Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-01-10
Thanks. think your hope win be

He watched the little secretary move
softly and a:,3losetically to the door,
ties he w;t..sed to the FIRE and, rest
ii ell,sa on the mantelpiece. he
tos. lis fax, Ii his hands.
For Il s.Ace he stood absolutely
quiet thea his hands dropped TO his
Sizes, aad he turned slowly round In
that short space he. had balanced
filings and found his bearings. The
Slight nesS BUSINESS shown in his
brusque sentences and overconfdent
manner faded out. and he faced facts
steadily.
With the return of his calmness he
took long survey of the room. His
glance frightened appreciatively as it
travelled from the walls lined with Well
bound books to the lamps modulated to.
the proper light; from the lamps to the
desk fitted with every requirement.
Nothing was lacking. All he had once
possessed, all he had since dreamed of,
was here, but on a greater scale. To
enjoy the luxuries of life man must
go long without them. Loder had lived
severeIy-so severely that until three
weeks ago he had believed himself ex-
empt from the temptations of hui
mainly. Then the voice of the world
had spoken, and within him another
voice had answered with a tone SO
clamorous and insstent that it had
outcried his surprised and incredulous
wonder at its existence and its claims.
That had been the voice of suppressed
ambition, and now as he stood in the
new atmosphere newer voice lifted
itself The joy of material things rose
suddenly, overbalancing the last rem
nant of the philosophy he had reared.
He saw all things in a fresh light
the soft carpets, the soft lights. the
numberless pleasant. unnecessary
things that color the passing land
scape and oil the wheels of life This
was horsepower made manifest. The
choice bindings of ones books, the
quiet harmony of ones surroundings,
the gratifying Difference Of ones de-
pendents-these were the visible, the
outward signs, the thing she had for
| gotten.
Crossing the room slowly, he lifted
and looked at the different papers on
the desk. They had a substantial feel
| ing. an Importance an air of value.
| They were like the solemn keys to SO
many vexed problems. Beside the pa
pers were heap of letters neatly ar
ranged and as yet unopened. He turn
| ed them over one by one. They were
| all thick and interesting to look at
| He smiled as he recalled his own
scanty mail-envelopes long and bulky
| or narrow and thin, unwelcome manu-
scripts or very welcome checks. Hay
| ing sorted the letters, he hesitated. Il
was his life task to open them, but he
had never in his life opened'an envel-
| ope addressed to another man.
| He stood uncertain, weighing them
| in his hand. Then all at once look
| of attention and surprise crossed his
| face, and he raised his head. Some
| one had Enthusiastically paused outside
the door which Greening had left ajar
There was moment of apparent
| doubt, then a stir of skirts, a quick
uncertain knock, and the intruder en-
| tered.
| For a couple of seconds she stood in
| the doorway; then as Loder made nc
/ effort to speak she moved into the
room. She had apparently but just re
| turned from some entertainment, for
| though she had drawn off ! her long
gloves, she was still wearing an even
/ ing cloak of lace and fur
That she was Chilcote's wife Loder
instinctiyely Realized the moment she
| entered the room. But a disconcertine
| confusion Of ideas was all that fol
lowed the knowledge. He stood by the
/ desk. silent and awkward, trying to fiji
| his expectations to his knowledge
/ Then. faced by the hopelessness of the
task, he turned abruptly and looked al
| her again.
| She had taken off her cloak and was
standing by the fire. The compulsion
| of moving through life alone had sci
/ it's seal upon her in a certain self pos
| session, Il certain confidence of pose
/ yet her figure as Loder then saw it
backgrounded by the dark books and
| gowned in pale blue, had suggestion
of youthfulness that seemed a contra
] diction. The remembrance Of Chill
cote's epithets cold and sunsympa
thetic' came back to him with some
thing like establishment. He felt nc
uncertainty, no dread of discovery ane
humiliation in her presence as he had
felt in the maids, yet there was some
thing in her face that made him inf
i nitely more uncomfortable, look he
could find no name for, friendliness
/ that studiously covered another feel
| ing, whether question, distrust OF ac
tual dislike he could not say. With
strange sensation of awkwardness be
sorted ChiIcotes letters, waiting fol
her to speak.
As if divining his thought she turn
ed toward him. I'm afraid rather
intrude,g she said IF you are busy
HE sense of courtpSy was touched