The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-24
SeIHe.'
"ohr-yo,l must indeed have been

|. SclneH
"ohr-yot must indeed have been
mad!'
II was. But that Something saved
me--tlie Something that drove me to
find you. j walked here by round-
about ways. but always coming nearer
and nearer, as II being drawn into a
whirlpool. Att last, I was in this
| street, on the side opposite your house.
hadn't made up my mind yet that
would try to see you. didn't know
what ! would do stood still. and
tried to think. 1t was very black, in
the angle between two garden walls
where the big plane tree sprouts up:
YOU know Nobody who didn't expect
to find man would have noticed mo
in the darkness. hadn't been there
for two minutes when a man turneI
the corner walking very fast Az he
passed the street lamp just before
reaching the garden wall, / saw him
p1ainly-not his face, but his figure,
and he was young and VOL dressed.
in travelling clothes. / thought lie
looked like an Englishman. He weSA
straight to your gate and rang. A mos
ment later some one, I couldn't sac
who. opened the gate and let him In.
1nvoIuntarly / took n step forward,
with tho idea of followlng--of pushing
my way IN TO see who he was and
who Ind opened the gate. But
wasn't quite mad enough to act like
cad. The gate shut. Oh. Maxine,
there were evil and cruel thoughts in
my mind. / confess 1t to you--but how
they made me sufcr j stood as X
were turned to stone. and only
wished that I might be. for stone
can't suffer. lust then. n cab creep
ing slowly along the street stopped in
front OF your gate. There were two
women in 1T. could see them by tho
/ light OF the street fanp. though not
as plainly ms I'd seen thcS man and
they appeared to be arguing very ex-
citedly about something. Whatever it
was, 1t must have been in some wav
concerned with you. OF your affairs,
because they We're tremendously Inter
ested in the house. They both looked
out. and one pointed several times
Even II I'd intended 10 go in.
wouldn't have gone while they were
there But the very fact that they
were there reused me out OF the kind
of lethargy of misery I'd fallen into.
wondered who they were, and IL they
meant you harm or good. When they
| had driven away. / made up my mind
that ] would see you II I could.
! tried tho gate. and found 1t unlocked.
1 walked in, and-there We're lights In
these windows. ] knew you couldn't
have gone to bed yet. though you'd
said you were SO tired. There was
death in my heart then. for you and
! for me- Maxine, for-the gate hadn't
opened again, and"
~ know what you thought. broke
/ in my heart beating now that my
! voice shook n little, though l strug-
! gled to seem calm. .'You said to your
self, 1T was Maxine who let the man
them together"
-'Yes." Raoul admitted But
| didn't try the handle of the door. as
/ / had OF the gate. I rang. l couldn't
bring myself to take you unawares"
do you think still! that let man
In and hid him when I heard you
/ ring?, nskedt (For an instant I was
! inclined to tell the story Ivor had adj
/ vised me to tell; but I saw how eS-
! cited Raoul was; saw how. in paint.
| ing the picture for me. he lived
\ through the scene again, and In spite
4 OF himself. suffered almost as keenly
! as he had suffered in the experience.
i saw how his suspicious of me came
/ crawling back into his heart. tha.gn
| he strove to lash them back. ] darel
/ not bring Iyor out from the other
room. ii he were still, there. He was
Zoo handsome. too young. too attractive
/ in every way. If Raoul had been
1 Jealous of Count Godensky. whom he
! knew had refused. what would hel
/ feel towards Ivor Dundas stranger
1 whose name / had never mentioned.
1 though he was received at my house
i after midnight? l was thankful [
/ hadn't taken Ivors advice and intro
| duced the two men at first. for In his
4 then mood Raoul would have listened
\ to no explanations. He and I would
/, never have arrived at the understand.
Ing we had reached now. And not
I having been frank at first. must oe
/ secret to tho end)
The very asking of such bold
] 1ueston--''Do you think let man.
In, and hid hm?"-ilelped my cause
] with Raoul.
"No," he said. ~ can't think it. I
won't and don't think 1t. And you
need tell me nothing. ] love you. And.
4 SO help me God, l won't distrust you
4 again!''
Just as ii entered my mind to risk
everything on the chance that Iver
4 had by this time found his way out.
4 II heard. or fanced i heard, faint.
sound in the next room. He5was there
still
1nstead OF throwing open the door.
as 1t had occurred to me to do, saying,
"Iet us look for the man, and make
4 sure no one else let him in, laughed
] out abruptly. rs if on sudden.
4 thought, hut really to cover the sound
Eff 1t should come again.
ooh, Raoul!" / exclaimed. in the
midst of the laughter with which {
/ surprised NM YOU'RE taking this too
seriously. a thousand times ] thank
you for trusting me in spite OF APP
pearanccs but--after all, were they so
much against me? You seem to think
4 + am the only young woman in this
i house. Marianne. poor dear, Is old.
4 enough, It's true But have "a femme
1 de chambre and a Cuisiniere both
/ under Twenty-Five both pretty, and
4 both engaged to be married." (This
4 was true All, what n comfort to
4 speak the truth to hfmD Doesn't ltj
1 occur tor You that, at this very moment,
i a couple of lovers may be sitting hand.
in hand on the seat@unders the old yew
4 arbour? Can't you ina glne how they
\ started and tried to hold their Breath.
Hest you should hear, as YOU opened
the gate and came up the patl?"
J (To be Continued TIC -Morrow,)