The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-22
1t runs in our family. Do you play much

1t runs in our family. Do you play much
Mrs Dundas?'
Scarcely at ALL she answered, slpil-
ing. II am not clever enough. 1t is the
game for diplomats. is 1t not?''
She gave him some tea, and afterwards
she sang and played to him, all the while
making no reference to his illness, though
she could see that the latter, mysterious
as it was, had been making strides. His
his face gray and strained looking, his
manner feverish and nervous.
When he was going away she asked
him quietly whether he would do her a
favor of consulting the doctor, who was
especially good at diagnosing intangible
maladies; and she added that she would
prefer that Mr.. Brinkman should not
know Of her request.
Mr.. Havelock, rather surprised, but i'm
pressed by the evident sincerity of her
interest in him, promised to do what she
asked, and Mrs. Dundas waited to see
the result of her first move. There was
none.
Dr. Herschel prescribed, but without his
usual success, for Mr.. Havelock grew
rapidly worse, and on the third day was
quite unable to get up and go to his work,
He could neither rest nor eat; he seemed
exhausted and overdone; yet he averred
that he had passed a capital night as
usual. So much Mrs Dundas learnt, and
later, when Mr. Brinkman returned, she
heard also that he had declined the land
ladys offer to sit up with his friend, and
had said that he would sit up with Mr..
Havelock himself, If necessary, and that
there was no cause for anxiety, nor Sufti-
cient reason to call in doctor.
Then Hester decided to make her sec
ond move, for now she believed that she
was playing for life, and life that had
become unaccountably of value to her.
The house was silent when she crept
quietly up stairs, long after everyone had
gone to bed, and stood in the shadoW Of
the landing window, listening and waiting
for a sign of any sort from the room
where she knew that Mr.. Havelock slept.
The door of the sitting room was ajar
and the room was still lit up, but she
could not see whether 1t was tenanted or
not.
She had not long to wait before some
thing happened.
Mr. Havelock's door opened, and he
stood in the doorway his tall form wrap
ped in a long, dark dressing gown, out
lined against the dim light Of a shaded
lamp that stood by his bedside. With
quick, sure step he passed along the pas
sage, almost touching her where she
SlOOQ, anu l1llO lDS SllllIi6 lOoih. 1iiS
knew beyond a doubt that he was walk
ing in his sleep, and she knew also what
she would see when she glided to the open
door of the sitting room, and stood there,
unseen, watching.
Mr. Havelock had seated himself beside
a table set with chessmen, and, leaning
his forehead on one hand was with the
other pushing the pieces here and there,
now making a move and now retraclng II,
o1@c,N nod and o.
tionless, as though his whole soul and
mind were bent on solving some question
of play that taxed his mental powers to
the utmost.
Leaning against the mantelpiece, his at
titude betraying the intentness of his OBJ
servation, stood Stanforth Br1nkman.
There was no sound in the room, and
Hester felt that it needed all her sell
restraint not to cry out against the dread-
ness of this silence, In which a man was
playing a game with his own life and rea-
son for the stakes, on one side, while
on the other was the wanton cupidity Of
a man who cloaked his relentless purpose
under the mask of friendship. There was
a long pause during which the two VINO
looked on held their breaths and strove
to still the beating Of their hearts, whlie
Mr. Hayelock rested immovable, his head
buried in his hands
Had he, overcome with the effort, laIiell
into deeper slumber without accomplish
ing what he was there to do; or would
he awake ami learn his own and his
friends secret in the moment OF recoV-
ering his consciousness?
The clock struck half-past 1, and the
sharp vibration Glove the air, and seemed
to send an electric thrill through It to the
sleeper's bent form.
He raised himself, pushed his hair pack
from his brows with a gesture of relief,
and made three moves in rapid and as
sured succession.
And Hester reed, in the face Of the man
who looked on, the confirmation OF her
fears and his hopes
Then, abruptly rising. John Haveiock
crossed to the dorchester stepping back
again into the shadow-and passing 1rto
his room threw himself on his bed, as
though overwhelmed with fatigue.
Mr.. Brinkman, stealing after him to see
that he was safe and to close the door
quietly, did not notice Hester as she ran
swiftly into the sitting room and up to
the table.
A second later he returned, and was
advancing with an eager light in his eyes
and a smile of triumph on his lips, when
he saw her.
He fell back a step in his amazement