Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-01-18

en- upon her wrist as if it OWNED her
madness.
His light stick aswing in his hand,
his step free and incautious as ever.
gray and slender and seeming to look
more at the ground than at them, the
two women watched him drawing
near His was the seeming of a quiet
guest at the quietest Of house parties
To meet him Flora saw she must meet
him on the high ground of his reserve
AS he came under the light of the
porte-cochere his look, his greeting
his hand. were first for Mrs, Herrick
I'VE were afraid we had missed you
altogether" said she
1T was I who somehow missed your
carriage, was hardly expecting to be
expected at such en- hour"
Flora watched them meeting each
other so gallantly with q trembling
conjunction. Mrs Herrick, who
trusted her. was giving her hand in
sublime ignorance. It was vain that
Flora told herself she had given warn
ing. She knew she had thrown the
softening veil Of her spiritual crisis
over the ugly material fact Had she
said, Il want you to uphold me while
/ meet q thief whom / love and wish
to protect. He's magnificent In all
other ways except for this one OBJ.
session." she knew Mrs. Herrick sim
ply would have cried Impossible, out
rageous!" Yet tier they stood to-
gether. and as Flora looked at them
she could not have told which was of
the finer temper. Kerr's bearing was
so unruffied that II seemed as il he
had flown too high to feel the storm
Flora was passing through. But
when he turned toward her, in spite
Of himself. there was eagerness in his
manner. He looked questioningly at
her, as If no time had interviewed, as
if moment before he had said to her
through the carriage window, Il will
give you "a hours, and now her time
had come to speak
Only the thought that time was
crowding him into a bags end gave
her courage to vow she would speak
that night. Yet not now, while they
stood just met in the deepening dusk,
in the sweet breath of the early flow
ers; nor later when they passed in
friendly fashion the three Of them.
through fairy labyrinths of arch and
mirror, into the long. high. glistening
room, whose round table, spread,
seemed dwarfed to mushroom height:
nor yet, while this semblance Of com
panionship was between them, and
the great proportions Of the place
lifting oppression, left them as I'M
conscious Of walls and roof as though
they were met IN the open The clock
twice marked the passing hour. Che
had never heard Mrs. Herrick speak
so lovingly nor Kerr listen so well.
placing his questions nicely to draw
out the thread of her theme. Yet
Flora guessed his thought must be
fixed on their approaching moment.
as hers was-on the moment when
they should be ready to quit the table
and Mrs Herrick would leave them
to themselves.
II was the appearance OF the
aproned maid that broke their unity.
The last course vas on the table, the
last taste Of its pungent fruit essence
on their tongues-and what was the
girls errand now? The eye Of her
mistress was inquiring.
Some one has come, Mrs Herrick."
The women's proper formula seemed
70 fail her She looked as II she had
been frightened.
Some one?' Mrs. Herrick showed
asDerity. What manner"
He is coming IN" As she spoke
the girl shrank little to one side.
With his long coat open, hanging
from the armpits. with rlfled hair.
and lips apart, and from breathless-
ness a little smiling. Harry appeared
in the doorway. Kerr leaned forward.
Mrs Herrick did not move. She was
facing the last arrival and she was
smiling more fezibly, more naturally,
than Harry; but Il was Flora who
found the first word
You, IL thought IT was Clara"
She was struggling for nonchalance.
for poise, at this worst blow. so IN
expected.