Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-30
CHAPTER XVIII.
After MANY Years.

Left alone To- herself, Mar Delahay had
summed mp the situation clearly and log
icgly y1ud all doubt her SISTER was st.N
alive. Ecyord all doubt CarIotta had been
staying at thu Grand Hotel within the Fast
twelve months. She. too. seemed to have
lad L"r misfurtuu-s. m.-fJrtunes more
keen and cruel than even tlos. Of her
younger sister IT was very strange that
NI..iH Should learn the truth in tbs fash
i,l. II was stranger still that she should
discover the house to which Carlotta had
gone nH leaving the hotel Up to this mo-
mont Maria had no idea Of going Out her
sell, She intended to go stra ght to bed
and await her husbands return.
Now strange restlessuess came over
her. She felt il impossible to remain i'm
pTiS med within those four walls. There
was no likelihood Of Lous Drlahay's re-
turn for the. next two hours. Why, then.
Should she not 90 out and take cab as
far as IsLeworth road? 1t was very late. OF
course bat then London was a late place.
and midnight call no novelty.
Allowing herself To act on the impulse of
the moment, Mara walked downstairs and
out into the Strand. Hailing cab she
was driven To lSlewOrth road. where she
gave orders fpr the driver to stoR The To-
Caluy was respectable one, and there
wcTr gHts in good many of the housr ;
but at No i Mrs De!aLay met with Is
apr ointment. Tn" house was not empty.
though the blinds were down. and there
was not "a Hight to be : en-. The dingy No
tUre " the steps and the tarnished look OF
the biasswo'k testified L. the fact that
neither lad received any attention OF late.
As Maria stood there ringing the bell for
the third time, in the FAINT hope OF max ng
somebody hear, a policeman came along.
You are wasting Your time there, lady,
he SAID ClT4l!y enough. The pCorls are
not at home. think they are coming back
ar tine end Of the week, because my nstruc-
tons o. keep special eye on the house
don't 20 beyond Saturday.
Maria thanked the office and went back
I'm cab. She would have Fixed to have
asked more Questions, but she restrained
her natural curiosity. After all. II was not
Il far cry To Saturday, and even then she
might meet with a disappointment. In all
probability her sister lad left London long
ago
Maria was thinking all these things over
nov that Walter Lance had gone. She
wondered that her sister had so completely
passed out OF her mind. But. then. she had
had SO many terrible anxieties to weigh her
down. She could not sleep for thinking of
the tragedy. She paced up and down the
room IN vain attempt to get away rom
herself. The clocks outside were striking
the huUT of midnight. but the roar of the
strand was going on st!ll If il We're
high noon sudd-n resolve came to the
woman. She would go out at once and try
her luck at IslewOrth road again.
She took no cab this time. She knew the
way. As She walked along she was CON
SClrQS q! the TACT tEdt she being fol
lowed She smiled bitterly to herself. What
had those people 10 b. afraid Of? Did they
think she was going to run away?
Her heart gave great leap as she saw
the lights cleaning behind the drawn blinds
at No Ia She had only TO ring once. then
the door Was promptly opened by a typical
English servant WHO waited for the visitor
t speak
4 th,ak there is lady here ! want to
see, Maria stamm"rcd. AT least sh-
was Lore for some tim" in the spring You
see. she IS my ster. and We have not met
Tor twenty years II may appear strange,
but / don't even know her name"
II seemed 10 Mara that thfs was a
proper prccaut'Oa on her part. Though her
explanation sounded weak enough to her
great Ivae; s.le saw the servant s,nAe and
open the door a little wider
THAT IS all right madam" the servant
sad. ~ can 81" that YOU are my IN $
trvss SISTER 10y the likeness. VIII you
please come tits way
Tn next five minutes seemed like an
hour tu Mara Then the door opened and
tai. dark woman came in. Th- two
Iopk~G al one another for quite minute
IN absolute silence. 1t was so strange &c
meet after all these years. 50 sad Tor both
10 See how the otheT had altered. Then
Maria D"lohaS moved forward. and the
two women kissed each other almost coldly
Why did YOU come here thr countess
SAID, How did you manage to find me
OUT thought you were dead"
Il thought you were dad too TIL the
other night" Maria said Il was told that
twenty years ago. | should not be here al
all but FOR an amazing chance. You W |
remember that you were staying at tn,
Grand Hotel some time in the spring anC
II 50 happens that my rooms are on tn,
same hpOr as yours, and that the sam,
chamberma,d Is still there. When she wei
coined me as old customer | guessed b,
instinct that you were still alive. And i
you only knew II. there is providence be
hind this thing"
Countess FiaviO appeared to he listen!n,
in dull, mechanical kind of way. Thar
was no Disgusting the fact that she wa
both distressed and disconnected t. fine
herself face 10 face with her long-lost siste
again.
You know nothing of my history" SIN
asked.
Not till tonight" Maria said. Il hav
recently been listening to It, l knew moth
ing How could l know anything? Whe
our dream of happiness came suddenl
to end l became practically prisone
in that dreadful old house of ours nea
Naples. | was told that you were dea
and | believed the story. / knew nothing
of your existence til a day or two ago.
was utterly ignorant of the fact that yo
had had such q dread ul time. Not that