Evening star., 1908-01-25
CHAPTER XXx1I-Continued.

duty would hunt her down wherever she
was and take the child from her. No
there was but one thing to do-parry his
threat of confessing to DR.. Lavendar that
he had made a mistake" in advising that
David should be given to her. by con-
fession of her own. confession which
should admit the doctors change of MIND
without mentioning it's cause, and at the
same time hold such promises for the
future that the old minister would say
that she might have David. Then she
could turn upon her enemy with the
triumphant declaration that she had fore
stalled him; that she had said exactly
what he had threatened to say-no more
no less. And yet the child was hers
But as she tried to plan how she should
put 1t, the idea eluded her. She would
tell Dr. Lavendar thus and so: but ever
as she marshaled her words. that scene
in the waiting room of the railroad sta
ton ached in her imagination. Alice's
ignorance Of her existence became an in
suit; what she was going to say to DR.
I.avendar turned into a denunciation OF
Lloyd Pryor: he was vile, and cruel, and
contemplate! But these words stumbled
too. Back in her mind common sense
agreed to Lloyd's silence to his daughter
and, suddenly. to her amazement. she
knew that she agreed, not only to the
silence. but to his objection to marrying
her. 1t would be an offense for her to
live with Alice! Marriage. which would
have quieted this new tormenting sense
of responsibility and made her like Other
people, would not have lesSened that of
tense. 1t came over her with still more
acute surprise that she had never felt this
before. 1t was as if that fire of shame
which had consumed her vanity the night
she had confessed to William King, had
brought illumination as well as burning
BY its glare she saw that such secret as
she and Lloyd held between them would
be intolerable in the presence of that
young girl. Lloyd had felt there she
tingled all over-Lloyd was more sensitive
than she! Ah. well: Alice was his own
daughter. and he knew how almost fanat-
ica1 she was about truth: so he was espe-
cially sensitive. But DIR. King? He had
felt it about David-''whether you mar
ried this man or not would make no diff
ference bout David" She thought about
this for awhile in heavy perplexity.
Then with a start she came back again
to what she must say to DR.. Lavendar:
Il will promise to bring David up just as
he wishes. and / will tell him about my
money: he doesn't know how rich l am;
he will feel that he has no right to rob
David of such a chance. And l will say
that nobody could love him as l cam
Love him! Had she not given up every
thing for him. sacrificed everything tC
keep him? For his sake she had not mar
ried. In this rush of self-approval she
sat up. and looked blindly off over the
orchard below her at the distant hills
blue and slumbrous in the sunshine. Then
she leaned her head in her hands and
stared fixedly at a clump of clover, green
still in the yellowing stubble. She
had chosen her child instead of conven-
ton which. less than month ago. she
had SO passionately desired; month age
il seemed to her that once married. she
could do no more harm. have no more
shame. Yet size had given all this up fol-
David! Suddenly she spurred he,
mind back to that talk with DIR. Laven-
dar; she would promise-anything. AND
planning her promises. she sat there. gaz
ing with intent, unseeing eyes at the
clover. until the chilly twilight drove hel
into the house.
1t was not until Saturday that she
dared to go to the rectory. 1t. was early
in the afternoon. just as the collect class
was gathering in the dining ROOM She
had forgotten it, she told Mary, as she
closed her umbrella on the doorstep. Can
| wait in the study" she asked. uncer-
tainly: there was time to go back, The
task of telling part of the truth to this
mild old man, whose eye was like a
sword. suddenly daunted her. She would
wait few dayS-She began to open her
umbrella, her fingers blundering with
haste-but retreat was cut off: DR.. Law
endar, on his way to the dining room.
could not escape!
why. Mrs Richie." he said smiling at
her over his spectacles. Hi. David. who
do you suppose is here? Mrs, Richie!"
David came running out OF the dining
room. Did you bring my slag?" he de-
manded.
And she had to confess that she had
not thought of it. You didn't tell me
you wanted 1T. DEAR" she defended her.
self. nervously.
'Oh, WELL" said David. I'm coming
home tomorrow and I'll get it,
Would you like to come homer" she
could not help saying.
I'D just as lieves." said David
Run back" DR.. Lavendar commanded.
''and tell the children I'm coming in a
minute. Tell Theophilus Bell not to play
Indian under the table. Now, Mrs.
Richie. what shall we do? Do you mind
coming in and hearing them say their
collect? Or would you rather wait in the
study? We shall be through in three
quarters of an hour. David shall bring
you some jumbles and apples l sup
pose you are going to carry him OFF,"
DR.. Lavendar said, ruefully.
oh" she faltered, in a sudden panic.
II will come some other time but some
how OF other. before she knew it. she
was in the dining room; very likely it
was because she would not loosen the
clasp of David's little. warm. careless
hand. and so her reluctant feet followed
him in his hurry to admoniSh Theophlus.
When she entered instant silence fell upon
the children. Lydia Wright. stumbling
through the catechism to Ellen Dale. who
held the prayer book and prompted, let
her voice trail off and her mouth remain
open at the sight of visitor; Theophilus
Bell rubbed his sleeve over some chalk
marks on the blackboard-"I am drawing
a woman with an umbrella, he had an
nounced, condescendingly: Il saw her
coming up the path"-but when he saw
her sitting down by DR.. Lavendar, The
ophilus skulked to his seat and read his
collect over with unheeding attertian.
Then the business of the afternoon be-
gan. and Helena sat and listened to it.
1t was a scene which had repeated itself
for two generations in Old Chester: the
fathers and mothers of these little people
had sat on these same narrow benches
without backs. and looked at the black
board. where Dr. Lavendar wrote out the
divisions of the collect. and then looked
at the sideboard, where stood a dish of
apples and another of jumbles They. too,
had said their catechism, announcing. in
singsong chorus that they heartily
thanked their Heavenly Father that He
had called them to this state of salvation;
and DR.. Lavendar had asked one or an
other of them. as he now asked their
children. What meanest thou by this
word sacramento" What Is the inward
and spiritual grace" That afternoon,
when he swooped down on David, Helena
her hands together with anxiety;
did he know what was the inward and
spiritual grace? Could he say it? She
held her breath until he had sailed
triumphantly through:
"A death unto sin. and a new birth
unto righteousness" and so on. When he
had finished she looked proudly At DIR.
Lavendar. who. to her astonishment did