New-York tribune., 1906-10-21
CHAPTER XI.

= strange story of my guests until the Interrupt
ton came. The entry of the cheerful little village
sensation | drew a little breath as | rose to my
feet There a certain measure of relief in the
escape from such high tension
'Glau to see you, doctor" | said mechanically.
My friend here, Mr.. Guest, DR.. Rust, | added,
completing the introduction, lis little down.
| thought that would like you to have look at
him"
The doctor shifted the air dsparagingly as he
shook hands. Those beastly cigarettes he
marked. If you young men would only take to
Our insides aren't strong enough for your sort
of tobacco, doctor" l answered. Il will leave you
with Mr.. Guest for few minutes. You may like
to overhaul him a little
| made my way into the gardens, and stood for
a few minutes looking out the park 1t
still, hot evening; the scene was perhaps as peace
full one as a man could conceive The tall elms
stood out like painted trees upon painted sky;
the only movement in the quiet pastoral landscape
where a little string of farm labOrers trudg
ing hOmeward across the park with their baskets
over their shoulders. Beyond the land SlOped into
pleasant tree enCOmpaSsed hollow, and l could
the red tiled roofs of the cottages and the
gray spre of the village church There was scarcely
a breath of wind. Everything around seemed
to stand for peace, Many night before had stood
here, smoking my pipe and drinking it all in. abso
lutely content with myself my surroundings and
my life. And tonight felt, with certain measure
OF sadness that it could never be the same again.
few yards behind me, in the room which had
just quilted man was looking death in the face,
a man the passionate half told fragments of whose
life had kindled in whole world of new desires.
These two, the man and the girl. enemies perhaps,
speaking from the opposite poles of hfe had made
sad havoc with my well ordered days. The excite
ment of his appeal was perhaps directly potent
yet there something far subtle far stranger
in my thoughts of her. She and her maid and her
queer black eyed poodle creatures of flesh and
blood without doubt; yet they had come into
my life so strangely, and passed into wonderful
a place there, that L thought of them with
thing of the which belongs to things having in
themselves element of the mystic if not of
the supernatural. The blue of her eyes was not
more wonderful than the fawess grace of her per-
son and her environment. | could compare her
only with visions one has read and dreamed about
in the unreal worlds of poetry and romance Her
actual existence a woman of the moment a pos
abe adventures, certainly material and actual
person, was hard indeed to realize
moved little farther away into the gardens
The still air was full of the perfume of SMELL
ing flowers of hOneysucke and roses, climbing
about the maze of arches which sheltered the lower
walks. Tonight their sweetness seemed to mean
new things to The twilight was falling rapidly:
the shadows were blOtting out the landscape Out
beyond there, beyond the boundaries of my walled
garden, seemed to be looking into a new and un-
Travelled world. | knew well that the old days
were over Already the change had come
| turned my head at the sound of a fCOtstep upon
the gravel path. The doctor was standing beside
me
"Well | asked, what do YOU think of him?"
He answered me little evasvely. The cheerful