Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-16
xvII-Continued.

In the study fire burned brightly. the
desk was laden with papers, the lights
were nicely adjusted; even the chairs were
In their accustomed places. Loders senses
responded to each suggestion. 1t seemed
but day since he had seen 1t last. 1t was
precisely as he had left 1.-THE niche need
ing but the man.
To hide his emotion he crossed the floor
quickly and drew chair forward In less
than six hours he had run up and down
the scale of emotions. He had looked
despair in the face. till the sudden sight
of Chilcote had lifted him to the skies;
since then, surprise had assailed him in it's
strongest form; he had known the full
meaning of the word risk" and from
every contingency he had come out con-
queror. He bent over the chair as he pull
ed it forward to hide the expression in
his eyes.
''St down." he said gently
Eve moved toward him. She moved slow
ly as IL half afraid. Many emotions stirred
her-distrust, uncertainty and a curious
half-dominent. half-suppressed questioning
that 1t was difficult to define. Loder re-
membered her shrinking GOODNESS, her re-
iuctant tolerance on the night Of his first
coming, and his Individuality, his certainty
of power, kindled afresh. Never had he
been so vehemently himself; never had
Chilcote seemed SO complete a shadow.
AS Eve seated herself he moved forward
and leaned over the back of her chair. The
impulse that had filled him In his inter-
view with Renwick, that had goaded him
as he drove to the reception, was dominant
again.
Il tried to say something we drove to
the Bramfells' tonight" he began. Like
many men who possess eloquence for an
lmpersonal cause, he was brusque, even
blunt. in the stating of his own case. May
hark back and go on from where l broke
OFF,"
Eve half turned. Her face was still
puzzled and questioning. ''Of course"
She sat forward again, claspng her hands.
He looked thoughtfully at the back OF
her head. at the slim outline of her Shout
ders, the glitter Of the diamonds about
her neck.
: DO you remember the day, three weeks
ago. that we talked together in this room?
The day great many things seemed pos
sible.
This time she did not look round. She
kept her gaze upon the fire.
DO you remember" he persisted quiet
ly. In his college days men who heard
that tone of quiet persistence had been
wont to lose heart. Eve heard 1t now for
the first time, and, without being aware,
answered to 1t.
Yes, / remember" she said.
ION that day you believed In me" In
his earnestness he no longer simulated
Chilcote; he spoke with his own steady re-
lance. He saw Eve stir, unclasp and clasp
her hands, but he went steadily on ''On
that day you saw me in a new light. You
acknowledged me-" He emphasized the
slightly peculiar word. But since that
day"-his voice quickened-'since that day
your feelings have changed-your faith In
me has fallen away" He watched her
closely; but she made no sign. save to
lean still nearer to the fire. He crossed
his arms over the back of her chair You
were justified" he said, suddenly. I've
not been-Inyseff since that day" AS he
coiI dc forSook inn
slightly. He loathed the necessary lie, yet
his egotsm clamored for vindication. "All
men have their lapses," he went on; there
are times-there are days and weeks when
T-when my The word nerves touched
his tongue. hung upon 1t. then died away
unspoken.
Very quietly, almost without sound. Eve
had risen and turned toward him. She was
standing very straight, her face a little
pale the hand that rested on the arm of
her chair trembling slightly.
John" she said, quickly, don't say
that word! Don't say that hideous word
tonight-not just tonight. Can you under
stand7"
Loder stepped back. without compre-
hcnding he felt suddenly and strangely at
a loss Something In her face struck him
silent and perplexed. 1t seemed that with
out preparation he had stepped upon dan
gerous ground. With an underlined appre-
hension he waited, looking at her.
IT can't explain it," she went on with
nervous haste, II can't give any reasons.
but quite suddenly the-the farce has grown
unbearable l used not to think-used not
even to care-but suddenly things have
chansed-or have changed" She paused
confused and distressed. why should 1t
be- Why should things changer? She asked
the question sharply, as If in appeal against
her own incredulity.
Loder turned aside. He was AFRAID or
the triumph. volcanic and irrepressibie, that
her admission reused.
"Why?" she said again.
He turned slowly back. You forget
that I'm not a magician" he said, gently
Il hardly know what you are speaking
of"
For a moment she was silent. but In that
moment her eyes spoke. Pain, distress
nrjde. all strove for expression; then at
last her lips parted
do you say that in seriousness she
asked
shortly.
.'rhen 1 shall speak seriously, too Her
voice shook slightly and the color came
back into her face, but the hand on the
arm of the chair ceased to tremble. For
more than four years 1 have known that
YOU take drugs-for more than four years
have acquiesced in your deceptions-in
your meannesses-
There was an rnstants silence Then
Icder stepped forward.
you knew-for four years." he said,
very slowly. FOE the nrSt time that night
he remembered ChiIcote and forgot him
self.
Eve lifted her head with quick gesture
as IT, In fiinging off discretion and silence.
she appreciated to the full the new relief
of speech
Yes / knew. Perhaps I should have
spoken when ] first surprised the secret,
but it's all so past that it's useless to spec
ulate now q was fate | suppose. l was
very young you were very unapproachable,
and-and we had no love to make the way
easy For a second her glance faltered
and she looked away. "A woman's-a girls
notwithstanding is a very sad comedy-it
should never have an audience. She
laughed little bitterly as she looked back
again II saw all the deceits, all the sub
terfuges. all the-lies.' She said the word
deliberately meeting his eyes
Again he thought of Chilcote,' but his face
paled.
II saw it all. I lived with IT all till l
grew hard and indifferent-till acauiesced
in your nerves readily as the rest of
the world that hadn't suspected and didn't
know Again she laughed .nefvOusly.
"And / thought the indifference would last
forever If one lives In a groove for years.
one gets frozen up. never felt more frozen
than on the night Mr.. Fraide spoke to me
of you--asked me to use my Influence; then,
on that night