Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1940-01-18
CHAPTER vII-Continued

CHAPTER Vu-COntlnued
When Lynn glanced at Rundhia
again, he had his back to the iron
chest and he was staring at her,
dark-eyed, not smiling-noticeably
not. Lynn accepted the unspoken
challenge:
81 am sorry let you kiss me this
morning. shouldn't have. 1t wasn't
fair. It may have given you a
wrong impression"
''The correct one being"
ooh, I was just being mischiev-
GUS. It meant nothing"
''No?"
Rundhia eyed her for several Sec
onds without speaking. She didn't
feel afraid of him, but every fiber
in her being was aware of crisis.
Stimulating calnness that she did
not feel, she almost unconsciously
moved the tennis racket from one
hand to the other.
Careful with that" he advised.
"Put it down. You might break
something. Come over here and see
the emeralds."
She did not put down the tennis
racket. That would have been ODE
dience. She was obeying no one. 1t
was not obedience that made her
walk toward him around the over
loaded table. She was walking
straight into danger. She didn't de-
ceive herself about that for mo-
ment. Neither did Rundhia try to
deceive her. Passion, confident and
self-avowed, glowered in his splen-
did eyes. They were more arrest
ing than the diamonds in the glass
case. He looked bold, experienced,
and much more masculinely beauti-
full than any human being she had
ever met. She could feel her heart
pounding. And she felt as sure of
herself as if she were about to
plunge into warm inviting sea.
She didn't hesitate.
LYNN, love you'll"
Weren't you going to show me
the emeralds?"
Strange, how such tactics checked
him. He behaved as he did in the
garden the previous night when she
mentioned the British Resident and
Norwood. It seemed to make him
nervous-to remind him of some in
sufficiency within himself He
glanced past her, at the eyehole in
the door, then turned and opened
the iron chest. He took out two
handfuls of huge emeralds.
Thousands" she said, 81 sup
pose, are like me. What is it about
precious stones that"
Thrills you? Sensuous things,
aren't they? Feel their magic! Press
them against your face! Enjoy
them! One of these days they'll be
mine. These emeralds are not State
property. Lynn! Love me and I'll
give them to you'll"
"Thank you. l don't want them"
'Maharanee Lynn of Kadur! How
would that be? Lynn"
He moved both arms toward her.
She poured back the emeralds into
his hands. He had to take them,
or they would have crashed to the
tiled floor and that might have
brought in the guard. Rundhia
dumped them back into the chest.
Lynn spoke before he could:
''Show me the diamonds. Captain
Norwood" Rundhia f1inched. Lynn
noticed it." wouldn't show me those
that he has"
Again she had sent Rundhia's
thought off on tangent. His eyes
weren't steady any longer. Lynn
followed up:
"They looked like big ones, but
he's careless with them. If hadn't
noticed them fall he might have lost
Them"
"Diamonds?" said Rundhia. "In
Norwood's pocket? When?"
"This morning. He let them fall
while he was talking to me-"
She was already sorry she had
said it, Rundhia's eyes darkened
with what looked like cunning. Lynn
felt safer. Rundhia was running
wild along new line, for the mo-
ment. But Lynn felt guilty. She
should not have defended herself at
Norwood's cost. She hadn't meant
to. But she guessed now that she
had. 1t made her self-contemptuous
and angry.
"Rundhia, what are you thinking
about?"
"You! You only!" His eyes sought
hare oooip STo ba11 with Nor,,,ooJI
Lynn beloved, beautiful, glorious
girl"