Evening star., 1909-05-01

roundings had broken in upon her. all the
forces of her youth and strength began
at once to manifest themselves. She slid
softly from her bed-the instinct of self
protection forbade noise or else she would
have jumped to the floor Doing must
follow dreaming! The attitude of stand
ing once again helped to recall the previ-
Gus evening. and she remembered that
she had thought then that she must not
open the windows in the morning because
they faced directly other windows across
narrow street.
She remembered. also. that the next
room. through which she had entered.
had windows on two sides. Those on one
the other side looked out on an open
space. And SO. without further thought.
she opened the door between and passed
into the cutter room. 1t, too. like her
own. was dark from the closed shutters.
lnstinctively she went softly. her bare
feet making no sound on the carpet. With
the same instructive caution she had
opened the door noiselessly; when the
self lf-protective instinct had once been
awakened 1t does not easily relapse to
sleep. She went over to one of the win
dows and tried to look out through the
chinks The day was bright outside and
the sun was shining: the fog had entirely
disappeared. In the sudden desire to
free In the sunlight her soul cramped by
the long darkness of fog and night. she
threw open the heavy shutters.
Athlyne slept so sound that he never
stirred. He lay on the sofa on his left
side with his face out to the room He.
too. had been dreaming; and to his
dreams the happiness of the day had
brought vivifying light. Through all
his WEAKNESS of mind and body came 10
his spirit the glow of those moments
when he knew that his love was recipro-
Gated when his call to his mate had been
answered = answered in no uncertain
voice. And so he. too. had lain with
bodily nature all quiescent. while the
emotional side of his mind ranged freely
between memory and expectation. And
in due process the imaginative power Of
the mind had worked on the nerves-and
through them on the body-till he, too
ranging free while the abnormally re-
ceptive body quivered in unison. 1t was
dangerous condition of being in which
to face the situation which awaited him.
The sound Of the opened shutter wax
ened him. fully and all at once. The
moment his eyes opened he saw figure
between him and the window: and al the
knowledge tina. some stranger was In his
room the habit of quick action which had
prevailed in his wears of campaigning
reasserted itself. On the instant he fiung
aside his blanket and sprang from his
bed.
At the sound of the step on the floor
Joy turned. The light streaming in
through the unshuttered window showed
them in completeness each to the other
The light struck Athyne full in front
There was instant recognition. even i'm
the unaccustomed garb. of tnat tall 1.-the
form: of those fine aquiline features, of
those dark flashing eyes AS to JOY. who
sanding against the light made her own
shadow. Athlyne could have no doubt
He would have realized her presence in
darkness and silence. AS she stood in
her fine linen. the morning light making
he nitx of
upper part of her body. she looked to
him like some fresh realization-some