The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-12-21
CHAPTER X.
AND WHAT CAME OF 1T.

In Difference to my illness, as well
rs to the fact that paid literally
for my footing in the Setter house,
hold, 1 was not required to rise at
daybrcak and breakfast with the
family; and | was rather later than
usual on the morning following the
night of bad dreams and worse reali-
ties. Mrs. Setter served me, as she
usually did, and Nan was not visible.
Knowing the girls excellent reason
for avoiding me, I thought little of
it at the time, being swallowed up in
anxious conject,rres as to what use
she would make of the stolen letter
and newspaper clipping.
But as the day wore on and still
she did not appear, anxiety became
dread, indcfinable and unreasoning,
but mighty in proportion to the por-
tentous possibilities. 1t was to little
purpose that tried to argue myself
into calmer frame of mind; that I
wrought out the problem of chances
again and again in II vain cndeavor
to pretigure what would come of it.
At the worst, it appeared, she could
only lbetrny me oWykamp; CRITICAL
ousy should prove stronger than
love, hold her knowledge of the
shameful facts as n sword over Wini-
frcT1's head; but, MS the event was to
show forth, Il rcckoncd entirely with
out my host, MS one is likely to reck-
on when the inscrutablc secrets of
Il woman's heart are involved.
The long day brought no explana-
ton of Mans absence. From my post
of observation on the porch I saw
Wyknmp ride past on his way to his
work; and ] made sure tina he did not
repass until he returned late in the
evening at the tail of the struggling
procession of workmen. Winifred re-
turned from the, schoolhouse at the
usual hour in the afternoon, and my
anxious scrutiny of her face as she
cnme up the walk from the gate and
stopped for n word with the con-
valescent before going to her room
assured me thnt as yet the blow had
not fallen upon her. Still Nan did
not appear, and her prolonged alb
sence, and the stolid Indifference of
her father and mother to it, puzzled
me not a little. l would have given
in the family councils in those early
hours of the morning when l had
slept the sleep of the unsuspecting.
BY nightfall the indefinable dread
had grown until it had become an
agony of apprehension. For two
dnys Macpherson had ihtermitted his
| evening visits to the farm at Valley
Head; and after supper I watched
and waited in the hope that he would
come. 1t had been no part of my
plan to make him n confidant in the
results of the Grantley investigation,
but under the changed conditions it
now seemed to be the wisest course;
and was half daft at the thought
that the story might reach him
through another channel. So I kept
my post in the hammock until nine
o'clock, and then went to my room
to stay only till could be sure that
the family had gone to bed. When
the farmhouse was still and dark,
I found my overcoat and crept down
stairs with my shoes in my hand.
The moon was we'll above the up
lifted eastern horizon whena1-put on
my shoes and propped myself in the
hammock to continue the pointless
vigil. There was not the vaguest
promise that anything could come OF
it. At the most I could only make
sure that Nan did or did not come
home. And yet, if life itself had been
at stake, 1 could scarcely have gone
back to my room and to bed.