Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-01
XIII.
ri0ht

XIII.
Flight.
In the alcove the girl waited. torn in
the throes Of incipient hysteria at first
too weak from reaction and revulsion Of
feeling to do anything other than lean
heavily against the wall and fight with
all her strength and will against this
crawling. shuddering. creeping horror of
nerves. that threatened alike her self
control. her consciousness and her reason.
But insensibly the tremor wore itself
away. leaving her weary and worn but
mistress of her thoughts and actions. And
she dropped with gratitude into a chair.
bending an ear attentive to the war Of
words being waged in the room beyond
the portieres.
At first. however. she failed to grasp
the import Of the alteration. And when
in time she understood its trend. it was
with incredulity, resentment and a dawn
ing dread lest a worse thing might yet
befall her. worse by far than ausf1t that
had gone before. But to be deprived of
his protection, to feel herself forcibly re-
strained from the shelter of his generous
care!
moment gone she had been SO sure
that all would not be well with her. once
Maitland succeeded in Kidding himself Of
the police. He would shut that door and
and then she would come forth and tell
him. tell him everything and. withholding
naught that damned her in her own es-
TEEN. throw herself upon his mercy.
bruised with penitence but serene in the
assurance that he would prove kind.
hA hod fo{ IN, IA MI
gentle kindness now. - She had OWNED
SO clearly the motive that had permitted
Antsty's escape In order that she might
be saved, not alone from Anisty, not
alone from the shame of imprisonment.
but from herself as well-from herself as
Maitland knew her. The burglar out of
the way. by ruse, evasion or subterfuge
she would be secreted from the prying Of
the police smuggled out of the house and
taken to a place of safety, given new
hands Of the mire Of theft. to become
worthy Of the womanhood that was
hers. .
But now-she thrust finger nails cruelty
into her soft palms, striving to contain
herself and keep her tongue from crying
truth: that she was guilty Of the robbery.
she with Anisty; that Maitland was
Maitland-a word synonymous with IMAM
Of honor
In the beginning. indeed, all that re-
strained her from doing SO was her
knowledge that Maitland would be more
panied by her sacrifice than gladdened or
relieved. He was SO sure of clearing him.
self. 1t was uncomfortable to her
that there could be men SO stupid and
fuse the identity Of the two men for a
single instant. What though they did re-
semble each other In form and feature?
The likeness went no deeper; below the
surface, and rising through 1t with every
word and look and gesture. lay a world
wide gulf Of difference in every shade Of
thought, feeling and instinct.
She herself could never again be de-
cefved-no. never! Not for a second
could she mistake the one for the other.
What were they saying?
The turmoil Of her indignation subsidized
as she listened. breathlessly. to Maitland
story of his adventures. and the 10Y that
leaped in her for his frank mendacity in
suppressing every incident that involved
her was all but overpowertng. She could
have wept for sheer happiness. and at a
later time she would. but not now, when
everything depended on her maintaining
the very silence Of death. 80
How dared they doubt him? The m
solents! The crude. british insolence of
them! Her anger ragged high again .
and as swiftly was quenched. extinguished
in q twinkling by a terror born OF her
and bare suggestion thrown
out by Hickey.
-" explainin' how crook like
Anisty made three tries in one day to
steal some jewels and didn't get 'em.
Where were they all this timer"
Maitland's cool retOrt was lost upon her.
What matter? If they disbelieved him.
ural course they would undertake to
search the fiat. And If she were found.
. Oh. she must spare him that! She
had given him cause for suffering enough.
She must get away. and that instantly,
before From q distance tomorrow
morning-tonfght evenly telegraph, she
could communicate with him. .
At this juncture O'Hagan entered with
his parcel. The rustic of the paper as he
brushed against the door janb was In it
self a hint to a mind keyed to the highest
pitch of excitement and seeking way Of
escape from a position conceived to be
perilous. In a trice the girl had turned
and sped. lightfooted, to the door opening
on the private hail.
Here, hating for a brief reconnais-
sance. she determined that her plan was
feasible. II hazardous. She ran the risk
of encountering some one ascending the
stairs from the ground floor. but If she
were cautious and quick she could turn
back in time. On the other hand. the
men whom she most feared were thor
oughly occupied with their differences.
dead to all save that which was happen
ing within the rooms four walls. cur
tain hung perhaps third of the way
across the study door, tempering the light
in the hall and the broad shoulders Of
the cabby INSTRUCTED the remainder Of the
opening
1t was a chance. She poised herself on
tiptoe. half undecided, and the rustling Of
paper as O'Hagan opened the parcel af-
forded her an opportunity to escape by
drowning the noise Of her movements.
For two eternal seconds she was edging
stealthily down toward the outer door
then. in no time at all. found herself on
the landing and-confronted by a fresh
complication, one unforeseen, how to
leave the house without being observed
stopped and perhaps detained until too
late? There would be men at the door,
beyond doubt: possibly police. stationed
there to arrest all persons attempting to
leave -
No time for weighing chances. The
choice of two alternatives lay before her
either to return to the alcove or to seek
safety in the darkness of the upper floors
untenanted, as she had been at pains to
determine. The latter seemed by far the
better. the less dangerous. course to pur-
sue. And at once she took 1t.
There was no light on the first-f1oor
landing-it having presumably been ex-
tinguished by the janitor early In the
evening. Only feeble twilight obtained
there, in part q reflected glow from the
entrance hall, partly thin and diffused
rays escaping from Maitland's study. So
1t was that the first few steps upward
took the girl into darkness SO close and
unrelieved as to seem almost palpable.
At the turn of the staircase she paused.