The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-25

| around. 1t was MS nrSI expedition
/ into the new country, aud it lay with
| fate to say whether it would be his
| last.
He had been leaning back in his seat.
I his eyes on the ministers opposite. his
i arms folded III imitation of Chilcote's
most natural attitude. when this final
I speculation had come to him, and as il
/ came his lips had frightened for a mo-
/ ment and his face become hard and
/ cold. It is an unpleasant thing when
| man first unconsciously reckons on
| the weakness of another, and the look
| that expresses the idea is not good TO
/ see. He had stirred uneasily, then his
/ lips had closed again. He was tena-
| cious by nature, and by nature intol-
Grant of weakness At the first sug-
gestion of reckoning upon Chilcotes
lapses his mind had drawn back in
disgust, but as the thought came again
the disgust had lessened.
In week-two weeks, perhaps-Chil-
| cote would reclaim his place Then
would begin the routine of the affair.
Chilcote, fresh from indulgence and
freedom would find his obligations a
thousand times more irksome than be-
fore: he would struggle for time,
then
A shadowy smile had touched Lo-
der's lips as the idea formed itself.
Then would come the inevitable re-
call; then in earnest he might venture
to put his hand to the pillow. He never
INDUCED in day dreams. but something
in the nature of a vision had flashed
over his mind in that instant. He had
seen himself standing in that same
building, seen the rows of faces first
bored, then hesitatingly transformed
under his personal domination, under
the one great power he knew himself
to possess-the power of eloquence.
The strength of the suggestion had
been almost painful. Men who have
attained self repression are occa sion
ally open to a perilous onrush of feel
ing. Believing that they know them
selves, they walk boldly forward to-
ward the highroad and pitfall alike.
These had been Loder's disconnected
ideas and speculations on the first day
of his new life. AT o'clock on the
ninth day he was pacing with quiet
confidence up and down Chilcote's
study, his mind pleasantly busy and
his cigar comfortably alight, when he
paused in his walk and frowned, inter-
rupted Ey the entrance of servant.
The man came softly into the room,
drew a small table toward the fire and
proceeded to lay an extremely fine and
unserviceable looking cloth.
Loder watched him in silence He
had grown to find silence a very useful
commodity. To wait and let things
develop was the attitude he oftenest
assumed, but on this occasion he was
perplexed. He had not rung for tea,
and in any case a cup on a salver sat
isfied his wants. He looked critically
at the fragile cloth.
Presently the servant departed and
solemnly re-entered carrying silver
tray, with cups, a teapot and cakes.
Having adjusted them to his satisfac-
ton, he turned to Loder.
Mrs. Chilcote will be with you in
five minutes. SIR he said.
He waited for some response, but
Loder gave none Again he had found
the advantages of silence, but this time
it was silence of a compulsory kind.
He had nothing to say.
The man, finding him irresponsible,
retired, and, left to himself, Loder
stared at the array of feminine trifies: |
then, turning abruptly, he moved to
the center of the room.
Since the day they had talked on the |
terrace he had seen Eve only thrice /
and always in the presence of others. T
Since the night of his first coming she |
had not invaded his doElain, and he |
wondered what this new departure |
might mean.
His thought of her had been less /
vivid in the last few days, for, though /
still using steady discretion he had
been drawn gradually nearer the fas-
cinating whirlpool of new interests I
and new work. Shut his eyes as he |
might, there was no denying that this
so personally vital to him,
was politically vital to the whole coun-
try and that by a curious coincidence
Chilcote's position well nigh forced
him to take an active interest in the
situation. Again and again the sug-
gestion had arisen that should the
fire in Persia break into
flame Chilcote's commercial interests
would facilitate = would practically
standing in in the cam
paign against the government.
The little incident of the tea table,
recalling the social side of his obliga-
tons, had aroused the realization of
greater things. As he stood meditative-
4 in the middle of the room he saw
Suddenly how absorbed he had become
q these greater things-how, in the
swing of congenial interests. he had
been borne insensibly forward, his ca
oacities expanding, his intelligence as
;erhng itself. He had so undenably
found his sphere that the idea of usur-
patton had receded gently as by natu-
al laws until his own personality had
begun to color the days work.
As this knowledge came he wondered
quickly if it held a solution of the
present little comedy; if Eve had seen
what others, he knew, had observed
hat Chilcote was showing grasp Of
Kings that he had not exhibited for
ears. Then, as a sound Of skirts came
oftly down the corridor, he squared
lis shoulders with his habitual abrupt
GESTURE and threw his cigar into the