Evening star., 1908-01-22
THE AWAKENING OF
HELENA RICHIE.
By MARGARET DELAND,
Author OF dr. Lavendars People," od Chester Tales" Et
oepyrtsh. ,sS,1s by I Brothers
By MARGARET DELAND,
CHAPTER XXIX-Continued.

How should she begino But he did no
| wait for her to begin.
Il would rather lose my right hanC
| than pain YOU. I've gone all over it q
! hundred times. I've tried to see some
way out. But l can't The only way is
for you to give him up. 1t isn't right fol
YOU to have him. Mrs. Richie I sa,
this. and it is hard and cruel. and yet
never felt more William King stopped
short-'friendly he ended brolenly
He was walking at a pace she found
hard to follow. II cant go quite so fast,
she said. family, and instantly he came
| to a dead stop
'Dr. King. l want to explain to YOU
She lifted her face. all white and auiv.
ering in the moonlight. but instead of ex.
plantations. she broke out: "Oh. if yol
| take him away from me l shall die!
don't care very much about living. any
how. But | can't live without David
Please, DR. King: oh. please; / will bs
good, | will be good" she repeated like
a child. and stood there crying and cling
ing to his arm. All her reasons and cN-
| cuses and pleadings had dropped out OF
her mind. Don't take him away from
me: / will he good she said.
William King. with thos. trembling
hands on his arm. looked down al her and
trembled. too. Then roughly he pushed
her hands away. Come on. We mustn't
stand here. Don't YOU suppose l feel this
as much as you do? l love children. and
! know what it means to you to let David
go. But more than that, I-have regard
for YOU. and it pains me inexprcssibly to
do anything that pains you. You can't
understand how terrible this Is to me. and
] can't tell you. I mustn't tell you. But
never mind. it's true. II isn't right, no,
W4O-yOu
know what I mean. And even il, after
all. YOU should marry him, what sort of A
man Is he to have charge of a little boy
like David? He has deceived us and lied
to MS: he il a loose liver a
Wait" she painted: II am not going
TO marry him. ] thought you understood
that"
He drew away from her with Mortified
gesture. And you would keep an inno-
cent child
NO: No: I've broken with him--on
account of David.'
Broken with him. said, William King:
he caught her by the wrist and stared at
her Then. with a breathless word that
she could not hear. lie dropped her hand
and turned his face away.
Again, i'm their preoccnpation. they
stood still. this time In great bank OF
shadow by the wall of the graveyard,
half way up the hill.
so you won't take him from me?'' she
need never see me again.
Good Cod. said William King. do
yon think that is what | want?'
She tried to see his face. but he had
turned his back on her. so that she stood
behind him Her hands were clasping
and uncasping and her voice fiuttering
in her throat "You won't take him?
Mrs. Richie he said, harshly, do you
love that man still?
But before she could answer. he put the
H. III
no right to ask. don't want to know.
I've no right to- know. It's-it's nothing
TO me. of course He moved as he
spoke out into the moonlight and began
to climb the pehbly road: she was step
or two behind him. When he spoke again
contempt. This side is smoother; come
over here. l am glad you are not going
to marry Mr.. Pryor. He is not fit for you
to marry"
Not fit for-me! she breathed.
And | am glad you have broken with
him But that has no bearing upon your
keeping David. 4 child is the most
precious thing in the world: he must be
trained. and-and all that. Whether you
marry this man or not makes no differ
ence. about David. If you have lived-as
you have lived-you ought not to have
him. But l started the whole thing. ]
made DIR. Lavendar give him to you. He
didn't want to. somehow; ! don't know
why. So don't you see, / can't leave
him in your care. Surely you see that?
I am responsible Responsible not only to
David. but to Dr. Lavendar."
IF DIR. Lavendar is willing to let me
have him, I don't see why you need to
feel so about it. What harm could l do
him? Oh. how cruel you are-how cruel
you are!'
Would DR.. Lavendar let you have him
if-he knew?''
But that's over; that's finished she
insisted. ''oh. l tell you it's over
The doctors silence was like whip.
"Oh. / know: you think that he was
here last week But there has to be a
beginning Of everything-that was the be-
ginning l told him ! would not give
David up to marry him. and we quar-
relied. And-it's over"
Il can't go into that" the doctor said
That's not my business. David is my
business. Mrs. Richie. / want you quiet
ly, without any explanation, to give the
boy back to DIR. Lavendar. If you don't
shall have no choice. l shall have to
tell him.
But you said you wouldn't tell him!
oh. you break your word
II won't tell him your affairs said
William King. II will never do that. But
Ill tell him my own-some of them. I'll
say | made mistake when-1 advised him
to let you have David. and that don't
| think You ought to be trusted to bring UP
a little boy. But ! won't say why
'.Dr. King if tell him just what you've
said, that You think you made a mistake,
and you think ] am not to be trusted
if | tell him myself. and he consents to
let me keep him. will you interfere?"
William reflected heavily. "He won't
consent he said: ''he'll know l wouldn't
say thing like that without reason. But
if he does. shall be silent
There was a despairing finality in his
words. They were at her own gate now,
she leaned her head down on 1t and he
heard pitful sound. William Kings
lips were dry. and when he spoke the ef-
fort made his throat ache What he said
was only the repetition of his duty as he
saw it. I'D rather lose my right hand
than make you suffer But I've no choice
I've no choice And when she did no,
answer. he added his ultimatum. IL
have to tell DR.. Lavendar on Sunday
| unless you will just let me settle it all fol
you by saying that you don't want Davic
any long
Not want David.
Il mean. that you've decided YOU won
keep him any longer. I'll find a gooC
home for him. Mrs. Richie" he ended
! in shaking voice.
She gave him one look of terror: ther
opened the gate and shut 1t quickly II
| his face. drawing the bolt with trembling
! fingers. AS she flew up the path he saw
| her for an instant she crossed patcf
| of moonlight; then the darkness hid her.
CHAPTER XXX.
1t was incredible to David. as h'