Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1911-05-26
CHAPTER x.
consequences.

Breathing convulsively, wide eyes a
little wildly fixed upon his face in the
lamplight, the girl stumbled to her
feet. and for a moment remained cow
ering against the wall, terribly shaken,
a hand gripping a corner Of the pack
ing box for support. the other pressed
against the bosom OF her dress as If in
attempt forcibly to quell the mad ham
mering of her heart
In her brain, turmoil of affrighted
thought, but one thing stood out clear
ly; now she need look for no mercy.
The first time it had been different:
she had not been woman had she
been unable then to see that the ad-
venture intrigued Maitland with it's
spice of novelty, new sensation, fully
as much as she. herself. the pretty
woman out of place, Interested and at
tracted him. He had enjoyed playing
the part, had been amused to lead her
to believe him an adventurer of met
tie and caliber little inferior to her
own-as he understood her; unscrupu-
lous, impatient Of the bubble of
meum-et-tuum, but adroit and keen
witted, and distinguished and set apart
from the herd by grace of gentle
breeding and chivalric instincts.
How far he might or might not have
let this enjoyment carry him, she had
no means of surmising. Not very far,
not too far, she was inclined to be-
lieve, strongly as she knew her per-
sonality to have Influenced him; not
far enough to induce him to trust her
out of sight with the jewels. He had
demonstrated that, to her humiliation.
The flush of excitement waning,
manlike soon had he wearied of the
game-she thought; to her mind, in
distorted retrospect, his attitude when
leaving her at dawn had been insin-
cere, contemptuous, that of a man re-
lieved to be rid of her, relieved to be
able to get away in unquestioned pos
session of his treasure. True, the sug-
gestion that they lunch together at
Eugene's had been his. But he had
forgotten the engagement, If ever he
had meant to keep it, if the notion had
been more than whim of the moment
with him. And O'Hagan had told her
by telephone that Maitland had left
his rooms at one o'clock-in ample
time to meet her at the restaurant.
No, he had never intended to come;
he had wearied; yet. patient with her,
true to the ethics of gentle man, he
had been content to let her go, rather
than to send detective to take his
place.
And this was something, by the
way, to cause her to revise her theory
as to the manner in which Anisty had
managed to steal the jewels. If Matt
land had gone abroad at one, and with
out intending to keep his engagement
at Eugene's, then he must have been
despoiled before that hour and with
out his knowledge. Surely, If the
jewels had been taken from him with
his cognizance, the hue and cry would
have been out and Anisty would not
have dared to linger so long in the
neighborhood!
To be just with herself, the girl had
not gone to the restaurant with much
real hope Of finding Maitland there.
Curiosity had drawn her-just to see
if But it was too preposterous to
credit that he should have cared
enough Quite too preposterous 1t
was her cup, her bitter cup, to know
that she had learned to care enough
at sight! And she recalled with
what pangs of shame and misery
begged expressionD how her heart
had been stirred when she had found
him (as she thought) true to his tryst;
even as she recalled the agony and dis
tress of mind with which she had a
moment later fathomed Anisty's i'm
personation.
For, of course, she had known that
Maitland was Maitland and none other
from the instant when he told her to
make good her escape and leave him
to brazen 1t out; task to daunt even
as bold and resourceful criminal as
Anisty, and more especially II he were
called upon to don the mask at a min
ute's notice, as Maitland had pre-
tended to. Or, If she had not actually
known, she had been led to suspect
and 1t had hardly needed what she had
heard him say to the servants, when
he thought her flying hotfoot over the
lawn to safety, to harden suspicion
into certainty.
And now that he should find her
here, second time trespasser,
doubly an ingrate-that he should
have caught her red-handed in this
abominably ungrateful treachery! She
could pretend, Of course. that she had
returned merely to restore the jewels
and the cigarette case; and he would
believe her, for he was generous. She
could, but-she could not. Not now.
Yesterday, the excitement had. buoyed
her; she had gained a piquant enjoy