Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1916)

110 Photoplay Magazine The man flew. When he had returned, Elsie poured out half a cup of the condiment and dripped it into the steaming creation, staining it a pink describable only in the language of the flowers. "Now serve it!" she commanded at the psychological moment, for there is a psychological moment in these things : and Briscoe obeyed. At the same time he snapped an order at the waiter, who disappeared to return with champagne. Then amid fluttering trepidation came the first taste, and though all clamored for expression, they mastered themselves, and waited for the Jovian approval. It came in time. "Elsie !" Briscoe said with tremendous feeling. That was all, but it was as if he had taken a wreath from his own square dome and transferred it to hers. The praise, bubbling now from the others, was a suitable obligato to his resounding approval, and the affair was a success. There was only one untoward incident. Adelaide Stark waved aside the napkincovered champagne bottle as it hovered over her glass. There were limits even to the demands of hospitality ! "W7HEN they had finished, the music ** went no longer unheeded, and the two younger men disappeared with Adelaide and Miss Tremaine, leaving Briscoe and Elsie Tanner together. He was smoking a cigar now, and she, quite frankly, a cigarette. Though no word was spoken, there seemed to exist a certain subconscious accord between them, a harmonious culinary vibration of kindred souls, as it were. But this remained unvoiced, and when finally Briscoe spoke it was to say : "Sorry June couldn't be here. Half her party, you know, to celebrate the picture. What's the matter with her?" A look of concern came into Elsie's sallow and slightly hardened face. "I don't know. I got home at half past five and found her in bed. She'd been crying and seemed all worked up about something. I tried to find out what was the matter, whether anything had happened, but she wouldn't say." She paused a moment and puffed her cigarette. "Do yon know, Tom," she went on. "I'm kind of worried about June. She hasn't acted the same lately; or looked the same, either." "That so?" He was surprised. "What's the matter?" "I've got my ideas." "What are they?" ELsie considered a moment with narrowed eyes. Then she made her decision. '"Well, I'll tell you, but understand, I haven't told anyone else, and 1 want you to keep this under your hat." She paused, watching him. "I think it's Holt." He stared at her a minute. "Holt! What about Holt?" "Well, Holt being a man, what's usually the matter with a man where a girl's concerned?" His eyes slowly widened with dawning comprehension. "Not some more of this damned love business !" She gave a dry laugh. "No ! He's after her savings." Then, exasperated: "Haven't you seen? But 01 course you haven't, you never would. For memths there's been something going on there. Then, two or three weeks ago, they had some sort of a break, because she never sees him. and she stays away from every place where he's invited. And now to-day something else must have happened." "Something else?" Was there no end to this nonsense? "What, for heaven's sake?" "I don't know. I couldn't set a word out of her." Briscoe chewed his cigar. "D'you mean Holt's in love with her?" "My Lord, Tom! Yes! And traveling on the high lope." "Damn fool !" He was oblivious of double meanings. "Is she in love with him?" "I don't know, but if I know Holt, he's tried hard enough to make her. I've just got wise to that guy. and he's so cadgy it's taken me till now to find out he's had a sketch on with Marcia Trent for nearly a year." Briscoe fidgetted uneasily, but Elsie's frank discussion of facts in the professional manner steadied him. "I know it." he said. "Yes. but after all. that isn't the main thing now. There's another angle that I'm more afraid of than that." "What?" "Paul Temple." she said. He cave an involuntary startled crunt. "Lord ! A mix-up." "You dazzle me. Thomas ! You make my head swim."