[Illustration: _"Should the day ever arrive may I be there to paint the real woman."_] DEVOTA "_J'y suis, j'y reste_" BY AUGUSTA EVANS WILSON Author of "St. Elmo," "At the Mercy of Tiberius," "A Speckled Bird," etc. ILLUSTRATIONS BY STUART TRAVIS [Illustration] NEW YORK G. W. DILLINGHAM CO. COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY _issued June, 1907_ _Devota_ Press of J. J. Little & Co. Astor Place, New York TO MY BROTHER JOHN HOWARD EVANS ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE "Should the day ever arrive may I be there to paint the real woman" _Frontispiece_ 45 "'_J'y suis, j'y reste_.' He lives that historic motto!" 40 An overwhelming sorrow seized and shook the lonely woman by the dial 80 "Roy--my own Roy" 122 DEVOTA A TELEGRAM, Madam. The messenger waits for an answer." The butler held out a silver salver, and Mrs. Rexford Churchill laid aside her embroidery and took the ominous yellow envelope. Glancing over the contents, her face brightened. "No answer, Ramsay. Tell Hansel to take the dog-cart to the station in ample time to meet the 5.42 train, as Miss Lindsay is coming. The trap and victoria are in the hands of the fishing party who may be late returning home." The hostess turned toward her companion, an elderly woman whose white hair was partly covered by a lace cap. "This is certainly a charming surprise, and will be as welcome to you and the Bishop as it is to me. "Listen, Mrs. Roscoe: "'I sail on Saturday. Decided suddenly to run up for a night only to say good-bye. Expect me by 5.42 express. If bungalow is crowded put cot in nursery. Must return on 8.20 train to-morrow morning. 'DEVOTA LINDSAY.' "When I planned this house party she promised to join us, but afterward wrote cancelling the engagement, which she said she could not keep because her uncle insisted on sailing abroad earlier than she had anticipated. Only three days ago I received farewell notes and a box of souvenirs for my children who simply worship her." "Are you an old friend of Miss Lindsay?" asked the Bishop's wife, peering over the top of her gold-rimmed glasses.