Evening star., 1925-05-31

| Sne stole toward the desk, holding
the wrong packet behind her back
May | see what you're writing"
| she asked.
He nodded. He was painting just Il
| little. Sure" he said. Pretty bum
writing, suppose you think, but I've
gotta disguise my hand. | can write
lot better than this, of course"
She leaned over and looked at the
writing, which appeared more like a
| wire-entanglement than a letter, and
! document was spelled with an in
| where she believed a "u" should be-
IT'S wonderfully disguised" she
murmured, 80 much like what a
| blackmailing letter ought to be-"
Amt it?" said the burglar, running
his tongue all the way round the cir
| Gle of his puckered mouth. "Of
course, l can write a lot better than
that" he said. That's just to make
it look right" He put the letter in
an envelope and propped it up against
the ink-stand, and, still admiring it,
he put out an abSentminded hand and
took the packet from the place on the
desk where he had left it. III be on
my way" he said. Il must hand it
to you-youre a sensible woman" He
| unlocked the door, waved his hand
and was gone like a shadow.
Diana did not pause in the darkened
room. She ran straight up the two
flights to her own bedroom, turned on
all the lights and bolted the door. She
felt more afraid now than during the
entire interview. Suppose he should
come back and murder her? She did
not get to sleep until daylight, pale
but reassuring, began to illuminate
the squares of her windows.
1t was the routine of the house
hold that when Diana had been to a
party she was permitted to sleep until
she Wakened of herself and rang the
bell that hung at the head of her bed.
Then Ellen, who had been her nurse
as child, came in and shut the win
dows and lighted the fire and told
her-as if there would never be any
other way for her to find out just what
sort of a day it was.
But this morning Diana was wax
ened by Ellen's knocking on the locked
door. 1t was not the girls custom to
lock her door, and she was obliged to
get out of bed to admit Ellen, who
came in silently, yanked back the cur
tains so that every brass ring rang on
it's brass rod. Diana, looking at her
former nurse. saw that her face was
stained with tears.
ELLEN, what is the matter?" ex-
claimed Diana.
The story was quickly told. The
chauffeur had betrayed them. He
was an elderly Englishman who had
had longstanding political differences
with Ellen over the Irish question
He had come for orders that morn
ing and had inquired stiffiy if he was
to be kept out of his bed every night
simply to bring Ellen home in the
car? The phrase had caught Mr.
Broughton's ear, just as it was meant
to do. and he had asked whether Miss
Diana had not come home at the same
time. No indeed. The car had taken
both Ellen and Miss Diana, but had
brought home only Ellen. Ellen was
sent for at once and confronted by
bland and triumphant adversary and
a stern and inquiring employer. she
had confessed everything-how at
about half-past ] O'Clock Miss
Diana had come up to the dressing
room where the maids were having a
bite of supper and had told her to go
home without her.
y X 4
MR. BROUGHTON with steely
A'A voice cut her short Her useful
ness to him was over, he said, since
he had now lost confidence in her.
Il think I can do something" said
Diana. She had not. of course, the
least intention of initiating the meth
ods of the burglar. Such an idea had
not as yet crossed her mind. but she
reflected that she had done her grand
father a considerable service. He
would be obliged to recognize that.
She looked at the clock. 1t was
after II. At 12 Bryan was coming
to ask for her grandfather consent
to their engagement.
She WAS much too excited to eat, so
she set to work at once to dress as
rapidly as was allowed by the trem-
bling of her fingers-and Ellen's.
BY the time she was dressed she
had thought it out There had never
been much confidence between her
and her grandfather, but she knew
he loved her; and living alone with
him, as she had, since her mother's s
death, she had formed the habit of
telling him most of the events of her
day, without any assurance in his
manner that he even heard what she
said. Ordinarily after such an ad-
venture as she had had the night
before she would have rushed into
his room and poured 1t all out
She thought of doing so now;
but with wisdom that comes
to youth only spasmodicalIy with
each new emotional experience, she
saw that she must first let him dis