Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-22
THE FULFILLER

those irrevocably re,reating foot
steps might have been going dowr
into unsuspecting depths within
/ himself
But such things would not do. and
he huddled over the fire, striving
again for that grip on himself as
he wondered what collegiate Rock.
ledge would say il il knew the
things that its official guardian o.
the arts was capable Of feeling. As
he warmed his cold hands there
came a comforting sense OF ordinari.
ness, together with touch OF anger
at this cool young denizen Of the
moor, who left stranger in such a
predicament.
A rather theatric young man. with
his entrances, his exits, and his
metaphysics. The most hopeful
thing about him had been his
prophecy OF clearing weather.
Whoever he might be, the fellow
was at least acquainted with the im-
ports OF those tickle skies. 1t was
but a dew mist, after all; blanket
which the moor pulled over itself
against the first chill of night. As
earth and air equalized their tenn
perature there came rents in that
luminous opaqueness all about.
Glimpses OF more distant oaks, in
terminable aisles shot through with
the mystery of the moon. Like dow.i
dropping wells, the mist wreathed
from the branches, sinking away in
10 the holes between the rocks.
Stamping out the remnants OF his
fire, Maynard started back on his un-
safe way.
1t was with relief that he at last
left the heather. feeling his feet once
more upon the narrow confines of
the lane to Hanger-Down. A will-o'-
the-wisp of a light bobbcd at the
gate, and as he came abreast of it
he saw it was lantern carried by
Elias Tolley.
81 was awaiting for you to come
back along" the boy babbled. LOOM
ing above the yellow light in gro
tesque cagerness. "Did you see un?"
81 met a gentleman" Maynard
smiled.
Just like me, he looks" Elias
pursued.
And Maynard, with amused cha
grin, realized that he, too, must
answer on that single point OF agree
ment of all those who had been be-
nighted in the wood.
at cannot have been the same
one, then; the man | met looked
pretty much like myself"
Maynard slept late the next morn
ing; so late that in Mrs. Stocks
demeanor as she brought his break
fast there lurked certain adamant
of censurc.
perhaps you will parding it's not
being quite as good as might be,
sir" she said, with elaborate civility,
seeing how it's stood"
1t was with indehnable depression
that Maynard sat down at the table,
irritated that on this, his last day
there, Dartmoor should turn frown-
ing face. The witcheries Of the night
had fed and the moor was grinlly
material under a smother of gray
rain.
Yet there was sense of stir upon
the road outside as, one after an
other, the farm carts went by in the
direction of Princestown. Stolidly
padding as they went, their drivers
bent against the storm, and Maynard
remembered that this was the day of
rent paying to that oversl1adowing
duchy.
Catching his glance, Mrs. Stock
answered it with an almost uncanny
intuition.
"Mrs. Tolley is late today, sir. But
then, well she might be, poor soul,
seeing that notorious rain and that
she has to traipse it on her own two
feet"
So they had been watching for
Mrs. Tolley 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
visualize the throng about the inn,
taciturn amongst their steaming po-
nies, speaking stolidly of other things
while their eyes strained furtively
down the road for a sight Of that
solitary woman.
"Aye, good and late, Sc is" Mrs.
Stock nodded, not without certain
relish Most usual it's she as is the
first. but today"
Her pause had the effect of drama,
too, reminding him OF the things she
was not saying; that, to the whole,
watching Moor, today was to be
"the test" for Mrs. Tolley's mysteri-
GUS rent.
And last night-against this dreary
smother of the rain-swept road, last
night seemed irretrievably gone, al
most to be ashamed of under the
light of day. That spectral wood,
with its mysteries OF mist, was wiped
out. Even though he walked to it
ne would find 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 so many other things he
might have said: his brain filled with