The evening world., 1915-02-06
CHAPTER VI.
tCua11nusd.D
The Doctos's Assistant.

face like q cheer@with .
face that would have lighted
up tomb. In his hands he
ciasped a pair Of innocent white
gloves, that anybody might have
found. and somebody traced to their
beloved little owner. But that was
not all. A wall had spoken. In
certain handwriting hastily rubbed
out and q whole bathroom had told
Q yet more eloquent tale!
Hours later they were speaking still,
waiting sweet music through the COR
ridorg, filling the honored room with
strains of Joy for the enchanted man
ON the broken window-seat, all In the
dark at dead Of night. There might
have been q moon; he did not know.
There might have been a stealthy ad-
vance. In very open order-a taking
OF cover behind trees wide apart--a
Joining Of forces down there In tho
dark, that was not so dark II one was
used to 1t. But Dollar had been for
hours gazing into his own heart. and
that was still so dazzlingly alight that
he might not have seen anything II he
had looked out: 1t still sang 90 loud
that he heard nothing downstairs un-
~ there was nohe enough to wake q
dreamer out of actual sleep.
Even then he scarcely knew what
had brought him 80 suddenly to feet
Grown numb, but not more numb than
the whole outer man In the endless In
ner Joy of that which he believed
himself to have discovered along with
hts dear lady's gloves. Those sacred
relics he .still clasped in his hands.
and that fond belief he was still hug
ging In his heart, when louder sound
prioked his undertaking to the quick.
Il was the sound Of voices in the
empty house. He tore OF his shoes,
limped over to the door. opened 1t as
softly. and stood listening in a heavy
horror. They were women's voices,
aoeomDsnisd BY the scuttle Of wom-
IN an instant. but still with an In
stin0tive stealth, he was out on the
landing At the head of the stairs.
And there, but only there. his fond
dream ended in an awakening a.
terrible a. any nightmare: for one
woman stood on the half-landing
between the two prongs of the forked
staircase: all attention she stood, as
q on guard; hair silvered by shaft
Of moonshine through the staircase
window. shoulders hunched intently,
but the head itself just tilted as II
IN sudden alarm. and full in the moon
light Of the wicked, unmistakable little
hat Of Lady Vera Moyle. Her gloves
dropped out Of his hands. Did she
hear them fair She looked as II
hA haA ~
mako sure. He had nothing like the
heart to confront and shame her first
s-St her worst q passive party to the
crima-when her guiltier companions
were even then at their vile work
, lower down. Tho ladder was the
thangi Then he could scare those
ofAOrU first, and she and he need
never meet At all. Better never again
than ct this hideous juncture! And
- for him. better death itself than
such . death to such a dream!
Il was q sheer stampede the man
naAs now. back along the landing
lng q he went up to put the she
devils to flight. 1t was what he
called them a. he ran; had they not
AFaIgsd an angel into this? And they
heard him, and he heard them
scuttlins and cluckins in headlons
This time they could afford to ny:
their second attempt was no failure
like the first. Tho little new landing
IVES like Q gridiron over Pickering
aaGro from the we'll beneath. Dollar
6unr his full length on the brink
. hung dangling from the armpits-
hung flashing out for the ladder like
O boy on q horizontal bar with q
mattross tlst underneath.
The top rung took some finding IN
his reckless haste: and then his hands
had 10 change places with his feet
ard e was all q pretty desperate busi-
ness for no lightweight, In a frenzy
OF excitement, at the tip-top OF a
trsmulous ladder that leaned against
thin air. But his very recklessness
saw him down somehow with unbroken
bonsa, and on the threshold of the
burning room before the IRE had really
taken Hold. And there he stopped. in.
stead OF dashing in; there he stood
shrinking from the red light within.
SR6r aSain one Of the women had
stSSod behind the rest; and through
forest % scaffolding poles. and q swir
Of smoke and steam. he beheld her In
Q dow already dying by her hand. un,
, der q Kissing stream flung right anc
left. In differing coils and spirals Al
occ3ly e . gardener waters the grass
Il vas his very dream. come true In
- Sndi And Dollar stood there be-
. cause he was ashamed to look Vers
0oy0e in the face-after fearing fol
2 0nc moment that 1t was nothing bu
Q dreami
But last of all the stream PLAYED
y throush the darkness and the smoke
vpon the threshold even at his feet
esd Q dry voice cried:
II go you all right! ! saw you up
stAirs. come round and tell me WHY
yousrAn away"
=. HI q We no moment for gotnt
ro60l He went to her through spark
81 splintsrs In his socks, and tel
- paln NO moro than the relief wheI
- stood beside her ON the cool nag
Il he corridor. with both her hand
IN AlA
F'f might have known!" he splut
tered through the smoke. i migh
Y havo known II even from the first!
y rte 5olly bad luck that you shoul'
49, " 1t all." said Lady Vera, In tn
go lry littas voice. I'm not prou'
Il . r. 60 ~ you." -
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