The searchlight., 1910-06-03

She went da2y . Craven. There
hal never beea . word since tAs night
she left Tempest In the empireroon
regarding her appearance o. his 81.
pecting her. She went: whether or
not she knew II to be unconventional:
whether Or mot she feared The criti-
cism Of Mrs. Ramsdill and Tempest's
servants and was above Il: whether
or not she knew she had . sacred
duty 70 fulnll to art, to posterity. In
enabling the master to work: (for
work he did without even the tribute
Of . personal word for hoursD wheth-
q there was another reason for her
going-the strongest, most cogent OF
reasons. against which no woman can
reason without being aided By mans
ndi6erence!-at all events. 10 Craven
Lucy Carew went faithfully. daily
walking the half mile between Rams.
dill's cottage and the castle.
This year there was no November
dreariness to chill her spirit or aid
her to consider soberly what folly
she was guilty Of. what danger she
ran. Someone drew upon the calsn-
dar Of brilliant days with reckless q.
travagance. II It were Tempest. he
saw that his scribe approached Craven
In shower Of sunshine.
Her walk lay by way Of neld and
meadow path for quarter Of mile:
. passage through . hedge By means
Of little old stile. when she gained.
with an abruptness that always
seemed . sort Of impertinsnce. the
front Of the castle.
Every morning Craven met her ap-
preciative. beauty-loving eyes with
fresh insistence. The perfect con-
gruity of its ensemble: the correct
ancient lines OF Tudor architecture:
the space and dignity; the harmony OF
dim, faded stone; the bigness Of the
mass, whose importance was visible
the country round from hill to hill:
Close to the house. like q shadow, was
the blur Of q pine-growth. the red OF
beeches In the near encroaching dens-
ity Of the park. where she had once
been with Tempest.
Park and wood-the dim avenue By
which she came: the lie Of the val.
leys. their edges ,softened and nodded
by hedged farms and full-limbed oaks:
the haze OF atmosphere pink and gold
In color: the slow-rising smoke from
little. nesting cottages and from tho
leaf fires on the green. all held by an
eternal silence and peace that the old
countries alone know, soothed her
mind and spirit anew at each long
look she gave. Everything on which
her eyes rested suggested age and
tradition-there was nothing new In
the landscape from farm and field,
hedge, grove, and noble trees, to the
castle door. 1t spoke to her, all OF II,
with one voice. England met her here
in friendly way-in. one might say.
a motherly way. making an appeal to
some latent heritage in her blood pos
sibly-certainly finding response In
Lucy Carew.
These Impressions and delights
were. OF course. above all. the en-.
velope. the subtle. delicious surround.
ing to the reality Of the man who
was absorbing her. She at times re-
belled at the mastery of the force that
drew her SO irresistibly and wondered
II some voice out of the new world
would not speak out, recall her. But
alas for Lucy Carew! there was no
such voice to call.
She arrived at ten to write In Mr..
Tempests study until little after II.
Then. with no invitation from him to
remain to luncheon, and a sincere
gratitude on her part that there was
no question Of 1t, she departed BY
the way she had come. reaching Rams
dill's for q meal of Spartan simplicity:
as II by consent to an unspoken wish
OF hers. no bon-mots were sent to
her there any more.
He gave her no evidence Of the
pleasure he took In her presence, a.
with faithful accuracy and unfailing
patience she bent over the pages that
grew like snow-piles at her side.
But had there been another observ.
er he might have thought az she bent
unconsciously over her pages that his
eyes studied her-her lovely head
there under the dark mass OF her hair
sort OF freight seemed to burn the
edges with bronze and redden her
slender hand as 1t travelled over tho
pages: her leaning form: the pure
outline of her grave. interested face
indeed. the observer might think
that Tempest inspired himaslf from
this youth and loveliness. When she
lifted. as now and again she did in
query. her eyes to him. he drank from
them as from wells.
CTo BE CoNTINUED.)