e ma n s v o i ce w as al most i ncredu
lous
“
Why ce rtain l y anyt hing woul d be e asie r t o bea r
th a n s uspic i o n— suspi ci o n ! Can t y ou und e rstan d
"
t hat i
”
“
No
H e w a s loo ki ng o ver he r shou lde r to
w a rd th e d oo r which n e i th e r o f th em ex ac tly faced
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1 78
s: W I NN I N
G
GA ME
CH A PTE R I II
.
M iss Libby B ryce passed quietl y a w a y o n a n
a fte rnoo n wh en the doctor had come to s ee C la ra
wh o bec ame s o pi t i ful a prey to nervousness that
th e devoted l ittle aunts o ften feared fo r he r sanity
Th e d octor had graver reasons t han they fo r fear.
but he had never t old them only cau t ioned the m
t o ke ep a w a tch ful ey e on her when i n on e o f h e r
fi ts o f depr ession
M iss Libby s death w a s a great surprise an d
shock t o th em all and a real grievance to Wa l ter
who begru dged her t he mone y expended on her fu
nera l modest as it w as He w a s badly in need
o f f unds j ust at this t ime h aving a n ew and ah
sorb in g pen ch an t f o r the li tt le French ac t ress wh o
w a s set ting blas é o l d Go t ham agog He and Tres
sid a r had seen her t he firs t night o f thei r l ast
esca pa de a nd bo t h o f them prompt ly succumbed
t o her hea rtless fascinations
T r essi dar was less lavish o f gi fts t han his com
pa nion though he could be tt er a fford the m having
prec isely the same amount o f mo ney at his dis
pos a l now a s be fore his marriage I n so de l i ca t e
a way that he could not feel a d epen d ent Lesl i e
i ns i st ed upon ass uming th e to ta l bu rden o f house
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rI I E
WINNI N G GA M E
t yg
keepi ng and the re h a d been many times si nce when
h er h usband ga ve her a s i lent vo te o f g ra ti tude
C redi to rs t ired o f long s tandi ng accoun ts .
pr ess e d W al te r unme rc i fu ll y a nd h e h ad i nte nde d
a ski ng his a unts fo r funds the very a fternoo n o f
M iss Libby s death hav i ng inv it ed Ce le ste th e Ador
able an d her friend Mlle J ovin ( wh om he fondly
i magin ed wo uld intere st T r essi dar ) to s uppe r th a t
ni ght
I t there fore happened that on B ryce s pho ning
A l gy downtown o f his aunt s death l ate in t he
a ftern oo n o f the da y Le slie saw him Count d e Vin
v ille conveni e nt l y and ob ligingly consen t ed to m a k e
a fourt h and the pa rty came o ff wi t h écla t
N eithe r o f th em sa w or rec ogn ized Le s l i e Don s
prese nce of mind preven t ed t hat for he put him se l f
be tween them and the fainting woman whom h e
l ite ra lly ca rri ed ou t o f the room
D e V i nv i l l e thought he recognized Crowley but
i t did not occur to him at t he instant tha t so su c
cess fu l a culmina tion o f hi s scheme s had a l ready
t aken p lace
F o r th e Coun t w as playing a nasty a nd d a n
— no t by the w a
s
g
a
m
r
o
e
e
u
y o n e that he co n
g
si der ed in th a t l ight th o u gh ; h i s mora l sensi b ili t ies
h aving bee n bea
fo r a sad length of time
He l ike Crow ley ( bu t fo r som ewhat di fferent rea
so ns or from a di ff eren t viewpoint ) could not be
l ieve Leslie a happy woman ; he unlike Don di d
no t imagine that sh e kn e w Algy a s s h e did
an d
t o De V i n v i lle th e o nly thing needed to k ill what
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THE W I NNI N G GA M E
1 80
l ov e she had for her husba nd was to bring h e r
to a realization o f the li fe he led
With this lo fty end in view a n d the glimmer
ing o f a rosy future f or himsel f locked i n the Wh ite
arms which had hitherto entwined themse l v e s
abo ut an unresponsive drunkard he began cau
t i ou sl y to put temptation distrac t ingly close to Al g y
T r essi dar and to help h i m overcome what fleeting
scru pl e s he may have felt As in t he case o f Wal
t e r B ryce the Englishman disliked De V i n v i l le an d
swore that he would have nothing to do wi t h him
At times o f sobriety he w as flagrantly rude to th e
Coun t but insidiously the other drew him into t h e
t o ils and it was through him that Algy shook o ff
the tiresome attention o f Walter B ryce and gav e
himsel f into the hands which were to be tray him
I t was D e V i n v i l l e who encouraged him to m ee t
Ce leste Mign on as she prettily named herself ; i t
was he who fanned the already glowing spark o f
fl i rtation in th e dancer s heart to a rea l and hun
g ry flame and it was he w h o sat complacen t ly ba ck
to wa t ch the little drama o f his ow n fashioning
He found with satis faction that the longer h e
stayed away f rom Leslie the less T r essi dar allow ed
any qualms o f conscience to act as a counter irritant
an d th e easier it was to lure him with the magi c o f
Celes t e Mignon s name
A t the club a week o r so a fter the suppe r a t
Sherry s De V i n v i ll e w as ra ther surprised to not e
that Crowley deli b erately sought him as with a
purpo s e He a llowed himsel f to dri f t apa rt from
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1 81
THE W INNI N G GAME
’
th e o th er men a nd sa t quietly list e ning to Don s
commonplac es
“
”
No t going acro ss this y ea r ? h e as ke d l ight
ing a ciga rette
”
“
“
No the Count a nswered smi l ing
I have i n
”
ter est s here which will require my attention
”
“
“
Ah l C rowley smi led too
W e al l get t hem
”
s oo ne r o r l ater
Except that bo th men had the s ame object— De
V i n v i l l e to tell hi s secret and Crowley to hear i t
thi s conversation could never have ta ken p la ce
Each played his ow n part well and while the r e
sult to Crowley was not what he wished it was t o
the other eminently satis f actory
“
Yes we al l have interests which are absorbing
”
“
sooner or la t er repeated the Count only thi s
”
time my f r i en he is a man
“
I see I see ; ve ry sad isn t it
D on hoped h e
appeared to be making conversa t ion
”
“
“
Ah but yes it is sad the o ther sighed fo r
this time he seems positively in fa t uated
They spoke for another hal f hour on the same
topic then l e ft the club goin g i n di ff ere nt di r ec
tions Don making his way to Leslie s home and
De V i n v i l l e going j auntily downtown H e fe lt
that th is latest escapade wou l d sure ly reach the ears
o f Mrs Algern on T r ess i dar ; be fore he could n o t
believe such knowledge had come to her
Don waited moodily f o r Leslie to come d own
s tairs
“
”
Y o u w e re ri ght h e said when sh e ca me s l owl y
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THE W INNI N G GAME
1 82
“
into the room she is Angelique s sister and ap
par en t l y as heartless and unprincipled as Angelique
w as t he reverse
He seems t o be with her every
moment she is not on al though he is sob er most
o f the time
Leslie dear are you s ur e it helps you
to have me tell you all thi s
“
! uite sure qui t e sure Don ! Thank you my
f riend f rom the b o t t o m o f my heart ! I k n o w what
th is espionage and d etec t ive work m ust have cost
“
—
—
a man like you I wi sh
she hesi t ated
I wis h
I could su ffi ciently tha n k you !
Crowley did not trust himsel f to speak For a n
i nstant he sh ar ed the Coun t s hope t hat she wanted
to be sure o f T r ess idar s unprincipled course be
fore t aki n g any decid ed steps hers el f and his blood
leaped wildly as he thought o f a possi ble advantage
to himsel f B u t rai sing h is eyes sud denly he saw
her gazing at a photograph o f her husband and i n
them w as such a look o f su ff ering; o f ang uish that
h e rose quie t ly and tiptoed reverently f ro m th e
room
For some moments Leslie sa t t here and came to
hersel f suddenly realizing th at Don had gone
Then wi th heightened color she ran quickly up the
s t eps c alling Ceciley
“
”
I am going out she cried laughing nervously
“
”
and I shan t be home to dinner
The maid dressed her care fully joy fully
“
”
She has got good news o f h i m at last she
t hought
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: 84
T HE W I N NIN G GAM E
with eye and ear al tern atel y a t th e keyh ole of
the room a dj oining had never in all the yea rs o f
her efficient service seen her young mistres s s o
d eep ly a ff ect ed and she gre atly feared for her ap
“
Tears are bad for the a r
pea r an ce that night
”
t i ste sage ly commented Felice
“
Ah but yes my darling it shal l be done T o
think that lying pig o f a De V i n v il l e never told me
a nd ah poo r me— how could I know ? Say aga in
”
y o u forgive me or I shall poison mysel f
”
“
D on t talk so Leslie replied unsteadily too
“
There is nothin g to forgive unless it is to f orgi v e
”
h i m ! O nly help me that is all I ask
While she was speaking she took her own ca rd
which Celeste was still holding and glanced a t it
be fore destroying it
”
“
Please come to the drawing room a t once i t
“
s aid
I am an o l d f riend o f Angelique s a nd must
see you D o not mention this to the perso n with
whom you talk as you love your sister
Leslie
had relied cleverly upon the dramatic inst inct ram
pant i h Celeste to impel her to carry ou t t h ese di
rections to the letter and she read the girl cor
n on ,
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r ectly.
“
”
“
He had no suspicion sh e vowed again th a t
”
I swear l
”
When did you tell him to come back
”
“
I said a fter the pe r formance to come sh e
“
”
paused to come as usual to my dressing roo m
“
Leslie s white f ace smote her a f resh
Oh blesse d
”
“
she moaned sinking to her knee s t o th i n k
o ne
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1 85
T H E W INNIN G GAM E
i t is your husban d I h a v e ta ken awa y ! An d m y
”
Ang ie l oved y o u so l
“
I f it ha d not be en you it would probably h a v e
”
“
bee n some on e else Leslie smiled b ravely a n d
”
then this chance woul d have be en denied me
“
”
Yes surely you can take him back with ease
“
th e a ctress said con fi dent ly b ecause— bah ! h e o nl y
love s me be cause I teas e him To night he w a nte d
m e to go with him to
”
“
“
Hurry ! i nterrupt e d Leslie
Try some o f y ou r
”
—
things o n me suppo se they should no t fi t l
“
O f course the theatre trunks are not here but
”
i f this does — slipping a house gown over Le s l i e s
“
”
—
h ead
the other s will be all right
They bo th inspected the gown c a re fully I t
l ooked as though it had been made for Lesl ie
”
“
“
N ow for dinner and th e
Good 1 c ri e d Ce leste
th ea tre earl y I wil l coach you there and you can
w a t ch me from the balcony to night To morrow
there will be a matinée as usual and i f you feel
equa l you can go on then i f not wait til l to
”
morrow night I shall not see him again
They ate thei r dinner in feverish haste an d
started immediately for the theatre
On the way there Cel este outlined her sketch to
th e woman be side her I t was a clever li ttle play
i n which many persons were impersonated r equ i r
i ng a consta nt a nd rapid change o f costume I n
eac h o f these creations the adored Celeste w as
g reeted with louder applause than the last an d
wh e n sh e fi nally appe ared in amazingl y s cant at
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1 86
THE W INNI N G GAME
tire a nd co mm enced a sl ow and sensuous d a nce th e
audien ce we nt mad standing up in th e i r seats and
sc rea ming a t the top o f their lungs
”
“
Th ey remind me o f hungry wolves she said to
“
Leslie with th e ir tongues sticking ou t and thei r
hands l ike claws stretched out to me S ometime s
”
I hate them all
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at:
at
a
a
ll
“
”
Wonder f ul my darling ! the excitabl e l itt l e
“
c reat u re said between la u g hter and sob s
Splen
You
di dl y done ! You know the lines already
have only to try the business once or twice more
a nd then do what you please for the dance Felice
wil l dress you j ust a s she does me— and a fter t o
”
—
I go to the country f or a week
n ight me
“
”
Oh Celes t e you are good good Leslie kissed
“
her grate f ully
Are you sure you w on t get into
any trouble
“
The other snapped her fingers
What trou b le
c an I ge t into ? The management can t know th e
di ff erence and anyway it is only the crowd they
want F elice can be trusted and you have you r
own game to play outside Come let us make up
”
I will get you some black wigs to try
The star s dre ssing room w as heavy with the
scent o f flowers R oses viole t s orchids and car
nations vied wi t h each other in claiming her at
tention but she brushed carelessly by the v a ses and
s at Leslie down in front o f a silver l aden dressing
t a bl e
With a keen scrutiny at he r face a n d th at
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1 88
THE
W I NNI N G
GA ME
I n spite o f coax ing and storming T r essi dar w as
n ot a dm itt ed to the dressing room that night a nd
from his po st at the stage e ntranc e he saw th re e
w om en enter Mll e Mignon s cab a nd driv e ra p
i dly a way
The telephone was answ e red bv Fe
l ice who assured Monsieur that Mademoisel l e w as
v e ry i l l and asked him please not to dis t urb he r
I n the hote l Mlle Celeste and Madame w e re
and finally Fel i ce
aga in holding serious parley
j um pe d with surprise at the astounding comma nd
s he received
“
I a m going aw ay for a day or so and you wil l
s tay here Felice Madame is to take my pl ace
entirely
See that you help her al l yo u ca n— a n d
”
keep your mou t h shut tight Understand ?
The two women clung to each other a moment in
s i lence
“
Cour ag e peti te ! whispered one o f them w a lk
ing drama ti cally ou t in t o the night
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WINNIN G GA M E
T HE
CH A PTE R V
1 89
.
Du ri ng th e fol lowi ng m o rni n g l ette rs fl owe rs
me ssage s of a ll kinds beat a n inces sa nt tatt oo upo n
Ma dem oi se lle s d oo r Most of these w e re from
T r essi dar demanding a hearing some tim e be fo re
evening F inally Leslie beca me bo ld and h an d
i ng a slip of pape r t o the maid sh e bade her wr i te :
“
Yo u may c ome t o the dressing r oom a fter th e
”
mat i n ee
C M
“
Doe s he kn o w he r w riting sh e a sk ed i n s u d
den a la rm
“
Mademo i se ll e sh e w ou ld
M ai : non ma d ame
n ot t ak e th e tro ubl e to write so much
S h e e i th e r
”
pa ys no a tten tion or sends a teleg r a m
Arri ved a t th e theatre veiled heavi l y Le s lie
found every on e so licitous regarding her he al th
which she assured th em a ll t od a y w a s quit e r e
stored Her F rench almost pe r fect interspe rsed
with broken English w as a ma r velous imitati o n o f
the Mi gnon s and throughout the wh ole a ftern oo n
e verything w e nt well
The pe r forma nce it sel f w as
a pe rfect success a nd Felice experienc ed a n i h
s tant s j ealous pan g that her mist r ess shoul d hav e
so a da ptable an understudy
Le slie s d anc e if any
t hing s u rp as se d the o ther th e mus i c w e n t to h er
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THE W I N NI N G GA ME
1 90
hea d l ik e w i ne th e a ppla us e stimu l ated h e r t o
greater e ff orts and Algy s dark a ttentive face
s e emed every w here in the house
Time a fte r time
h er eyes were drawn back to his though she had n o t
meant to l ook and she saw wi t h consternation that
t o w ard the last he w as so res t le ss as to be a l most
una ble t o keep his seat
Hardly had she changed w hen he rappe d at th e
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do o m
Leslie s heart stood s t ill as she signalled the ma i d
to turn o ff a bu n ch o f li g h t s
“
Darli ng ! the man b rea t hed tremblin g with
“
passion you were supu r b t h is a fternoon— bette r
than ever O h h o w proud I w as o f you and h o w
”
j ea lous too he added w him sically rubb ing his
“
face against hers to think t h at all t hose other peo
ple even had the chance o f lo v ing you ! I want
”
you all to m ysel f
Le slie l aug h ed an d dre w a w ay sligh t ly Her
eyeb ro w s and la sh es w ere v ery much blackened
shading her eyes so t h at t h ey looked dark and
gle aming She cl o sed the m sl ig h t ly and looked
keenly at him Th ere w as a hu ng ry look upo n his
f ace w hich at the sam e t i m e di sg u s t ed and t hrilled
her an d she found it de spera t el y hard t o realize
t hat she w as som e one el se for the moment
“
”
Se ely boy she w hispered
Obli v io u s to the maid w hom Leslie f elt was
w atc h i n g t h em surrept i t i o usl y T r ess i dar caught the
girl in his arms and kissed her long full o n her red
l ips
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T HE
:92
W INNI N G c M
E
bo we d d eferentially as they passe d th ro ugh th e
r ather dim l y l ighted hall
Algy led the way t o the elev a tor Th e stillness
was oppressive and Leslie s teeth cha ttered
Suddenly the rea l izatio n
t hough not with cold
o f th e game she pla yed came to her and she turned
faint What w as the end going to be ? I f Al gy
f oun d h e r o ut— what then ? I f not— w h at th en ?
“
Here w e are
His voice b ehind her had a
s tr a nge exultant ring and she turned hal f fright
”
e ned to him
”
“
I don t t ink I want to go she murmure d
d rawing back
“
”
You cruel li tt e tease he took her forcibly i n
h i s arms and pushed her into the room then close d
the door wi th an ominous click They were alone
”
“
I see we have a b ite of supper ready Algy
was saying wi t h a laugha ble housewi f ely prid e
“
Come Mignon and let us be happy— fo r to m or
a nd
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r ow
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9’
Yes she whispered to morrow
“
There is no to morrow where you are
Tres
”
“
s idar cried
Let it always be to night
Presen t ly she calmed him S uffi ciently to pe rs ua d e
h im to eat a li tt le o f the supper prepared f or them
He ate to please her pretending to be horrified at
h er voracious appe t ite B u t he drank more th an
was good f or him and very soon showed the eff ect
He could not let her alone insist
o f the wine
i ng that she should sit on his knee and finish he r
s uppe r he kept his h ands constantly o n h e r h eav y
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THE W I N NIN G GA ME
1 93,
bl ack w ig a nd rubbe d hi s l ips r esl essl y o ve r
ba re sh oul ders
“
Do y ou love m e C el este h e ask ed aga i n
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h er
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M ai r
and
“
”
Lesl i e a n swered e ac h time
Y ou
”
—
—
a re a how d o yo u say a bully
“
On ly because I l ov e you so Listen ne ve r i n
all my l i f e have I gone a bsolutely crazy about a
woman as I am abo ut you ; do you know wha t th at
”
means ? D o y ou ? h e ask ed a ga in g ivin g he r a
l ittle shake
“
”
How do I kn ow ? the wom an an swe r ed prov o
“
I don t know you who a re your frien s
cati v el y
o r an y si ng F or a ll I know y ou may be ma rry w i z
”
some lovely girl
I t was a bol d stroke but T r essi dar w a s equal
to it
“
”
Let u s not spe ak o f me dear one he mur
mured pu ll ing her head back on his a rm a nd lay
“
ing his lips f ul l upo n hers let us speak o f you
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n on !
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i ll y ou com e to m e ?
“
Ci el, n on, I tel l yo u !
S tay in dis noisy N ew
”
Y ork j ust for y ou l
”
“
God don t speak to me like that Ce leste h e
“
c ried drawing her roughly to him you shal l com e
”
—
I say I w a nt you 1
Leslie s trug gled a moment Uppe rmost w a s the
fear that h e r wig would get dislodged and A lgy
w ould d i sco ve r the fra ud She thought of th e Eng
“
l ish boy be ating o n h e r door cry ing : Dr ag her !
”
I w ill have h e r l
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THE WINNIN G GA ME
1 94
“
”
You a re hurt me sh e moaned with h al f cl osed
”
“
eyes and l ips apart
Do n t Elg y !
“
”
“
Ki ss m e he murmured
K iss me an d kiss
”
me an d kis s m e !
A s h e aga in l ai d his l ips on hers a revulsion o f
fee ling surged o ver Leslie and she h i t him hard
With a cry T r essi dar stru ggled t o his feet s till
h o l ding her al most po werless in his gra sp
”
“
Yo u are mine he muttered hoarse ly through
c le nch e d t eeth a nd th e look of passion combin ed
“
with dri nk made L eslie death ly il l
Y ou ar e
m ine this in stant an d a lways ! S ome men w i n
through lo ve s om e through con quest and the la t
t er course is surest
Conquest for me
H is words fel l thickly but with hideous impo rt
T h e time o f their childhood quarrel occurred to her
i n exag gerated manner— she could hear the boy s
“
voi c e trembling with passion s c re aming : D rag
h e r drag her
”
“
Le t me go c rie d the gi rl frightene d a t th e
”
ce rta inty o f her own illness Al gy !
A s h e d r agged he r to him with b ruta l ro ugh
n e ss
t oo intoxic a ted t o stand he stumbled and
partly l oo sen ed his ho l d Th e woman fell l imp an d
i nert against th e c orner o f the table causing a crash
o f china a nd gl ass S h e l ay motionless o n the flo or
her cheeks showing white and pinched under th e
ro ug e her eyes darke ne d artifici al ly sh owe d piti
ful sh a dows o f their own and undernea th a mas s
o f inky cur ls pe epe d out a stra n d o f s un kis sed
h a ir
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T HE WI N NIN
1 96
G
GA ME
CHA PTER V I
.
Cl a ra B ryce w as pronounced hope l ess l y i n sa ne
and sent to an asylum at Wal ter s request
Sinc e Miss Li bby s dea t h some weeks earlier th e
lonely sister had a hard s t rugg le with Clara an d
the children both to care for M iss Li bby had been
such a help so lovi n g and t hought f ul ; Miss Polly
had usually attended to the cares o f housekeepi n g
entirely and the preparing o f such o dd dishes a s
appealed to Clara s wavering fancy ; Miss Libby
took charge o f the children and kept a patient
watch over thei r erra t ic mo ther Yet patient soul
that she w as Miss Polly wept b itt erly at having to
p ar t with any o f her b urden for that Clara cer
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t a i n l y w as
.
Vera B urnley came to see her the a fternoon th at
C lara le f t
“
Miss Polly I want you t o let me have at l e as t
o n e o f the children to take b ack to the country wi t h
me un t il things get adj usted a lit tle more smoo thly
w on t you
“
”
O h my dear Miss Polly almost gaspe d a n d
fi ngered t he hem o f her handkerchie f nervously
“
I am so grate f ul to you b ut really— well y ou see
the tr uth i s that little Walter has a cold an d
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T HE W INNI N G GA ME
1 97
Cl arie i s so pa rticu lar about the w ay he r food is
made almost worse th an Clara I don t be lieve sh e
would really bene fi t by th e change ; and o f course
the baby is out o f the question ; so Vera my dear
”
I don t see how I could spare any o f them
F o r once Miss Polly was selfish her heart was so
b a i sed by the e vents — the losses o f the l ast f ew
weeks she could n o t be ar to part with any o f th e
children whom she held so dear
“
Th e n come yoursel f a nd bring them ! Ve ra
clappe d her hands with the j oy ful a ba ndonment o f
a happy child She was the kind o f pe rson w h o
made the f allacious fountain o f youth a gloriou s
reality
”
“
Oh Vera Miss Polly hal f reeled at the sug
gestion to be a way in th e country at Vera s beau
ti ful home and with the dear children— i t was l ike
a dream ! Suddenly she checked hersel f and th e
light died ou t o f her face
“
N o I cannot do that either though you can
n ever know how I apprecia t e your kindness Vera
”
dear You see
she lowered her voice from habit
”
“
you see there is Walter
Mrs George B urnley boldly snorted
“
”
“
Miss Polly she exclaimed impa t ientl y what
o f it ? You don t do him any good by staying ; i n
fact perhaps he would be glad to have the house
”
all to himsel f— quiet you know she adde d hasti ly
warned by the look on Miss B ryce s face
“
N o no y ou a re wrong ! Walter likes to hav e
us he re an d I know h e woul d miss us especi a ll y
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T HE
1 98
W I NN I N G GAME
the chi l dren he is very fond o f the children you
kno w she said with averted eyes stroking th e
baby s hair
“
B u t Miss Polly think of the immense be n efi t
”
to all of you Please come !
“
I really couldn t leave Walter my love Y ou
see she hesi t a t ed again and a pain f ul flush crept
over her delicate skin ; Vera wondered what w as
coming O ne could always double Miss Polly s
words then mul t iply them by t hree times the wick
edn ess and still not have t he sum total o f Walter s
v i l l i an y
She knew f rom G eorge that quite lately
he had stolen some o f his aunt s silver and sold it
“
”
“
You see Miss Polly said he seems to hav e
become ra t her in fatua ted— o f course f or th e mo
”
ment only— with an actress
Her voice droppe d
still lower and she drew the ba by seated on her
l ap close to her with a sweet protective gesture
V era nodded sympathe t ically
“
She is the understudy I believe that is what
you cal l them to t hat woman w h o set N ew York
”
crazy some weeks ago
”
“
Celes t e ? asked Vera in astonishment
“
Miss Polly nodded
At first he was quite i h
sane a bout h er b ut a f t er she had the quarrel with
her managers o r wha t ever it w as and le f t the
country
al ter veered around to the n ew o n e
You know my dear he really is nothing but a
”
boy she plead f or him apologetically
There w as silence
“
Do y ou think sh e would marry h im
a sked
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T H E W INNIN G GAM E
2 00
d eba t ing w heth e r to a sk Wal ter for the sake o f th e
“
others or n ot
I th ink I had be tter wait and ask
”
“
T o Mis s
Geo rge she sai d to her sel f f rowning
”
C rowley s fi rst
Marga ret was at h ome busily engaged i n writ
ing a pape r for Herbert Car t er She looked up
smiling as Vera unceremoniously entered her st udy
a n d laid the sheets o f paper aside
”
“
This is a pleasant surprise she said kissing
her guest
“
Thank y ou my dear That seems to be m y
I t is j ust
v ocation— being a surp ri se to my f riends
as well I don t complain Will y ou come over t o
Leslie s with me Margaret ? I haven t seen h er
for a n age
“
”
I can t very well go this a f ternoon Miss Crow
“
l ey answered this paper must be fi nished to nig ht
for Mr Carter wants me to read it be fore a meet
ing to morrow Would you and Leslie not lik e
to come ? I should like Mr T r essi dar to come
”
t oo — sh e stopped and busied hersel f with th e
“
papers a moment— i f by any chance it should ap
peal to him he might derive some help f rom it
I have always claimed that the main trouble with
men o f his type is a lack o f occupation He need s
”
good wholesome work
“
I should love hearing you speak a piece Mar
”
“
garet
cried the gues t enthusiastically
simply
love it ! I imagine that you done up in tar tan skirt s
with a wreath o f daisies o n your hair saying
You can scarce expe ct o n e o f my age to speak
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TH E W INNI N G
GA ME
20 !
’
i n publ ic on the stage
she laug h e d delightedly
“
I remembe r a t Madame s you always chose f rivol
ous selections such as Grey s Elegy a nd that thi ng
B reathes there a man with soul so dead
o f S cott s
o r Li fe is real l i fe is earnest
Heavens Mar
ga ret Crowley I can t see why y o u don t sink a
crushe d a nd mangled heap under your ow n seri ous
”
ne ss
“
M argaret smiled almost wan ly
I have alway s
”
sh e said
w ished to be like you and Leslie
”
“
“
Oh Leslie Vera exclaimed
Dear know s
she would have gone crazy I expect i f she ha d
Tha t
n o t been endowed with the gi f t o f f rivolity
Of
i s the worst o f caring so much for a m an
course you can t understand that Margaret espe
I know yo u
ci al l y in the case o f Algy T r essi da r
well enough though to appreciate your views on th e
”
subject— you are so good and l o f ty
And because she was engrossed as usua l in her
o wn happy thoughts she did not see the peculiar
l ook which came over Marga ret Crowley s face at
the mention o f his name nor did she note anythin g
o u t o f t he ordinary in her voice as sh e an sw e r ed :
”
“
Oh I don t know l
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TH E WI NNIN G GAM E
2 02
C HA PT ER V II
.
There a re s ome houses which when nicel y d eco
r ated and f urn ished remain the same to al l be
holders a nd unde r all conditions I f they are o f
th e large commodious simply elegant variety any
”
“
dressing up appears bizarre and o u t o f p lac e
a nd additional elegance destroys the a rtistic sim
l
i
i
so
desira
b
le
c
t
y
p
I f they are o f the l ight airy and ber u fli ed
v a riety great care must b e observ ed lest they as
s ume an overdressed and shoddy appearance
There
i s a kind of house however which has possibili
ties I t strikes the happy medium bet w een thes e
two Wise young b rides wi t h artis t ic proclivities
a lso economic seek diligently for a house which
i n its simplicity is attrac t ive and com fortab le but
w hich responds f eelingly to any additional touche s
At C h ristmas when J ohn sends home a Ch i ppen
d al e ta ble and a few o dd b rasses the drawing
room looks feel s better though it had not looke d
bare be fore and it does not look cluttered n o w A
v ase of flowers i n the living ro o m gives it qui t e a
d i ff erent air a new picture seems to call a tt ention
to its presence as a handsome piece o f fur often
m akes a woma n s c o st um e
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THE W I NNI N G GA ME
A nd a t l ast Cec i ley i n despe ratio n a nsw er ed :
“
We ll yo u a re sick Mi s s Lesl ie that makes the
d i ff erence ! People don t usually l ook the same
”
w hen they are sick as when t hey are wel l
“
”
Oh there i s the fatal point my dear a nswe re d
“
A lg y s wi fe sadly
They let themselves look si ck
a l most repulsive ; because they f eel weak o r a re
s uff ering they expect o thers to know how th ey
fee l by th e w ay they loo k and by looking il l th ey
e l icit sym pa th y a nd a ff ec t ion I t i s a mistak e
Peop l e a re drawn to pre t ty things n o t white w an
w ea k and pu ny o n e s I my sel f as sym pa theti c as
I am want to hurry b y the c o ts in a hospital wh o se
p atients l oo k a s thoug h they w ere at death s doo r
I am s o sorry that I ache for them and duly show
my su ff ering not sym pat hy or cheer fulness — I am
a fraid o f them— a fraid that I won t be tende r
enough— I in fect them with nervousness I don t
w ant to l ook ill do you hear— M r T r essi dar wou l d
”
be bored to death i f he thought I were really ill
The maid kept silent she feared her mistress w a s
co rrect though so far Algy had not seemed bored
S ince the night he brought her home in his arms
he had been more like a lover than since the fi rst
month o f his marr iage He spe nt most o f his time
i n Leslie s room and was untiring in his attentions
They had talked long a nd earnestly almost the
whole o f the following day and many times Ceci
“
ley had heard him say I f I only knew you would
forgive me Little Lady— i f I only cou l d feel it I
”
was utterly mad mad l
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T HE
WINNIN G GAM E
205
Somet imes h e would s it beside h er on th e bed
s i l en t
h is a rm about her his cheek against h e r
ha ir Th en suddenly w ith a motion o f fier ceness
h e w o uld c la sp her in his arm s and murmur :
“
To think I might have lost you— m y b rave
”
plucky Little L ady l
A nd Lesli e pa nting and white lay perfect ly sti ll
w i th a div i ne ha ppiness writ ten plainly on he r pal e
f ace
When she fe l t able to get u p Ceciley a nd Lo ri ng
w en t to E dgeville and Algy suggested a trip on th e
“
co ntinent a rea l honeym oon he said but Les
li e for so me reas o n did not see m anxious t o go
So they staye d on in town thinking ea ch day th a t
some decision th e next
th ey wou ld come
Al
though sh e said no ing to h e r husband Le sli e fel t
a t times se rious l y alarme d about he r conditio n
The pa in about her hea rt w a s frightfu l contra ct
i ng her f eatures sometimes a n d ca using a faintne ss
q uit e a s ba d a s that whi ch came with th e othe r
so rt o f i l l ness He r eye s na turally la rg e looked
u ncanny a nd u n e a rth l y
sha dowed by such dark
circ les a s n o w su rrounde d them He r l ips u sual ly
red and f ul l seemed shrunken an d co lorless a n d
worse they seem ed t o have a blue l ook around
them S o on e afternoon she sent for a physician
A ft er a ca re ful examinatio n he l ooked at he r
curiously
”
“
Have you ha d a f al l recently Mrs T res si dar P
he a sked
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2 06
TH E W I NN IN G GAM E
“
“
”
A fa l l ? she repe ated
Wh y no n ot th a t I
”
kn ow o f
“
Y ou have not struck you side then in any w a y
Suddenly she remembered that night downtown
with Algy The picture o f the so f t ly ligh t ed room
the glittering table his ow n face came vividly to
her an d she lived again through a moment o f
d eadly nausea and f aint ness
“
”
Yes I do remember falling she said slowly
“
I struck mysel f against the corner o f a table when
”
I fainted
“
Oh ! The doctor s tone w as i ntended to imply
“
I thought somethi n g o f th e kind must
m erely
h ave happened b ut it implied all of that a nd a
great deal more to his patient s sensi t ive ears
“
”
Tell me all about it Dr Graham said Le s l ie
“
l aying her hand on his arm
You physicians have
grave responsi bilities I kno w b ut you can hardly
decide a woman s future can you ? You can hardly
feel it right to hide from a thinking perso n some
thing which they should know can you ? N ow i f
you don t tell me truth fully what I ask you per
haps you may do me more harm in giving my
i magina t ion f ree scope to conjure up w hat horror s
i t will f or I know something s erious is the matter
Will you tell me what it is
”
“
“
Child answered the man kindly you hav e
I t is o f t e n a problem to know
s poken very wisely
j ust how much to tell a person and h ow l ittle
K nowing you as I do— I waive my responsi b ilit y
i n this instance and put i t a ll on your shoul de r s
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TH E WI NN I N G GAME
2 08
Graham knew f rom Miss Polly B ryce somethin g
o f Leslie s trial
Looking around the room and back to the ear
nest face con f ronting h i m he coughed sligh t ly b e
“
hind his h and said pardon m e and relapsed int o
s ilence
”
“
Wel l ?
“
One can t say j ust h ow long any th i ng my
”
dear he heard his o w n voice speaking in tones o f
“
f orced carele ssness Perh aps a year
“
A year
The words were echoed ahn ost
gla dl y There would be a year o f such joy ahead !
A whole year in which t o w atch to glory in Algy s
complete re form For had he not sworn a solemn
o ath in broken hearted seri o u sn ess that as long as
h e l ived he would never to u ch a n o t her drop o f n y
thing intoxicating ? He had never gone that f ar
be fore he never seemed so much in earnest and
Leslie be lieved i n him This time he wanted to
”
“
stop
O h I was a f raid you would say a month
s h e said in an ex pl an ato t y manner ; and the doctor
feeling that he gazed upon something almost sacred
did not tell Mrs T r essi dar he had intended to sa y
”
“
—
A yea r more o r less
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THE WINNI N G GAM E
C HAPTE R VIII
2 09
.
Ve ra staye d a ll night in town so that she a n d
Leslie c oul d hear Margaret s paper on the f ollow
ing day S itting in the crowded hall they were r e
minded o f the a fternoon years ag o when they lis
t e ed to Herbe rt Carter s fi rst address in N ew
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Ma r ga re t i s a wonder f u l woman said Lesli e
“
though t f ully
To me she has nothing in her li f e
and yet she i s so calm and reliable and sure ; and
she seem s happy doesn t she impress you that w ay
Vera
“
Oh yes quite ; though o f course she would
"
probab ly be j ust the same i f she were not
“
S till o n e can always tell I think she must mis s
the country and her beloved rose garden thi s
”
summer
Vera laughed
“
She has meetin gs a nd her adored H er b ga r
”
den instead she said
Margaret Crowley arranged so me notes an d
spoke :
“
I smile w h e n I think o f th e shriek o f protest
thi s feeble article will raise when I bo ldly announce
th a t it is a ple a for M or e or k ! As a side issue
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W
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THE W I N NI N G GA ME
2 10
it d ea l s w ith th e po ssi ble sol uti o n o f the S erv ant
! uestion
M o re w o rk mind you doe s not apply to th e abo r
tive crea t ions born reared and smo thered i n sweat
shops— i t pertains to those arist oc ratic ladies a nd
gentlemen who consider themselves exempt f rom
work— Home work— either by reason o f blue bl oo d
riches or simply plain ignorance
Whence comes that barbaric id ea fostered so ten
der l y through centuries t hat an ar i st i cr at s han d
may not be stained by Manual Labor ? I ask fo r
in formation— I don t know unless it comes from
China where eve n to—day those o f high de gree
c ultivate a n abnormal growth of the finger nails ;
In
a n d the higher the d eg ree the longer the nai l s
a recent magazine there appe ared a picture o f a
prince whose finger nails touched the floor whe n
his hand rested upon a table N eedless to say h e
w a s absolutely helpless for fear o f breaking h i s
emblem o f princeliness and it is a thing for which
we may well be thank ful that All Wise Providence
in His noble dispensation did not dispense any
more o f these car t ilage cultivators than China can
con veniently handle
However to resume ; most manual la bor is done
by women— at leas t there is very little they have
no t done— i f not in this country elsewher e
W omen plow women reap w omen harvest ; they
do in short all t he hardest la bor yet man in h i s
selfishness b egrudges them a seat in his easy be rth
a nd grumbl es abou t a reduct io n i n h is w age because
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T HE W I NN I N G GA ME
2 12
T h e hostes s found i t diffi cult to refra in from ah
s w er i n g that for a c onversation worth while E l iz a
w as a far more pre f erab le vis a vis than he r ve l
v eted an d ermined caller
The common cry is for less work— the examples
are too numero u s to men t ion O n the road i n t h e
mines in offices in the home there is the s ame
horror o f work
Dealing particularly wi th woman s side of the
question— the home has become an unlovely burden
be cause it s name spells dru dgery
Girls an d
w omen flock to o ffi ces that they may escape from
the home and it s work o r possi bly earn enou gh
Each o n e s h i rk s
t o hire some o n e else to do it
h er share
And the H ired One ? She u sually occupie s the
po sition o f a necessary automaton to h er mistress
F ar more work is expec t ed o f her than tw o h ands
can h appi l y do and i f she ventures a protest she
is asked what she does expect to do to earn h e r
money Taking i t all in all the rela t ions between
mistress and maid are generally hostile Each on e
struggles to keep the o ther i n t he prescri bed orbi t
”
“
known as her place
O ne expec t s more than th e
other can do and the other does as li t tle as possi ble
There come times when the
t o escape dismissal
Hired One b oldly demands a day o ff and th e
m is t ress tells her f riends h o w ungrate ful and i n
considerate servants are ; she has not dared to r e
fuse for fear o f losin g her link be tween these an d
t h e s l ave days
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T H E W I N NI N G GAME
2 13
Women us ually f ee l that th ey ha ve al l they can
ma n age o n th e i r sh ou l ders— a nd th i s i s wh e re th e
men come i n
How many men help one atom i n thei r o w n
homes ? How many husbands on S unday morning
go downstairs and get a bite o f b reak fast ( and c lea r
it up ) for the wi fe who has don e that much and
so
much more for him th e other six day s ?
Further how many men ev er pick up a newspaper
o r put the ashes from ci garette cigar or pipe whe re
they be long ? Thes e a re the foolish little t r i fl es
but they mak e more work— ah n eedl ess work f or
the wi fe mother o r sister w h o has the care o f t h e
home as her portion
W ai t on yoursel f in lit t le things— the b ig on es
wil l become easy Do the work near at hand !
A lady who d ecora ted the top notch of S ociety
was seen downtown at a remarka bly earl y hour
“
O n being twitted a bout it she replied Oh I have
m y household moving in the proper grooves at
last I go downtown and buy stoc ks whil e Edward
”
goes to market l
Well then i f men helped the women an d mis
tresses helped their maids proportiona t ely the work
would be lessen ed and the drudgery would di sa p
pear
Joyl ess labo r would be transformed into joy ful
work and the prayer would be for greater capac
ity instead o f immunity and inab ility
R est simply means change of work This ap
plie s t o the wome n o f the land w h o h ave a gl im
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T HE W INNIN G GAM E
2 14
mer o f thei r use fulne ss the ir herita ge o f po we r ;
not to the unenviable puppe ts o f fashion wh o hav e
”
“
no thought save o f Society and w h o h ave estab
l i sh m en t s— not Homes to live in
A certain doctor asserts that he can w o rk with
ease for eighteen hours This i s a li tt le strenuous
but realize what he means He pro bably does a
dozen di ff erent things during the eighteen hours
“
”
some of which are usually termed pleasure
The main point is G et at i t ! D on t dawdle I n
reading a novel dusting the den cooking the din
ner w ashing the di shes — conce n trat e !
Who has so li tt le time as the idler and who
makes so many excu ses ? O nly the busy person
ever has t ime all o f w hich is due to concentra
tion and a love cul t ivat ed or na t ural f or work
I f Utopia bein g a hand immuni t y f rom work
meant per fection in it every thing would smoothly
run B e f ore she would become t he mis t ress o f hal f
a dozen maids the woman must h ave per fected her
sel f i h every b ranch o f t heir work There would
still be time for education and sel f instruction in
the Fine Art s for educa t ion is largely a matter
o f desire The maids employed would realize th eir
limi ta t ions and understand h ow to reach the cov
eted goal ; while the men — ano ther article must be
devo t ed to the men w h o a f t er all are the o nes
mo st in need o f kindergartening and o n whom so
much o f happiness depends
I n the l anguage o f one o f th e grea t est writers
”
“
o f th e day
God help the rich the po or can Wo rk
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THE WIN NIN G GA ME
2 16
ussing th e matte r agreed that w e w ould sh a re the
wo rk equa lly t ha t is each on e in tu rn, w ould do
On e day I w ou ld draw
th e same pi ece o f work
th e wate r and Jones woul d coo k whil e Smith t ook
measurements and wro t e B row n would c ut the
woo d and B oy l e would clear u p — an ine legan t
t e rm applied to the keeping o f a camp in sanitary
condition W e tried this plan with indiff e r ent suc
cess f o r two weeks or so un t il each one had a ta st e
Then o n e day S mith and
o f the other one s i ob
Jo ne s came to me and said :
Look here Mr Carter you seem a ble to man
age this ranch all right and it s more than we
ca n do Suppose you l et me draw all the water
and let S mith here do the cooking ; I might say that
B oyle ha t es work o f any clerical variety much pre
ferring to sit in the w oo ds and smoke so he woul d
be pe r fectly willing to cut all the w ood and kee p
”
th e fi res going
“
There is the system i n a nut shell my friends
The men voluntarily chose thei r work and did it
h appily
I might say that it w as a very enj oyabl e
six weeks which I spent hundreds o f miles f rom
”
this seething caldron o f misery and unhappiness
c
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T he four f riends l e ft the hall together Some
thin g in Margaret s manner made Leslie l ook a t
her curiously Then unconsciously she glanced at
Herbe rt Carter who was talking to Vera Mar
ga ret seeing the look grew crimson and laughed
em ba rra ssedly
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W I NN I N G
T HE
GAME
2 17
Lesli e squeezed h e r arm
“
”
Rea lly ? sh e ask ed w ith a beam i n g sm i l e
”
“
“
Oh some t im e a n sw e red th e o ther
We a re
”
t oo o ld t o rus h h ea dlo ng int o ma trimony
“
Oh Marga re t dea r I m so excited ! Le t s tel l
”
Ve r a l
“
No no not n o w p l ea se W e a re n ot e v e n su re
o f a nyth ing but thi s on e commo n bo nd— o ur
”
w o rk
“
”
Wel l w ha t e l s e ca n you w ant ? a sked Lesli e
lightly
“
”
L o ve sa id Ma rga ret with s o m uch fee l i ng
tha t i t did no t s eem t o have c ome from he r at all
”
“
L ove
she r epea ted then stoppe d an d gre w as
wh i te a s she had been pink be fore
Le sli e look ed u p i n surprise an d sa w h e r hu s
band com ing t ow a rd the m
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TH E W I NN I N G G AM E
2 18
CH A PTE R I X
.
“
Th e re is a l ady to see you M r s T ressi dar sh e
”
h as bee n w a i tin g some time
Le s l i e pull e d o ff her gloves s low ly droppi ng on e
a s sh e w a lke d I t was a n ol d t ri c k o f hers a n d
o ne w hi ch each new man l earned w ith di fli cul ty
He u su al ly mad e the mistake o f handing the glov e
a t onc e to his mistress Thi s wa s a n e rror S h e
d i d not want i t— she di d not want t o be rem i nde d
tha t i t had be en droppe d— j ust why no one kn e w
Why any habit ? She loved to walk thro ugh th e
s quar e hal l with i ts po lished floors cove red h e r e
an d there by o rienta l rugs o f soft almost inde finit e
hue s through the high arch l eading into th e d ra w
‘
ing roo m a s ym phony in green and si m r — sh e
l o ve d t o sweep through h e re uninterrupted by a ny
butlers o r maids o r even Loring Lesli e w al ke d
w el l a nd sh e kn e w it
This af ternoon a fter dropping her glove a s u sua l
s h e pa ssed slow l y thro ugh the door a nd i nt o h er
dr awin g room Th e blinds were drawn an d by th e
dim light Lesli e discerne d a smal l fair woman si t
ting i n an a ttitud e of nervous tension in the fa r
c o rne r o f th e roo m
Coming from th e str ong glare outsi d e M rs T re s
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THE W I N N IN G GAME
2 20
W i t h di fficul t y the girl spoke she seeme d con
fused
”
“
You make it very hard for me her voice cam e
“
through trembli n g lips and w as husky everything
”
—
is h a rd for me a bout you I mean she continued
“
eni g matically
I did not know it would b e like
”
this
All at once Leslie caught her brea t h i n what
sound ed like a quick indrawn sigh She had o ft en
noticed a queer cat ching o f her b reath lately and at
times it a n noy ed h er g rea t ly She w as not accus
“
”
tom ed to having things
He r u nerri n g i n t ui t ive se n se warned her that this
visit had to do wi t h Al g y and her eyes contracted
wi t h pain
”
“
I have the certainty now that I see you — the
“
gi rl s voice f ou nd som ethi n g o f steadiness— o f
knowing that i f I don t beg in ri ght you will n ot
let me finish and all these years will have been in
vain I am rather tired and no t qui t e we l l and m y
brai n w ill n ot work as it should I am nervous
”
Mrs T r essi dar becau se I am a fraid
The v o ice tra iled o ff in a whisper an d once more
the room w as very still
“
You feel oblige d to tell me
Leslie asked a t
last
“
Oh yes ! There w as th e note o f a woun ded
“
bird in the cry
Lis t en — leaving her seat and
slipping to the floor beside her the gir l spo ke rap
“
idly tensely my name is Sue Leigh Harmon— y ou
don t easily forget a name like that do you ? n e i t h er
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T HE W I N N I N G GAM E
22 !
does any one else My parents went to I ndia when
I was quite a little girl and I lived there until
”
—
until lately
She drew her handkerchie f o ut o f
“
her sleeve and rubbed it hard across her f ace
We
are not exac t ly o f t h e a r i st o cracy Mrs T r essi dar
but more than j ust es pec t a ble an d I w as well edu
cat ed and b rought
p
Her eyes were a pi t i f u l ch allenge and Leslie
nodded silently almost dreading to look ful l at
her
“
When I w as eighteen I went into the hospita l
to train as a nurse and a f t er a year there during
which I got on f ar bey ond my exp c t a t ions we had
a b ad season and th e wards began to fill appal l
i ng l y f ast wi th enteric pa t ients Although I shou l d
n o t have had charge o f a pa t ient under ordinary cir
cu m st ances owing to the demand for nurses and
my effi ciency I w as given the night duty on a case
The patient w as your husband
Again that irrita t ing ca t ch in her breath mad e
Leslie move her head f rom side to side and rais e
her chin as though she craved more air So ft ly
the girl spoke
“
”
You are not surprised ?
“
N o I ra t her expected that wa s coming Go
”
o n please
“
You w h o know him so well can imagin e him
ill helpless su ff ering Every nurse in the hospita l
soon got to know him they had to be reprimanded
for neglecting the other pa t ients in order 3 perform
some slight service for him I t w as a p lea sure t o
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THE W I NNIN G GAM E
222
even spe ak to him and by an d b y whe n h e w as
o u t o f danger and the time f or his departure drew
near the girls uni t ed in the one gr eat ambiti o n
”
that o f be coming Mrs Algy T r essi dar
For an ins t ant her eyes clouded and sh e Spo ke
bitter ly Leslie w as conscious of wishing to take
a more com forta ble chair it seemed tiresome to sit
so rigidly she did no t realize that every muscle
was strained and t aut and that her n a i l s cut into
her palm
“
O f course I loved him too He said he loved
me that he owed his li fe to me and that it w as
mine to do with as I pleased
She laughed with
“
I believed him be
a gr eat dry sob in her throat
cause I w as innocent o f the ways o f m en and when
he finally le ft the hospi t al I w en t too do you u n
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der stan d
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Poor l i tt le girl !
“
We liv ed in an adorable bungalow way o ff i n
the hills ; h e had g o t leave for six months and i h
stead o f going home to England he hid wi t h me
Realize what I did ? Perhaps I have forgotten I
”
o nl y know I w as happy because I had him
The hunger the passion the anguish made Lesl ie
faint and again she moved her head and tried to
breath com forta bly
“
Then he went away le f t me one day and did
not come back I got a le t ter weeks a f ter saying
that he w as not wor t hy o f me that he was drink
ing and couldn t s t o p ad v isi n g me to go back
t o the hospi t al and take up my old work o f mercy
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T HE
224
W I NN I N G GAME
I
picke d m e out o f the street ; he sai d w as j us t th e
”
“
mode l for his picture called Yea ng
La ter
when it w a s finished some people came to th e studi o
to see it and among them w as an English wo m an
whom h e called Miss Fai r bo r oug h Did you ever
”
hear o f her ?
Leslie shook her head
”
“
I know next t o not hing of my husband s p as t
she said slowly
“
N o matter she w as part o f it I kno w M r
C l aymore the art ist in sis t ed on bringing me out
that they might see me and in moving past an ea se l
to inspec t me bet t er ( that w a s the air o f th e whole
party ) Miss F ai r bo r ou g h caug ht her chain and i t
snapped I 1 s to oping to pick i t up the locket which
hung o n the end fl ew open and whose f ace looked
ou t into mine— whose ? Al g y T r essi dar s ! I fainte d
and when I came to m y sel f they had all gone
Then I tol d M r Claymore the whole story and
while he advised— beg ged m e to gi ve up my se ar ch
he promised to help me when I showed h ow be nt I
was upon continuing it Just h o w he found out
so much I will never know but I came over h ere
”
at his expense— and no t hing more sh e a dde d tri
”
“
—
an d
I find you
u m ph an tl y
The whole scene had been dramatic but Leslie
was too disturbed to n o t ice it She f elt alternately
nervously alive and d u mbly stupid— i t mus t be a
d ream on e always fel t dazed in a dream
“
Y o u wonder wha t I want ? I thought I w a nte d
t o a s k y ou to give him back to m e I wa s n o t s ur e
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TH E W I N NI N G GAME
5
22
when I left Havre that h e was re al ly marri ed ( M i ss
F ai r bo r oug h did not think he would ever marry )
a nd then I wanted to beg shamelessly beg ! Ah
Mr s T r ess i dar perhaps I a m not sane — I don t
doubt it to have f allen so low B u t at least I
should like to be rid o f men and their w o lfi sh de
”
sires a nd I am s t arving here
”
“
Oh my poor child Lesli e 3 voice throbbed and
”
“
she made as though to rise
My poor poor girl l
“
Wait ; that is not all I want to see him I want
to hear him speak no t to me o f course— ah no ! I
am not as m ad as that— b ut to you or perhaps
“
she hesitated to your chi l d Have you a child
Choking t he other bowed her head and push
ing the girl aside ran g t he bell When it s sum
mons w as answered she gave an order in a l ow
voice and stood beside the door wai t ing I n a
f ew moments a f ter wri t ing something on a slip o f
paper Leslie recrossed the drawing room and lai d
her hand upon the bo wed head speaking so f t ly :
“
I w ant you to take this check to the addres s I
have written here Mr Cro w ley will give you a ll
th e money now or w ill arrange to send it to you
as y o u wish He will a sk no questions You wi ll
I am only bitterly so rry
n o t have to be iden t ified
the re is no more I can do Money is but a poo r
”
consolation for a bleedi n g heart
”
“
Your very goodness makes me writhe sai d
“
S ue Leigh Harmon wi t h streaming eyes
I have
”
Oh sh e
n o t spo ken to a woman for so long
“
gaspe d in astonishment
I ca n t l et you give
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226
me
T H E WI N N I N G GAM E
thi s
a smal l fo rt u ne ! Tak e i t
is
Wh y it
.
,
”
back !
Lesli e put her hands behind her an d sh oo k h e r
“
“
head
I don t need it she said
Some o ne l e ft
me a large sum o f money a t one time strange l y
prophesying that there would come a time in my
life when I would need a sum o f money for a
spe cific purpose There will never come an h ou r
when I want it more than now As I say it i s a
”
p oo r subs t itut e for the love you crave
And suddenly she succumbed to an impuls e o f
divine pity and taking the bruised crea ture in h e r
arms she kissed her
There w as a step in t he hall and the tw o dre w
“
”
a part quickly
Stay w here you are whispere d
“
Leslie he will not see you God bless you a nd
g ood by l
“
I s that you Alg y she asked in almost a n at
ura l voice walking swi f t ly into the hall
”
“
The very same Li t tle Lady T r essi dar ah
“
Why are you not going to ki s s
sw er ed lightly
”
me ?
”
“
N o it is too warm w as the indolent a nswer
“
Oh very well more indi fferently than indo
”
“
l entl y
only I am going t o kiss y ou
He strode
“
forward and took his w i fe in his arms
K iss me
s weetheart he whispered bending over her
”
“
“
Algy cried Leslie put me down qui ckl y !
”
I m fainting l
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2 28
THE W I NNIN G GAM E
did not rea li z e that a l l day whi l e he was out o r
asleep she w a s think i ng o u t these little pl ots and
t hat she kept up while with h im only ; that the
i nstant sh e w a s alone she bec ame limp and l ist
l ess
“
W i ll y ou s ee Count d e V i nv i l l e
S ince the epis ode with Celeste Mign on Le sli e
h ad loathed the Count inexpressi bly as only a
highly honorable nature could loathe such a decep
tive o n e She did not see the Count s po int o f
view She did not know that he thought her u h
happy with T r essi dar and lackin g only suffi cient
excuse to leave him ; she did no t give him credit
for such a lasting a nd absorbing passion f or her
se l f Her posi t ion w as a lit tle di fficult in regar d
to the F renchman not wishing to an t agonize h i m
further ( this last act l ooked like a cowardly r e
she did not want
v enge for her re f usal o f him )
to overloo k his part nor encourage his attenti ons
not only upon her account but upon Algy s As a
mo t her wa t ches the associates o f her children so
“
Leslie looked at the Count and said contact with
”
him is not good f or Algy
H e rarely alluded to his attachment for her but
a wise woman can read more f rom a man s look s
in a crowded ballroom than a f oolish one ca n in a
moonlit garden I t w as the intensi ty o f the Count s
love that Leslie discredi t ed She pro bab ly thought
h i m flirtatious wi t h all women
“
I wonder whether N ew York is agr ee i n g with
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THE W I NN I N G GA ME
2 29
“
”
y ou ? h e sa id as he t oo k h e r h and
You loo k a
”
li tt l e white
“
T ha t is no t l ik e the u s ua l st ream o f compli
”
m en ts which po u r s from your l ips
s h e a n swered
“
”
l ightl y ; th e hea t al ways saps me
“
Th en why not get out o f it
“
”
—
A woma n s rea so n j ust beca use
“
Oh i f tha t i s th e case o f course I h ave n oth
”
i ng mo re to say
“
”
You s ound lik e Geo r ge B u rnley sa i d Lesli e
laughing
“
Tha nk you Madame that is inde ed a compl i
”
ment May I ask where is your good h usband ?
“
”
Downtown I be lieve
T he a nswer w as not a s
i ndi ff erently spo ken a s she c ould have wish ed A l
though fully pe rsuaded that this time sh e be li ev e d
i n Alg y the door never opened n o r did the te le
pho ne ring that her heart failed to l eap the n t o
apparen t ly stop leavin g her weak an d trembling
“
”
I f some one said Mrs T r es si dar suddenly she
gav e a start all o f which being a co mparative l y
n ew development annoyed her great l y
Just n o w
sh e imagined the Count s voice held something more
t han mere curiosity and the ol d f ear gr asped her
”
“
“
I have not seen him lately the m a n s ai d he
”
seems to be interested i n a new deal
”
“
Ye s ?
“
”
A new dea l might be anyth i ng— an oth e r
woman a horse s t ocks or more whisky I t w as
c ha racteristic o f Leslie that when she trusted a pe r
son suspicion of them never ente re d her he ad
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2
T H E W INNI N G GAM E
30
A nother woma n might have to rtured he r sel f w o n
d e ring wh e th e r this po or starving heart s o re girl
from I ndia woul d no t try to see the man she loved
a nd lure him ba ck again having given no promises
nor definit e word to the contrary B u t Le slie be
l i ev ed i n S ue Leig h Harmon and thought o f her
o nly i n womanly p i y I f Algy had a new dea l
a nd that d ea l wa s a woman it w as assuredly not
t his one
“
”
B ut let u s s peak of l ighter topics continued the
"
“
C ount airi l y shall w e drive somewhere to tea ?
Lesl ie was j ust about to re f u se when she w as
At once she knew Algy
s ummoned to the telephone
waited to speak wi t h her and she trembled
“
I s that you L i t tly Lady
”
“
Yes Algy
“
Well I sha l l not b e home to night for dinner
I have met some ol d f riend s
n o r until late perhaps
a nd we are going to do N ew York Will y o u ask
”
s o me one over and not b e lonely dear ?
“
Algy
The man must indeed be selfish w h o cou l d with
the appeal in Lesli e s
s tan d the disappointmen t
voice As a mat t er o f f act some twinge o f con
science passed fl eeti ng l y over T r essi dar a nd h e
Spo ke has t ily :
“
N o no dea r not what you think I swear ! e
a r e going to Chinatown a nd through the Tender
l o in and all that Y ou ca n t very well come but
to morrow I am going t o bring these two ch ap s
I s tha t al l ri ght
up fo r dinner
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T HE
2 32
“
I
WINNI N G GAME
“
”
’
ca n t p ro mise answered Le s l i e v ague ly but
"
pe rha ps Good night
”
“
sa i d the ma id
Y o u l oo k il l M rs T r essi dar
w ho came i n with a tray the fol lowing morning
“
Have you h a d a ba d night
”
“
N o no th a nk you Elle n Leslie answere d s m i l
”
"
i ng
D id Mr T r essi dar come home l ast ni ght P
”
“
I don t think so madame
”
“
Has there bee n any message for me Ellen ?
”
“
I don t kno w o f any Mrs T r essi dar
“
Very well you may go and take the tray ; I
”
don t feel hungry
I t would be hard to wait until dinner time to
se e A lgy And th en he would b ring home two
men
What a bother ! They would probabl y
smoke and talk un t il al l hours and perhaps tak e
Algy o ut with th em a f t er all O h well it couldn t
be helpe d o nly she hoped to feel better than at
present
Marga ret Crowley dropped in to lunch and w as
shocked at the sight o f her f riend
”
“
You look positively il l Leslie she said in her
“
bl unt w ay have you seen a physician ?
Leslie b it her lips and laughed
“
To satis fy you Margaret I will say that I
have had a physician w h o told me that I had n erv es
all in capital letters Fancy me a prey to nerves
Can you imagine that ?
“
Easi ly You were always highly nervous only
I don t kno w o f anything in particular which
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‘
T H E W I N N I N G GA ME
2
33
b rought that fa ct pa tently befo r e your eyes Cec i
”
le y a lways said y o u were nervous
”
“
Dea r o ld pi ppi n l
“
H owev e r that does not make your eyes so d a rk
t h ey al mo st l ook black instea d o f blue or gray
Oh Les li e dear I wonde r i f you can ever r e
”
alize h ow I h a v e l oved your beauty all thes e years
”
“
Why M argaret Crowley y ou ol d goose l cri ed
“
Le sl i e t e nderly
I am not bea u t i f ul a nd n o o ne
re alize s it be tter than I Th e sad pa rt abo ut it a ll
i s that I am the dread f ully disappo inting pe rson
who goes off as ou r English sisters s ay I have
t o be young to look nice ; i n middle o r o l d age I
”
“
w ould have looked hideous
She us ed the would
”
ha v e quit e unconsciously and Mar a ret did not
“
N ow Vera Stearns will grow ol d grace
n o ti c e
fully an d pret t ily so wil l you dear You will be
regal a nd duchess y I have now to resort to al l
so rts o f petty devices to even foo l people into think
ing I am good looking Cur l papers massage lots
o f sleep regular hours for f ood et cet era have pre
served me i f y o u l ike but I am not beauti f ul my
”
de ar
“
We think so at any ra t e
The pronoun
s lippe d o u t inadvert en t ly but they bo th no t iced an d
“
i gnored it
Some people ca n t be be auti ful no
matter how hard they try Will you not come to
our house and have dinner t o night
ask ed Mar
“
garet
I t has been so long since you came
"
“
There is no thing I should like be tter ex
“
c laimed Leslie sincerely
b ut to night Algy is
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2
T HE
34
W I N NI N G GAME
bringi n g home two old country friends of his so
”
o f course I must stay home
I t w as on the tip o f her tongue t o i nvit e Mar
ga ret to dine with them then she thought be tter
o f i t— i t would neve r do to l et Margaret know o f
”
“
A lgy s attack gr anting he ha d one Le sli e
T r essi dar tri ed to be sure that her husb and w o u l d
c ome but corroding fear ate into her peace o f min d
a n d she was silent
S oon the visitor le ft
Calling the maid Leslie began to dress a l though
Eve n
t here w as more than an hour b e fore dinner
when finished there w as still an eterni ty o f heavy
m inutes ahead and she walked restlessly up and
Suddenly sh e stopped be fore
d own in her room
the cheval mirror and l ooked inten t ly at the imag e
reflec ted there
She saw a slender woman clad in a white cl ing
i ng c repe gown open at t he neck displaying a
rather thin bu t beauti fully whi t e and shapely
throat ; and m ping shoulders from which hung
l ong J apanese looking sleeves lined w ith cloth o f
silver Fine silver wire traced a fantas t ic design
on the gown and a ba nd of cloth o f silver made
a wide hem e ff ect Long fi l ag r ee earrings o f th e
s ame meta l hung aga inst the curve o f her neck
a n d swung grace f ully with every move o f the he a d
Leslie s wavy blond hair crowned a broa d and se ri
o us brow and it i n turn was surmounted by a pe
cu l i ar a ntique si l v e r tiara
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2
T HE
36
“
W I NN I N G GAME
’
’
straint lo nger don t struggle any more ! Can t y ou
see h ow f utile it is ? With all the good intention s
in th e world and all the love f or you o f which h e
is capable s til l there is no t hing f or y o u ! Leslie
I can t bear it God knows I have trie d but i t s no
”
use l He took her in h i s s t rong arms an d cr u shed
her wildly to him buryi n g his lips in her hair
“
”
“
Don Do n cried t he girl strug gling think
what you say— w h at you do
She pushed hersel f
“
f rom h i m and sank tre m b l i ng in a chair
You
will make me regret sen d i n g for you you wil l kill
”
I can t l o v e an y one else sh e
o u r f riendship
“
con t inued more gen t ly
A l g y T r ess i dar is my
whole li f e Can t you und erst a n d
“
I c an t t ha t s t he pl a in t ru t h I can t ! B u t n ever
mind i f you c h o o se t o use m e in t h is w ay I take
what cru mb s fall f rom your hand h u mbl y and ask
"
your pardon f o r f org et t i n g m y sel f j u st n o w
“
O h Don I kno w how selfi sh I am and I m
sorry cri ed L eslie mi sera bly I wi sh you wouldn t
think o f me in t h a t w ay Ca n t y o u s top P
The man v eh eme n t ly sho ok his h ead
”
“
Then think o f my case I c an t s top ei t her
“
Ah b ut you are w or thy o f i t
he b eg an
but stopped at the sight o f Leslie s dea thly whi te
ness
An hour or two l ater she answered the te l ephone
I t was Don who had f ound Algy and according
to Leslie s earn est reques t w as going to b ring him
willy h illy home t he following night about mid
”
“
Are you sure you ca n bring him D on ?
n i g ht
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THE
W I NN I N G GAME
sh e a sk e d fa lteringly
.
it
"
“
2
37
A great dea l depe n d s upo n
.
“
Yo ur husba n d will be in the house to mor row
”
a t midn ight answered Crowley decisively
Le slie hun g up the receiver and crossed the room
to a cupboard bringing from it a vivid crimson
gown This she l aid upon the back O f a chair
then f ound shoes stockings and gloves to match ;
l ast she took the cover Off a superb c l oak O f white
s a ti n trimmed elabo rate ly with j et and gold
W ith a l it t le indrawn sigh she seated hersel f
be fore her dressing table and Ope ned some pack
a ge s lying on it They were boxes o f a ctresse s
cosmetic s
“
”
The gambler prepares to play his trump card
she sa id a loud in a voice husky with tears and sh e
d ippe d her w hit e fi nger in to a po t o f ro uge
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2
38
T HE
.
W I NNI N G
GAM E
C HAPTE R X I
.
H a l f pa st e l even struck and Leslie sitting do wn
s tairs in the li b rary which was almost O ppo site th e
front door shivered She mad e two attempts to
rise be for e succeeding then dre w her c l oak abo ut
her shoulders an d crept shaking to the front door
H ere sh e paused in an at t itude o f listenin g
Presen t ly there was the sound o f voices a n d a
key was fitted in the lock As swi f t ly as her shak
ing limbs would allow she ran f rom the f ront door
i nto the butler s pantry and f rom ther e into a li ttl e
s ide p as sage Opening o n the street
Unlocking th e
door she let herself out and sped through the al
l ey w ay gaining the f ront entrance just as a m an
whom she recognized as Don Crowley walked dow n
th e steps into the darkness
She waited an instant then went boldly up th e
steps and rattled the handle o f the door
A s Algy O pened it and peered unsteadily out sh e
was leaning against the f rame w aving a farewe ll
to some o n e whose footsteps echoed back to them
T r essidar moved aside to let her pass and open ed
his lips for a word o f g reeting and apo l ogy when
something about his wi f e caused him to remain s i
l ent i n quivering h o rro r Th e man wa s quite un
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,
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,
,
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,
,
,
.
T HE W I NNI N G GAM E
2 40
d i sc re di ted his ow n sobriety a s he looked su re ly
there was some mista ke
”
“
Wher e have you be en he d ema nde d sud denl y
”
“
an d with whom i
Le slie start ed and i n passing her hand acro ss
h e r brow the white man tle slipped from her shou l
de rs t o the floor T r essi dar caught his brea th ;
n ever had he seen anything so maddeningly bea uti
fu l a s his wi fe as she stoo d mockingly be fore
him Gowned i n flaming red sh e l ooked l ik e a
vivid bird o f the tropics
Her neck and bosom were dazzling i n contra st
a nd the brilliants in her hair and around her throat
B u t Oh the other !
s eemed indeed a part o f her
”
“
I know w hat s you think my b u s band sh e
said frownin g and speaking more rapidly and ca r e
lessly Then w ith a secretive n od she r epea ted :
”
“
I kn o w
“
Where were you and with whom
“
”
—
—
Suppe r Sh Sh Sherry s with th Count w as
t h e defiant answer
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
.
,
.
,
.
,
,
’
-
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
’
’
-
-
,
.
“
”
Oh , my G od !
A foo lish giggle brok e th e silence wh i ch fo llow e d
t hese w o rds
“
You re a j oke Alg y ! B ut you re a ll right K id
”
an I l ike you
”
“
S top T r essi dar t ook a step forward and
“
Y ou are
caught his wi fe by the wrist roughly
a w oman
S he inte rrupt ed w ith a de li g hted l augh
.
’
’
,
,
’
.
,
,
.
.
,
T HE
WINNIN G GAM E
2 4:
I
“
Ah a w e ha v e discovered o n e cl uH h e ish a
w om an ! Good ! W hat nex h t
“
Y ou are the on e woman in al l my expe rience in
w hom I plac ed implicit tru st
That you were n ot
a gilded saint I well knew b ut you were a w om an
B ah you a re too drunk to even understand me
“
He groaned misera bly
Leslie my wi fe w hat
”
h a ve y ou done ?
He tried to speak gently to compe l her t o l ook
him squarely in the face but without success He r
w avering glance res t ed in turn u pon each Obj ec t
about them and all the Wh ile her red lips parted i n
a fatuous smile
“
Leslie l The c ry w as quick and sharp
She b linked her eyes and straightened up for a
m oment li f ting her chin and showing a beauti fu l
l in e f rom the t ip o f it down her throat and neck
“
Wish t be called Mrs T r essi dar she said
“
I don t know you wel l
w ith increasing thickness
”
enough for such ch f amiliarity Then she laughed
laughed laughed !
“
”
Leslie ! There was su ffering in the cry ; it
“
ca me from T r ess i dar s soul
For God s sake ste p
a nd l i sten to me This is a deserved punishment I
I f you have eve r
s uppo se though much t oo great
s u ffered as I am w rithing now may God indeed
”
forgive me I did not know what I did Listen !
h e cri ed aga in put t ing t w o f everish hands upo n h er
“
gleaming shoulders I sw ear by the most sacr ed
t hing in li fe— m y love f or you I swear by the God
w ho made me a nd the mother wh o bo re me I swea r
,
-
.
.
,
,
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,
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,
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,
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”
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”
’
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’
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-
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2
4
TH E W I NNI N G GAM E
2
by th e chi l d wh o c a rries my name a nd you rs— n ever
to tou ch ano th er dr op i n al l my li fe! B u t n e ith e r
shal l y ou
A sudden change c ame ove r Le s l ie s fa ce a s h e
l ooked ; from it radiated a divin e l ight whi ch pu z
z l ed an d dazzled him
She st oo d ma gnifice ntly
straight and s l ende r and utte red a s obbing cry :
’
.
,
I ‘
9’
A lg y '
Then sh e fell a limp and cru mple d mass o f cr i m
For an instant he straine d
son chi ff on i n his arms
h e r to h i m then looking intently into the upturned
face he saw something w hich made him reel with
sudden fear
”
“
Leslie Littl e Lady M ine he ca lled Ev en
roug e failed to hide the dea t hly pallor O f her f ace
powde r was im potent to cover th e blueness abo u t
h e r l ips
”
“
Little Lady spe ak to me !
“
Put me down Algy quick ! O h my d arl in g
my darli ng
A lgernon T r essidar laid his l i feless burden on
th e huge white rug which lay at her feet The n
h e knelt broken l y be side her— she ha d p laye d th e
game t o w i n
.
,
,
,
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,
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,
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,
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.
T H E E N D.
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