Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-01-17
CHAPTER XII.

and his own reply as natural Sc
quence, yet in the pause that followed
it each was conscious of jar, each
was aware that in some subtle way the
thread of sympathy had been dropped,
though to one the cause was mex
plicable and to the other only too plain.
Loder watched the ghost Of his mes
sage grow whittier and thinner, then
dissolve into airy fragments and dutter
up the chimney. AS the last morsel
wavered out Of sight he turned and
looked at his companion.
.sYou almost made me commit my
SELF he said In the desire to hide
his feelings his tone was short.
Eve returned his glance with quiet
regard, but he scarcely saw it. He had
a stupefied sense of disaster, a feeling
of bitter self commiseration that for
the moment outweighed all other con-
siderations Almost at the moment of
justification the good of life had crum-
bled in his fingers, the soil given be-
meath his feet, and with an absence of
logic, lack of justice unusual in him,
he let resentment against Chilcote
sweep suddenly over his mind.
Eve, still watching him, saw the dark
ening Of his expression and with
quiet movement rose from her chair.
Lady Sarah has a theater party to-
night, and am dining with her." she
said. 1T is an early dinner. so
must think about dressing. I'm sorry
you think I tried to draw you into any
thing. / must have explained myself
badly" She laughed little to cover
the slight discontinue that her tone
betrayed, and as she laughed she
moved across the room toward the
door.
Loder, engrossed in the check to his
own schemes, incensed at the sudden
ness of Chilcote's recall and still more
incensed at his own folly in not having
anticipated it, was obliyious for the
moment of both her movement and
her words. Then quite abruptly they
obtruded themselves upon him, break
ing through his egotism with some
thing of the sharpness of pain follow
ing blow. Turning quickly from the
fireplace. he faced the shadowy room
across which she had passed, but 81
multaneously with his turning she
gained the door.
The knowledge that she was gone
struck him with sense of double loss.
ssWaiti' he called, suddenly moving
forward. But almost at once he paus-
ed chilled by the solitude of the room.
Ever he said, using her name un-
consciously for the first time.
But the corridor, as well as the room,
was empty; he was too late. He stood
irresolute; then he laughed shortly,
turned and passed back toward the
fireplace.
The blow had fallen, the inevitable
come to pass, and nothing remained
but to take the fact with as good a
grace as possible. ChiIcote's telegram
had summoned him to Clifford's inn
at o'clock, and it was now well on
toward 6. He pulled out his watch
Chilcote's watch, he realized with a
touch of grim humor as he stopped to
examine the dial by the light Of the
fire-then, as if the humor had verged
to another feeling, he stood straight
again and felt for the electric button
in the wall. His fingers touched it,
and simultaneously the room was
lighted
The abrupt alteration from shadow
to light came almost as a shock. The
feminine arrangement of the tea table
seemed incongruous beside the sober
books and the desk laden with papers
-incongruous as his own presence in
the place. The thought was unpleas-
ant. and he turned aside as if to avoid
it, but at the movement his eyes fell
on Chilcote's- cigarette box with its
cleaning monogram, and the whim-
sical suggestion of his first morning
rose again. The idea that the mani
mate objects in the room knew him
for what he was, recognized the inter-
loper where human eyes saw the right
full possessor, returned to his mind.
Through all his disgust and chagrin
smile forced itself to his lips, and,
crossing the room for the second time,
he passed into Chilcote's bedroom.
There the massive furniture and
sonlber atmosphere fitted better with
his mood than the energy and action
which the study always suggested.
Walking directly to the great bed, he
sat on its side and for several minutes
stared straight in front of him, appar-
emily seeing nothing; then at last the
apathy passed from him. as his pre-
vious anger against Chilcote had pass
ed. He stood up slowly, drawing his
long limbs together, and recrossed the
room, passing along the corridor and
through the door communicating with
the rest of the house. Five minutes
later he was in the open air and walk
ing steadily eastward, his hat drawn
forward and his overcoat buttoned up.
AS he traversed the streets he allow
ed himself no thought. Once, as he
waited in Trafalgar square to find a
y,asSa 90 between the vehicles the re-