The Washington times., 1914-01-19

shine that foIlowed-days filed
with kindness and great content.
Everard's bed was moved into
the window. and he saw the sun fill
the garden with color and watched the
flowers nodding and listened to the
bUmbIebees and the birds. And besides
all those things, there was this dear
little old woman who brought him
things that almost ate themselves. and
sat by him with those funny old knit
ting needles. making shapeless, iTnpos-
sible garments and saying things that
he didn't have to listen to.
And then there were the periodical
visits of the old doctor man, who al
ways made him want to laugh as he
stroked his comic beard, and felt his
pulse with long, thin fingers. and made
pompous remarks, and stood about and
wagged his head and bowed profoundly
upon retiring.
And what a great chap the abbe wasl
He came and sat on the window ledge,
and the smoke curled away into the
garden as he pulled at his bent old
brier and talked or read to him. Or he
would look up from his spade as he
dug down there by the wall and wave
his hand cheerily. And then Everard
would stretch himself lazily and fail
into long. delicious sleeps that lasted
hours. and wake up to see Therese
coming in once more with tray Of jel-
lies and things.
And from time to time the chimes of
an old clock hosted in from the dis
tEnce. as II it had suddenly walked up
and remembered that it had to strike,
and, having done so, had gone to sleep
again. And after that had happened
several times the church bell just round
the corner tangled in the evening sun
shine, and the abbe would look in and
talk for q moment before he went in
TO hold his service.
Everard felt rather as a baby must
feel. Whatever came in front Of his
eyes made q momentary impression. Be-
yond that his thoughts were unconnect-
cd He was totally unable to concen-
trate upon any one thing for more than
a second at a time. There seemed TO
him to be nothing unusual in the fact
that he should be lying i'll in the abbe's
house. He accepted it without question.
He was very weak, and had no wish
to do anything He was perfectly con-
tent lust to lie there IN his bed and
watch the swallows flash and dip, and
The bees work their way from flower to
flower, climbing in and out of the fox
gloves Sleep came to him at all mo
ITents. In the middle of Therese's chat
Ter or NJ. Gonsard's pomposities his eye
los would droop and he would drop of
into deep slurlber. And every time he
woke he was a little stronger, d little
more alive.
The abbe came up to the window one
afternoon and found Eyerard awake.
he wore no hat and his pipe made a
little bubbling noise. En- Well, my
friend" he said, do you know that You
rave been asleep for two hours?"
Everard curled up between the sheets
and smiled. Il shall oe digging your
garden for You in a day or two" he
said. do you think : might smoke?
That pipe Of yours fills me with long
The able considered. u don't think a
few puffs would do YOU anv harm.
Wait a moment and ! will get your
E,verar5 drear,iIz r,a+c1.5 hin, ,,ron
mis- spade against the window ledge and
go away. Presently the abbc sat on the
end of his bed, took OFT a pouch and
began TO fill a pipe.
time since you had that between your
teeth.
Everard took it and looked at it. It
was 4 straight-grained bTie~ Of the kind
YOU can only get in oxford. Presently
frown came over his face. He reCog-
nized the pipe, but il was very strange
the abbe should have il. where does
this come from?" he asked.
The able held out a match. You left
il here" he said.
The match burned down in the abbes
fingers. Eyerard did a)t notice it. He
vas working out the history of the
pipe. He remembered distinctly buying
it in oxford from the place in the High.
That was all right, out wnen had he
left it in the abbe's home? Oh, OF
course: yes, he and he AObe Guerch-
ard ndQ haQ one OF '"O evenings u
gether when he had been playing golf
there last year. Was il last Year,
Guerchard? Extraordinary thing Why
had that name suddenly come into his
mind? You are going 10 play golf
with Toinette again?
He looked UP suddenly in.o the abbe's
face, searchingly, intently. and the hand
that held the pipe shook = little. Toin-
ette-the abbe. This man WAS her uncle
-Toinette's uncle.
He law back on his pillow Imply. 1t
seemed that the sun. mad gene out.
"Oh. my Cod" he said. on my
God"
asked him IL anything was the matter.
Was Il a relapse? should he have 10
run for NJ. GOnsard?
Eyerard shook his head. There was
nothing the matter except that-that
Syervth hing WAS the matter. series or
Tictures flashed through his Tnino: rom
cite entering the room as he ana tne
able were at lunch; the game OF post
man which she had played In the cave
her confusion when he had seen her
pulling on her stocking in the dunes
her long plaits and white face looking
down at him from the bedroom Windo
the matter was that he was ENeraFd
LCyden. That was all
He struggled to prop himself on one
elbow and failed. So he shot out a ques-
riOn 10 the able, lying down: DID you
find a letter in my clothes?
Everard saw from his expression that
he had read IL There was a long no
Ynent's silence. His fingers pluclSed the
bed covering. Then he looked up again.
Weren't you sorry you didn't let
me drown?'
The abbe bowed his mead. The mo-
ynent had come when he had TO mako
his confession to this bog. He knew
Eyerard's secret Everard must know
his. His pipe had gone out Yes,
he said. at was sorry-at first"
There was another silence. And then
an extraordinary gIadness came over
Eyerard. For months he had gone
about trying 20 ind some one TO con-
fide in. His failure to do so had result
&c in his trying to put an end 70 him
self twice And now here was this big
man who knew, and. IN spite of that
had nursed him and Deen inhitcly kind. |
He took one quick look in the abbe's
eyes and then looked away out into the
garden. Perhaps If he confessed now
he woud be allowed 90 die.