Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-21

IL ing ia the present-thc force
| full. exhlaratlns present, and the
knowledge braced him. Upon one
point his mind was satisfied Lillian
Astrupp had found the telegram, and
it remained to him to render her find
valueless. How he proposed to do
/ this. how he proposed to come out tri
umphant in face of such situation,
was a matter that as yet was shape
less in his mind; nevertheless the dam
ger the sense Of impending conflict,
had a SAVIOR Of life after the inaction
Of the day and night just passed. Chill
cote In his weakness and his entangle
ment had turned to him, and he in his
strength and capacity had responded
! to the appeal.
I His step was firm and his bearing as
sured as he turned into Grosvenor
/ square and walked toward the familiar
/ house
| The habit of self deceit Is as lnsili-
Gus and tenacious as any vice, For one
moment on the night of his great
speech as he leaned out Of ChilCote's
carriage and met Chicotes eyes Loder
]
of revelation had taken decisive action.
But in the hours subsequent to that
action the plausible, inner voice had
whispered increasingly, soothing his
wounded self esteem, rebuilding stone
! by stone the temple of his egotism, I'M
til at last when Chilcote, panic stricken
at his own action, had burst into his
rooms ready to plead or to coerce he
had found no need for either coercion
or cntreaty. BY power more subtle
and effective than any at his command
Loder had been prepared for his COM
-uncOusciously ready with an ac-
quiescence before his appeal had been
made. 1t was the fruit of this prepara-
ton, the inevitable outcome Of it, that
strengthened his step and stesdicd his
hand as he mounted the steps and
opened the hall door of Chilcotc's house
on that eyentful afternoon.
The dignity, the air Of quiet solidlty,
impressed him as it never failed to do,
as he crossed the large hall and ascend
ed the stairs-the same stairs that he
had passed down almost rs an outcast
not so many hours before. He was fill
ed with the sense of things regained.
Belief in his own star lifted him, as 1t
had done a hundred times before in
these same surroundings.
He Qulckencd bis steps as the sensa-
ton came to him. Then, reaching the
head Of the stairs, he turned directly
toward Ewes sitting room and. gaining
the door, knocked. The strength of his
eagerness. the quick beating of his
pulse a, he waited for response, sur
prlsed him. He had told himself many
times that his passion. however strong,
would never again conquer as 1t mad
done two nights ago and the fact that
he had come thus candidly to Ewes
room was to his mind proof that
temptation COULD be dared. Neverthe-
less there was something disconcertlng
to a strong man in this merely physical
perturbation, and when Ewes voice
came to him. giving permission to en-
ter, he paused for an instant to steady
himself. Then. with sudden decision,
he opened the door and walked into
the room.
The blinds were partly drawn, there
was n scent of violetS in the air, and n
fire glowed warmly in the crate. He
noted these things carefully, telling
himself that man should always be
alertly sensible OF his surroundings.
Then all at once the nice balancing Of
detail suddenly gave way He forgot
everything but the one circumstance that
Eve was standing in the window, her
back to the light, her fsce toward him.
With his pulses beating caster and an
unsteady sensation in his Main, he NOV
ed forward, holding out h!O hand.
Eve he said below his breath.
But Eve remained motlonless. AS he
came into the room she had glanced at
him. glance of quick, searching ques-
ton, then with equal Sa1denness she