Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-04

XII.
Hardly conscious of her movements. Clo-
dagh left the card room and passed down
the corridor. Her only tangible sensations
were anger and self-contempt. The thought
that Serracauld. who had seemed less than
nothing in the scheme of her life-Serra-
cauld. with whom she had laughed and
TESTED and fiirted because he was a boy
and of no account-should have treated her
lightly, should have presumed to kiss her.
to seize her violently in his arms. was
something shameful and intolerable. me
simplicity of her up-bringing-the uncon-
taminated childhood that her country nao
given her-rose to confront her in TINS
newest crisis. Vain, frivolous, foolsh she
might be. but beneath the vanity, the IriV
olity. the folly she was-and always mad
been-good in the primitive, fundamental
sense of the word.
She hurried down the corridor and down
the staircase that she had assembled so shor.
a time before, but, reaching the GROUND
floor. she did not turn toward the ball room:
from which the sound Of the violins stu
1oated. Instinctively, she moved In the
opposite direction. toward the quieter por-
ton of the house in which stood the music
room.
The door of the room was closed when
she reached it, and no sound came TO her
from within. For space she stood hesl-
tating outside: then the distant murmur OF
talk and laughter reused her to action.
Her hesitancy fled before her distaste Tor
companionship. She raised her hand ana
noiselessly opened the door.
To enter the music room was TO enter
region of romance. For, as the card room
upstairs suggested the world and the things
OF the world, this room seemed to embrace
all the repose, all the dignity, all the peace
that such places as Tuffnell gather unto
themselves with the passage of time. 1.
was a long, 1ow-ceiled room with wainscoted
walls and a polished oak floor, and the nrst
hi hot ,ot fha VII
old harpsichord, mutely eloquent of bygone
days, for, with rare good taste, Lady Diana
had hidden her piano behind tapestry
screen worked many centuries ago by an
other lady of the house. Even on this
night of festivity the place retained us
peculiar quiet; only half dozen candles
burned in the sconces that hung upon the
walls, and the scent of lavender and drlea
rose leaves fingered upon the air.
1t seemed what it was-a room in when,
for numberless generations, women or re-
fnement had made music. read poetry, or
sung songs, while they wove about them the
indescribable atmosphere of home.
Ard into this room Clodagh stepped, her
heart burning, her mind distressed, PANIED
and hurt.
For an instant she paused upon the
threshold overwhelmed by the contrast be-
tween the aloofneSs, the graceful repose Oh
the place and tumult of her own thoughts;
then, yielding to the spirit OF peace she
closed the door resolutely and went forward
into the room.
But at sound of the closing door. at sound
of her dress upon the polished floor, an an
swering sound came from behind the tapes
try screen-the noise of a chair being quiet
feet.
In sudden CONSERVATION she stopped. For
one instant she glanced behind her. contem-
plating flight the next, faint exclamation
OF surprise-the merest audible breath-es-
capped her, and her figure became motion
less.
nnf nf ms
round the screen, and in the uncertain light
of the candles she recognized Gore.
The position was unusual; the moment
was unusual. For the first time since the
night at the Palazzo Ugochini they were
entirely alone; for the first time since the
night at the Palazzo Ugochini they looked
at each other without the commentary OF
other eyeS-withOut the atmosphere OF con-
ventional things.
Involuntarily, inevitably. their eyes met.
Clodagh looked into his; and in the contact
of glances 1t seemed that a miracle came TO
pass. By power of that magnetism that In
disputably exists-the magnetism that
draws certain natures irrevocably together,
although circumstances and time may delay
their union-she saw the CLEAN of COM
prehension, of question. of acknowledgment
spring from his eyes to hers, and she knew,
without the need Of words. that he stood
within the circle of her power, that
whether with or against his will, his per-
sonality claimed response from hers.
She did not move, for it seemed to, her.
in that instant of understanding, that her
life and his were mysteriously suspended
Her heart beat extraordinarily fast, yet her
mental vision was curiously clear. By the
light of her recent misgivings, by the light OF
her sudden confidence, she seemed to see and
to read herself and him with a strange
and vivid clearness. Some power, tangible
vet invincibly compelling, drew them to-
gether. In the personal scheme of things
there were only two persons-he and she
Beyond the walls of the music room life
swept forward as relentlessly, as rapidly
as before, but inside the walls of the
music room there were only he and She.
Almost unconsciously she took step
DO you remember that night in Venice?"
she asked. THE night you said all the
things that sounded so hard and hurt so
much and-and were so true?'
She did not know why she had spoken.
She did not know how she had framed her
words. She only knew that exalted by the
consciousness of great good within thu her
reach she was moved to dare greatly.
It was the moment of her life-the mo-
ment when all social barriers of prejudice
and of etiquette fell away before ire
mendous self-knowledge. She realized in
that space of time that her thoughts of
Gore-her attraction toward him, her re-
luctant admiration-had been insensibly
leading up to this instant of action; that
on the evening when they stood together
on the terrace of the hotel at Venice and
watched the night steal in from the lagoon
it had been irrevocably written in the book
of fate that tney SnOulu one udy lOOk INTO
each others hearts-for happiness or sor-
row.
do you remember that night in Venice?'
she said again, almost below her breath
and in the pause that followed the whis-
pered words the most wonderful-the most
wholly perfect-incident of her life oc-
Cured The voice that had power to chill
or stir her spoke her name; the hands she
had believed closed to her forever were
held out toward her. Gore came slowly
forward across the Swallowed room.
IT do remember" he said. Il have never
forgotten. / never shall forget"
XII