The searchlight., 1912-11-15


! could make these two hands as hon.
est as the day Is long"
Il have my doubts" smiling a little.
Suppose. for the sake Of an argu.
ment, suppose Fortune accepted me?"
Mrs. Chedsoye's good humor re-
turned. She knew her daughter toler.
ably well: the child had horror OF
men. Poor Horace! Do you build
upon that!"
Less. perhaps. than upon my own
bright invention. My suit. then to be
brief. Is rejected?"
"Emphatically. I have spoken"
"Oh. well: the feminine prerogative
shall be mine. the last word. Good
night: dormi bene!" He bowed
grandly and turned toward his own
room.
He possessed that kind of mockery
which Was the despair OF those at
whom II was directed. They never
knew whether his mood was one of
harmless fun or OF deadly intent. And
rather than mistake the one quality
for the other. they generally pretend.
ed to ignore. Mrs. Chedsoye, who
had q similar talent. was one OF the
few who felt along the wall as one
does In the dark, instinctively. To
night she recognized that there was
no harmless fun but real desperate
ness behind the mask; and she had
held in her temper with a firm hand.
This was not the hour for a clash.
She shivered little; and for the first
time In the six or seven years she had
known him. she faced a fear OF him.
His great strength. his reckless cour-
age. his subtle way Of mastering men
by appearing to be mastered by them,
held her In the thrall Of a peculiar
which. in quiet periods.
she looked upon as something deeper.
Marriage was not to her an ideal state,
nor was there any man, living or dead.
who had appealed to the physical side
Of her. But he was In the one sex
what she was In the other: and while
she herself would never have married
him. she ragged inwardly at the posi-
bility OF his wanting another woman.
To her the social fabric which holds
together was merely q con-
venience: the moral Significance
neither her heart nor her
mind. In her the primordial craving
Tor ease. for material comforts, pret-
ty trinkets and gowns was strongest
developed. II was as II this sense had
been handed down to her. untouched
by contact with progression. from the
remote ages. that time between the
'all OF Roman civilization and where
modern civilization began. In short
beautiful barbarian. whose intellect
alone had advanced.
Fortune was asleep. The mother
vent over to the bed and gently shook
he slim. round arm which lay upon
he coverlet. The child's nature lay
'evealed as she opened her eyes and
'miled. II did not matter that the
mile instantly changed to a frowning
inquiry. The mother spoke truly
vhen she said that there were times
shen she stood In awe of this. her
lesh and blood.
MY child. wish to Ask you q Ques-
Ion. and for your own good answer
ruthfully. Do you love Horace?
Fortune sat up and rubbed her
yes. NO" Had her wits been less
catered she might have paltered.
The syllable had q fnality to Il
hat treasured the mother more than |
thousand protsstations would have
one.
Good night" she said.
Fortune lay down again and drew
be coverlet up to her chin. With her
yes shut she waited. but In vain. Her
,othsr disrobed and sought her own
ed.
Ryanne was intensely dissatisfied
18th himself. For once his desperate
,ood had carried him too far. He
ad made too many confessions. had
ntagonised . woman who was every
II a. clever and ingenious a. him.
sh. The enterprise toward which
hey were moving held him simply be-
Ause II was an exploit that enticed
holly his twisted outlook upon life.
here was . forbidding humor In the
hole affair. too. which he alone saw.
he possible rewards were to him of
consideration. II was the
IN Of the thing. II was the fun of
le thing that had put him squarely
pom the wide. short road to perdj-
on. which had made him nrst al
then . thief. The fun Of
10 thing: sinister phrase! A thous-
ID times had be longed to 20 back.
= he wasn't all bad: but door after
,or had shut behind him: and Nov
% single purpose vas to get TO the
ID Of the road BY the shortest route.
He did not dscsive himself. His ,
'sperats mood was the result Of an
fernal rage against himself, q rage
'ainst the weakness of his heart, ,
,rtuns Chsdsoys. Why had she not
ossed his path 1t that tine when he ,
ight have bssn savedf And ret
Duld she have saved himi God alose
lsv.
He Asard Joass stirring In his rosn
- 6sos. YFsssaAly an became stan