Evening star., 1908-01-17
CHAPTER XVI.

The day that Sam Wright was buried
Helena had written TO Lloyd Pryor. She
must see him at once. she said. lie must
let her know when he would come to Old
Chester--or she would come 10 him, IL he
preferred 1T is most important" shA
ended. most important" She did not
say why: she could not write Of this
dreadful thing that had happened. Still
less could she put down on paper that
sense of guilt. alarming In its newness
and so bewildering in its compiexity. She
was afraid OF it. she was even ashamed
of it; she and Lloyd had never talked
about-things like that So she made no
explanation. She only summoned him
with a peremptorness which had been alb
sent from their relations for many years.
His answer. expected and despairtd of.
came three weeks later.
Ii was early in October. one rainy FRI
day afternoon. Helena and David wers
in the dining room. She had helped him
with his lessons-for II was DIR. Laven-
dar's rule that Mondays lessons were Ia
be learned on Friday: and now they had
come in here because the old mahogany
table was so large that David could hav.
fine clutter OF gtlt-adged saucsrs from
his paint box spread all around He had
a dauby tumbler OF water beside him. and
two or three ''Goday's Lady's Books
awaiting his eager brush. He was very
! busy putting gamboge on the curls of
?
| ture of gamboEe and Prussian blue. were
q most beautiful green
! Don't YOU think crimson lake is pretty
red for her lips?" Helena asked. resting
her cheek on his thatch of yellow hair.
NO. ma am. David said. briefly. and
/ rubbed on another brushful. Helena put
| an eager arm about him and touched his
ear with her lips: David sighed and moved
| his head. mo. | wasn't going to-. she
| reassured him. humbly: il a long
! time since she had dared TO offer the
forty kisses 1t was then that Sarah
| laid the mail down on the table-a news
paper and-Lloyd Pryor's letter
Helena's start and gasp of astonishment
| We're physical pang. For a long time
! afterward she could not bear the smell
| of David's water colors: gamboge Chinese
white and Prussian blue made her feel
almost faint She took up the letter and
| turned ii over and over, her pallor chang
/ ing into a violent rush of color; then she
/ fed upstairs to her own room. tearing the
| letter open as she ran.
Her eyes blurred as she began to read
| It. and she lad to stop to wipe away
some film of agitation. But as she read
/ the lines cleared sharply before her. The
| b. ginning. after tha Dear Nelly" was
/ commonplace enough. He was sorry not
to have answered her letter sooner; he
| had been frightfully busy: Alice had not
been well. and latter-writing. as she
/ knew. was not his strong point. Besides.
| he had really expected to be in Old
| Chester before this. SO that they could
| have talked things over. 1t was surpris-
| Ing how long Frederick had hung on. poor
devil. In regard to the future, of COURSE
! here the page turned. Helena gasped,
| folding II back with trembling fingers:
/ "Of course conditions have changed very
much since we first considered the mat
| ter. My daughters age presents an en-
barrassment which did not exist dozen
years ago. Now. IL we carried out our
first arrangement. some kind friend would
put two and two together, and drop a
hint nd niIncffnnQ
Nevertheless again she turned a PAGE
nevertheless, Lloyd Pryor was prepared
to carry out his promise IL she wished to
hold him to it. She might think 1t over.
he said. and drop him line, and he was,
as ever. hers. L. p
(To be continued tomorrow1