Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-31

been many and such as he had had were
not accompanied with plethora of cash
He now felt that he had earned holiday.
so it was not till the third morning that
he returned to BrindehoW. His father
made no comment whatever on his alb
sences; his only alluslon to the SUBJECT
was:
Back all right Any news in town."
There was. however. unwonted suaV-
ty in his manner. which made Leonard
little anxious He was evidently restrain
ing himself until the time for explanation.
Leonard busted himself for the balance
of the morning in getting together all his
unpaid accounts and making scnedule
of them The total at first amazed. al
most as much as 1t frightened him. He
feared what Stephen would say She had
already commented unfavorably on the
one amount which she had seen. When
she was face to face with this she might
refuse to pay altogether.
II was in a somewhat chastened mood
that he made his appearance at Norman
stand later in the afternoon He was
evidently expected. for he shown into
the study without a word. Here Miss
Rowly and Stephen Joined him. Both
were very kind in manner. After the
usual greetings and commonplace Ste
phen said. in a brisk. businesslke way:
Have you got the papers with you?
He took the bundle OF accounts from his
pocket and handed them to her. After
his previous experience he would have
sugst sted. had he dared. that he should
see Stephen alone. but he feared the old
lady. He therefore merely said:
Il am afraid you will find the amount
very large. But I have put down every
thing"
So he had. and NOR than everything.
At the last an idea had struck him that
he was getting SO much he might as
we'll have a little more. He therefore
added several gocd-siz7d amounts which
he called debts of honor. TIL S would
he thought appeal to the feminine mind.
Stephen did not look at the papers at
once She stood up. holding them. and
said to Miss Rowly:
Now if YOU will talk to Mr.. Everard
will go over these documents quietly by
myself When have been through them
and understand them all l shall come
back and we will see what can be done.
She moved gracefully out of the room.
closing the door behind her. AS is usual
with women she had more than one mo-
tive for her action in going away. In the
first place. she wished to b. alone while
she went over the schedule of the debts.
She feared she might get angry and in
the present state of her mind toward
Leonard the expression of any feeling.
even contempt would not be wise. Her
best protection from him would be
manifest ndly negation of any special
interest. In the second place. she be-
lieved that he would have her letter with
-.
aunt to see it. lest she should recognize
the writing Besides, the sight of ii
might cause her some emotion VIII h
either of the others might notice. In her
boudoir with a beating heart. she united
the string and looked through the papers.
Her letter was not among them.
For a few seconds she stood stock still.
thinking Then with a sigh she sat down
and began to read the ! st of debts. turn
ing to the originals now and again fer de
1,Gt- laY- .,,,1
disgust grew. and even a sense of some
thing Xix, fear came into her thoughts.
A man who could be so wildly reckless
and so seltishly INSCRIPTIONS as his was
a man to be feared. She knew that his
father was a comparatively poor man.
who could not possibly meet such bur
den as this If he were thus to his father.
what might he be to her If he got a
chance.
She made few pencil notes on the list
and went back at once to the study. Her
mind was made up as to her action.
While she had been away Leonard had
had a distinctly uncomfortable time. He
tried hard to he airy and degage in his
manner and to make small Alk in a be-
comingly unconCerned way. But the old
lady's ewes were upon him all the time:
their unremtting gaze was lntenslfled by
The glasses which sht us ID ranorsel9ssly-
Since her last meeting with him she had
been thinking. and when an Old lady
il She reulied very aptly and very po-
litely TO all his remarks. but her vigilance
never relaxed and he felt himself grow
ing humiliatingly hot under her scrutiny.
Stephens absence seemed uhacecun aDlS
lone and he cnafed inwardly. Two min
utes should have sutficed to read the sum-
mary, There was no necessity of her go
.ng into all the details! Could she not
trust him, If this thing went on
much. longer and that Internal old woman
kept looking at him with her internal
glasses he would have to break out!
But that Internal letter, She may have
expected to find ii with the other papers.
Evarythinp was Internal today, Still. he
mus, keep quiet; he had not yet got the
money
When Stephen returned she was gu t.
businesslika and calm. She did not mani
fest the slightest disapproval. but seemed
to simply accept everything as facts. She
sked him few questions on subjects
regarding which she had made notes,