Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-08

| AND you took it?" Nance said, almost
| quietly.
II took it. Yes. took it. have always
| been like NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. graspng at
| the easy things letting the hard ones slip
by And now. Now."
Nance, listen!' She took a swift step
/ forward. at was because OF that loan that
| couldn't slight him since came back
| to town. You were right-you were quite
| right in all you advised: but l couldn't do
| it. He had lent me the money. He had
! seemed my best friend. l felt couldn't do
it-until yesterday.
But yesterday, when he left. and Walter
| spoke of him. l knew there was no choice
| 1t was my own happiness or his friend
ship And II decided for my own happi-
ness"
She stopped and drew quick, deep
breath
Nance clasped her hands. fearfully con-
scfous that more was still to come
| when I have difficult thing to DO.
Clodagh went on, Il must do 1t quickly
| 1 can't wait, 1 can't prepare and plan, and
| brood over things. After Walter left yes
| must be done at once. | made up my mind
that l would see Lord Deerehurst tonight;
that would be quite candid with him, ex-
plain my position-and appeal to his gen
! crosby to let our friendship end
| Then tonight-?'
Tonight was all a deception. 1 had no
headache-I wasn't ill. / slammed it all,
that might be alone"
| sAnd while we were at the theater you
sent for him.?
! NO! 1 went to Carlton House Terrace to
see him.
| "Went to see him. Clo!"
81 said you could hate me! Do hate me!
| Despise me. Think anything you like!
| went to see him: 1 went to his house-at
night. alone-thinking. believing. OH
she made a gesture of acute self-dsgust.
! Nance. need / say it all? Need /? Need
| I? Can't you understand without my say
! ing? All that I had imagined about his
| understand friendship. All along he had
| been waiting, quietly and silently, like one
| of those horrible hawks we used to watch
| at Orristown-waitins to swoop down when
the right moment came" With an almost
| historical gesture she put her hand to her
| throat.
Nance's face had become very white. but
in the intensity of her pity and love she
] did not dare to approach her sister.
"Clo," she whispered, you must tell wal
ter"
/ Clodagh's face suddenly famed
] TELL Walter! Tell Walter that / owe
| Deerehust q thousand pounds-that 1 lied
to him and to you all tonight, that might
go alone to Deerehurst's house! You dom
| know Walter! There Is only one thing In
the world that 1 do-that l must do
| and that is to go to Ireland and arrange
| about raising money on my share of Orris-
| town. 1t can be done somehow. Father did
| it. I shall not eat sleep or think until
that thousand pounds is paid
Prompted by swift and eager impulse.
| Nance's face flushed and she ran forward.
| Then almost as she reached her sister 8
| side her expression changed. She suddenly
curbed her impetuosity.
| perhaps it would be a good idea" she
| said, slowly. when would you like to
| go?"
Tonight if 1 could. I feel; oh. 1 feel"
| Clodagh put her hands over her face.
Nance stood watching her for a moment
longer. Then she slipped softly to her SIDE
| and put one arm about her neck
|
Don't be sad. You shall go to Ireland to-
| morrow. if you like: and all the planning
! all the explaining to Walter and to every
body-will be done by me-.
! And it came to pass, in the extraordi-
nary way with which events sometimes pre-
| cipitate themselves. that at o clock on the
| following afternoon Clodagh was borne
| swiftly out of Paddington station on the
first stage of her journey to Ireland.
The chain of incidents that had been
| forged by Nance to make this departure
| feasible well possible had been too
| minute and complex to make any impress
sion upon Clodagh's mind. Her confession
| the night before had been more a confession
| to herself than a conscious unburdening or
her soul to other ears and. having made It,,
| she was satisfied to resign herself into any
hands that were willing and capable of
guiding her actions.
The first incident of the morning had been
| a visit from Gore. But it had been Nance
| who had interviewed him first: and a quar-
ter of an hour later, when Cfodagh had
guilty she had found him full of sympathy
and solicitude for what he believed to be
her sudden recall to Ireland. Then had
| come the Estcoits. and with their advent
more solicitude and more sympathy. Lunch
! time had crept upon them almost unawares,
| and-again on Nance's initia tive-the whole
party had adjourned to the Hyde Park Hotel
and had partaken of meal in company.
| More than once during the crowded hours
of the morning Clodagh had striven to draw
her sister aside: but Nance. animated by
an unusual excitement. had evaded every
| possibility of a tete-a-tete-
1t was only at the door of the railway
| carriage. when Gore and Estceit were SUI
| perintending the labelling of her luggage.
and Mrs Estcoit and Daisy were buying
books and papers for her amusement that
| at last they had a word in private. Clo-
dagh was standing in the open doorway of
the carriage. and Nance was on the step,
| when quite suddenly the latter put up her
! hand and pressed a letter between her SIS
| ters fingers.
my proper goodbye is in this letter.
darling she said. 81 couldn't say it be-
fore everybody Kiss me, will your
Impulsively Clodagh bent forward. and
the sisters exchanged long Kiss.
You have been an angel, Nance. 1 Will
thank you When-when-
No! No. There can never be thanks
between you and me. We are one Re
member that always! Always, Clo--al-
Ways!'
She drew back quickly as the rest of the
party came hurrying to the carriage.
And SO the gocd-byes had all been said,
| and the train had steamed out of the sta
| ton; she had watched the platform melt
into obscurity and then had dropped into
her seat with that sense of quet-of fiat
| ness-that follows the moments of parting
| The long railway journey ana the night
| crossing to Ireland still lay between her
| and action. She looked impatently at her
| travelling companions, an uninterestlng
| brother and sister who had already buried
| themselves behind newspapers in their re-
| spective corners of the carriage, ana almost
angrily she turned to the heap of maya
| zines lying beside her: but as she did 50 her
glance frightened. Nance's letter was stiil
to be read.
| In the midst of her perplexities tender
thought flashed over her mind as she opened
: the envelope, and her face softened in
stinctively as she began to read. But grad
| ualiy as her glance passed from one line
| to another. her expression changed, she
| sat upright in her seat. her bearing altered
in a sudden, inexplicable manner. The let
| ter began:
Darling Darling Clio: I must have
| seemed a wretch last night and today! ]
| mean / must have seemed very strange.
| showing hardly any surprise or sympathy
l tpI taking