The Holbrook news., 1922-02-03

meant lllnes.S OT OTulnhTy emergency, or he would not have intruded at this time. He would not express a sym pathy that must sound extremely airy to the stricken family. And now, if they would lend him Hansen, he would go over to the club
 Nonsense r' Ward said You're all dirty and tired and hungry, and so am I. We'll clean up, and then we'll have something to eat first. Miss Harriet will look out for us."
 And I'd like to see you for mo- ment in the library, Miss Field" Rich ard said, rather wearily q want something sent to the papers," he ex- plained in an undertone.
 Ah-they all wanted her, and needed her. How quick, and how efficient, and how self-effacing Harriet was as she went about the business of making them all comfortable,
 They talked deep into the night, Harriet knew, for she herself was upper balcony that a stream of golden light was pouring across the brilliant flowers beneath the library windows.
 She reviewed the incredible events of the past few days. and the actors drifted before her vision fitfully: fsa- belle. white-bosomed and beautiful, in her prime; Tony Pope, passionate and wretched; Royal, low-voiced, dreamy, poetic, with his eloquent black eyes; Nina, newly awakened; Ward, weak, boyish, ardent; Madame Carter, full of theatrical dignity and well-rounded phrases, and lastly-simple, strong, anxious to protect them all, even from their own follies-Richard.
 Not one word of blame, not one ugly insinuation," she unused, "yet she has shamed him, and he is so honor able; and she has made him conspicu- ous, when he is so modestI"
 She thought of Isabelle, fresh from Germaine's careful hands, lying in her exquisite white against the cushions of a deck chair, smiling, in the rosy fi&ttering light under the green awn- dl tiiC iAdu DCsiiC hCi.
 "Ugh!" said Harriet, with healthy uprush of utter disgust These few months would not be cloudless for Isa- belle, by any means. And after them, what? Was 1t conceivable that those fatal sixteen years would fail to iden- tify Tony and Isabelle wherever they went, even though the press was not eagerly assisting them? Supposing that Isabelle never thought of Crown lands, of her handsome son and her young daughter, of the man whose pa tience and cleverness had lifted her to all this luxury from an apartment in small town, would no memory of the place she had held. and the friend ships she had commanded, haunt her? Truly there was always society for the Isabelles, but to Harriet's clean sense it seemed but the society of a jail.
 T wouldn't change places with her!" Harriet decided, in the soft silence and darkness of the summer night.
 From Isabelle's problem her thoughts went to her own, to Royal Blondin. She was wakeful and restless tonight sim ply because she could not decide just how much she need fear him. Firstly, was there any reason for antagonizing him, and secondly, would he hurt her if she did? For Royal could not punish her without punishing himself, and could not banish her from Crownlands if he ever hoped to show his own face there again. But Ninal
 Was Blondin so bad? She tried to ask herself the question honestly, and an honest shudder answered it before it was fairly framed. She tried to pie ture Nina's marriage. their early days together, the breakfast table, where the crude little girl blundered and floundered in conversation, her helpless devotion, that would annoy and exaS- perate him. She saw Nina's near sighted eyes yelling with hurt tears; Nina's check book eagerly surrendered to win from her lord a few delicious hours of the old flattery, the old atten- tion.
 Tt would take clever woman to hold him." Harriet thought, "and it wouldn't be worth a clever wOman's while"
 -Royal-Richard. The wearying procession began again. Roy al might treat her with honesty and honor. He was not small in everything, and she had never done him harm. Dn% ,,,io hr la no ment when she had to face Richard with the confession. Yes, she had known him before. Yes, they had en- tered into a tacit compact. Yes. she had kept from Nina's father a secret that, while it might be unimportant, certainly should have been told him.
 Impossible to think the thing to any conclusion! Too many possibilities might alter the entire situation. If she were married safely to Ward, for e1- ample? But then she dared not mar ry Ward until Royals attitude was finally defined. For if her position were dangerous now, what would it be if she had committed herself irrevoca- ply to deception by marriage? Wards young, crude intolerance sitting in Judgment upon his wife !-Harriet shiyered.
 Suddenly she fell upon her knees, and dropped her bright head against the wide balustrade. For a long time Harriet had not prayed. But now, in few words, and quite without pre- meditation, there burst from her the most sincere prayer of her life. She looked up at the stars.