The San Francisco call., 1904-08-07

her, he asked her how she would like
to go to Spain.
1T is my country" he said, "al-
though am an exile at this moment
My English was learned in America at
Harvard University-to which 1 owe
my education. 1 say education, but no
man is educated at a university. His
education is Natures task. She teaches
him every day while he lives. / have
asked you to my house to help me in
such self-imposed studies. We will
charter university together. My sis
ter shall be the bursar and feed US"
1T is the only merit he allows me"
said Julia gayly. eff I wish to make
my brother angry. ask him what he
will have for dinner Oh, my dear. just
think what we women have suffered
because of mems dinners! You are
lucky to. be in the laboratory! I envy
Francis his books sometimes"
And yet she will not read them for
five minutes together said the. Doctor.
not unkindly. There are no novels
there, Miss Venn. Beautiful princes do
not expire at the feet Of languishing
damsels. I have not a single book
which bewails the loss of the baro-
ness diamonds. or extols the gentle
man who stole them. Pity my misfor-
tunes! told you that 1 was a pupil;
1t is for you to teach me-"
He turned the subject with a laugh,
ana went on to ask his sister of her
day and its programme. Would she be
at home to dinner? Was she going to
the theater afterward? As for Esther
she would, perhaps, be glad to rest to-
day The Doctor suggested a ham
mock in the garden amid the roses; tea
should be served there at five o'clock.
Esther must ask for anything she
wished; the whole house was at her
disposal. When he had suggested other
plans for her comfort he withdrew to
his library, and left the girls together.
Julia, in spite Of herself, appeared to
be more at ease in his absence; she
took Esther by the hand. and went out
into the garden with her.
1t must have been three o'clock then,
and the delicious hush OF the summer
afternoon was everywhere to be felt.
Esther thought the garden not less
beautiful than she had imagined 1t.
The grass. she said, was the softest
she had ever trodden upon. The masses
Of roses were bewildering; rare blooms,
some Of them familiar. some unfa-
miliar shed delicious fragrance upon
the balmy G:r The fountain cast a
spray OF an unknown essence which
cooled the atmosphere and added to
Its perfume. The silence was intense
and in some way almost unnatural
You could not hear any sound at all
from the streets around. The quaint
windows of the pavilion looked down
upon you from every side. 1t might
have been an uninhabited house; and
yet Esther quickly discovered that 1t
was not. Indeed, she was still gazing
curiously at these oddly-shaped win
dows, when a face appeared suddenly
at one OF them, and instantly arrested
her curiosity. 1t was the face of a
young woman. hideous, distorted and
yet singularly pitiful face. For an in
slant the figure appeared at the case
ment, and was then dragged back as
though by an unseen hand. Esther,
she knew not why, started at this sud
den apparition. 1t was just as though
a voice had said to her, "Bewarei"
Who was this girl? What was she do
ing in the house?
Now, it chanced that Julia still
wrestled with the ropes of the ham
mock during this momentary scene;
and so both her companions astonish-
ment and the subject of it were not
observed by her. Esther, troubled as
she was, had already made up her mind
to say nothing about it. A shrewd wit
told her that if she were really in dan
ger confession would not help her. She
could not imagine that such a man as
Doctor Xavier would trap a young girl
for any felonious purpose. Neverthe-
less, there was something about the
house and it's people which baf1ed her
understanding and awakened her sus-
picions. Terrible as her situation had
been but an hour ago, she was not
quite sure that this change was for the
better and very greatly apprehensive
and doubtful. she listened to the merry
Julia and her gossip.
There's one thing we're expected to
do in this house, and that is to make
ourselves comfortable" she said, sink
ing down upon pile of cushions and
arranging her books upon her knee.
''The Doctor believes in the art of life,
and while it gives me what I want 1
am his faithful disciple. You do not
know what clever man he is, dear.
1 often read in the papers about other
scientists, and wonder if they know
half as much as Francisco Xavier
Beautiful things have been the passion
of his life. Day and night he lives for
them. There is not any beautiful art
of which he does not know something.
Those sketches you saw in the dining
room, they were all his work. He has
written music which has been per-
formed in the theaters of Milan and
Paris. While you and. 1 sleep here this
afternoon he will be in his laboratory
and perhaps-you never can tell-dis-
covering something which might as
tonish the world tomorrow. 1t is my
misfortune. I try to interest myself in
all these things, but am just a help
less creature, and it cannot be helped.
You, / believe. will take my place;
know he wishes it. A woman can help
sometimes where a man is useless"
shall do What ran n he r1Saf11l -