Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-05-15
CHAPTER ITI-Continued

He found her sitting at a table be-
side a window overlooking Bond street,
where the fog was like gray stew
and passersby hurrying home were like
solids stirred up to the surface from
the bottom of some kettle. She greeted
him with a quiet smile and pointed to
the empty chair.
Peter, conscious of his shrewdness,
said exactly what she had said-noth-
ing. He sat down across from her, and
for the benefit of the waitress whom
he could see out of the corner of his
eye as black dress and white apron,
he pointed to Brena's steaming choc-
late and nodded. He did not take his
gaze from his companions large dark
eyes which had in them the same look
he had seen once before and which had
made him think of eyes which knew no
death but had been looking out upon
the world for centuries and centuries.
A friend of his had once advanced the
idea, at a dinner party in New York,
that men and women's souls were new
or old, that some of those present had
been aged through countless residence
in human form back through eras of
history, that others had been created
only few hundred years ago and that
still others were new souls just out of
the wrapping. Peter recognized as he
looked into this young woman's eyes
that if he, in worldly terms, were
half dozen years older than she, in
fact, she had outlived him in rounds
and rounds of ages.
Her eyes were so compelling that it
was difficult to give attention to the
fact that her countenance had in 1t
battling riddle. Her face was long with
a straight and perfect nose below a
forehead which might be considered by
a classicist lacking good fraction of
an inch in height. She had full
rounded chin below lips so flexible and
of so warm and rich a moist color that
their thinness was scarcely noticeable.
But there was combined in her fea-
lures, which taken together were by no
means perfect, still beauty which
represented the Greek in her, with
some undercurrent of shimmering
chameleon elusiveness.
You are shocked at my behavior"
she said at last, arranging the white
ruffling at her throat as if she pre-
ferred to treat Peters state of mind
casually. Perhaps you are pleased?"
1.-THE two go together" he said
quickly.
Il Of nc1r ma hn I mt
you had never heard my voice before"
''That struck you forcibly after you
left the telephone" Peter told her with
authority. ut was not surprising. i
had never heard your voice. But had
seen you. 1t was only necessary to
look at each other"
YES that was memorable" she said
solemnly, and looked far away. "But
unfortunately the tempo of this meet
ing does not warrant that little laugh
of yours" she went on in reproval,
II came to London to see you, but l
came because of Murjel Benham."
Peter looked up in dismay. He said,
"You don't mean that she told you-?"
mo one told me-" said Brena Sell
coss. You were there. l heard scraps
OF conversation. Once heard my own
name. 1t was no fault of mine. Nor
Is II fault of mine that with Mrs.
Benham's word or two about Muriers
desire to go away, after your sudden
departure for London, that can see
what has happened have come down
from the country to beg you to go
back
Peter shook his head from side to
side.
''In some way-some mysterious way
just such a thing as this involves me
always. | have been, unwlttingly, the
cause Of"
"oh, no, you haven't" said he, with
yigor
Apparently she did not hear she
leaned forward and said. with great
earnestness. ut touched me deeply
not because Muriel was once great
friend to me-but because cannot
bear"
He interrupted her again by saying,
THE whole thing is nonsense, Miss Sell
coss. ! am sorry that the only way
can put an end TO it is to be ungallant.
The plain truth is that do not have
the slightest emotion of any kind about
Miss Benham. No doubt she is very
admirable English girl-she Is healthy,
lovely and correct. No doubt there was
an unfortunate misunderstanding, but
It was not because OF any inclination
Of mine, and nothing need be said