The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-15


happy for the mere presence of his
body beside her In confusion she
heard what he was saying.
He was speaking, almost coaxingly,
as if to child. II understand" he
was saying L know all about it.
It's a mistake. But surely you don't
expect to keep 1t now. 1t will only
be an annoyance to you"
She turned on him. What could 1t
be to you?"
Kerr, planted before her. with his
head dropped, looked, looked, looked,
as if he gave silence leave to answer
for him what it would. 1t answered
with a hundred echoes ringing up to
her from long corridors of conjecture,
half articulated words breathing Of how
extraordinary the answer must be that
he did not dare to make. He looked
her up and down carefully, imperson-
ally, with that air he had of regarding
rare specimen, thoughtfully; as If
he weighed such ephemeral substance
as chance.
What will you take for it?" he said
at last
it came to her that it was the very
worst thing he could have said after
that speaking silence.
She stepped away from him. This
thing is not for sale"
He stared at her with amazement;
then threw back his head and laughed
as if something had amused him above
all tragedy.
You are an extraordinary creature"
he said. but really I must have 1t. 1
can't explain the why of it; only give
the sapphire to me, and you'll never be
sorry for having done that for me.
Whatever happens, you may be sure
won't talk. Even If the thing comes
out you shan't be mixed up in IT." He
had come near her again, and the point
Of his long forefnger rested on her
arm. She was motionless, overwhelmed
with pure terror, with despair. He was
smiling, but there was a desperate
something about him, stronger than the
common desire of possession, terrify-
ing in its intensity. She looked behind
her. The thick glass Of the window
was there, a glimpse of the empty
street and the figure of a woman in
blowing green veil turning the corner.
why not give 1t to me now" he
urged, "since, of course, you can't keep
it? 1 could have it now in spite of
you"
Everything in her sprang up in an
tagonism to meet him. "I know what
you are she cried, but you shan't
have it. You have no more right to it
than ]. You can't get 1T away from me,
and I shan't give II to you"
He had grown suddenly paler; his eyes
were dancing, fastened upon her breast.
His long hands closed and opened. She
looked down, arrested at the sight of
her hand clenched just where her
breath was shortest, over the sapphire's
hiding place.
He smiled. How easily she had be-
trayed herselfi But she abated not
jot of her defiance. challenging him.
now he knew its hiding place to take
the sapphire if he could. But he did
not move. And 1t came to her then
that she had been ridiculous to think
for an instant that this man
would take anything from her by
force. What she had to fear was his
will at work upon hers, his persuasion,
his ingenuity. She thought of the
purple irises and how he had drawn
them toward him in the crook of his
cane-and her dread was lest he meant
TO overcome her with some subtlety
she could not combat. For that he was
secret, that he was daring, that he was
fearless beyond belief, he showed her
all too plainly, since here he stood, con-
demned by his own evidence alone, in
the midst OF her household, within call
of her servants and had the sublime
effrontery to look at her with admira-
a little pity.
The click of a moving latch brought
his eyes from hers to the door.
Some one is coming in" he said in
a guarded voice. It warned her that
her face showed too much, but she
could not hope to recover her COM
posure. She hardly wanted to. She
was in state to fancy that a secret
could be kept by main force, and she
turned without abatement of her reck-
less mood and took her hand from
where she had held it clenched upon
her breast and stretched it out to Mrs.
Herrick.
The lady had stood in the doorway
moment--a long featured, whitish,
modelled face, draped in a dull green
veil, a tall figure whose flowing skirts
melted away into the background of
the hall-before she came forward
and met her hostess hand with clasp
firm and ready.
I'm so glad to find you here" she
said. She looked directly into Flora's
eyes, into the very center of her agita-
ton. She held her tremulous hand as
If neither of these manifestations sur
prised her; as If young woman and a
young man in colloqny might often be
found in such a state Of mind.
Flora's first emotion was a guilty
relief that. after all, her face had not
betrayed Kerr. But she had no sooner
murmured his name to Mrs. Herrick,
no sooner had that lady's gray eyes
lighted upon him, than they al
tered their clear confidence. The
situation as reflected In Flora looked
naive enough, but there was nothing
naive about Kerr. The very perfection
OF his GOODNESS, there in the face of
her burning agitation, was appalling
Oh, why couldn't he see, Flora thought
wildly, how it was damning him-how
it was showing him so practiced, so
marvelously equal to any emergency,
that his presence here among f1eeces
could be nothing less than wolfsh?
Mrs. Herrick's face was taking on
an expression no less than wary. What
he was, Mrs. Herrick could not dream
She could not even suspect what Flora
believed. But in the light of her ter
rible discovery Flora dared not have
him suspected at all. The chasms of
distrust md suspicion that had been
opening between them she forgot.
In fash she was ready to throw her
self in front of this man, to cover him
from suspicion, even though by so do
ing she took 1t upcn herself.
Now if she had ever in her life, she
talked over the top of her feelings; and
though at first to her ears her voice