Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-05

CHAPTER XVII.

CHAPTER XVII.
The days that followed were darkened
by overwhelming anxieties. 50 that he
speculated little as to the ultimately de-
sired. A chartered accountant sat In the
once at Moorgate street and shed around
him the gloom OF statistics. Unless q
miracle happened the Cure was doomed.
1t Is all very well to seat q little ne,
gro on the safety valve il the end Of the
journey Is In sight. The boiler may just
last out the strain. But to suppose that
he will sit there In permanent security to
himself and the ship for an indefinite
time Is an optimism unwarranted by the
general experience of this low world. Sy-
piers Cure could not stand the strain of
the increased advertisement. Shuttle
worth found dismal pleasure in the full
fillment Of his prophecy. A reduction in
price had not materially affected re
sales. The Jebusa Jones people had low
cred the price Of the Cuticle Remedy and
still undersold the Cure. During the year
the Bermondsey works had been heavily
mortgaged. The money had all been
wasted on a public that had eyes and
saw not, that had ears and heard not the
simple gospel Of the Friend Of Humanity
the gloom Shuttleworth took the oppor-
tunity of deprecating the unnecessary ex.
pense OF production, never having sc
greatly dared before. Only the best and
purest materials had been possible for the
divine ointment. By using second quail
without impairing the efficacy Of the
Cure. Thus Shuttleworth. Sypher biazed
into holy anger, as II he had been coun.
seied to commit sacriiege.
Radical reforms were imperative il the
Cure was to be saved. He spent his
fatal flaw in the cold light Of the morn.
ing. This angered him. It seemed that
the sureness Of his vision had gone
something strange, uncanny had hap
pened within him. he knew not what. II
nad nothing to do with his intellectual
force, his personal energy 1t had moth.
ing to do with his determination to wir
through and restore the Cure to it's for.
mer position In the market. It was some.
thing subtle. spiritual.
The memory OF the blistered heel lived
with him. The slight doubt cast by Sep.
timus on Zora's faith remained disturb.
ingly at the back of his mind. Yet he
chung passionately to his belief. II Il
were not heaven-sent, then was he Of mer
most miserable.
Never had he welcomed the sight OF
Nunsmere more than the next Saturday
afternoon, when the trap turned off the
nigh road and the common came into
view. The pearls and faint blues OF the
sky, the tender mist softening the russet
OF the autumn trees. the gray tower OF
the little church. the red roofs OF the cot.
tages dreaming in their oid-world gar.
dens. the quiet green OF the community
with the children far of at play and tn,
lame donkey watching them in phi esophi
content-all came like the gift OF q yer.
CALM and restful God to the tired man.
eyes,
He thought to himself: 'It lacks onl,
one figure walking across the common
to meet me" Then the thought again
II she were there would ! see anything
else?'
At Penton Court the maid met him a,
the door.
''Mr. Dix is waiting to see you. SIR
Mr.. Dix! Where is hep
'In the drawing room. He has beer
waiting a couple Of hours
He threw of his hat and coat, delight,
ed. and rushed in to welcome the unex
pected guest. He found Septimus sittinl
In the twilight by the French window tina
opened on the lawn, and making elabo
rate calculations in a notebook.
MY dear Dtx!" He shook him warml,
by the hand and clapped him on thu
shoulder. This is more than q pleasure
What have you been doing with your
septimus said, holding up the note.
book:
II was just trying TO work out the
problem whether boys expenses from
the time he begins feeding bottles to the
time he leaves the university increase b,
arithmetical or geometrical progression -
sypher laughed. depends. doesn't
'"This one is going to be extravagant,
I'm afraid,' said Septimus. "He cuts his
teeth on q fifteenth-century Italian ivory
carving Of st. John the Baptist went
into shop to buy purse and they gave
1t to me instead-and turns up his nose
at coral and bells. There isn't much of
it to turn up. I've never seen. a. child
with SO little nose. I invented a machine
for elongating it, but his mother won't
let me use It,"
syphsr expressed his sympathy with
Mrs. Dix and inquired after her health.
Septimus reported favorahly. She had
passed a few weeks at ilottetot-sur-Mer.
which had done her good. She was now
in Paris under the mothering care OF
Nine. Bolivard. where she would STAY un-
her fiat in Chelsea, which was now free
from tenants.
..And yeu?' asked Sypher
1--WE just left the Hotel Godet and
come back to Nunsmere. Perhaps I'll
give up the house and take W,ggieswick
to London when Emmy returns. She
promised to look for q fiat for me. i be-
lieve women are rather good at finding
fats
Sypher handed him a box of cigars. He
lit one and held it awkwardly with the
tips Of his long, nervous fingers. He
passed the fingers OF his other hand, with
the familiar gesture. up his hair.
II thought I'd come and see you," he
said. hesitatingly. before going to The
Nook There are explanations to be
made. My wife and 1 are good friends.
but We can't live together. It's all my
fault. I make the house intolerable. l.
have an ungovernable temper, you
know, and I'm harsh and unloving and
disa greeable. And it's bad for the child.
We quarrel dreadfully-at least. she
What about?' Sypher asked. sravely.
"All sorts OF things. You see, II I want
breakfast an hour before dinner time, IL
upsets the household. Then there was
the nose machine-and other inventions
for the baby, which perhaps might kill it.
You can explain all this, and tell them
that the marriage has been a dreadful
mistake on poor Emmy's side. and that
we've decided to live apart. You will do
this for me, won't you?"
Il can't say I'll do it with pleasure, -
said Sypher, 'for I'm more than sorry
to hear your news. / suspected as much
when I met you in Paris. But I'll see
Mrs. Oldrieve as soon as possible and ex-
plain
''Thank YOU" said Septimus; you don't
know what service you would be REM
dering me-"
He uttered a sigh of relief and relit his
cigar, which had gone out during his ap-
peal. Then there was silence. Septi-