Evening star., 1942-02-11

would have pursued that retreating
figure, and learned its identity.
Actually. however. nothing would
have induced her to venture out into
the dark shaft of the hallway.
Abandoning her impulse to awak-
en- Lee, she crept back into bed.
For long time she lay there rigid,
her mind a maelstrom of questions
Who was the unknown figure she
had seen lurking in the garden?
Why had her uncle stared at her
as il she were somebody's ghost?
And who was it that had just now
tried so stealthily to enter her room?
The darkness gave her no answer.
Only the dry branch of the syca-
more tree scraped maddeningly
against her window like a mocking
obbligato to her thoughts and the
night wrapped her in its enigmatic
shroud.
Breakfast the next morning was
a rather glum affair. Despite the
deft service and the excellent food,
the atmosphere of constraint which
Mai had noticed the night before
still hung over the party. Jarvis
Thorpe, sitting at one end of the
table, performed his duties as host
with Stiff1y formal courtesy. His
bride, sitting at the other end, was
pale and a little distrait Robert
Jocelyn, whose threat Mia had over
heard the night before, made no at
tempt to eat. He sat in gloomy
silence, darting from time to time
glance of i'll will at Jarvis Thorpe
and crumbling bit of dry toast
nervously in his fingers.
An Important Matter.
Among the other members of the
group little flares of conversation
sprang up from time to time and
then died out, extinguished by the
uncongenial atmosphere.
At the conclusion of the meal
Jarvis addressed his guests.
II don't know what your plans
for the morning are" he said e little
difhdently as if he were making a
special effort to be genial, but not
quite succeeding. However, think
it would do us all good if we took
advantage of this break in the
weather to get little fresh air. If
any of you would care to 60 horse
back riding I'll have the horses
brought around in half an hour.
That will give us all time to change"
There was a general murmur of
assent. Mia thanked her lucky
stars that she had had the foresight
to bring her riding togs and had
persuaded her brother to do the
same.
She changed swiftly and dashed
downstairs, hoping to have a few
minutes with Lee before the others
arrived But Jarvis Thorpe was al
ready waiting in the great hall. He
looked unexpectedly distinguished in
his jodhpurs and smartly tailored
coat. Mia. observing him as she
might have done a stranger, was
suddenly aware of the very real
charm which her uncle possessed.
"You look very charming this
morning" he said with kind of
Old World courtesy. "You slept well
last night I hope?"
Mia parried the question with a
polite murmur 1t would hardly be
discreet to tell her uncle that Thorpe
Lodge was already preysng on her
nerves
I'm sorry there hasn't been real
-. to1 y1r,t1 onH
your brother" Jarvis continued,
leading Mia to E, comfortable chair
under one of the tall mulioned
windows. Its time that we all got
better acquainted. Perhaps I could
see you and Lee after lunch. There
is a rather important matter l
should like to discuss with you"
An Interrupted Talk.
you're being very kind" Mia
began, but her words were inter-
rupted by Timothy Castleton's
booming voice.
Il say. Jarvis" he said, stomping
heavily down the steps, IF you're
not too occupied, could I have a
word with you?"
Certainly" Jarvis answered, but
a shadow of irritation crossed his
face. He turned to Mia. will you
excuse me, my dear?"
"Of course" Mia answered.
Shortly afterward they all went
outside, where the grooms were
waiting with the horses. Jarvis
huge old mansion might be gloomy,
but at least he kept an excellent
stable, Mia thought with swift ap-
proval as she saw the horses, beau
ties all of them, standing there with
the morning sunshine glinting on
their glossy names.
The road they took led down and
curved around the house. so that
before they came to the second turn
in the path they had an excellent
view of Thorpe Lodge as 1t stood
there grim and forbidding on the
rising ground.
Looks like something out of
'Wuthering Heights, doesn't it?"
asked Derek Knowle, refining IN his
horse beside Mia.
She looked at him in some sur
prise. Somehow she hadn't expected
the insouciant Derek to be familiar
with the Brontes.
And as for the country around