The Washington times., 1913-12-31
CHAPTER XVII.
CHdf 1EN AFI.
was going away B

"O1NETTE was going away to
In a sort of dream she climbed
the path UP to the digue. and
under the windows Of the big Hotel
Imperial she stopped. To think. That
was impossible 1t home. She could not
face her father in her present state of
mind She wanted to be alone, 20 be
able to realize the meaning OF wnat had
happened. Everard was going. lie had
said so. Going! What did that mean?
She turned and began to walk along
by tie side Of the sand-dunes. That
way was as good as any other. Her
head dropped and she saw nothing of
The groups Of bathers who chartered
and spIashed near the shore. She walk
ed hliroiy on in dazed. absent-minded
way.
she had gone away to think.
But thinking was impossible, A hun
dred thousand incoherent Things flashed
into her mind at once and mixed up In
an inextrlcable tumble, and at the back
OF them all ran one fixed phrase which
repeated itself with horrible regularity.
Everard Is going-tomorrow, Eyerard
Is going-tomorrow!"
She went on and on, the sun beating
Dercely down upon her bare head She
did. not know that the sun was shining.
She did not know that she was walking
She did not know that she was Toinette
Guechard. Her mind seemed outside
her, hovering above, and it looked down
upon a Slrl-a young girl who was very
OLD, who was moving quickly along with
a very white face on which was a
strained, intent look. Poor girl" said
her mind. Il wonder what she is suffer
ing about"
After what seemed an eternity she
heard an odd, hollow sound beneath her
feet, and in a dull, stupid way realized
that she was crossing the wooden bridge
INTO Ambleteuse. She passed her hand
over for forehead. Amb.eteuse? Some
body lived there whom she knew,
Everard is going-tomorrow."
Her legs carried her along entirely b.
themselves. Where were they taking
her? The question was too difficult,
she gave UP trying to find the answer
Lp the little street she ran, straigh,
along unswerving.
She did not seen that her friends, the
shopkeepers who stood at the doorways,
podded a bonjour at her
Know that she mechanically replied
BoDjour" to each one with somethin--
Ike her usual friendly smile. She did
not know that she had walked up the
steps of the church until she dipped her
myers automatically into the holy
water and crossed herself.
lnen she went into the nearest pew
ana knelt down, and as she put her
lace INTO her hands she felt that her
cheeks were burning and that her
tongue was dry and that her head
700 why. "Ddt naG
she done to feel so strange?
EVerard is going-tomorrow."
She raised her head. Her eyes fell
upon the figure of Christ crucified
and a burning blush covered her face
and neck. How dared she kneel iri
front of His altar and try to pray
sne VINO was no longer Toinette? How
dared she turn to Him for help to
realize what had happened, when she
had made herself His enemy? How
dared she go into His home after last
night?
All her early training and faith
seemed to drop from her 1t was i'm
possible TO believe that God would
ever forgive her for what she had
done. God was kind and merciful
God was forgiveness and goodness
and pity--yes, but not TO her She
had forfeited all that She was His
enemy
With a sudden movement of fear she
rose and hurried from the church,
away from the eyes of the Man who
lad died for her, the Man who would
forgive anything, and whose eyes she
dared not meet
She had come away to be aIone-to
think. Where could she go? What
could she think?
"Eyerard is going-tomorrow."
She was balanced. on the brink of
an abyss and some one was creeping
up behind her to push her over She
hurried along TO get away. TO escape,
but as she moved the abyss moved
also. and all the time the figure be-
hind was creeping nearer. and nearer.