Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-08
XVII.
Confessional.

But the cab was there. and within it
the girl was waiting for him.
| The driver. after taking up his fare.
! had at her direction drawn over to the
| further curb, out of the fringe of the rab-
Bile which besieged the st. Luke building
| in constantly growing numbers, and
through which Maitland, too impatient to
think of leaving by the basement exit,
| had elbowed and fought his way in an
| agony of apprehension that brooked no
| hindrance, needed no difficulty
He dashed round the corner. stopped
short with a sinking heart. then as the
| cabby's signaling whip across the street
| caught his eye, fairly hurled himself to
| the other curb, pausing at the wheel,
| GREATNESS, lifted out of himself with joy
to find her faithful in this ultimate in
| stance.
She was recovering whose high spirit
| and recuperative powers were to him then
and always remained a marvellous thing;
and she was bending forth from the pooy
of the hanson to welcome him with a
| smile that in a twinkling made radiant
| the world to him who stood In gloomy
| side street of New York at 3 o'clock of
| summers mornings good hour and a
| half before the dawn. For up there IN
the tower of the skyscraper he had as
| much as told her of his love- and she had
| waited, and now-and now he had been
| blind. indeed. had he failed to read the
| promise in her eyes. Weary she was ana
| spent and overwrougllt. but there is no
tonic in all the world like the conscious
! ness that where one has placed one
| love. there love has burgeoned IN re-
| Spouse. And despite all that she had SUI
| fered and endured. the happiness that ran
| like soft fire in her veins. wrapping her
| being with its beneficent rapture. had
| deepened the color in her cheeks and
! heightened the glamour in her eyes.
And he stood and stared. knowing that
| in all time to no man had ever woman
seemed more lovely than this girl to him
| knowledge that robbed his mind of all
other thought and his, tongue of words.
| so that to her fell the task of 'rousing
| him.
please" she said gently-"please tell
| the cabby to take me home, Mr.. Matt
| land"
He came to and in confusion stam-
| mered: Yes, he would And he climbed
| up on the step with no other thought
| than to seat himself at her side and
drive away for ever. But this time the
cabby brought him to his senses. forcing
him to remember that some measure Of
conference was demanded even of a man
| in love.
"Where to. sir?'
"Eh. what? Oh!' And bending to the
girl, Home. you said-?"
Park avenue. above 34th street. below
| 42d. He repeated 1t mechanically, I'M
aware that it would remain stamped for
| ever on his memory. indelibly-the first
personal detail that she had granted MIN
| the first barrier down.
| He sat down. The cab began to move.
| and halted again. A face appeared at the
| apron-Hickeys, red and moonlike and
counted Of profiting variously by this
nights work
Excuse me. Mr.. Maitland. nd
touching the rim of his derby-"yeh, too.
| ma am. FIR buttin' in
Hickey" demanded Maitland, sud
denly. in a tone Of smoldering wrath.
what the-what do you want?"
'Yeh told me tub call round tomor-
| row. yeh know. Whenll yeh be in?"
"I'll leave note for you with oHagan.
"Yep-that is. there's somethin else
. =
"Well?"
Excuse me for mentionin' it. but l
didn't know-it amt generally known,
| yeh know, md one uh tn boys might We
heard me speak tub yer lady by name
| nd might pass it on tOa reporter. What
l means this" hastily, as the Maitland
| temper showed dangerous indications of
| going into active eruption: Il s'pose yeh
don't want me tub mention t yeh're mar
| ried. jes' yet? Mrs. Maitland here" with
| a nod to her, didn't seem tub take kind
ly tub the notion Of it's bein' known
| Hickey
''Ah. excuse me-!
Drive on. cabby-instantly! Do you
hear?''
Hickey backed suddenly away and the
| cab sprang into motion; while Maitland
with face of fire sat back and ragged
| and wondered.
| Across Broadway toward 4th avenue
dashed the hanson. and from the curb
| line Hickey watched it with a humorous
| iuhf in Indeed the de-
tective seemed in extraordinary conceit
with himself. He chewed with unaccus-
toned emotion upon his cold cigar
scratched his cheek and chuckled; and
| chuckling. pulled his hat we'll down over
his brows, thrust both hands into his
| trousers pockets and shambled back to
the ST Luke building-his heavy body
vibrating amazingly with his secret
mirth.
And so, shutting sluggishly. he merges
into the shadows, into the mob that
surges about the building and passes
| from these pages.
| In the Gathering hanson. steadying her
self with a hand against the window
frame, to keep from being thrown against
the speechless man beside her. the cir
waited And since Maitland in confu-
sion at the moment found no words, from
this eloquent silence she drew an infer
ence unjustified. such as lovers are prone
| to draw, the world over, and one that
lent a pathetic color to her thoughts and
chilled little her mood. She had been
| too sure.
But better to have it over with at once
rather than permit it to remain for ever
a wall of constraint between them. He
must not be permitted to think that she
would dream of taking him upon his gen.
erous word.
ut was very kind of YOU she said
In steady, small voice. Ito pretend that
we-what you did pretend, in order to
save me from being held as witness. Al
least. presume that is why you did it?''
with a note of uncertainty.
ut is unnecessary that you should be
drawn into the affair." he replied. with
some resumption of his self-possession