Evening star., 1925-03-04
CHAPTER XIV.

Jane walked that night, and did
not know why she walked. After a
moment it came to her that she had
been dreaming. In her dream some
thing unpleasant had happened, and
she did not know what it was. She
sat up in the darkness with her
hands pressed over her eyes, trying
to remember
Tho vague feeling of having passed
through some horrifying experience
oppressed her far more than definite
recollection could have done.
She got up, switched on the light
and began TO pace up and down, but
she could not shake off that feeling
of having left something. she did
not know what, just behind her, just
out of sight. She looked around for
the book she had been reading, but
she remembered now that she had
left it downstairs. She looked at her
watch. 1t was o'clock. The house
would be absolutely still and empty.
Tt would not take her two minutes
20 fetch the book from the drawing G
room. She slipped on Renata's dress
ing gown, put out her light and
opened the door.
With a little shock of surprise she
saw that the corridor was dark.
Some one must have put out the light
which always burned at the far end.
Instead of the usual family rosy
glow, there was darkness thinning &
20 dusk, and just at the stairhead
a vivid splash of moonlight. After
a moments hesitation Jane slip
ped out OF her room, leaving g
the door ajar. Somehow she
had not reckoned upon having TO
cross that brightly lighted space. She
came slowly to the head of the stairs
and looked down into the hall. 1t was
like looking into the blackness and
silence of q vast we'll. She could see
nothing-nothing at all. The moon
was shining in through the rose
There was a shield in the win
dow, shield with the Luttrell arms,
and the light came through the glass
in a great beam shot with color, and
struck the portrait of Lady Heritage
and the vine leaves and grapes on
the newell just below. The window
and the portrait were on the same
level, and the ray seemed to make a
brilliant cleavage between the silvery
dusk above and the dense gloom be-
low.
Jane descended the stairs, walking 6
carefully so as to make no noise. At
the foot she turned sharply to the
left and passed the study door, the
fireplace and the steel gate which
smut OIL In6 north ne QOOT OI
the yellow drawing room was straight
in front of her. She opened 1t softly
and went in.
The book would be on the little
table to the right of the fireplace
because she remembered putting /;
there when Lady Heritage made an
unexpectedly early move. She stood
for moment visualiZing the ar
rangement of the chairs, and then
walked straight TO the right place
The book was where she had left it.
put down open, bad habit for which
Jimmy had often rebuked her. She was
back at the door with 1t, and Just
about to pass the threshold when she
heard a sound. Instantly she stood
still, listening. The sound came from
the other end of the hall, where the
shadows lay deepest round the mas
Give oak door.
But there can't be any one at the
door at this hour said Jane-"there
can't, there can't possibly"
The sound came again, somethin g
between a rustic and creak, but SO
faint that no hearing less acute than
James would have caught 1t.
ITS on the left of the door, under
meath Willoughby Luttrelrs picture
q
Jane suddenly pressed her hand to
her lips and made an involuntary
movement backward, for there was
an unmistakable click, and then, slow