WORDS THAT STAMP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 824, 24 May 1910, Page 3

WORDS THAT STAMP.

" We sat behind her at the opera, in the etalls, says "H.G." in. the "Sydney Morning Herald." She was' large arid well proportioned, though not so generously as to obscure all the view. Her carefullymassaged face showed few of the dints left by the years, forty-five of which had probably skimmed over her. Various plaits formed' her turbau-like coiffure, which glistened bronzily, showing 310 lines of silver. The cost of an orphanage glittered on her fingers, while the education of its inmates sparkled . frostily round her throat.

Tho silken dress, .the lined and tradded cloak, the sequined shawl seemed to tell a tale of velvet pile carpets, of Persian rugs, of richly-upholstered chairs, and all the glittering etceteras of wealth Her voice ranged from upper C upwards] it came back to us in fragmentary phrases as she talke'd to her companions on either side of her—"New Motor;" "Sorel better than Castles;" "London next summer;" "p-and opera in Paris;" via America;" "the Newson divorce." Presently ono of her companions drew her attention to the dress circle, and she turned partly round to look. We had a good view of the diamond necklace, _ of the bracelets on her plump white arm as she looked through the dainty inlaid glasses. Then we heard for the first time a complete sentence in words that stamped more than the diamonds and ecqtuns. TTes, that is her, though hetwecn you and I what he sees in her I don t know."

And the half-envious gleam which the Bight of the diamonds had kindled in the> eyes ot a tired-looking woman a daily governess, who sat near, died awav as, _ with unconscious dignity, she straightened her thin shoulders and gave the slightest uplifting to a head whoso tresses had borrowed nothing from art aS well . as if ,vo hn 'l been told that the prayer oi a certain Pharisee of nigh two thousand years ago found an echo that evening in one woman's breast.