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

in pockets. hat thrust back. a
silhouette as hard as If cast in
cold metal. The aspect of him,
thus, was strange, not quite unlike him
self, but giving her the feeling that she
had never known how much Harry
smoothed over.
Perhaps men were always like that
with men, Still she looked away again
because she felt she had taken a lib
erty in catching him when he was COM
ing out so plain and coming out so
positive to the shop keeper, whom he
seemed really TO be bullying She felt
that. considering the sapphire, nothing
that went on about ii could be too ex-
traordinary. And yet the tone their
voices were taking on made her nerv-
Gus. Whatever they were arguing
about, she found it hard TO go on stand
ing thus with her back to IT, and for
so long, while her expectancy tight
ened, and her unreasonable idea that
she did not want the ring more and
more took hold Of her. If he did not
want to sell it, why not let it go-the
beautiful thing
She thought she would call Harry.
and suggest it--but no. She hesitated
She would give them a chance to finish
it themselves. She would count ten
pigtails past the window first She
NaNSAACA AAAC lnNO the Instance,
and still she was there. blowing hot
and cold. She would call to. Harry
call out to him from where she stood.
that she wouldn't have the thing
She turned, and there they Were yet.
They had not moved. The shadow of
the gesticulating little Chinaman
danced like bird on the wall. and
before him Harry glowed immovable,
but rudy, as If the hard metal whereof
h
through. The thought came to her
then. Harry was iron. The hard shade
OF his profile on the wall. the stiff
movement of his lips, the forward
thrust Of his head on his shoulders gave
her another thought. Was Harry also.
brutal? The sight OF that brutality
awake, feeding, as IL were, on the
f1uttering little figure before It, dis.
tressed her How long were they go
ing on putting an edge to their argu-
mente There was continually with her
into a quarrel; for now the gold
smith had ceased his gesticulation
and became suddenly immobile. and
still Harry was requiring of him the
same thing. IT was insisted upon, by
all the lines of his stfff braced figure,
and she had a f1uttered expectancy
that If the little man didn't do some
thing quickly, now-now ii would hap
pen.
What she expected of Harry. a vio-
lent act or g quick relaxation of his
iron mood, she had not time to con-
slider, for the shop keeper had moved
He was jerking his head. his thumb
and finally his arm in the direction of
the long, dim passage-such a pointed
direction. such z singular gesture, as
10 startle her with its incongruity.
What had that to do with the price of
the ring? And if it had nothing to
do with the price of the ring, what had
they been talking about2 Her small
scruple against knowing what was
going on behind her was. forgotten.
Indeed. now she was obIivious of
everything else. She was taking It
in with all her eyes, when Harry
turned and looked at her. And. oddly
enough. she thought he looked as IL
he wondered how she came there. She
saw him return to it slowly. Then,
in a flash. he met her brilliantly. He
came toward her out of the gloom,
holding the ring before him, as If
with the light of that, and the fash
of his smile, he was anxious immedi-
ately to cover his deficit
L had the very devil of a time get
ting It," he said. The little beggar
didn't want to let me have it," But
there was subsiding excitement in
his face and a something in his man
ner. both triumphant and troubled
which his explanation did not reason
ably account for. Had Harry felt the
touch of the same strange influence
that the little shop and the blue eyed
Chinaman, and the sapphire. had
wrought around her? Or was 1t some
thing more salient, the same thing that
had suggested itself to her with the
r1eSf{clloffon NJ Sb0n
keeper at the passage-that some ques-
ton other than the mere transfer Of
the ring had come UP between them2
'Harry''-she hesitated--"are you
quite sure it's all right?"
"All rightg' The sudden edge in
his voice made her look at him. why.
it's genuine, if that's what you mean"
1t hadn't been, quite; but her mean
ing was too vague to put into words
"A mere sensation of uneasiness. She
watched Harry turn the ring over, as
If he were reluctant to let it go out
Of his hands. And then looking at
her, she thought his glance was lit
tie uncertain. She thought he hesi-
tated, and when he finally slid the ring
over her finger, Il wouldn't wear 1T
until IL is reset" he said. That set
ting isn't gold. It's hardly decent"
Yes" she assented; clara will
laugh at US"
she won't If we don't show it to her
until it's fit to appear. In fact, l would
rather YOU wouldn't. AS ii is now, the
thing doesn't represent my gift to you"
She felt this was Harry's conyen-
tionai streak asserting itself. But even
she had TO admit that an engagement
ring which was palpabIy not gold was
rather out of the way.
You'd better keep 1t day or two
and look II over and make up your
mind how you want ii set, and then
well spring it on them" he advised
But now it was finally on her finger,
she did not want to think it would ever
have to be taken of again. She drew
her glove over It, The great facets
showed sharp angles under the thin
kid. She wished the sapphire were not
quite so large, so difficult to recon
Gle with everything else. Now that
she had the perfect thing with her,
clasping her so heavily around the
third finger, she was half afraid it was
going to be too much for her, after all.
CHAPTER VII
A Spell Is Cast