Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-04-11
CHAPTER XI.
A Night Guest.

sisted of q series of odd acts. Re-en-
tering quickly his room, the young
man shot the bolt of the door leading
into the hall, then stepped to the
doors opening on to the Veran-
da. A key on the inside of one OF
them he took out, placed it on the out
side, and was about once more to leave
the chamber, when he paused.
His glance swerved involuntarily
back: some new thought seemed tc
move him. Crossing the apartment
again, he pushed the bolt from the de-
tanning clasp, fastened that door with
the key and then slipped the latter
into his pocket. After which, adjust
ing the curtains carefully before the
double glass doors, so that no one
without could see in, he returned to
the balcony, drew those doors TO-
locked them, and kept possession oil
that key also.
At one end of the upper veranda was
q heavy trelliswork which he had fore
seen might serve his purpose. Now
by it's aid he let himself down from
the balcony to the ground. 1t was not
easy TO do so: hut no other course re-
mained. He had to do it, and quickly;
though he experienced a consciousness
of taxing his less injured, left hand
almost beyond endurance. He en-
deavored. however, to set aside the
pain with a kind of Manchu fortitude
to call whimsically to mind at the mo-
ment a far-eastern stoicism. But a
well-defned ego in him repudiated
perhaps little to his surprise, phil
osophy of the melting-pot; that MOTH
ing matters very much. He had not
lost his capacity to feel.
In spite of the danger and tenseness
of the moment, he could smile at his
thoughts; he was still very young;
the Old East had not aged him; the
tngenuousness of the West yet Vi
brated in his being. He glanced to-
ward a lighted curtain at the side OF
the house. Was it fancy, or had he de-
tected for an instant the Silhouette oi
girls head and shoulders passing
thereon, the brief uplifting of an arm
Now was the curtain only blank; a
dull yellow!
One self of him seemed to crave no
more than the privilege of standing
there: to dream-sonnet-fas or IN
madrigals! Another self, acting sub
consciously, it may be, made him WV
idly aware of a footstep-it was not
branch this time!-on the Veranda
above. The sound acted like stimu-
lating tonic to that second self, and
transformed him into life and action
With senses alert, he moved swiftly
from the house.
The earth was wet, soggy; but
though he stepped with the lightness
of a forest creature, on soft sodder
leaves. the twigs on the ground broke
beneath him; might have been hearC
bv others, very attentive at the mo-
ment; but he did not look back. Hac
he done so, he would have noticed the
yellow curtain he had regarded, thrust
aside a little, in the thin slant Of
light a girls face gazing out an in
slant. Then the curtain fell back into
place: the white CLEAN went; the sue
ceeding yellow, too.
Bruce plunged into the darkness
hut he knew whittier he was going
Through interspaces in the foliage, the
stars held him to his course. To al
appearances he had been able to leave
the house without attracting atten'
ton. Stopping many times, he coulc
hear no one coming after him; caugh
only those murmuringS like a deeI
pulsation from the heart of the wood
land. He did not, however, tell him
self with certainty his absence woulC
not be noticed, nor even that he woulC
escape being followed. He did not un'
derestimate a certain wakefulness ant
watchfulness under the circumstances
on Sir Archibald's part. Bruce knew
well that individuals reputation To-
alertness and persistency. Sir Archl
bald, in his capacity as private agen
and adviser of his majesty's govern
ment in the Far East, displayed tn
same traits that made him renowned
as a pursuer of big game. He woul'
wait for hours, days, on his platform
for 4 tiger, knew how to entice VIVA
he wished to bring down, beneath MI
stand. or how to get others to drive
for him-quick, agile ones, like Gag
lioni. Where had Bruce seen the sec
retary? A fugitive resemblance h
had felt earlier in the evening again
played hide eand-seek in the yount
mans brain. Even in this moment o
excitation, he found himself trying t
recall under what possible circum
stances they could have met befor
that night.
He continued to move on. A lack
evidence he was followed did not alto
gether serve to reassure him on tina
score. OF course, the possibility eX
listed of the secretary's being ever
closer than he thought: the slant eyes
with their suggestion of an ancestry
not altogether Portuguese, recalled t
him certain wonder-tales of the East
of mysterious. human creatures
possessing the power to track others
dog humans. themselves always un
seen: mheard.
Absurd superstition. Bruce dis
missed the phantasy. He paused ono
more. at the side wall of the cstat
which he had now reached. to lister
Time was precious; nevertheless n
allowed minute or two TO pass thus
Leaning against the damp stone, II
caught only the tinkle. tinkle 0t IN
raindrops. lnosened from the leave
by the wind: the hardly audible pit-a
pat of some tiny creature he had him
self. most likely. disturbed. The
lifting his arms high, he reached up t
grasp the top of the wall, of moder
construction. replacing the hedge a
this side of the estate.
Not long afterward, Bruce stoo
again on the verge of the woode