The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-01

her glove and tried TO look at IT in the
dim light. but couldn't get a CLEAN cse
OF 1t. She was as impatient FOR ths
lights to go w shat she might secretly
be cheered by its wonder. as she had
been that afternoon to get back from
the luncheon and make sure IL was stin
in the drawer She must see II in spite
OF Clara at her right hand. whose little
chiseled profile might turn upon her at
any moment a full face OF inquiry
She held her left hand low In the
shadow OF her chair; and II, the
lights went up again. there was any
change in the sapphire. it was merely
a sharper brilliance. as II. like an eye.
it had moods. and this was one OF it's
moments OF excitement. In it's extraOr-
binary luster it seemed TO possess a
beauty that could not be valued; and
she wanted to- hold it up 10 Kerr. to
see IL she couldn't startle him out OF
his mood-to see IL he wouldn't re-
spond to 1t, Yes. there is more in II
than you can touch"
She turned 10 him with the daring
flash of timid spirits. 1t was so sharp
a motion that he started instantly
from his reverie to meet it. but his
alacrity was mechanical She felt the
smile he summoned was slow. as IL he
returned from a long distance. little
painfully to his present surroundings
speak under the music he leaned so
close his shoulder touched her chair.
Through that narrow space between
them. almost beneath his eyes. she
moved her hand-a gesture so slightly
emphasized as to seem accident He
had started to speak. but her motion
seemed to stop his tongue. He looked
hard at her hand. and something viO-
lent in his intentness made her clutch
the side OF the chair. Instantly she
met his look, so fiercely. cruelty chal-
longing. that it took her like a blow.
For a moment they looked at each
other, her eyes wide with fright. his
narrowed to a glare under the terri
BILE intentness OF his brows What had
she done? What threatened her?
What could save her in this sea OF
people? Then. while she gazed. his
challenge burned out to a pale hard
scrutiny that faded TO no expression
at all-or was 1t that any expression
would have seemed dim after the ter
rible one that had flashed across his
face?
She was as shaken as II he hac
seized hold OF her. If he had snatched
the ring off her finger she wouldn't
have been more shocked. The whole
box must be transfixed by him. and the
whole house be looking at nothing but
their little circle of horror. She was
ready for it. She was braced for any
thing but the fact which act
had noticed them at all 1t was
monstrous that such thing
could have been without their know
ingi But there was no face IN all the
orchestra. the crowded galleries or the
tiers OF boxes to affirm that anything
had happened; no face in their own
box had even stirred, but Clara's. and
the full. family inqutring. mild and
palely pink in the warm reflections OF
the red velvet curtains
And what could Clara have seen. il
she had seen at all. but Flora little
paler than usual with a hand that
trembled; and what worse could Clara
S conjecture than that she was being
silly about Kerr? She turned slowly
toward him and looked at him with a
courage that was part OF her fear. But
wasn't she, in a way, being silly about
Kerr? What had become OF his ex-
preston that had threatened her?
There was nothing left OF il but her
own violent impression-and the
longer Kerr sat there talking from
her to Clara, from Clara to Judge
Butler, his eyes keeping pace with his
light conversational flights, the less
Flora felt sure he had ever fixed her
with that intensity.
And yet the thing had actually hap
pened. It's evidence was before her He
had been silent. 1Sow he was talking.
He had been absent. Now she thought
she had never seen him more vividly
concerned with the moment. Yet for
all his cool looks and diffuse talk
around the box, she felt uneasily that
his concern was pointed at her. and
that he would never let her go. He
only waited for the cover OF the last
=" \ -
She would have detected his attack.
but II was too quick. too unexpected
for her to do more than sit helpless
and let him lift up her left hand. deli
cately between thumb and finger. as
if in itself it was some rare. fine curiO
and. bending close. contemplate the
sapphire unwinkingly. She had an in
slant when she thought she must cry
out, but how impossible in the awful
publicity OF her place-a pinnacle in
the face OF thousands, And after the
first f1uttered impulse came a Ger
tain reinsurance in such a frank
and trivial action For all its
intensity. how could il be construed
otherwise than a lively il HncOnveu-
tfonal interest? II must have been her
own fancy which had discerned any
thing more than that IN his first look
at her. And yet. when he had laid
her hand lightly back. and readjusted
his monocIe and looked out away
from her. across the black house. she
didn't know whether she was more
treasured or troubled because he had
not spoken a word. Yet the next
moment he looked around at her
I'VE shan't meet every evening in
such way a this" he said. and left
the statement dangling unanswerable
between them. 1t sounded portentOus
final She wondered that in the
middle OF her fear II could strike such
sharp note Of regret IN her She
knew she would regret not meeting
him again; and yet she shrank from
the thought she could still want to
meet him. BY one look her whole
feeling OF sympathy. OF reliance. OF
admiration. that had flowed out to
him so naturally she had scarcely been
aware of 1t. had been troubled and
mixed with fear. She couldn't an
swer- She could only look at him
with reflection OF her trouble in her
face
Are you surprised that I thought
OF that? he inquired TITS not so odd
as you seem to think that I should
want to see you again I don't want
to leave it TO chance; do your" He
shot the question at her so suddenly,
with such casual eye and such dry