Ainslee's Magazine, February 1913 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE POINT OF VIEW 3 the whole scene, wondered for whom it was reserved. He came in presently—and he really merits a descriptive paragraph all to himself. He was a very tall man, and well made, with broad shoulders and a small head. His evening clothes, though beautifully pressed, with that look which only a thoroughly good valet knows how to stamp upon his master’s habiliments as a daily occurrence, were of a foreign cut and hang, and his shirt, unstarched, was of the finest pleated cambric. These trifles, however, were not what rendered him remarkable, but that his light-brown hair was worn parted in the middle and waved back a la vierge, with a rather saintly expression, and was apparently just cut off in a straight line at the back. This was quite pe- culiar looking enough—and in conjunc- tion with a young, silky beard, trimmed into a sharp point, with the look of an archaic Greek statue, he presented a type not easily forgotten. ‘The features were regular, and his eyes were singu- larly calm and wise and blue. It seemed incredible that such an al- most grotesque arfrangement of coif- fure should adorn the head of a man in modern evening dress. It should have been on some Byzantine saint. However, there he was, and entirely unconcerned at the effect he was pro- ducing. The waiters, who probably knew his name and station, precipitated them- selves forward to serve him, and, with leisurely mien, he ordered a recherché dinner and a pint of champagne. Stella Rawson was much interested, and so were her uncle and aunt. “What a very strange-looking per- son!” Mrs. Ebley said. “Of what na- tion can he be, Erasmus? Have you observed him ?” Canon Ebley put on his pince-nez, and gave the newcomer the benefit of a keen scrutiny. “T could not say with certainty, my dear. A northerner evidently, but whether Swedish or Danish it would be difficult to determine,” he announced. “He does not appear to know he is funny looking,” Stella Rawson said timidly. “Do you notice, Aunt Caro- line, he does not look about him at all? He has never glanced in any direction; it is as if he were alone in the room.” “A very proper behavior,” the Aunt Caroline replied severely ; “but he can- not be an Englishman. No Englishman would enter a public place having made himself remarkable like that, and then be able to sit there unaware of it. Il am glad to say our young men have some sense of convention. You can- not imagine Eustace Medlicott per- fectly indifferent to the remarks he would provoke if he were tricked out so.” Stella felt a sudden sympathy for the foreigner. She had heard so cease- lessly of her fiancé’s perfections! ‘Perhaps they wear the hair like that in his country,” she returned, with as much spirit as she dared to show. “And he may think we all look as funny as we think he does. Only he seems to be much better mannered than we are, because he is quite sure of himself, and quite unconscious or indifferent about our opinion.”’ Both her aunt and uncle looked at her with slightly shocked surprise, and she saw it at once, and reddened a little. But this incident caused the remark- able-looking foreigner to crystallize in interest for her, especially when, in raising his glass of champagne, she saw that on his wrist there was a brace- let of platinum, with a small watch set with very fine diamonds. She could hardly have been more surprised if he had worn a ring in his nose, so unac- customed was she to any type but that of the curates and young gentlemen of Exminster. Canon and Mrs. Ebley finished their dinner in disdainful silence, and sailed from the room with chilling glances; but as Stella Rawson followed them demurely she raised her soft eyes when she came to the object of her relatives’ . contempt, and met his serene blue ones —and for some reason thrilled wildly. There was a remarkable and pow- erful magnetism in his glance; it was COLMUC NOOK (E@)