Warren sheaf., 1900-03-08

very last time-and then retire to vege-
tate and slowly die in the empty coun-
try. And even this had been denied
him. He felt chair near and sat heav-
lily down. :,
Then his sharpened senses seemed
to take in a breath and soft rustic a
very long way off, and there came a
low, sweet: voice: ."Are you there, Mr..
Penwin?''
Rapture. care you?' was Ill he could
say, and he bounded from his chair.
She laughed gently. eyes, II got
left behind-as you did, you know!"
II can't imagine how cid it," he
said.
"You were dreaming something beau
tiful in your corner"
II was!" he cried out, eagerly, and
began to make his stumbling way to-
ward her voice.
"-something "- that I shall perhaps
read some day in a great book?" she
breathed, softly.
He stopped groping with a gasp.
Heavens! this was worse than any
thing. She took him-him, for a
writer! He blushed as he stood there
in the darkness. And, of course, how
could she suppose that any guest of
her father had not written, or was
not about to write, some world tirrin g
masterpiece? 1t thrilled him for a
moment to think She had thought him
capable even for an instant of Writin G
something, anything. But the despair
was all the flatter afterward. Well, it
certainly was all over now; the only
thing was to get away from her as
quickly and with as little betrayal of
his stupidity as possible. So he blum
dered out:
"Tell me what I can do to let you
out"
U.S. she said, very gently, he
thought.
u.s." he echoed. and his heart seemed
to him to stop beating as he said it.
That she should put herself into one
word with him and say ''us!"
''There aren't any windows" she
said, in a voice that struck him as oddly
calm, coming through the tumult of his
feelings. Father has it lighted from
the top, so that he shan't see anything
to distract his thoughts, or we could
have got out that way
"Does he, really?" said Penwin, in
overfowing admiration of this iron
type of genius. 'Splendid mani"
do you think so?" she said, slow
ly. II think the blue sky or the great
clouds and the trees and flowers would
help to make ones thoughts beautiful
and true"
He became more ashamed than ever,
feeling that her reverence for poetic
things was high, indeed.
The only thing he could think. of
to say was: "Where are the switches?
Can't turn on the light?'
"Outside." Then she laughed gayly.
I'm afraid we really are locked up
till they remember us!'
"We!' 'Us!" 1t wrought upon him
so that he could hardly bear it. Sure
ly she did not understand what she
was doing to him! III you only knew"
he began, recllessly, and then pulled
himself up.
''What?'
''Oh-you know eyerything!"
Indeed, no; there are some things
1 would like very much to know He
heard that she sighed softly. This
was torment. Why was he not a
learned man, so that she could have
asked him and he could nave told her? ?
IL think I noticed a candle on
that table," he stammered, dismally.
''The one with the pricl1ly edge"
"Yes, if one only knew where it
was," she said. I'm quite lost, aren't
you?'
''Quite,' he said, forlornly.
IL don't know where anything isl
81 do.''
"What?'
''You,' he said, simply.
''Thats an idea,' she said, as if it
were an agreeable one.
''What? How" he cried, in delight.
Was it possible, then, that he had ideas
without recognizing them?
IF we find each other we shall at
any rate have found something"
He was speechless. Then he said, al
most trembling.
"May come to you?'
"Y-e-es," she said. And we'll might
she hesitate in that heavenly, dainty
way, he thought. 10 find him was but
poor hope for her, even if to find her
was to him just everything.
He heard again the soft rustic.
''Are you coming to me?" he asked, in
credulous of his joy.
"Of course. I must meet you half
way.''
IF you could-Oh, if you would"
Il am doing it," she said, and laughed
softly again.
He heard several bumps and noises
close to his own knees and shins and
supposed that he was making them with
his own person, but he could not take
account of that when she was 'com-
ing half way" Next moment his hand
grasped soft one, put out to feel it's
way. Before he or she could stop he
had touched her, herself, and his nos
trils caught up the scent Of her hair.