Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-29
BY ]. E. Harold Terry
and Lechmere Worrall

his personal relationships than run
such a risk.
But It was not the breaking Of any
tie which was worrying Brent now. II
was the fact that because of this bold
and unforeseen move on the part Of the
enemy all his plans might como to
nothing. the submarine get away. the
house be burned. To take Mr.. Pollock
into his confidence was more impossible
than to tell Molly. He might just as
well shout his secret from the house
tops. He could hardly help smiling as
he imagined how Mr.. Pollock would
think he was behaving as usual to
the Sandersons. while all the time the
glare of his eye. the purple OF his
countenance, and his surprise. indigna-
ton and alarm would be as plain FOR
the Sandersons to read as one OF their
own ciphers.
There was only one chance and that
was to play on Molly's love for him. II
he could make her think that he. and
he alone. was in the game. she might
shield him. anyway until tomorrow,
unfortunate that he had been trying to
teach her the sacredness Of An idea
over any Individual tie. and he could
only hope that her instinct would tri-
umph over counsel so alien to her habit
of mind and 30 newly administered.
Have you said anything to Mrs Lee.
Molly?" he asked.
Not yet"
Then you mustn't. I'll tell you why.
l gave that paper to Mrs. Lee. I
searched"
Molly gave a little cry and snatched
her hands from under his. You gave
1t to her knowing what II was?''
Knowing what it was She. of course,
is quite ignorant about it. l just asked
her to take charge of it for me-"
Molly sat looking at him with all the
pretty color vanished from her face At
last the truth of his teaching had pene-
trated to her brain. She had told her
father and Pennicuik only that after
noon that however much in the wrong
Chris might prove to be. she would
only love him all the more. Now she
knew it was not true, that there are
because they destroy the very essence
of the person who was loved She
realized now that she had worshiped
Chris because he had always seemed
TO her above every other man she had
met. Now he was immeasurably lower
than her absurd, pompous, but honest
father. lower than Percy, with his nice
ordinary. well meaning nature. In a
fash she saw that she would have pre-
ferred even an intrigue with Mrs. Lee
to this.
Brent saw. and in that moment of
comprehension. although it made his
task more difficult. he realized that.
unknown to itself and to him until
now, Molly's spirit was. after all, akin
to his. She. too, could prefer personal
unhappiness to the loss of an idea.
Molly cried convulsiveIy. leaning
over the arm of the chair farthest
away from him. He could not attempt
to comfort her. He remained silent.
Suddenly through the horror in Molly's
mind sudden flash of inspiration
came.
Why. how silly she had been to
imagine that this terrible thing Chris
said of himself could be true There
could be only one reason for his say
ing 1.-THE old conventional mans rea-
son. He was doing it to shield wom-
an. to shield Mrs. Lee. She whirled
round. and, catching him by the Shout
ders. looked into his eyes.
Chris. l don't believe a word of It,"
she declared. You are not telling me
the truth. You're saying this to shield
her. I'm just beginning to understand.
How long have you known Mrs. Lee?"
At that moment the door opened and
Miriam came into the room.
Miriam had heard Molly's last
words by the simple expedient Of
listening at the door. This was one
of the disadvantages of her profess
sion-that. instinctively. she now al
ways applied her ear to ehe crack of
door before putting her fingers to
thought. that Molly was making a
scene about her (Miriam's) behavior
with Brent, and anxious to help him.
lest jealousy should set fire to their
mine, she came to the rescue.
'Are you talking about me-" she
asked casually and with her charming.
friendly smile.
Molly made no attempt to tidy the
disordered hair she had pushed back
from her forehead or to dry her wet
cheeks. She just sat looking up at the
other woman.
Yes" she answered; 81 was asking
Mr. Brent to tell me truthfully exactly
how long he had known you"