Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-20
CHAPTER XII.
81 HERE was silence, an uneasy
break, after Loder spoke. The
episode Of the telegram was,


break, after Loder spoke. The
episode Of the telegram was,
to all appearances, ordinary
enough, calling forth Ewes question
and his own reply as natural Sc
quence, yet in the pause that followed
1t 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 winter and thinner. then
dissolve into airy fragments and flutter
up the chimney. AS the last morsel
wavered out Of sight he turned and
looked at his companion.
"You 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 lie scarcely saw it. He had
a stupefied sense of disaster, feeling
of bitter self commiseratAon 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 sell 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 a
quiet movement rose from her chair.
Lady Sarah has theater party to-
night, and am dining with her." she
said. ut is an early dinner, SO |
must think about dressing. I'm sorry
you think 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, eagrossed 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 1T, was oblivious 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
simultaneously with his turning she
gained the door.
The knowledge that she was gone
struck him with a sense Of double loss.
"Wait!" 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 I'M
consciously for the first time.
But the corridor, as we'll 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. Chilcote'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