The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-16

world" she said. But one is always
at liberty to guess
Again he was perplexed. Her atti-
tude was not quite the attitude of one
who controls the game, and yet He
looked at her with a puzzled scrutiny.
Women for him had always spelled the
incomprehensible. He was at his best,
his strongest, his surest, in the presence
Of men. Feeling his disadvantage, yet
determined to gain his end, ne made a
last attempt
How did you amuse yourself at
Grosvenor square this morning before
Eve came to your he asked. The eff
fort was awkwardly blunt, but it was
direct
Lillian was buttoning her glove. She
did not raise her head as he spoke, but
her fingers paused In their task. For
q second she remained motionless; then
she looked up slowly
"Oh," she said sweetIy, $50 l was
right in my guess? You did come to
find out whether | sat in the morning
room with my hands in my lap or
wandered about in search of entertain
ment?"
Loder colored with annoyance and
apprehension. Every look, every tone,
of Lillian's was distasteful to him. No
microscope could have revealed her
more fully to him than did his own
eyesight. But it was not the moment
for personal antipathies; there were
other interests than his own at stake.
With new resolution he returned her
glance.
'"Then l must still ask my first ques-
ton, Why did you say, I thought it
would be your" His gaze was direct
so direct that it Disconnected her. She
laughed a little uneasily-
Because I knew"
"How did you know"
because she began; then again
she laughed Because" she added
quickly, as if moved by a fresh i'm
| pulse, "Jack Chilcote made it very OBJ
vious to any one who was in his morn
! ing room at II o'clock today that 1t
would be you and not he who would
be found filing his place this after
noon. It's all very we'll to talk about
honor, but when one walks into an
! empty room and sees a telegram as
long as a letter open on a bureau
But her sentence was never finished.
Loder had heard what he came to hear.
Any confession she might have to offer
was Of no moment in his eyes.
MY dear girl" he broke In brusque-
~, don't trouble. l should make u
most unsatisfactory father confessor. "
He spoke quickly. His color was still
high, but not of annoyance His sus-
pense was transformed into unpleasant
certainty, but the exchange left him
surer Of himself. His perplexity had
dropped to a quiet sense of self re
lance. His paramount desire was foI
solitude in which to prepare for the
task that lay before him-the most con
genial task the world possessed-the
unraveling Of Chilcotes tangled skeins
Looking into Lillian's eyes, he smiled
"Goodby," he said, holding out his
hand. Il think we've finished-for to
day"
She slowly extended her fingers
Her expression and attitude were
slightly puzzled q puzzlement thai
was either spontaneous or singularly
well assumed. AS their hands touched
she smiled again.
''Will you drop in at the Arcadian TO
night" she asked Its the drama
tized version of Other Mems Shoes!
The temptation to make you see it wa:
too irresistible-as you know"
There was a pause while she waiteC
for his answer, her head inclined II
one side, her green eyes cleaning.
Loder, conscious of her regard, hest
tated for a moment Then his fac,
cleared. Right he said slowly. "Th
Arcadian tonight!'