Evening star., 1925-03-19
CHAPTER XXNI,

/
CHAPTER XXNL
Mr.. Ember, having completed all
his arrangements, went in search OF
Lady Heritage. She had sat silently
through lunch and disappeared di-
rectly afterward. Having failed to
find her downstairs, Ember was about
| to pass along the upper corridor to
the steel gate which shut off the
north wing, when he noticed that the
| door of the small oak room on his
| left was standing ajar. He thought
he heard a movement within. and,
after paustng for a moment to listen,
he pushed the door wide and look ID
in. As far as his knowledge went,
Lady Heritage had never entered
this room during the time that they
had been in the house. He accepted
the fact and could have stated the
reasons for it. 1t had been the play
room, and the walls were covered
with Anthony Luttrelrs school
groups. The book shelves held his
books, the cabinets his collections.
! In very intimate sense 1t was his
room.
Raymond Heritage stood at the far
! end of 1t now. She wore a dress of
soft white wool bound with a plated
| gtrdle from the ends of which heavy
tassels swung. She had taken one
of the groups from the wall and was
| looking at 1t with an intensity which
| closed her thought to all other i'm
I pressions. She stood half turned
/ from the door. Ember looked at her.
and looking, experienced some strange
| sensations. This was Raymond Carr
! Magnus, a younger, softer, lovelier
/ woman than Raymond Heritage The
| curious cold something, like trans
| parent glass or very thin ice, which
| seemed to wall her from her fellows.
was gone. 1t was as if the ice had
dissolved, leaving the air misty and
| tremulous.
| The little flame which ALWAYS
burned in him took on brightness and
intensity, and a second fame sprang
up beside it, a flame that burned to
a still white heat of anger because
| this change, this softening, was for
Anthony Luttrell and not for Jeffrey
Ember
There was no sign of emotion, how
ever, In face or expression as he
! moved slightly and said:
| Are you busy? May 1 speak to
you for few minutes?''
1t was characteristic of Raymond
that she did not appear in the least
startled. She turned quite slowly.
laid the photograph on the open front
OF the bureau by which she stood and
said:
Now? Do you want me now?" A
| softness was in her voice as she
| spoke, and a dream in her eyes,
Her beauty struck Ember as a
thing seen for the first time. He
had to use great force to keen his
answer on a note of Indifference.
If you can spare the time" he said
Raymond looked round her. There
was caressing quality in her glance
Yes; I'll come downstairs" she
said '-'o
This This was Anthony's room. She
would not talk to another man in
Anthony's room. The thought NAV
nave been in her mind. The breath
OF 1t beat on Embers flames and
Tanned them higher still. He led the
way downstairs and into Sir VIII
liam's study.
Raymond Heritage had passed from
the despairing mood Of her first in
terVlew with Anthony. Then to know
MN ailVe and to feel him unforgiv-
! ing had stabbed her to the ouick
But that phase had passed. During
the many hours that she had snent
alone, the one amazing, radiant
thought that he was alive had come
10 dominate everything. The cold
hnality of death had been lifted In
stead OF blank wall, there opened
before her an infinite number of
| ways, any one of which might lead
| her back to her lost happiness. she
| began to live in the past, to go over
the old times, to make a dream her
companion.
She came into the study with En-
Der and waited to hear what he
W rrfvy l.
attention which he recognized and re-
sented. His first words were meant
| to startle her
Lady Heritage" he said. "vou
| know, Of course, that there are GER
| tain passages and rooms under this
| house?"
She did start a little, he thought.
Certainly her attention deepened.
Who told you that, Jeffrey?" she
said, and hardly heard her own voice
! because Anthonys rang in her ears.
insisting, Il know that you told
! Ember"
"Mr. Luttrell told me-" said Ember.
| She exclaimed incredulously. At
least her thoughts were not wander
| ing now. Ember felt a certain tri-
umph as he realized it. He went on
| speaking quite quietly:
| 1t was when Sir William and I
were down here the year before Mr.
| Luttrell died. He, Mr.. Luttrell, was
! taken very ill, and 1 sat up with him.
| In the night he was delirious 1t was
! obvious that he had something on his
! mind. He began to talk about pas
| sages and to say that the secret must
| not be lost. He took me for his
nephew, Henry March, and nothing
would serve him but he must show
me the entrance in the hall. He got
} out of bed, and was so much excited
! that 1 thought 1t best to give way.
! When he had shown me the spring he
! calmed down and went quietly back
to bed. In the morning he had for
gotten all about it."
| Raymond listened, frowning.
why do you tell me this?" she
said. Il knew Mr.. LuttrelI had told
| Henry"
Henry March knowsT said Ember
| Eyes, I think so. Yes, I'm sure he
does. why. Jeffrey?"
| Ember was too busy with his
| thoughts to speak for a moment.
What an appalling risk they had run.
II Henry March knew of the passages
| then they had been on the very brink
| of the abyss all along. He spoke at
| last, very seriously:
| Il want you to come down with me
| into the passages, if you will. There's
| something j want to show you
something which / think you ought
| to know"
| CONTINUED in Tomorrow's Star.)
|
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