Evening star., 1924-06-08

plain, to beg nor offer to buy. The
Honorable Sylvia could either wrap up
Mrs. Thorndyke-M clothes and
send them aboard or she could steal
them, which latter act involved just
letting the boat go back without
them. And that is what she did
WITHOUT at first scrutinizing the
moral quality of the act at all,
she flushed and smiled at herself in
the glass when first she saw herself
fully arrayed in her spoils, with moth
ing more than an amused sense OF
mischief. 1t was not until her hus-
band came back, on the afternoon Of
the garden party, and she saw the
look that came into his face, as he
caught his first glimpse of her, that
the first misgiving came.
One of the elements which went to
make up her alteration for him was
something akin to fear. At the very
core of the man, accounting perhaps
for his almost miraculous power over
savage peoples, was saintlike sort
of austerity-an Ark of the Cove
nant, inaccessible to the intrusion OF
merely human loves or fears. Sylvia
knew it was there. knew that even
her hand might not be laid upon the
veil before it. But it was only grad
ually that she realized how this act
of hers would look when brought for
judgment before that shrine.
II seemed like the mockery of a
malicious fate that gave the subject
of the talk the turn it had taken.
Here was a deadly parable that the
Prophet Nathan himself could hardly
have improved upon. The poor,
frightened little native woman who
had had to steal in order that she
might be finely arrayed. Would John
Carew be willing TO show one OF
those woman thieves more mercy than
he was prepared to show the other?
The sudden flare of cold anger that
had come up into his blue eyes an
swered that question. if it had not
been answered before. The man was
fanatic, of course; he had in him
the quality of logically carrying out
valid idea to remorseless and in
human conclusionS-a quality that
has planted many a stake and set the
torch to many pyre.
There was a silence for while
after Sylvia had come to the end or
her story.
looked across at my wife. Luck
lily, women have not our passion for
abstract morality. They act on the
pa articular event as it comes along
IF you will pack up those clothes,
said my wife, Il will take them back
to Mrs. Martin, and then, you see, you
will only have borrowed them"
/ saw my wife smile.
For that matter" she went on.
II don't see why you haven't really
borrowed them from me. I'll take the
responsibility for Mrs. Martin. I've
lent them to you and now, il you've
finished with them, can take them
back. There isn't anything wrong
about that. is there"
Sylvia sat up and gaZed out through
the window at the lighted patch OF
lawn with the big granite slab in
the midle of it. Then she rose.
"rIl get them for you" said Sylvia
NV wife went with her, and /
lighted a fresh cigar and strolled out
on the balcony
AS it happened, we oldh see care"
again, Our cab came for US before
his return from the village, and we
drove down to the Rest House under
a heap of bandboxes. The Sarah
Bird came in during the night and
we sailed on her the next morning for
Cebu.
We found the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
in Manila and gave Mrs. Martin her
clothes. and it needed all but forcible
restraint to keep her from shipping
them straight back to Sylvia
Last Christmas we got little card
of greetings from Mr.. and the Hon
orable Mrs John Carew.
Much love-" Sylvia had written
on it, land a world of thanks
tOnpyright. 1s24)