Show cj the th e blue I 1 circle 1 Q Q 1 by ELIZABETH JORDAN X X 0 by the th century co service CHAPTER X continued 19 yes I 1 am the girls voice was defiant but miserable nilse ruble 1 I have always hated dated the dark I 1 always have a dim tight light in ili my room at night its the harkness aar kness I 1 mind now the utter blackness and the closeness I 1 feel as if we overe shut UD in a tomb like alda aida and her young roan mon renshaw frivolously commented tie he was tie ao sorry for the girl that ills his throat ached so BO anxious about tier her that the pit of his stomach felt cold but ile he went on cheerfully let them be a lesson to you yori all the reprisal they offered was to sing im afraid you dont appreciate aldu aida the girl was pathetically trying to play agn aann n his thront throat contracted not especially ive always been tome some elephantine prima donna in the leading role and it has been hard bard to to take her sufferings seriously but I 1 like the music we might inight try the luet duet now it if you like lie ho ended lightly please dont laugh at me 1 I vont v ont lf if you will admit that you are foolish to mind a guy gay little adventure like this you call it gay oh well he appeared to give his mind to tile the problem while he battered batt ercil tile lie oak door 1 I will substitute the word amusing if you like that better do you mind if I 1 it if I 1 there was a very long pause if I 1 hold your hand she brought out at last you may hold the right one he graciously conceded accepting the request as the most natural one in the world ive got to keep on banging with the left he extended his hand in the darkness found the small one that wits was groping toward him and took it in a firm close grasp again he felt the odd contraction of the throat lie he had experienced before lie he knew what it had find been to verity campbell to make that request lie knew that having made it tier her pride was in the dust like a trailing lag flag lie he seemed suddenly to know a great many other things about her us as he be felt the quiver if that small cold hand in ills his own ill keep on beating alth with the left he repeated efficiently conil combining lining the words with the action because nebout tide this time line morris ought to be getting biek from tits his culls ive seen him use ilie hie main staircase several times and if lie he does it today to day unless lies more absentminded absent minded ann than I 1 think lie la Is hes going to realize that some one would appreciate the honor of tits his attention oil oh do you think hell come soona soon the hand in hia his wan wa growing warmer and more steady the human contact was doing its work now under tile the hope aroused brousel by b his words verity graced gra fied his arm with tier her other liand hand and was clinging to him of course hell come soon boon morris Is not the man to neglect the most important patient he has ever had also the incomparable jenks jenka tins hns told him that ten tea la Is served lit at five und and lint your cooks cooka specialty Is toasted muffins it must be about five now lie he added with conscious pathos 1 I mind having a buttered muffin myself all the while lie he banged kicked and battered stopping occasionally to tn turn the doorknob experimentally ue he had not for a moment forgotten that the he impish or malicious force that had so BO suddenly closed the door might open it as suddenly lie he did not intend to be caught napping or to have the he girl remain in that trap one instant longer than was necessary verity released her grasp of his arm and slipped her left hand further into his right one he held it comfortingly for tingly but blit as impersonally as lie he could it willi was a nice job he suddenly re realized allred quite a delicate job in fact to hold that hand in exactly the right way under the force of this discovery he be again rushed into speech morris Is sure to come and lie la Is sure to hear us lie he went on easily 19 1 I dont know wily why I 1 mention that sooner it would have spared you all your anxiety A long jong trembling sigh from the he darkness beside him told him that the anxiety W aps Os not yet post past lie he exerted himself to interest lt ile he spoke vt of she had bad mentioned tn in her table talks with madame and which lie he also alao kne knew lie he too had wun derea dereu over the world and had sought its out of the t heway he way places As lie he talked lie punctuated hl sentences with blows and kicks upon the unyielding door and as lie he beat and bucked he was steadily conscious of tile the increasing elbs closeness eness of the atmosphere ilia his heaxt fluttered in a new anxiety for the girl she must be feeling eeling it too she must be suffering yes her slender figure so close to him now wits was sagging gagging against tits alg shoulder tits his grasp on her hand tightened tighten edi im sure youre tired he said gently wont you sit down now I 1 no I 1 wont take more than an my share of the air that la Is left lie ile laughed still harping on that airl air lie be chided the girls voice was faint but the impulse toward panic had passed site she was feeling que erand rather drowty drowsy i clerel ll erel I 1 renshaw watt wa shaking her quickly almost violently youre not going to faint are you pull yourself together toge lher try to brace cupl ile he rubbed her hands banda pull yourself together he br urgently gently repeated dont let yourself got go I 1 the appeal in hla his voice reached her 1 I 1 feel so BO strange site she murmured its the lie air I 1 cant get a deep breath lie ile dropped her hands and started an assault on the door that was frenzied in its desperation ile he would get the girl out of that hole he decided it if he had to butter down the walls of that d d house hed rouse some of those deaf fools who were dozing in distant wings hed make them think the he last trump was sounding lie ile had resumed the role of the human batter ingram verity was past protest and he kept it up suddenly heid first lie he pitched into the outer corridor with such force that he struck and recoiled from the opposite wall behind him verity clutching the sides of the he open closet door swayed weakly und blinked at him in ili dawning in credulous understanding and relief facing them both the incomparable jenks all self control and presence of mind departed helplessly gasped and stuttered my aly gabill 1 he said over and over and you in there too miss aliss campbell and most suffocated renshaw put him aside and caught the girls arm as she blinked and swayed sw aed it was pretty bad while it lasted but its over oer now he said cheerfully V L suddenly head first he pitched into the outer with such force that he struck and recoiled from the opposite wall steady tier her on the he other side jenks and well get her to her room here hurry up cupl I 1 for jenks was examining the door to discover the cause of the accident his fuce face had an odd chalky look that hat even in the excitement of the moment renshaw Rens liaw noticed at the batters lat crisp order lie he found his big wits and hurried to the lie other side of verity to lake her arm it might of killed her he be dazedly muttered nothing of the sort renshaw shot n w warning liming look at blip alip over her head some one was bound to hear the noise we kept up I 1 can cant t understand why you hear bear it sooner 1 I did hear it sooner sir air jenks jenka confessed abject under the he shock lie he had rec received elved 1 I heard it for more than an hour hut but I 1 pay any atten tion to it because I 1 thought it came from Forne somewhere where outside H he e returned to tits his original refrain she might have suffocated I 1 well bhea ashes all right now here safe at the you are miss aliss campbell door of your own room better llo lie down for a while ile he opened tile the door for her watched her walk unsteadily across the thres ahrea hold closed the door and looked at jenks get a glass of sherry for min campbell and then hen bring a whisky and soda to my room ha be directed jenks did not dot return his usual brisk affirmative HO he did not even move from the abt where he stood the fact that tile the secre peril had at least been equal to that of his young mistress obviously did not interest or 0 r concern hidir renshaw watched him with it a tolerant understanding of his bis viewpoint site she might of been suffocated jenks slowly repeated chapter XI uncertainties ten minutes later inter a deferential tap on Ren shaws door showed allowed that jenks had recoiled recalled himself to tile the high duties of hla his office lie he entered without walting waiting for a response onse and finding the secretary in a big chilly chair before too the unlit fire set down tile lie troy tray he carried and moved around tile the room for a moment with characteristically noiseless activity at tile he end of the brief interval a small table was at the lie young mans elbow and from the decanter and siphon lie he had brought jenks jenka had poured a stiff and welcome drink lie he set this before tile the secretary in silence lence el and producing a box built drw cigars maintained a perfect pose of respectful service till ili renshaw had selected one jenks jenka certainly knew how to make a man comfortable jenks jenka spoke all right now sir air ills ilia voice as always a ways wits smoothly respectful all right thanks did miss campbell drink tier sherry yes air bar jenks hesitated then might alight I 1 ask just how it happened sir he inquired welcomed the lite question he desired the servants 0 to o know just how hov it bod happened if jenks jenka intended to discuss the mutter matter below stairs simplest thing in the world ho he said lightly miss campbell won showing me lite through the house when we reached this hall I 1 sald said something about not having enough towels you yon know ive mentioned that to QU too site she went into the closet to show me where they were I 1 followed her across the threshold and the door sud bud denly alu slammed mined shut behind us ua jenks gazed at the floor that wes odd sir air it he be asked gently renshaw looked at him until the butlers glance lifted from the loor floor to his eyes it was very odd he then said bald holding the look in fact it was so BO odd that it simply could not have happened jenks seemed startled 1 I dont quite follow you sir BIT 1 I will be clearer what I 1 mean Is s renshaw Ilens liaw spoke very slowly that door did not shut by itself to this at first jenks made no reply he seemed slightly disturbed and greatly puzzled you mean sir air that it blow shut lie asked at last through the mental mist that appeared to have settled over him of course it blow shut chut how could it have blown shut there was no draft what I 1 mean to Is that lint some one or something intentionally shut it jenks now looked frankly incredulous but life hie reply as always was deferential that could hardly be sir air could it itt why would anyone shut it wh who woula want to and even if anyone wanted to how bow could it be done without you seeing sir air what id like to know myself renshaw llen shaw spoke wearily the after strain of the episode was telling on him jenks jenka nodded and took up the tray it was a regrettable incident air lie he sold quietly but firmly due to the unfortunate condition of the he knob I 1 have given orders to have the knob repaired in the morning Iten show did not answer every word jenks had uttered hod convinced him that the butler knew all about that hat door but he be wits was also aware that jenks did not intend to share his knowledge the solution that suggested itself seemed preposterous tits his brief sense of well being departed under the he mental jolt of the con convers verso alon tillon taano ker was taking a lot out of him ile he wondered what comments jenks would make on other recent episodes se des that had occurred probably they hey too were regrettable incidents jenks oozed from the room carrying hla his tray Ken Iten shaws shows thoughts swung back to verity how plucky the girl had been I 1 site she would actually balb anio located rather than take what she considered more than her share of the diminishing air supply I 1 lie he wondered how much longer she could have held her self control and what would have happened if jenks had bad not heard him for say another hour that was wag not a reflection his bis mind cared to dwell upon he switched from it to 10 the memory of the butlers genuine consternation when he be discovered that miss campbell as well as renshaw had bad been a prisoner her discomfort her possible danger had bad affected him benshaw was glad of that bat TO BE BB CONTINUED |