The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-01-05
was held, bound, half-lifted OF he

unu Will one Hdnu TO neT rlSnrfPrpfi
hair. while the other held him ~
arm's-length. Dear! Pleaser'
1t was no use. Soul and senses wer,
enveloped again, and close to her ear
she heard him whisper: I'm ma.
about you'll Do you know that? Tn
mad about you'll"
Il think you arel" she stammered
breathless and laughing. "You mustn't
do that! You mustn't do that Why.
we might be seenw
Breathless, too, he flung back his
hair, and stopped to pick up her para
sol.
''Do you think 1 carel" he painted,
indifferently. II wouldn't care If the
whole world sawp
"Sh-shl" By the magic only
known to youth and womanhood Har-
riet had gathered herself into trim
ness and calm again. She took her
parasol composedly. Her eyes told
him the whole story. Nina and Royal
Blondin were two hundred feet away
coming up from the tennis court.
you fool-fool-fool :" she said to
herself. What had they seen? What
new twist to the situation would
Nina's suspicious afford? Richard
Carter trusted her; this was no time
to tell him that she loved his son.
Did she love Ward?-or with his keen
and kindly eyes would Wards father
see exactly what she saw in the mar
riage? Caught kissing in the woods
like Rosa or Germaine; 1t was un-
thinkablel How she had weakened
her position herel How she had
risked-her heart contracted with
pain-severing of her association with
Crownlands.
Luncheon, under its veneer OF
gaiety and foolishness, offered fresh
terrors. For old Madame Carter had
come down, and 1t occurred to Harriet
that If Nina had seen anything in the
wood, she might naturally interest
her grandmother with an account of
it. The old lady would go instantly
to her son. And Richard-Harriet
could imagine him, tired, harassed
heartsick over the recent inexplicnhle
weakness of his wife, having to face
another woman's treachery having to
listen to the demure announcement of
the little secretary's engagement to
his son.
He was experiencing the most over
whelming shock of all his life now.
he must shortly be exposed to all the
whirl of scandal: the silenced gossip.
the averted eyes Of his world. the
weeklies with their muddy insinua-
tions. the staring fact headlined above
his breakfast bacon. This was her
| time to efface herself and the house
hold. to help him to lift the load
I'm afraid / wasn't listening, Mr..
Blondin?"
Miss Nina and | want to know
what day we may have our party?'
Royal repeated.
1.-The studio party?"
"The oof-garden party. We're GO
ing to have 1t from half-past six 70
half-past seven only, because then 1t
won't be too hot"
"Why not have it at night, with Ian
terns?" Harriet said, quite involun-
tarily. And again pang of self-con-
tempt swept over her. 1t was hateful.
1t was Incredible. but she was playing
his game as calmly as II doubts and
reluctance had never entered her
heart.
At four o'clock Richard came home
and the instant Harriet saw his face
she realized, with n shock even sharp
er than the original moment of in
credulity, that he had had no success
in his search. He was alone. His
face was drawn and gray. he looked
hot and rumpled and utterly weary;
more. he who had always been the
pink of well-groomed perfection
looked old. He asked Bottomlev
briefly If Madame Carter was in her
room. and, being Informed that she
was. went hastily upstairs.
1t was to the old lady's beautiful
sitting room that Harriet was sum-
moned few minutes later. She knew
at once that he had told his mother
all he knew and feared.
Madame Carter was shockfngly agi-
tated. She had deep sense of the
dramatic. hut she was not entirely act
ing now. Her face was pale under its
rouge. and the painful tears of age
stood In her eyes.
Miss Fieldv" said Madame Carter,
1--WE have just had most terrible-a
most unexpected-blow!" !"
Harriet simulated expectancy
There is every reason to believe"
pursued Madame Carter, majestically.
that my unfortunate daughter-in-law,
Mr.. Carriers wife, Isabelle, has yield
ed to the passion of her lover! No.
let me talk. Richard" she interrupted
herself. as the man raised haggard
eyes to watch her impersonally, ''far
better to face the facts, my dear! Ny
son tells me, Miss Field the-tbe
well-nigh Incredible statement that
forgetting the honor of womanhood,