Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-25
CHAPTER III.
I Fall Into a Briar Patch.


Miss HOLSTERS summons lay on my
desk the next morning and was of the
briefest I was requested to call at Hope
field Manor at o'clock the following
afternoon. being Thursday. A trap would
meet me at Katonah, and 1t was sug-
gested that come prepared to spend the
night. SO that the condition OF the f1ues
might be discussed and any necessary
changes planned during the evening. The
note. signed Octavia HOLSTER, was writ
ten In a flowing hand. on a wholly i'm
peccable note sheet. stamped Hopefield
Manor. Katonah.
Before taking the train I sought Wig
gins by telephone at his office, and at
the Hare and Tortoise. where he lodged.
but without learning anything as to his
whereabouts. His office did not answer,
but Virgins Office had never been re-
sponsive to the telephone. SO this was not
significant. The more I considered his
conduct during the recital of my visit to
the AsOlandO the more I wondered: and
in spite of my wish to ignore utterly
Jewett's revelations as to Virgins sum-
mer abroad, I was forced to the conclu-
sion that Jewett had not lied. I had
known Virgins long, and this was the
first time that had ever been conscious
OF any Withholding of confidence on his
part: and on my own ! had not merely
confided all my hopes and aims to him.
but I had leaned upon him often in my
perplexities. There was. indeed, kind
OF boyish compact between us. that we
should support each other through all
difficulties. This. as I remembered, dated
back to our prep school days. and had
been reinforced by fearsome oath. In
spired doubtless by some dark fiction that
His failure to tell me Of his summer
abroad, or of his interest in the Hol-
listers. when I had afforded him SO ex-
cellent an opening by my reference to the
Asolando emphasized the seriousness Of
his plight His reserve hid. 1 knew, a
diffident and sensitive nature, and it was
wholly possible that If his affair with
Cecilia HOLSTER had not prospered he had
fled to his ranch. there to wrestle in Sc
clusion with his disappointment. My mind
toward Katonah. where I found the trap
from Hopefield Manor awaiting me.
Its rather poor going over the hills:
about five miles, sir" said the driver as
we set off.
This sort of thing was wholly usual In
the nature of my vocation. The iues in
country houses seem much more willful
and Obdurate than those in town, fact
which / have frequently discussed with
architects, and 1 had been met In just
this way at many stations within q radius
of fifty miles Of New York, and carried
to houses whose chimneys were provoca-
tive of wrath and Indignation in their
owners.
This was the first week In October.
There was just zest enough in the air to
make a tOpcOat comfortable. The team
of blacks spoke we'll for Miss HOLSTER
stable. and the liveried driver kept them
moving steadily. but eased the pace as
we rose on the frequent slopes to the
shoulders of pleasant hills. The imme-
diate neighborhood into which we were
vending was unknown to me. though
saw familiar landmarks. ! am not one to
bubble over the efforts of man to sup
plement the work Of nature, 30 that 1
confess without shame that the Croton
lakes, to my cockney eye, merge flawless-
ly into this landscape. 1t is not for me
to raise the cry of utilitarianism against
these saucerfuls of blue water. merely
because the fluid thus caught and held
bubbles and sparkles later in the taps Of
the Manufacturers. Early frosts had al
ready wrought their miracle In the foil
age. and the battle banners OF winters
vanguard flashed along the horizons.
rejoiced that my business, vexatious
enough in many ways. yet afforded me SO
charming an outing as this.
Presently we climbed a hill that Shout
dered it's way we'll above it's fellows and
came out upon a broad ridge. where we
entered at once q noble gateway set in
an old stone wall. and struck off smartly
along a fine bit of macadam. The house,
the driver informed me, was q quarter
Of mile from the gate. The way led
through a wild woodland, in which elms
and NAPLES predominated; and before this
had grown monotonous we came abruptly
upon an Italian garden, beyond which
rose the house. I knew it at once for
one Of Pepperton's sound performances;
nestle Tudor, and the whole setting of
Hopef1eld Manor, the sunken garden, the
superb view. the billowing fields and
woodlands beyond. all testified to taste
which no ignorant owner had thwarted.
The house was Tudor. but in no servile
sense-it was also Pepperton. l lifted my
eyes with immediate professional interest
to the chimney pots on the roof. 1t oc-
Cured to me on the instant that I had
never before been called to retouch any
as about flue constructions; had all i'm
mense respect for Pep. and as my spe-
cializing in chimneys had been a subject
of frequent chatting between us, 1 antici-
pated with a chuckle the pleasure l
should have later in telling him that at
last one of his f1ues had required my
services.
My good opinion of Miss HOLSTER did
not diminish as l stepped within the
broad hall. Houses have their own man.
ner of speech, and Hopef1eld Manor spoke
to all the senses In accents of taste and
refinement. A servant took my bag and
ushered me into charming library. A
fire smoldered lazily in the great fire
scent of burnt wood; but the smoke rose
in the f1ue in a perfectly mannerly fash
ion, and on thrusting In my hand 1 felt
good draught of air. l instinctively knelt
on the hearth and peered up. but saw
nothing unworkmanlike-Pepp was
not fellow to leave obvious mistakes
behind him. But possibly this was not
one Of the recalcitrant ireplaces I had
been called to inspect: and 1 rose and
was continuing my enjoyment of the
beautiful room, when l became conscious
by rather curious and mixed processes
not wholly of the eye. that young
woman. had drawn back the light por-
tieres-they were dark brown. with Dor
ders Of burnt orange-and stood gravely
gazing at me. She held the curtains
q part-they made, indeed. kind Of frame
for her: but as our eyes met she ad-
vanced at once and spoke my name.
"You are Mr.. Ames. My aunt expected
you 1 regret to say that she is not In
the house just now. but she will doubtless
return for tea. / am her niece. Won't
you sit down.
AS she found seat for herself l made
bold to survey her with some particular
ity. She carried her fine height with
beautiful dignity. She was a creature of
grace. and it was a grace of strength,
the suppleness and ease that marks our