He said: “My aunt’s a snob. Here’s the announcement she sent out
yesterday afternoon----”
He opened a drawer, took out a dozen clippings. They read them together:
“Mrs. Magnelius Grandcourt announces the engagement of Eris Odell,
granddaughter of the late Comtesse Jeanne d’Espremont, of Bayou
d’Espremont, Louisiana, to Barry Annan, only son of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Grandcourt Annan, of New York.
“Miss Odell is the descendant of one of the oldest Royalist families
of France,--her great grandfather coming to this country as a refugee
during the Terror of ’93. Miss Odell’s grandmother, Comtesse Jeanne
d’Espremont, and Mrs. Magnelius Grandcourt shared the same room at
boarding school in Exmouth, Virginia.
“Miss Odell, who early in childhood evinced unusual artistic
proclivities, had chosen the silent drama as a medium for
self-expression, and is charmingly known to the artistically
fastidious section of the nation’s public.
“But after the wedding, which will occur in June, Miss Odell has
decided to retire from a career which promises such brilliant
fulfilment.
“Mr. Annan served his country in the Great War as Liaison Officer and
was decorated for gallantry in action.
“He is an author of repute and promise.”
After a silence: “_That’s_ her work, Eris. I told you she’s a snob.”
The girl looked at him with a troubled smile: “It’s rather too late to
do anything except live up to what she says of us--isn’t it, Barry?”
“You wonderful girl, you’ve already lived way beyond anything that
anybody says of you.”
Her arms went around his neck, tightened:
“_Darling!_... But we must make good.... You know it.”
He knew it. He knew that she already had. He rested his head on her
breast like a tired boy.
It was up to him.
THE END
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.
Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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