The Washington times., 1921-02-13

They have Il In the medical book"
old Ivory's talk. seemed to be
done. He nodded 10 England and
came into the hall. His face was
very grave.
Luke" he said. 'come to my
room; I've something to speak TO
you about"
1 was left alone. The sun. now
sinking lower. looked In at the
mouth OF the cave. Idly watched
Il creep like a moving searchlight
from my shoes to my silken dress.
TO my waist, TO my neck. l was too
tired to think, almost too tired to
feel.
Then I saw that Harry England
was not gone. He was still at the
cave entrance. and he was looking
at me-looking at my neck.
He made two quick steps into
the cave.
"where did that come from'" he
asked me.
"What?"
"That bit of crystal round your
neck" He was beside me now.
"May II" he asked. and with deft
fingers unfastened the chain. He
held the crystal In his hand, touch
ing Il with his finger tips and ex-
aiming the angles.
81 came from the Hall OF Perseph-
one = the dining room. It's like
those tourist caves In Australia
Jenolan, you know"
Can you show me this hall?" he
asked, giving me back my locket.
EYES," ! said. and led the way.
There was no one about. Luke and
old Ivory were shut up together,
Lorraine was with my father. Dinah
in her kitchen. We passed un-
noticed down the dark passage and
into Persephone's Hall.
Within 1t was almost dusk; the
one great window faced east and
the sun was now far down to west
ward. The captain stood In the
middle OF the hall, his vivid, hawk
like eyes roaming about him. He
took a powerful electric torch from
his pocket and snapped II on. Un-
der the strong white light the crys-
tails shone as had never seen them
SHlH6 utiOIc, IL WooS AhuSSub q Vow
Of diamonds.
England looked about him silent
ly for some moments and then bent
to pick up a fragment that had
fallen from the roof. II was a mere
chip of CLASSY stuff, not especially
attractive. He glanced at 1t and
slipped it, casually, into his pocket,
swapping off the torch as he did so,
The hall was dim as we made our
way out again; ] could not see his
face. did not Judge that he was
specially interested.
We came out into the central
hall. The doors were still shut, the
place still silent. The sun now had
climbed to its last vantage point
and hung, in fakes Of gold, among
the vaultings of the roof. Lime
stone, white as the white sea sands,
was the stuff of this great cave. but
the passage to the Hall Of Perse-
phone, close at hand, ran through
basalt black as night.
England looked at the mingling
of the two rocks. 1t seemed to in
p terest him. Pretty, that contrast
of black and white" he said. Then,
suddenly, he stopped TO me and
lifted my hair in two great waves.
/. "You are pretty" he said. holding
me by my hair. He slipped his
narrow, steel-like hands down to my
waist, lifted me like kitten and,
swinging me in the air, kissed my
mouth.
Dizzy, l leaned against the wall
when he set me down. ! had not
breath to speak. I felt as, think,
young maids Of harried East Anglia
must have felt in early centuries
when pirate galleys drove suddenly
in from "Norroway, DER the faem,"
and some tall, gold-locked heather
seized a little lassie by the hair and
swept her away to the ships with
the dragon beaks, never to return
any more.
But Captain England had not
swept me away; he had merely
kissed me good-by, as passing
guests of my fathers had done
many a time. Where was the diff
farappeo