Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-11-02
CHAPTER XII-Continued.

10000 49,
Hester finished her supper soon after
and Immediately went to her room-to be
aIone-to think. She felt impelled to do
this thing, but she must plan every
move with the utmost caution. No one
better than she knew how dearly she
might have to pay for one mistake.
AT o'clock the girl stole softly out
into the park Old Mrs. Potte had gone
to bed early and the lodge was still. An
Petronia, with her four beloved "Pottles
ranged beside her, was dreaming OF
''Reginar' and his misfortunes over
the beeches and the dim, gray mass of
Ting and the little creatures of the night
were pulsing their strange chorus. The
air was warm and the girl went forth.
bareheadcd. gliding among the shadows
like one Of them. There We're several
small objects in her trunk that she
might have taken to help her on this sin
lister expedition, several objects that she
was impelled to take. but. on reflection,
she left them behind, all but one.
For a long time Hester lowered about
the manor watching the lights, listening
to the sounds. rehearsing over and over
again in her mind the details Of the
nights effort, as she thought it would
work out. Mr.. Baxter was in London.
was her light burning brightly. one flight
up under the grayStOne tower. And there
was MI. Roberts light, two flights up
over the far end of the conservatory.
The golf bag would not be in his room,
that was sure.
What about Miss Thompson? For near
~ an hour her little chamber was dark.
she must have gone to bed early. Sound
asleep by now. Hello! There goes Mr..
Roberts light. And there sounds the
stable chimes. Ten o'clock! All dark
downstairs except a light in the big
front hall.
And now two dim figures approached
across the lawn. F1tz-Brown and the
countess, and Hester shrank away among
the shadows. Lionel took down a key
from a nail outside the conservatory
(where he often left it when he came in
late). and. opening the door, bowed Kate
in, then followed, closing the door, but
quite forgetting to lock it. Thus fortune
before many times.
With the illumination of a match held
by Lionel. the tardy pair passed through
the dark conservatory. then on through
the library and out into the spacious
hall, where each took a silver candle
stick from table where a row of these
were placed in shining readiness every
evening.
Very cautiously Hester opened the con-
servatory door and stepped inside. clos
ing the door silently after her Notion
less, almost breathless. she listened as
the others parted at the stairs. Queer
lovers! Was that the best they could
do?
Goodnight, Kate
Goodnight, old chap"
Lionel extinguished the hall light, and,
with f1aring candle shadows dancing be-
hind them, these two climbed the stairs.
Then came the closing of distant bed
room doors. and Ipping House. dark and
silent, settled down to slumber, while
the adventures waited
Eleven. Twelve! One O'Clock! to the
TI,@-~
who prowl by night under strange roofs
must learn patience. and, while these
hours passed. Hester scarcely stirred,
except from chair to bench, then back
again from bench to chair. noiselessly.
for she wore sneakers with rubber soles.
She played odd little games with the
moonbeams, making bets with herself as
to how long. measured in heart beats it
would take a certain little Pickering
yellow fellow with a funny tail to creep
found that she could make her heart
beat slower by taking long. deep breaths.
which sometimes helped her to win
At half-past 1 Hester turned the switch
a cord around her neck. A beam of
concentrated light flashed across the
room and instantly vanished as the
switch went back. The storage battery
was working we'll 1t was time TO start;
Throwing her spot Of light here and
there she made a round or the con-
servatory, scrutinizing every corner. The
golf bag might he here. one never could
be sure Then. finding nothing. she
passed into the library and repeated her
search, then on into the great. shadowy
hall, all to no purpose. The golf bag was
not there.
This was only what Hester had ex
pected 1t was altogether likely that
Mrs Baxter had done one of two things
with the bag, either she had returned it
TO Miss Thompson, in which case it was
now in Betty's chamber. or. possibly.
she had taken it to her own bedroom.
ing on with her search, that the girl
must now, in the dead Of night, enter
two rooms where defenseless women were
sleeping This was a serious matter: it
meant years in prison if she We're
caught.
For several minutes Hester pondered
this, while disconnected memories of her
troubled life came and went through her