Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-11-16
CHAPTER TX.
Illumination,

Just when the two ideas had CO.
alesced in her mind Flora couldn't be
sure. 1t had been some time in the
first dark hour that she had spent
wide awake in her bed. There had
been two ideas distinctly. Two i'm
pressions of the evening remained
with hs-; and the last one. the great
figures that had stared at her from
the paper, the fact that had been Har-
RVS secret made common now in
round numbers, had for the moment
swallowed up the first
For all the way home that sum was
kept before her by Clara's talk. She
remembered nothing of that talk ex-
cept that it hadn't been able for
moment to leave the Chatworth ring
alone. 1t had been aimed at Harry.
| but it had fallen to Flora herself to
answer Clara's quick speculations, for
Harry had been obstinately silent,
, though not Indifferent, as If In his
own mind he was as unable to leave 1t
alone as Clara. One with silence,
one with her talk. they had written
| the figures of the reward so blazingly
in FIora's mind that for the moment
she could see nothing else. Yet now
she was alone her first adventure re-
CURED to her. AS soon as she was
quiet in the dark there came back
with reminiscent terror the look that
Kerr had given her in the box She
was afraid of the meaning Of his look
which she didn't understand. 1t only
established in her mind a great sig
nifcance for the sapphire, If it could
produce such an expression on a hui
man ire. 1t had given him more
than mere expression. Il had given
him an impulse for pursuit, as If,
like magnet, it was fairly dragging
him. He had covered his impulse by
his very frankness, but she knew he
had pursued her-that for the matter
of seeing her again he had hunted her
down. And what had followed? Why,
she was back again to the great fig
ures in the paper.
At first 1t seemed as though she had
taken a clean leap from one subject
to another. She had in no way con-
nected them. But all at once they
were connected. She couldn't sepa-
rate them. She didn't know whether
she had been stupid not to nave seen
them so before. or whether she was
stupid to see them so now For the
thought that had sprung up in her
mind was monstrous. 1t startled her
so broad awake that she sat up in bed
to meet il the more alertiy.
The room was dark except for now
and again the yellow square OF light,
from some passing cable car, travelling
along the ceiling. The four walls
around her their dark bulks of fur
niture and light ripple of moving cur
tains, shut her up with this monster
OF her mind II had sprung upon her
from the solid actualities of the night.
And. yes, of the day beforehand the
night before that. oh. she had known
well enough that there had been some
thing wrong at the goldsmiths shop.
She had felt II even before she had
seen the sapphire; and afterward how
it had held them. both herself and
Harry To have moved Harry it must
be something inS 4edl Had he sus-
pected it tho, or had he only won
dered?
If he had suspected why hadn't he
spoken of it? Well her appalling
fancy prompted, hadn't he spoken of
it?-though not to her. There flashed
back to her the memory of him there
in the back Of the shop with the blue
eyed Chinaman. How furiously he
had assailed the little man She
could be almost sure that the mon
strous idea which had Just overtaken
her had. however feetingiy, flashed
before Harry's mind In the goldsmith's |
shop. But surely he couldn't have en-
tertained It for moment That was
impossible, or he would never have let !
her take the sapphire-Harry, who |
had seen the ring, the very Crew /
Idol itself, within the "a hours.
"A little heather god curled round /
himself with big blue stone on the /
top Of his head" Harry hadn't said !
what sort of stone It was; but Kerr /
had said It was a sapphire There .
was a sapphire on her. and nov. She /
touched il with her finger tips eau
tiously. as Il to touch something hot I
So near to herr In the same room /
with herl On her own hand. II ]