Evening star., 1925-03-04
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
oJdne Smith >, ssen ri, L. rs,.ves.s s,',.,,

and faint, football. Jane stood rigid,
| staring into the darkness of the cor
ner. She thought she heard sigh,
and then the footsteps crossed the
| hall, coming nearer. At the stair foot
| they paused, and then began to ascend
| Jane gazed into the deeply shadowed
/ space where the football sounded, but
| nothing-not the slightest glimpse of
| anything moving-came to her strain
Ing sight.
| She looked up and saw the level ray
| of moonlight overhead Whoever
climbed the stair must pass up into
! the light and be visible, but from
| where she stood she could only see
the side of the stair like black wall.
But she must see-she must. If some
| one had come out of the darkness
| where there was no door she must
| know who it was. Her bare feet made
no sound as she moved from the shell
| tering doorway. Step by step she kept
! pace with those slow mounting foot
steps. She passed the steel gate, and
| feeling her way along the wall, came
| to a standstill by the cold black
hearth. Then, with her whole body
tense, she turned and looked up
There was a darker shadow among
the shadows, a shadow that moved
upward, toward the beam of moon
light. Jane watched. breathless, and
from where The Portrait hung, the
somber eyes of Raymond Heritage
| seemed to watch too. Out of black
ness into dusk a something emerged;
one step more and the moonlight, fell
on dark hood. Up into the light
came cloaked figure, draped from
head to foot, shapeless.
On the top step 1t turned. Jane
caught her breath. 1t was Lady Her
itage. She stood there for a long
minute, her left hand just resting on
the newell post with its twining ten
drills and massive overhanging
grapes. The light shone full upon
her, and her face was sharpened,
blanched and sorrowful Her eyes
seemed to look into unfathomable
depths of gloom. The amber. the
rose and the violet of the stained
glass fell in a hazy iridescence upon
the black of her cloak.
In front the cloak fell away and
showed the straight white linen of
an overall, and cloak and overall
were deeply stained with dull wet
smears. A piece Of the stuff hung
Jagged from tear
Jane looked and could not take her
eyes away.
"Oh. she's SO unhappy" she said to
herself
With a quick movement Raymond
Heritage pushed the hood back from
her hair. Then she turned, faced her
own portrait for moment and passed
slowly out of sight. Jane heard a
door close very softly.
She stood quite still and waited,
gathering her courage. She would
have to mount the stairs and pass
through that light before she could
| reach the safely shadowed corridor
| Just for a moment it seemed as if she
| could not do It Her feet. seemed to
cleave to the ground. Five minutes
passed, and another five.
Jane felt herself becoming rigid.
| and with a tremendous effort she took
one step forward, but only one, for as
her foot touched new col patch of
| floor some one moved overhead.
For an instant a little pencil of
electric light jabbed into the dark
| ness and went out again. The next
| moment Mr.. Ember stepped into the
| moonlight. He, too, wore a linen
| overall, and in his left hand he car
ried the masklike headdress which
was in use in the laboratories His
right hand held a torch.
He came down the stairs, walking
| with astonishing lightness- Half way
| down the torch came into play again.
| He sent the little ray in sort Of
| dazSle-dance about the hall. With
| every leaping Hash James heart gave
| a jump, and she only stopped her
teeth from chattering by biting hard
upon the cuff Of Renata's dressi ng
| gown. She had covered her face in
stinctively and peered, terror-strick-
! en-, between her fingers.
The light SKINNED right across her
once, and but for the crimson flannel
! she would certainly have screamed
| aloud. If Mr.. Ember had been look
| ing he could have seen g. semi-circle
! Of white forehead, two clutching
| hands and a Quivering chin. But his
eyes were elsewhere and the dancing
| flash passed on.
| Ember crossed the hall to the far
| corner out Of which Lady Heritage
| had come. Suddenly the light went
| out
Jane heard again the very, very
small creaking noise which she had
| heard before. 1t was followed by a
| faint click, and then unmitigated 81
| lence. The seconds added themselves
| together and became minutes, and