Evening star., 1909-04-15
CHAPTER XI-Continued.

This all puzzled her; puzzled her very
much. She knew that Judy had written
to him Of their coming to London. she had
seen his reply to her letter: and Judy
with her usual thoughtful kindness had
mentioned-as though by chance, for she
was the very soul of kindly discretion
that when she knew what locality and
hotel had been fixed on for the visit
to the lakes she would tell him. 1t was
evident that he knew they were there
and in the hotel; why. then, did he not
come to see them? How she would
have hurried. she thought, had she beer
the man and loved as she did. She
had no doubling whatever of his good
faith. Perfect love casteth out fear"
And doubt is but fear in a timid form.
She accepted in simple good faith that
he had some purpose or reason OF his
own, Her manifest duty to him. there
hers to clash with it. She set herself to
think it all out. feeling in reality far
happier than she had done for many
weeks. 1t was not merely that she had.
after long waiting, seen the man. but she
was now able to do something for him
il, indeed, it was only the curbing OF her
own curiosity, her own desires.
She rose quietly and went to her bed
room, which was at another side OF the
house-on the side toward which he had
passed. Her father was writing letters
and would not want her; he had said at
breakfast that he would not be able to
go out for an hour or two. In her room
she went cautiously to her window and.
again hiding behind the curtains, glanced
into the street. She felt quite sad when
she saw only his back as he walked
slowly away. Every now and again he
would stop and look around him as though
openings between the houses allowed him
to see the surrounding country Once or
twice she could see him look out under
his eyebrows, as though watching the
hotel without appearing to do so. Pres
emily he turned the corner of the next
street to the left, moving as though he
wished to go all around the hotel.
She sat down and thought, her heart
beating hard. Her face was covered with
both her hands. Forehead. and cheeks and
took away her hands her eyes were
bright and seemed to glow. She seemed
filled with happiness. but all the same
looked impossibly demure. as Is woman's
nature. playing to convention even when
alone.
Before she left the room she had
changed her clothes. putting on, after sew
eral experiments. the frock which she
send for her maid. but did everything
for herself. even to hanging up the dis
carded frocks. Then she went back TO
the sitting room and took as before her
seat at the window. keeping. however.
little more in the background. She
wanted to see rather than to be seen.
With her eyes seemingly on her book,
but in reality sweeping under her lashes
the approaches to the hotel like search
lights, she sat quietly for some time. At
length her eyes suddenly fell for an in
slant under uncomfortable wave of
dffldence: she had seen him pass into
the garden opposite to the hotel and go
secretively behind some lilac bushes on
droop of the eye there was scarce even
the flicker Of an eyelid. She did not want
to lose single glimpse Of him.
Sitting by her window, where he could
appeared, she thought over the new phase
Of the matter II she had ever had any
real doubt as to whether Mr.. Richard
Hardy loved her. 1t was all resolved now.
For certain he loved her.and as much,
she hoped. as she loved him. He had
sought her out at Ambleside; for even
in her own secret mind she never went
through the pretense OF trying to persuade
herself that II may have been some one
else that he was looking for.
But why was he so secret? Why did
he not come at once into the hotel and
ask to see her father? He had been in
vited to come; he had been maue q well
come guest at the Holland. He knew
But why did he keep aloof? II he wanted
to avoid them altogether he had only to
keep away. Why, then. did he keep COM
Ing around the house and looking at it
secretively? She was absolutely at
standstill every time her thinking led her
to this impasse. But all the same, she
never questioned or doubted the man. In
her own mind she was sure that he had
some good reason for all he did. and It
was her duty not to thwart. but to help
him.
She had already accepted the position OF
a true wife. q true lover. The mans will
was law!
Then her thoughts turned as to how
best she could help him. Here ali her
brains as we'll as all the instincts Of her
womanhood came into play. and this Is
strong combination in mans service
Her arguments ran:
AS he evidently wishes his presence to
be unknown, she must not seem to know
1t.
An he evidently wanted to knnu, .or,a