The Washington times., 1921-04-03

Then he rose, and helped me to
rise, and told Lalua that she must
come with US to see me home.
We went out into the ivory dawn
light. and through the silent. now-
cry lanes and roadways; and It was
as II to me the gates of Paradise
had been unlocked, and l was walk
ing among the blooms OF Eden and
beside the Tree of Life.
At the gateway of our house,
where the climbing fires OF bou-
gainvillas were beginning TO burn
redly in the sun. Harry England
paused to take my left hand In
both of his, and slip OF the little
forget-me-not ring and the half
hoop of aquamarines
Some way from our gate the sea
ran into the land in a sudden curve.
making q narrow bay. surrounded
by high cliffs. At all stages of the
tide this bay was flooded with
water-fathomless. black-blue. The
captain eyed the distance and with
a mighty shot flung out the two
rings in a whistling curve. They
IO5c, balm duu WOhl uOWu OOiOW
the edge of the cliif.
Just a moment. Stand still"
he said, and his hands were busy
with my earrings, frst one side.
then the other. heard him draw
his breath quickly, once, twice.
you'll want blacksmith to set
you free from that" he said.
Lalua looked aside as we parted.
A minute later l was In my own
room, staring at my face in the
glass and wishing could cut out
with a knife or burn with a red
hot iron the place on my lips where
another man. before my lover, had
kissed.
And the great pink pearls were
fastened to my ears by the closing
of the heavy gold setting SO that, as
Harry England said, nothing but
blacksmith's tools could have set
me free.
Our wedding was arranged for
the next week but one.
Lorraine. formally asked for her
consent bv England himself in the
course Of a proper afternoon call.
had given 1t without much cavil.
She had made an objection or two.
plain-spoken enough; and she had
not asked me to leave the room
before she made them. England
had answered all she said. gravely
and calmly.
II was true. he allowed, that the
Queen of the Islands had been
partly run by handsome young ma
tive girls. some years before. II
was not true now; 1t would not be
again.
II was true that he had killed
more than one man-in fair fight.
He could not, he said. see the DIFF
ference between that and the
things they had given him bits Of
ribbon for over on the other side
Of the world. A fight was a fight
and that was all there was to It.
II was not altogether true that
he had broken and oppressed one
trader after another who incurred
his ill-wi!l. or got in the way of
his business. He had certainly not
run his affairs on philanthropic
principles; he did not know any
one who did. The under-dog al
ways yelped; 1t was his privilege
to do so.
AS regarded his own prospects
they were very fair. He had just
bought Rorona, a fine island out
beyond the group. half way to Ia
hiti, and he proposed living there;
had had part of II for some years;
itswas a nice property.
Yes, he knew / owned half of
Hiliwa Dara; he thought the best
thing could do was to sell out to
Luke. De knew Luke had an ex-
traordinary objection to him, but
he did not know that he was called
on to consider that He had heard
about Luke's letter. Was there
anything else Miss Hamilton
wished to ask?
Miss Hamilton had nothing else
to ask. She said gracefully but
clearly enough that she did not al
together approve of the marriage.
However, she did not suppose much
good would be done by refusing
the consent that she, as legal
guardian. had to give.
mot much" was England's quiet
comment
In that one polite sentence I
think she had asked him II he
meant to carry me Off. should she
refuse her consent; in his brief
reply he had informed her that he
certainly would.
But II Lorraine had nothing to
say, or nothing that she would say
against the match, there was an
other person who would, under or
dinary circumstances, have had
great deal to say. I have often
wondered Just how events would
have turned out II Dinah had not
fallen Ill.
The doctor did not think her H.
ness dangerous, but It puzzled him
a little. She was very low, rather
feyerish and inclined to be delir-