The Washington times., 1913-04-14

huoCheT WHICH IOuIld lHeTe HSt"dQ Oh
bell / hadn't planned what | should
say to the person who opened the door.
because ii seemed better. somehow, to
trust to the inspiration of the moment.
So much would depend on what sort of
person :he caretaker happened to be.
1T was lucky l hadn't any very
fixed idea-nO little explanatory speech
committed UP to memory. IL l had had
such thing on the end Of my tongue
I'd have been a good deal worse discon-
certed than / was. the knocker was
pulled out Of my hand by some one
knob wher / started to knock-some enc
In the act of coming out.
There in the passage, very erect and
self-possessed. blinking a little in the
sudden flood of sunshine that came in
when the door opened, stood-wno do
you suppose. Drew?-the last person 1
expected to find there-Miss Meredith
herself. She's one of the most wonder
full looking old ladies I ever saw in my
life-beautiful. what We mean when we
say regal. vigorous, wonderfully vital
lied.
She didn't start at all at the sight of
me. Just looked at me a minute in a
perfectly composed sort of way, and
asked what l wanted. At the sound of
her voice I heard some one moving be-
hind her In the passage. and made out
over her shoulder some one whom l
took to be a maid or sort of companion
loaded down with rugs and cushions.
MY names jeffrey / said. for it
was somehow out OF the question to
try any pretense with person like
that. though I didn't know what sort
Of reception my name would get
But her face lighted up at IL, as II
she were genuinely pleased. AMI she
hcl! out her hand to me. AT last. she
said. L was beginning to think you
were a myth She nodded toward
Ia Af Ntair hA vn<r . nd
added I was just going out for ooze
In the warm sun. But a chat with you
will be much BETTER
Then she turned back and spoke to
the woman in the passage: VIII YOU
please bring an extra rug, Miss Mar:
tin?
This momentary delay gave me my
story. I wrote to DR. Crow SAID .,
asking for permission to see you, and
he told me you'd receive me today .
Il thought / saw just flicker CT
surprise go over her face at that, but 1t
din't show much more than she meant
II to. and all she said was:
DR.. Crow is very competent young
man..
THE woman she called Miss Martin
came up just then and began bundling
her up In rugs and packing in cushions
occupied with Miss Meredith all the
time. I couldn't help feeling that she
Vas regarding me with certain un-
easiness and mstrust. Miss Meredith
and then sent Miss Martin into the
house. telling her she shouldn't iced
her for All hour. I thought the woman
went away reluctantly.
We'll. we chatted for a few minutes
about the beauty of the day and the
pleasure of getting out into the country
for the early spring, and ! admitted
that had got myself pretty well mi-ed
up trespassfng in her woods.
She seemed to take that absolutely
as a matter Of course. and didn't show
the slightest curiosity about where
looking at the river from the boat land
ing. Then all at once she reverted to
what she had said before about be-
ginning to think that I was myth.
Drew, she had thought all along that
my not seeing her had been my own
doing. Shed wanted to see me. she
said, but Crow had made me out a
sort OF hermit who didn't see anybody
II he could help II. How he reconciled
a statement like that with the fact that
am portrait painter. don't know.
she was perfectly frank in her Gu
riosity about me. as an autocratc, old
lady like that is likely TO be. and kept
me talking about myself for a solid
hour: asked innumerable questions
about how I painted. where 7 lived.
AT the end Of the hour Miss Martin
appeared again. Miss Meredith got up
a little reluctantly. You'll stay to lunch.
won't you?' she said. I haven't had as
pleasant a morning IN long time.
hope you're not in hurry to get back
to New York
"Of course | said I'd stay. with the
greatest pleasure. She gave me an in
formal nod and started toward the door.
Miss Martin will take charge Of you
till lunch time she said. 1 dare say
you will want to freshen up a bit after
your tramp through the woods. Wei
lunch at l. And with that she walked
into the house.
II waited a minute for Miss Martin
TO follow her and lead the way for me.
But instead OF that she stood right
where she was apparently making up
her mind to say something. IL was
hen took nv first good look At h"r.
She was tall. rather lean Young wom-
an. unmistakahly well-bred. with s.
we're profile and a rather tight way OF
doing her hair.
she stood there confronting me. a
little embarrassed. hut perfectly reso-
Lutte. ! he'd unConsciouSly moved lit
tie toward the door and was standing
beside one of the pillars. She stepped
into the doorway and stood confront
ing me.
81 am very sorry she said. to he
Obliged to countermand Miss Meredith's
invita- ton
'Coun:ermand It." said 7.
"I am Miss Meredith's nurse. she
said. i am under the doctors explicit |
Instructions. | haven't any discretion
at all in the matter. ! must ask you 10 |
go away. Mr.. Jeffrey. at once
Those are DIR. Crows Instructions |
I asked.
She didn't answer that question at
all. Just stood there looking at me anil |
said again: AT once
Her manner as well her words !
made II perfectly clear that ] shouldn't |
get into that doc; except by brute force |
The thing was so utterly unexpected |
and in the light of the deception Grow |
had practiced towards me With Mas