Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-26
CHAPTER VII.-Continued.

CHAPTER VII.-Continued.
Tho girl paused with one foot OH the
steps.
"Oh. please" she begged.
II have something Of his to give you"
David slowly replied. 'One thing must
wait till later. but this other He
fumbled inside his tunic and drew forth
the silver locket. which he held out as one
might surrender talisman. II brought
you this-from him.
The girl put one hand quickly against
a pillar. Her eyes were not dark, but
very blue, as David saw before he turned
his own aside and waited.
His locket!' she whispered, with lit
tie sob that left David more shaken than
II her finger tips on the pillar had been
the hand Of Samson. He never would
have given-teIl me. were you with him
when-at the timer
II was" said David, staring hard at "a
clump Of white lilies. which he did not
WAS it's it a place where 1 could
go?"
David shook his head.
IAN island-very far from here.
The song Of the mountaineer, descend
ing in the night across the gulf. came to
d
though listening, the girl turned her face
away.
"I'm glad you were there" she said.
contending for the mastery Of her voice
Very. very glad. 1t brings him nearer.
somehow-and then-there's something in
your face-something that's good to see
there. and makes me glad he had you
them
David, silent and guilty. felt a return
Of the old envy. That other man. in ms
o,,t4x a
the living could not win by all their
struggles. Her grief was very calm, bu;
Of the calmness which outwcars time and
chance.
The wailing singer in the dark had
passed below and out of earshot. round
some jutting edge. before she spoke again.
II must go in Her lips were trem-
bling as she turned once more to David
For a while-I must-be alone Later
we shall talk" She beckoned to the slim
clump Of lilies. "Oh. and you said-there
was something else Of his for me-"
David raised his hands toward the
breast Of his tunic. but lowered them.
with a vague reluctance.
Tomorrow. please, by daylight" He
only a small packet. Not this evening?
think-I think he would rather have 1t
So
He caught from trimming eyes a swift,
unexpected glance, full Of comprehersio
or discovery, or gratitude. Above him.
on the edge Of the veranda she paused
as in perplexity.
Tomorrow But tomorrow l shall be
leaving" She spoke YEARLY. as though
details no longer mattered. The train
starts at early daylight, l believe. In
Batavia Mrs. Henrmes will be looking for
for Thursday
David felt a trace Of relief;
Then" said he, III l may come to
Batavia? Before your ship sails"
shining hair, maintained a last failing
you are very kind to me- she an
swered then. reckoning the servant with
a quick. fierce motion, Come, Chatra!'
he 1ro ,he STEPS, t aone
stood looking out upon the vast night
where, alike in their blackness. the es-
tablished hills and the downward-pourin
clouds cut strange cores from the starry
at their cards. the players held a sput-
tering argument. with great gusts OF
Batavian laughter. But. without caring
to see or hear. David remained rapt in
wonder. The shuttle Of flying chance had
woven the loose thread Of his life for
once into serviceable stuff. He had fallen
overheard at midnight, had seen a light
from shore and heard dog bark. The
poor Amazon. Mary Naves. won by q nod
and a smile or two, had overheard and
station in the hills. And here, following
so frail a clue OF accidents. he had come
to deal the heaviest blow to the last per
son In the world.
ITO her" Remembering how eagerly
he had climbed this mountain road. he
could have groaned at his own baseness.
WELL" he ordered himself severely, "you
look after her till Thursday. Your best,
too
To see that her property was safe. he
plucked out Of his tunic and scrutiniEed
in the bright light Of the veranda her
small, oblong packet.
The three words might have been writ
ten yesterday: For Miss Mary"
she gets you!" was ais scowling apos-
trophe. "She gets you, safe and sound.
aboard ship and no more fooltng!
Perhaps 1t Was the stir OF his own
fancy. but as he slid the packet home he
seemed to hear rustic. cut short. among
the tall stalks Of the lilies. where Chatra.
the brown maid servant. had lately stood.
Beyond doubt one Of the great white
chalices was bowling drowsily.
He strobe over and thrust his rattan
through and through the stalks. like a
napier. 1t struck nothing: and on the
farther side nothing appeared but SOLID "a
mountain ereenery.
"Humph!" he growled. incoming again!
Nerves-old woman's trick!"
A card player, proud Of his English,
called, loosely: 49,
AHA! snake. not?"
NO. said David. briefly; - granny
not"
''Zo-xo!" The Hollander nodded ponder
ously, we'll pleased with 90 technical q re-
port.
But David was far from satisfied Din
ner with it's dearth of talk and heaping
abundance Of rice. passed dolefully
enough: the evening more dolefully. a.
though the Dutch Gameeters. who had