The San Francisco call., 1909-08-29

some ruler, moro fragrant flavor. In
the little anteroom where they stood.
whose fading ceiling all but brushed
their heads. and in the larger little
room beyond the Nottingham lace cur
tains. prevailed a mild shabbiness, a
respectable decay. Curtains and table
cloths alike showed a dull and tenn
pered whiteness as If the shadow OF
time had fallen dim across the whole.
The little restaurant seemed left be-
hind In the onward march OF the city.
and its faded. kindly face was but a
shadow of what had been OF the vigor
and flourish OF bourgeois Spain 80
years before There was no one eat
ing at the little tables. no one sitting g
behind the high cash desk IN the ante
ROOM Not stir of human life in all
the place.
Hello" said Kerr among the tables
looking. around him, we've caught
them asleep" He raped on the
wall with his cane. Flora peered at
him between the curtains. all her fas-
cinated apprehension of what was to
follow plain upon her face. Shall it
be a giant or DWARF" he asked her.
There's nothing 1 won't do for you,
you know"
The door opened and a little girl
with long black braid and purple
apron came in.
"A dwarf" cried Flora She laughed
with a quick relaxing OF her strained
nerves. 1t might almost have been the
truth from that old little swarthy face
and sedate demeanor that hardly no
ticed them. The child walked sravely
up to the desk and. mounting to the
high stool, struck faint voiced bell.
There" said Kerr. lends formality.
Now let the real magic beginr'
Not black magic" Flora took up
his fancy.
He had drawn out chair for her.
That depends on you. I'm not the
magic maker. I have no talisman."
She felt the conscious jewel burn In
her possession. She looked up beseech-
ingly at him, but he only laughed. and.
with a swing, lifted the chair little
off the ground as he set her up to the
table. as If to show how easily he could
put forth strength. There was nothing
defiant in him. He was taking her
with him-taking her upon the wings
of his high spirits; but mischievously,
obstinately, he would not show her
where the fight was leading, nor let
her listen to anything but the rustling
of those wings. He was determined to
make holiday, whatever was to follow.
For the glimpse of blue through the
dim window might be the bay of Ma
pies; and, ahi Chianti Perhaps the
sort one gets down Montevideo way,
where France fades into Italy-per-
haps, at least If her kind fancy could
get the better OF the reality. In Sicily
there were just such tablecloths as
these, and just such fat floor. shaking
contadini to wait upon you. And look
now at the purple one behind the desk
child or gnome-feet not touching
the hoor-centuries of Italy in her face.
Oh, calculation, indifference
she wouldn't care If you jumped up
and threw me out OF the window" he
affirmed That's why this hole is so
harmless. Oh, isn't that harmless
What's more harmless than to let one
alone? There's only one dangerous
thing here he grinned. and let her
take her choice OF which.
She came straight at IT.
You know / can't let you alone"
He laughed. Well isn't that why
were here at last-that you may die
tate your terms?
II have. Didn't you get my letter."
"Oh. indeed 1 did. Haven't I obeyed
it? Haven't I kept away from your
house? Have 1 tried to approach your
Haven't you, thought" she threw at
him accusingly.
"Ah," he deprecated. you came to
me. was down in the garden"
She looked at him through his persi-
f1age wistfully, searchingly. But
there were other things in that letter"
There were? He regarded her with
grave surprise. Oh. how she mistrusted
his gravity Why. to be sure there
were things-things that you didn't
mean-one thing above all others you
couldn't mean, that you want me TO
, drop out when the game is half done,
to stink away and leave it all like this
abandon you and my idol so to each
otherl My dear, for what do you take
me?"
She burst out But can't you see
the danger?"
He met 1t quietly.
eCertainly. I have been seeing moth
ing else but the danger-7to you Do
you think I've been idle all these days?
Every line have followed has ended
in that It's brought me finally to
this" The gesture Of his hand In
cluded their predicament and the dingy
little room. You'll really have to help
me, after all"
"Oh, haven't tried to? That is why
I wrote. Don't you see your own dan
ger at all?I
mo. but I'd like to-" He leaned to-
peak.
"Oh, can'tstell you." she despaired.
But somehow 1 shall have to make
you go.r
That will be easy he said. Lean
ing back. nursing his chin in his hand.
he watched her with a gloomy sort
of brooding. You know what II
is I'm waiting for. You know I won't
go without it," His words came sadly,
but doggedly, with a grim fnality.
as If he gave himself up to the course
he was following as something he
knew was inevitable. The faintness
of despair came over her. Only the
marrow table was between them, yet
all at once, with the mention Of the
ring, he seemed long way off. What
was this terrible obsession that out
weighed every other consideration with
him? How get at it? How get
through it? Or was IT between them
forever?
do you care for il so very much?"
she asked him. trembling but valiant.
Il care so very much" he repeated
slowly. and after a moment Of won
der: why. don't Jour"
"Oh. not for that" she cried sharply.
Not for the sapphire"
He stared. She had startled him
clean out of his brooding. I'm heav-
ems name. for what, then?''
Oh, she could never tell him IL was
for him! In her distress and embar-
rassment she looked all ways.
His quick white finger touched her
on the wrist. For Cressy7''