The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-08-08

My ears wouldn't believe, my senses
rejected the meaning OF those words.
You would not do such a thing-you
would not dare"
She threw back her head until I could
see the great column OF her white throat
swell, and laughed. Il tell you. my
pretty little girl. l would fling away
dozen such as you for only the chance
Of saving him."
saw thai she meant It'll understood
how well--I felt like a little dry stick
in river. like a leaf in the wind
looked behind me. The windows did not
open into the outer air. but into a
tightly closed conservatory. The sound
that was struggling in my throat was
scream, but suppose It would only
call in some Of her creatures be-
fore Mr.. DfngIey should hear. 1
looked squarely into her face and I
and sure. in that moment, that under
stood what death might mean, IT am
going" said very quietly, and walked
across the room toward the curtains.
She did not try TO stop me. and every
unobsTucted step took forward I
IS Il that she means to do" When I
reached the closed curtain the grasp Of
her hands. which l had dreaded. was the
least OF my fears. The anteroom was
empty, but as / passed its threshold I
heard her move across the inner room,
and then a bell rang. away down In the
lower part Of the house. There is no de-
scribing the feeling that was in me when,
with the sound OF that uncanny signal
in my ears. I opened the door into the
grizzly maze Of passageways,
remembered that had turned TO the
right in coming in, so now l turned 20
the left. and hurried down that narrow.
unlighted way that led me directly to an
other door. But I remembered that and
opened il and stepped through into an
otner hall Here were three branching
ways. and It was only one OF these, OF
course, which would bring me to the
sala door, The others might plunge me
into heaven knew what places Of the
house. or what hands, There was no
time 10 hesitate; I must choose and
chance it, There was not one thing
window, furniture, or color-to distin-
guish them Yet In my agony OF mind
I gave a glance down one and two OF
them; and on the floor Of the second, a
colored object WAS lying. l ran forward
and stopped. II was the blue bow that
had fallen from my hair.
I picked II UP with a rush OF thank
fulness. This was an incident In a fairy
tale! II seemed an omen Of safety. and
as I held II in my hand fairly raG
along the passage and came at last tri-
umphantly out into the hall, which re-
membered. broad and carpeted with red.
Down the stairs I fastened. my heart
going quick with the alarms OF nay es-
cape, opened the door az the foot OF II
and came into the little entry. AS en-
tered II I fancled a sound. 1t was like
a step. very soft. so soft as 10 be hardly
audible. not behind me. not on the other
side Of the door in front OF me, but
somewhere beyond the entry partition on
my right. II was there. I roskoned,
that one of those dark anterooms,
through which we had approached the
sala. must be. The flesh OF my back was
pricking. but l was almost safe. Once
let me reach Mr.. Dingley, and I knew
that somehow he would get US out With
a great effort I pulled open the heavy
door into the sala-
"Oh, T." began but then stopped.
The room was so large that IL took me
some moments to make sure It was
empty. Mr.. Dingley was not there.
I stood perfectly still in that stupen-
dous place Everything in me seemed to
have stopped moving. too-my blood and
my heart. And, in the listening pause.
there came again Enthusiastically, soft,
stealthy footsteps. sounding beyond the
heavy curtain Of the door-sounding as
if creatures were gathering in those dark
rooms that lay between me and the outer
nall.
didn't scream. didn't want to. I
walked quietly across the room TO one of
the heavily curtained windows at the
back. and pulled the hangings aside.
In front OF me. not three feet from the
window was the blank face of the con-
vent wall rising straight up, higher than
could see. I looked downward. The
4
out in the gloom, must have been ten feet
below. Nevertheless I had a wild
thought that, If the worst came, I could
at least fling myself down the narrow
cleft; and in that mind took hold of the
windOw-frame. I had no hope that I
could move il, even after 1 had stirred
the heavy locks; but, with the pressure
Of all my weight against it, SLOW
ly the two sides Of the easement
opened out. AS the dusty panes
Of glass swung away from before me my
eye caught a singular irreguIarity in the
surface Of the wall About on a level
with the window-sill was a niche In the
masonry, perhaps three feet square. and
looking 10 be the depth of the wall itself.
The back Of it seemed to be made OF a
dark substance-darker than the bricks
through which shone twinkling glimpses
OF daylight.
1 climbed upon the window sill. and,
taking hold Of the upper edge of one Of
the easements, swung myself by this. I
felt myself lowering an instant in mid
air Then my feet had found the niche.
I crouched. and. cropping forward with
one hand, grasped stout tangle Of vines.
Releasing the easement I half dragged,
half-swung myself into the opening in the
wall I chung there a moment trembling,
catching my breath. before realized that
the dark mass at the back Of the niche
was merely ivy, some OF which 1 had
gTasped, tearing quite a little opening,
and through this could see a blessed
glimpse Of blue sky.
Putting my eyes close to this peep-hole
I looked downward and saw below me
the grass plots of the convent garden. A
great tangle Of bushes was at the foot