The San Francisco call., 1909-08-08

tHdt ner own ears should not hear her
footsteps But she went direct and un-
hesttating. 1t had come to her all
IN Hash where she would put the
sapphire. The little buttoned pocket OF
ner bathrobe- There 1t hung in the
bathroom on one unvarying peg. the
most fmmovable OF all her garments.
sa1e from the excursions OF Marrika's
needle or brushes, not to be disturbed
Tor hours to come
She passed through her bedroom.
through her dressing room into the
bathroom. The robe was hanging be-
mind the door. 1t took her a moment
TO draw out the ring and diseptangle its
chaln, and while she was doing this
sne became aware OF movfngs TO
and fro in her bedroom She drew
the door half open. the better to
conceal herself behind 1t. and at
the same time, through the Widened
crack Of the jamb, to keep an eve
on the dressing room. and hurried lest
Marrfka should surprise her. But
nevertheless she had barely slipped the
ring into the little pocket and re-
fastened the flap. when Clara opened
the bedroom door and stood looking
into the dressing room
Flora experienced a sharp start OF
surprise, and then OF wonder Here
was Clara again seeking her outi
Here she stood. brushed and polished.
and finished to a pitch OF virtue.
again taking Flora at a disadvantage.
hiding behind her own door. But at
the least she was grateful that Clara
had not seen her. She stood a minute
collecting herself She wasn't doing
anything she need be ashamed of. or
that she need explain, or that need
even awaken suspicion. But before
she could take her courage IN both
hands and come out of her retreat.
Clara had reached the middle OF the
dressing room and stood still.
Her lifted veil made a fine mist
above the luster OF her eyes She was
perfect to the tips OF her immaculate
white gloves. and she wore the simple.
sober look Of a person who thinks
himself alone. Then II wasn't Flora,
Clara was looking for! She was look
ing all around-over the surface OF
every object in the room Presently she
went up to the dressing table. She
laid her gloved hands upon It, and
looked at the small objects strewn over
Its top. She took a step backward
and opened the top drawer. She
reached into 1t. and delicately ex-
plored.
Flora could see the white gloves go
ing to and fro among her white hand
kerchiefs. could see them find. open
and examine the contents OF her jewel
box. And the only thing that kept
her from shrieking out was the feel
Ing that this abominable thing which
was being enacted before her eyes
couldn't be a fact at all.
Clara took out an old pocketboOk.
shiny with years, shook from IL a
shower OF receipts. newspaper clip
pings, verses She let them lie. She
took out long violet box with per-
tuners seal upon 1t. 1t held a bunch
OF dried violets. She took out a bon
bonniere of gold hligree. 1t was
empty. A powder box. a glove box,
froth of lace. a handful of jewelers.
boxes, a Jewel flung loose into the
drawer. This she pOunced upon.
1t was brooch! She let it fall-turned
to the chiffonier; upended the two
vases of Venetian glass, lifted the lids
OF jars and boxes, finally came to the
drawers. One by one she took them
out, turned the contents of each rapid
ly over. and left them standing. gaping
white ruf1eS and lace upon the floor.
She took up daintily, in her white kid
fingers. slippers. shook them upside
down. She opened the door OF the
closet. and disappeared within. There
was audible the futterings of all the
distressed garments, with little busy
pauses. Then Clara came out. with her
hat a little crooked. and stood in the
middle of the room still with her alb
sorbed and sober face, looking over the
gaping drawers, pulled out and rtfled.
with their contents heaped up and
streaming over the floor.
Her eye fell upon the waste basket
She turned it upside down, and stopped
over the litter. She gathered it up In
her white gloves and dropped it back.
Then, for the first time. she glanced at
the bathroom door; stood looking at
1t, as If IT had occurred to her to look
in the soap dish. Then she turned
again to the room. to the dressing
table She put back into the pastebOard
jewelers. boxes. the jeweled pin. the
laces. which she shook out and folded
daintily. the glove and powder boxes.
the gold bonbonniere, the long violet
box, the leather pocket book, each deft-
" and unhesitatingly in the place from
which she had taken it. and all the
heaps of white handkerehiefs.
One by one she laid back in the chif-
fonier drawers the garments, properly
and neatly folded, that she had so has
tily snatched out OF them. The sun.
streaming full into the room, caught
CLEANS in her pale hair and struck
blindingly upon the heaps of white
around her [and made two dazzling
points OF her gloved hands that moved
as deftly as hands uncovered. She slid
back to the last drawer in the chif-
fouier, and rose from her knees. lightly
dusting off the front of her gown, went
to the closet door and closed IL. She
stood before it moment with a face
perplexed and thoughtful. then turned
alertly toward the outer door. AS she
passed the mirror she looked into it,
and touched her hat straight again. but
the action was subconscious- Clara
wasn't thinking of It,
Flora stood as II she were afraid to
move. while Clara crossed her bedroom.
stopped went on and closed the outer
door behind her. And even after that
soft little concussion she stood still.
burning choking, struggling with the
overwhelming force of an affrOnt whose
import she did not yet realize. Out In
her sunny dressing room all the out
ragged furniture stood meek and In
order, frauding the eve to believe that
nothing had happened! She felt she
couldn't look things IN the face mo-
ment longer. She hid her face in the
folds of her dressing gown.
Why, she had thought that such
things couldn't happenl She had
thought that peoples private belong
ings, like their persons, were inviolable.