The weekly times-record., 1913-07-24

and sudden death cannot be too strong.
ly expressed for me. My answer had.
however. pleased Miss Octavia. and she
clapped her hands with pleasure.
Cecilia" she cried. something told
me that afternoon at the Asolando that
my belief in the potential seven was
not i'll placed. and now you see that in
introducing myself to Mr.. Ames at the
seventh table from the door, In the
seventh shop from Fifth avenue. was
led to meeting with gentleman
had been predestined to know"
AS we talked further a servant az.
peared and laid fresh logs across the
still smolderiDg fire. This thought
would suggest to Miss Hollister the
professional character of my visit. but
the fire kindled readily. the smoke rose
freely in the fue. and Miss Hollister
paid no attention to it. The merits of
chain armor, | think it was, that held
US for half an hour. Cecilia and l lis.
tening with respect to what. in my ig-
norance, seemed remarkable fund Of
knowledge on this recondite subject.
1--WE dine at I. Mr. Ames. and you
may amuse yourself as you like until
that hour. Cecilia. you may order din.
ner in the gun room tonight"
certainly. Aunt Octavia."
Once more l glanced at the girl. hop
ing that some glimmer In her eyes
s~l, nd rs ~
mon understanding and sympathy be-
tween us. but she was moving out Of
the room at her aunt's side. The man
who had tended the fire met me In the
hall and. conducting me to my room,
suggested various offices that be was
ready to perform for my comfort. The
house faced south. and my windows,
midway Of the east wing, afforded a
fne view Of the bills. The room was
large enough for chamber Of state,
and its furniture was massive. A four
poster invited to luxurious repose: half
q dozen etchings by famous artists
Parrish and Van Elten among them
hung upon the walls.
My bag had been opened and my
things put out. 30 that. there being
more than an hour to pass before l
need dress for dinner. went below
and explored the garden and wandered
Of along a winding path that stole
with charming furtiveness toward
venerable orchard Of gnarled apple
trees. From the height thus gained |
looked down upon the house. and
caught a glimpse beyond it Of one of
the chain Of lakes. on which the west
ern sun glinted goldenIy. Thus seeing
the house from new angle l was i'm
pressed ~ l had not been at first by
its size. 1t was a huge establishment,
and thought with envy Of Pepperton.
to whom such ample commissions were
not rare. Pepperton, I recalled a little
bitterly. had arrived. whereas !, who
had enjoyed exactly his own training
for the architects profession. had fail.
ed at it and been obliged to turn my
hand to the doctoring Of chimneys
But as l reflected upon the odd cir
cumstances Of my being there my spir
its rose. Miss Hollister was beyond
| question singular person. but bel
whims were amusing. felt that she
was less cryptic than her neice. and
the thought Of Cecilia drove me back
upon Jewett's story Of Virgins inter
est in that quarter resolved to write
to Virgins when l got back to town
the next day and abuse him roundly
for running of without so much as
goodby. That. most emphatically. was
| not Hko door ,l6 Wiooine
CHAPTER ".
Fall Into q erier Patch.
y HAD been sitting on stone wall
| watching the shadows lengthen.
| rose now and followed the wall
toward a highway along which
wagons and an occasional motorcar
had passed during my reverie. The
sloping pasture was rough and fire.
quently sent me along at trot The
wall that marked the boundary Mt the
roadside WIS hidden by a tangle OF
raspberry bushes. and my foot. turn
ing on q stone concealed In the wild
grasses, | fell clumsily and rolled a
dozen yards into a tangle Of the berry
bushes. As ! picked myself up l heard
voices in the road, but should have
thought nothing of 1t had not seen
through break IN the vines and al
most within reach Of my hand Cecilia
Hollister talking earnestly to some one
not yet disclosed. She was hatless.
bu. had flung a golf cape over her
shoulders. The scarlet lining Of the
hood turned up about her neck made
an effective setting for her noble head.
"Oh. | cant tell you: can't help
you! mustn't even appear to give
you any advantage. ! went into it
with my eyes open. and I'm in honor
bound not to tell you anything. You
have said no,hing- nothing remember
that. There is absolutely nothing be-"
tween u.s."
But I must say everything. re-
fuse to be blinded by these absurd re-
stricti0ns. whatever they are. It's not
fair. It's inviting me into a game
where the cards are not all on the ia.
bic. I've come to make an end Of it,
My hands had suffered by rontac,
! with the briars and | had been minis