The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-12-24

perfume Ia her hair, and the ma dness
|Sof the moment, murmured wild words
in praise, OF her beauty, while the cab
wheeled swiftly along through a black
ness that was broken every now and
then by the passing flash Of a lamp, a
more distinctly the mouth and eyes
and the smile Of his companion. ut
was like drive in dream, and Ames
was never afterward able to piece to-
gether the threads Of that sbewild ering
cOnversati ion. Suddenly the cab swung
to the left and came8to a stop. Ames
saw from the expression Of the
woman's face that they had reached
their destinat ion. #Ssss
He leaped out of the cab and as
sisted his companion to alight. She in
stantly ran up a short flight of steps
and put a key into a latch. AS he
tnrued from watching her movements
he saw that the cab had left them and
was driving rapid lily away up the mar
row street in the direction of the
Strand. Ames looked UP at the lady.
\. 1t is all right, . she said SsThe cab is
paid. Come sin. = Ames glanced around
him. He knew that he was in one Of
the little cluster Of closely resembling
streets that run in parallel lines from
the embankment of the Strand, but he
could not in the darkness of the night
and the confusion Of the moment re-
call the name Of the street He saw
that the door which the woman had
opened was the door Of what looked
like a new and large building Of fats,
chambers and offices, and that it stood
near to the embankment on the right
hand side going toward the Strand.
So much he gathered in a glance, then
he followed his leader up the steps
and through the door which she held
half open into a large and somewhat
dimly lighted hall, on both sides Of
which Ames saw the long catalogue of u
names printed in gold upon black
grounds which are, as it were the fin
ger posts to these human hives.
The woman closed the door sssFol-
low me, she said, and began to lead
the way up a long fight Of stone stairs.
Ames followed her without a word, but
as he followed her he assured himself,
almost mechanically, that he was not
unarmed.
The ascent was long, up several
flights Of those dimly lighted stone.
steps, on which the ascending foot.
steps seemed to echo gloomily. They
passed several stories, each with its
own family Illuminated corridor radi-
ating away into mysterious space, be-
fore they came to a stop. His guide
turned to the right and walked along
corridor that seemed to lead toward
the front of the mansion. Presently
she paused at door and turned han
die; Ames, still following her, found
waite fiat and then in drawing room
vate fiat and then in a darWing room
which seemed to fling upon his con
seriousness a sense Of some what savage
wealth as the electric light flooded it.
at the touch Of the Woman's hand.
Take off your coat" she said, and
then she disappeared through fur
Their door and left him staring curl
ously around him. The room suggest
ed wealth, ease, even luxury, but there
was further suggestion of brutality,
| OF the barbarons in its opulence, which
asserted itself with significance. AS
Phllo Ames turned to take off his coat
and lay it across a remote chair his
glance was arrested by one among a
| line of photographs upon the chimney
piece. It was the face of a woman
that he had once known the face Of a
| woman that the people who talked Of
i her declared him to have known very
we'll Seeing the photograph and re-
membering that friendship, Ames saw
some meaning in his presence in the
adventure. He had said many extrav-
agant things to her; she was a woman
| whose Intimacy tempted to extravs..
gance; it was very probable, indeed,
| that he had said some such words to
her as had been repeated to him by
his mysterious hostess Well, if he
4 had he would stand by them now, il
only for the old sake's sake, he; said
to himself, as he turned from the IA.
miliar face and followed the line Of the
little gallery of portraits There were.
some Of his hostess, which failed, as
photographs always fall to renew the