The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-06-09
THE HOUSE OF
A THOUSAND
CANDLES
By MEREDITH NICHOLSON
Author Of THE MAIN CHANCE" ZELDA
CAMERON" Etc.

CHATTER xx.-contInued

CHAPTER xx.-continued.
The piano pounding continued and
waited for what seemed an intei
inabl time. 1t was growing dar
n a maid brought lamps. | took
o from the table. II was "The Lif
OF B~envenuto Cellni' and Marian De,
ereux was written on the fly leaf b.
Enthusiastically the same hand that ha,
penned the apology for Olivia's per
formances. | saw in the clear. flown,
line of the signature, in their lack o
superiuity, her own ease, grace ant
charm; and, in the deeper stroke witt
which the *" was crossed, | felt s
challenge, a readiness to abide by con
sequences once her word was given
Then my W inclination to think wei
of her angered me, and / dropped the
book impatiently as she crossed the
threshold.
I am sorry to have kept you wait
Ing Mr.. Glenarm. But this is my busy
hour"
Il h a not detain you long. I came"
II hesitated, not knowing why / had
come.
She o a chair near the open door
and bent forward with an air of atten-
ton that was disquieting. She wore
black-perhaps to fit her the better
into the house of a somber SIsterhood.
1 seemed suddenly to remember her
from a time long gone, and the effort
of memory threw me off guard. Stod-
dard had said there were several
olivia Armstrong;; there were GER
tainly many Marian Devereuxs. The
silence grew intolerable; she was wait
ing for me to speak, and / blurted:
Il suppose you have come to take
charge of the property"
DO you?" she asked.
And you came back with the execu-
tor to facilitate matters. I'm glad TO
see that you lose no time
on she said lingeringly, as though
she were finding with difficulty the
note in which / wished to pitch the
conversation Her calmness was mad
dening.
4 suppose o thought it unwise to
wait for the bluebird when you had be-
guiled me into breaking a promise.
when was trapped, defeated"
Her elbow on the arm of the chair.
her hand resting against her cheek.
the light ripping goldenly in her hair.
her eyes bent upon me inuuiringlv.
mournfully,-mournfully, as 1 had seen
them--where?-once beforel My heart
leaped in that moment, with that
thought.
ga
L remember now the first time" |
said, more angry than had ever been
before in my life.
ma Is quite remarkable" she said.
and nodded her head ironically.
1t was at Sherry's; you were
with Pickering-you dropped your fan
and he picked 1t up, and you turned
toward me for a moment. You were in
black that night; it was the unhappi-
ness in your face, in your eyes, that
made me remember"
l was intent upon the recollection,
eager to fix and establish 1t.
You are quite right. 1t was at
! was wearing black then:
many things made me unhappy that ]
Her forehead contracted slightly and !
she pressed her lips together.
4 suppose that even then the CON
was thoroughly arranged" t
said %tauntingly, laughing a little per- {
In my brutal impulse to wound
her. to take vengeance upon her. S
She rose and stood by her chair. one /
hand resting upon 1t. faced her: her q
were like violet seas. She spoke /
very quietly. Q
Mr.. Glenarm, has 1t occurred to Won +
that when | talked to you there in the
when | risked unpleasant gossip t
IN receiving you in a house where YOU S
had no possible right to be, that | was
counting upon something,-foolishly a
and stupidly,-yet counting upon it?"
"fou probably thought l was a fool" 4
retorted. a
"No."-she smiled slightly. II 4
thought believe | have said this to c
before!-that you were a gentle
nan. | really did, Mr.. Glenarm. | c
must say it to justify myself. 1 relied S
your chivalry,-I even thought, S
when ! played being Olivia,-that you t
lad a sense Of humor. But you are o
lot the n and you haven't the other.
even went so far, after you knew per- b
ectly well who / was, to try to help "
encourage you to prove your L
'elf the man your grandfather wished
'ou to be. And now you come to me Il
n a shocking bad humor,-I really
hink you would like to be insulting. a
Glenarm, if you could"
But Pickering,-you came back p
Nth him; he is here and he is going to b
tayl And now that the property be- ii
ongs to you, there is not the slightest
eason why we should make any pre- IL
of anything but enmity. When CT
on and Arthur Pickering stand to. lie
ether take the other side of the bar S,
icade! / suppose chivalry would re- y,
uire me to v~acate, so that you may a,
njoy at once the spoils of war" |
formed with growing heat. re
Il fancy it would not be very diff m
1It tO eliminate Won &c q foo+or a., 49, 81