Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-18
CHAPTER u-Continued.

She turned for the first time to NehAl
Singh, and met his gaze boldly and reck-
lessly. DO not stand there and call
yourself q dfshonored man. she ex-
claimed, with increasing force. You are
not dishonored Do not call Mr.. Travers
your tool He is not your tool and never
has been. You are his tool-his and
n11ner' She paused, catching her breath
a. she saw him Vince. Then she went on:
Don't burden yourself with tho con-
sciences OF US all. for we have not got
any: and what has been done we have
done knowingly and willfully. Do you re-
member that evening when you found me
in the temple? You thought 1t was
chance-Or-or the hand Of God. Why.
Mr.. Travers hired one Of your old serv-
ants to slip me through by the secret
path. and 1 had on my prettiest frock and
my pretttest smile and my prettiest ways
AS 1 told them all afterward at a dinner
party-pious goodness, with a relieving
touch Of the devil-1ust to tempt you out
OF your cloister and make you do what
we wanted
You followed like a lamb. It took five
minutes to wheedle the clubhouse out Of
you-five minutes I think you told me,
Mr.. Travers land the other things went
just as smoothly. Do you remember that
ride we had together after Mr.. Travers
dance? He had preached the subject Of
the mine, but the next day something or
other seemed to have shaken your i'm
plicit belief In our integrity and general
holiness. AT any rate, you asked me for
my advice-my honest advice. l gave it
YOU l told you to go ahead-that Mr..
Travers was an angel of goodness and
perfection. That was what he suggested
/ should say. in a note he had sent me
an hour before. So you went ahead. You
did the dirty work for him and took his
responsibility upon your shoulders. You
have ruined few of US, incidentally. but
above all things you have ruined yourself
and your people. Mr.. Travers is I'M
harmed. He has his wife's money
She paused to gather her strength for
and my partnership. 1 did my share of
the work to shield myself and my mother
from a trouble which must now go its
way. But after that / played my own
game. / did not want to lose you-even
though l knew quite we'll that you cared
for me and that / should never marry
you. Months before / had made up my
mind to marry man with high posi-
ton and money. 1t was just a game
was playing with You. Even when you
forced things to head, / kept it up. |
pretended innocency and high motives
because ! wanted to feel you at my
apron strings always. We all treated
you more or less badly. but / was the
worst. IOOleu yOu-lOT-IoI--
For WHAT"
His voice burst from him, harsh and
terrible, as though 1t had been torn from
the bottom of a tortured soul.
For the fun Of the thing"
Among the seven present there was no
movement, no sound. Scarcely one seemed
to breathe or be alive except the woman
who stood there. her breast heaving a
twisted smile of wild self-mockery on her
ashy lips.
Nehal Singh turned and went to the
door. There he stopped and looked back
at her and the little group of which she
formed the central figure. Then he made
a gesture-one single gesture. He raised
his hand high above his head and brought
it down. palm downward. In that move
ment there was a contempt scorn, a
bitterness so profound that 1t seemed to
mingle with terrible pity; but above all
there was final severing. a breaking of
the last link which bound them. The next
minute the door closed behind him
How long the silence that followed
lasted no one knew. 1t was broken by
Mrs Cary, who flung herself face down.
ward on the table and burst into wild
uncomfortable sobs
"Oh, Beatty" she moaned. Our repu
tations-our good name, How could you
have told such wicked stories about your
self and poor Mr.. Travers. How could
YOU"
Col Carmichael shook his head. He