The Washington herald., 1922-01-22

nants Of his IRE. Maynard started back on
his unsafe way.
II was with relief that he ut hst left
the heather. feeling his fest once more
upon the narrow confines Of the lane to
Hanger-Down. A w1n-o-thewisp Of light
bobbed ut the gate. and - he came abreast
Of It he saw It was = lantern carried BY
Elias Telley.
along" the boy babbled. looming above the
yellow circle Of light in srotssqus eager
ness. Did you see unf"
.I met . gentienan.- Maynard smi,sd.
.Jost IKE me. he Iooks.- Eiias pursued
And Maynard. with amused ehasrin.
realized that hs. too. must answsr on that
single point Of agreement q an those who
had bssn benishtsd IN The wood
1T cannot have been the same one, then:
he man met looked pretty much IKE my.
ssn.. -,
Maynard slept late TIE nsxt nofafns; -
late that In Mrs. etook.s ds,nsanse ~ she
brought his breakfast there i1rksa Q certain
adamant of esnsureL
"Pxhaps yeu WIN pardans IT'S not being
quite % good - might b. mr." shs said.
with elaborate eavflity. seeing how IT'S
stood
It was with indsdnabls aggression that
Maynard at down b the tahla. irritatsd
that on this. his last DAY thsrs. Dartmsor
should turn . frowning facA The witch
sriss Of the night had hsd and the moor
was srimly material under smother Of
cray rain.
Yet there was Q sense Of st4r upon the
road Outside a. one after another, the farm
carts went By ta the direction o; Princes
town. stoiid1y padding they went their
drivers bent against the storm, and Maynard
remembered that this was the day Of rent
paying to that overshadowing puchy.
Catching his sianos. Mr.. Stock answered
4 with IN almost uncanny intuition-
Mn. Tollsy IL late today. Dir. But then.
ven she might b. poor soul, seeing that
notorious rain ana that she has to traipss
II on her own two feet.
30 they had been watching for Mrs. Toll.
ley to pass on that road without. Probably
the whole Moor was Watching. In that hidden
sense Of the dramatic Of which the young
stranger had spoken. Maynard could VS.
ualizs the throng about the Inn, taciturn
amongst their stea,ning ponies. speaking stsi-
IDLY Of other things while their eyes strained
furtivsly down the road for Q sght Of that
solitary woman. ~
Aye. good and late. she is." Mrs.. Stock
nodded, not without . certain relish. Most
usual it's she a II the nrst. but today.
Her pause had the effect Of drama. toa
reminding him Il the things she was not
saying; that, to the whole, witching Moor,
today was 70 Be the test Tor Ma ronsy.s
mystsrious rent A-.
And last night-against this dresry smoth-
er Of the rain swept road, last night seemed
irretrtevah'y gone. almost to be ashamed Of
under the Light Of day. That spectral wood
with its mysteries Of moon ana ensorcsl-
nents Of mist. was wiped out. Even though
hs walked to II he would nnd nothing but
few acres Of rocks and dripping oaks.
stark under the weeping skies. He had an
uncomfortable conviction Of having made
an ass of himself In his conversation with
that stranger. There were 90 many other
things he might have said; his brain nIled
with them. scintillatins sentences, all marked
with the dismal sign Of the unuttered and
too late.
The confines Of the room irked him; better
the driving wet outside, II only to escape the
inane stare Of those purple china spaniels on
the mantsl Except the road, all sense Of
direction was wiped out the Tors all hidden
In the gray wrack that permitted only .
narrow circle Of vision. Princestown, with
its rent day throns. repealed him. SO perforcs
he turned downhill towards the Vale Of Dart.
Dart Bridge its elm trees looming through
the obscuring rain: beyond them. the lane TO
Hanger-Down. Why he turned into It MAY
nard could hardly say; It was certainly In no
intention Of renewing his attack upon the
Tolley chair. That also seemed to be gone;
like all the time he had spent here on the
Moor. swallowed up by that swift pursuit Of
the past which devours each moment almost
before one can grasp at 1t. It was more
certain inertia, the push of an idea that had
become almost habit. which propelled him
to the door of the farm. Rain iaahed.
crouched against the lee Of the down. the
place looked more hopeless than oyer. and