OCR Text |
Show m m himiiiw i i .... i ---- I V M rlPfeF Author of "The Msc Faces." I Oil 11115 Irwin Aiyew 1 ' I Mu!l MWaWQkaI) Copyright 1920 by the Author SYNOPSIS. H CIIAPTI3H L Vaguely coniclous of a H double personality, but without nny Idea M of Its moaning, tlio girl, Leonora, makes M liar accustomed way Into tho Stroot of H Htrance Knees. Thoroughly at home In H Uie underworld of Now York, Leonora M taken her course to her appointed render.. H vous. Greatly In love, and seeing the fine ; H qualities which tho Rlrl really possesses, H Mario seeks to turn her from the path H of Inevitable destruction, but only In a M half meusure accomplishes his purpose. M At rtlstorl's cafo, gathering place of crltn- H Innls, Leonora meets hor partner, "Red" m Carnchan, and his associates, and Is rc- M cused of betraying a fellow criminal to M the police. She savagely defends herself, M and tho ensuing argument Is Interrupted f by the appearance of Loo Dlcllnsky, flee- M Ini; from tho police, ono of whom ho has H killed. Odlcers In pursuit crash Into tho M room and two aro killed by Carnehan. M Leonora and the rest escape. H CHAPTER II. -In her studio, Prlscllla M Maine, wealthy artist, awakes from M troubled sleep with a distinct feeling of H having her life linked with Leonora's. H X'rlscllln has painted a picture of horself M In fancy dress a gipsy which seems to M lmvo a hypnotic effect on her. Unnerved, H and fearful that her mind is affontcd. H I'rlscllla calls to her aid an old friend, H Dr. Philip Tosdlck. Explaining, as far as M she can understand, her Idea of her m double personality, Prlscllla goes ovor tho H situation with Fosdlck. A student of the M higher emotions of tho human mind. Fog. M dick In deeply Interested, and very much H In love with tho girl, offers his aid In M nolvlrig the problem. Ho la stunned when H she tells him the story In her mind, con- H firmed by tho newspapers. Dooply m shaken, Fosdlck promises to make an H exhaustive study of Prlsctlla'a case. H CIIAPTKU III. Fosdlck henrs of a H dirk chapter In tho life of Prlecllla's H father, nnd Uint mystery surrounded her H motlior. Ho discovers Uiat tho portrait M rrlscllla has painted has a strango offoct B upon her, Auto-hypnosls, ho calls It. H Prlscllln Is unable to take her thoughts H frnrn Mnrlo, whom sho truly loves, al- H though In the character of Leonora. H "Now what?" he demanded with H brusque good humor. H "I've had the funniest nensation H ... I was thinking about the paint- H inpr, wondering if, perhaps I'd don H something extraordinary and weird. H minted mv own soul into tho figure H . on.-tha canvas you know ho that it H really lived and was me whl'c T was H merely a shell of fFosh and blood . . . H and suddenly it seemed to ma my H . fancy had come true, thnt I wnsrcol- H ly there on the canvns looking into H the room here, seeing myself, I mean M seeing Priscilla Maine, nnd wondor- H ing about her and nbout you, as if I'd fl never known either of us, as if I were H n stranger in my own studio .... H Do you understand, Philip? It must sound so wild and silly . . . What j was it, Philip? What mndc me feel H thnt way?" "Auto-hypnosis a mild phase su- H perinduccd by excitement and fretting. H Nothing to worry nbout. And still H . . . Frankly, I don't liko it. I wouldn't care to have it happen too H frequently. It's no good encouraging II thnt sort of thing; each time it hnp- pens it breaks ilown resistance, make? m you only tho more susceptible to the M next suggestion. If I were you, I'd drop thnt portrait, put it out of sight ond mind till we've settled this ques- 1 tion opened it up nnd let light into M its dnrkness, and so relieved your doubts nnd fears." M "Perhnps you're right," Priscilln de- M murred, "but I don't know. It makes me unhappy to have unfinished work on hand. Don't you think I might bet- tcr finish it up, ami get it out of the studio altogether?" Hut Philip's dis- approval was manifest. "Please!" she 1 begged her prettiest. "It only means M another day or two; then T enn let. Hnrkness have it and forget all about HI "I can't sny yes, 'Cilln. I shouldn't M be at all surprised if it turned out 1 thnt last night's experience, I mean M for the peculiar content and trend of your dream." She was frankly puzzled nnd snul 1 . . , M "The power of suggestion it 1ms cx- M erted on your thoughts," he explained. M "Till yesterday you never expressed it even to yourself; but subconscious- Jy, I haven't any doubt, the thought 1 i ..i . l.... i .it.Ml 4 lint ,r H wasn't yourself you were painting but H the heroine of your drenm story, un. M other woman of a dilTerent life with B an independent spirit nnd mentality. M And then of course, all this is sheer guesswork there aro associations in- herent in the concept of gipsy girl and a gipsyisli existence, romantic, adven- M turous, full of dangers, twists nnd B ' turns nnd thrills; such thoughts may M well have dictated the character and M course of the dream, though you wore M never actively aware of thinking H them." j "I. wonder ..." Priscilln sipped Hj her ten. "Maybe you're right . . . H But still I don't see why I shouludn't H go on with the painting. Just ono more dny, Philip" "Confound you!" Philip exploded H with nn irritated laugh "you know how hardd it is for mo to refuse you anything. But it's no good this time, H 'Cilia. I won't have you ngitnting yourself with that painting till you've entirely recovered poise. For thnt matter, it would be better for you to keep away from the studio nltogethcr for n few days. You've been living entirely en-tirely too much within yourself. Get out nnd about, sec people, go to restaurants res-taurants nnd plays and dances more " "How can V enjoy such things with this trouble?" "That's just it. Until we find tho explanation, ex-planation, which may take time, you're bound to keep worrying unless you go out moro into tho world. I'm in enmest about this, Priscilln; prom-Ibo prom-Ibo to keep away from the studio for at least three days." "If you insist," she conceded with n suspicion of n pout "I presume I've got to do as tho doctor orders." "Then thnt's settled," Philip assorted assort-ed with reckless complacence. III. THE PRESCRIPTION Priscilln had a pensive moment. "Hypnotism?" she echoed her thot: "I wonder if that's one way . . . Do you think you could get at the truth. Philip, if you were to hypnotize nnd then cross-examine mo?" "I'd rather not except as a Inst resort. re-sort. Hypnotism demnnds such complete com-plete surrender to tho will of the hypnotist, it tends to undermine the independence of tho ego which is essential es-sential to the right development of the individunl." "But what else can we do 7" "Many things ... To begin with I want to take this story home with me nnd go over it word by word. As it stands, in its intrinsic significance, it's nn absolutely unique humnn document, docu-ment, utterly nrtlcss nnd honest. The clue wo need mny bo in it, in some unconscious' un-conscious' botrnynl of repressed emotion emo-tion or desire: it mny lie hidden in some turn of phrasing, even in soma usunl word, the word you wouldn't ordinnrily uro to express your thot. Such thingB can only do got at thnt close study." "Oh, plain alouthlng, -for. ono liko digging into tho mystery of your parents' par-ents' marriage, finding out why they were unhappy, nnd especially who your mother was and what sort of family sho had behind her whether, in short, it's possible that you've inherited in-herited somo psychic tradition. There nro families, for instnnce, thnt hand down from generation to generation tho clairvoyant tendency "we know by tho name of second sight. Finnlly, wn mny find the police useful." Priscilln Btarted shnrply. "The po. Heel" she repented in a tone of protest. pro-test. "Why not?" Philip tupped tho manuscript of the drenm story. If you nctunlly did, through some freak of psychic activity 'traveling clairvoyance.' clair-voyance.' or whntcver It Is have llr&t-liand llr&t-liand knowledge of thlsRIellnsky business busi-ness . . . Well, his Isn't the only naniu mentioned. And If you remembered remem-bered his accurately, nnd thu plainclothes plain-clothes men, Knnls and Corbln, and Ulstorl's why shouldn't the others be real mimes of real persons ns well? English Addle nnd Inez, Hurry tho Nut and Charlie the Coke, Red Curno-linn Curno-linn . . ." Struck by a circumstance whoso significance sig-nificance had till now escaped him, he paused for thought, unheeding the signs of disconcertion betrayed by I'rlHcil'n. "1 say I If you dreamed true, neither of the policemen who entered that up-stair up-stair room lived to toll what they found there. Then Ulellnsky Is credited cred-ited with two murders of which he's Innocent. I fancy police headquarters will be deeply Interested If I can persuade per-suade them Red Curneliuu was the author Jt the killings in RlstorPsI" 1'ilMllla's cup nnd saucer cluttered. "You mustn't 1" she cried, her eyes Ide, her features drawn with dismay. "You mustn't do thnt. Philip! Don't you ui ilerMnud don't you know what will hi'ppeu If you do? Red wouldn't hcslin c an Instant If he thought I'd IT lit- tliouuht Leonora had told. He'd r. nk- I mean, he'd kill her. Philip 1" "Uli, come!" I'lilllp put tiown ins cup and tried to ispealc reassuringly. "You'ie takliiK this too seriously" Tin not. It Is serious: It's llfo or death!'' She nns suddenly on her feet, gesticulating In a manner utterly out of phiuiieler. Philip got up to face her, nnd trl"d to Interrupt, but she wouldn't llx'en. "If, the way they do with Miueiuors- Informers, that is people who tell. 1 know what I'm talking nbout. They kill them, or get them killed!" "Eny. 'Cilia. Don't loso your head." Sho didn't oven hear. "Rod's suspicious sus-picious already." she declared. "He'd, rowed u lot with Leonora about Mario. He told me ... I mean, I remember remem-ber his telling Leonora he thought Mario wns a dick n detective nnd If he caught hor talking to him again, or anything happened to niuke It 1 m think she'd talked too much, he'd kill her llr.it uill Mnrlo neit." She threw out hands that Miook with passionate anxiety. "Promise me you won't go to the police, Philip for my snke, for Leonora's, for Mario's 1" "For Mario's sake?" Philip's eyes darkened. "To be sure: I'd' forgotten nbout Mnrlo. And ho seems to be rather n moro Irnportnnt personnge than I" "I she loves him, Philip and he loves Leonora. And bin Influence Is goofl for her. I know, If you won't tell I don't know how I know, but I do Mnrlo will find n wny to snve her, he'll get her awny from those others nnd marry her nnd make her good, nnd innke her happy, too. Give him give both of them n chance, Philip 1 Ilenso! If nnythlng should happen to either of them, I " "Priscilln 1" Tho Imperative tone shocked her Into momentnry silence. Rut her attitude at-titude remnlned thnt of supplication, she still trembled In frantic nnxlety nnd besought his generosity with pleading hands. "You won't you promise not to go to hendqunrters?" . "I promise. For tho time being, nt lenst, I'll keep away from the police but on one condition . . . Are you listening?" "Yes yes, Philip" "You must stop this fretting take things quietly. And you must como away from tho wttullo with mo nt once. I'll see you homo and this evening If Aunt Esther will hnve me I'll drop round for dinner. After thnt, If you've nothing else nrrnnged. we might do a piny. If you like, I'll scare up some others nnd make It a box pnrty, nnd nftorwnrd wo can drop In nt the Club do Vlngt for a dance. What do you sny?" The panic In her eyes gave way to daze, then to. dawning comprehension. She smiled feebly, her hands sketched n sign of apology nnd chagrin. "I've been silly ngaln! What have I been saying, Philip?" "It doesn't mutter. Will you glvo me this evening nnd do your best to help me enjoy It?" "It sounds awfully Jolly, und I'm sure It'll do me heaps of good. Philip" her eyes wero dnngcrously kind "don't think me ungrateful. You're bo good to me. You're such a dear . . ." "I know," mild Philip with a rueful smile. "Rut I hope that won't bo my only epitaph." CHAPTER FOUR The Haunting Portrait. I. IN THE AIR. That was the year of tho Impetuous spring; March brewed weather whose golden graclousness sho stole from May, April brought times of summer heat, such us Unit afternoon when Prlscllla fell asleep In the studio and dreamed her dream of terror. Days followed ns rare, unseasonable enough but sweet with the warm delight of youth anticipating the richness of maturity, ma-turity, with nights of wonder whoso winds walked suavely beneuth skies of velvet, purple, dense and soft Top-couts Top-couts nnd heavy wraps went early and unmourued to limbo, summer funs appeared ap-peared to stress the deUcacy of summery sum-mery frocks. Shop windows bloomed with dlsplnys of sheer nnd dainty fabrics fab-rics exquisitely tinted, like beds of exotic ex-otic (.lowers under glass. In between them the Avenue saw confused and distracting shown of llvlug flowers, drifting up and down, eddying In groups, pausing lightly. And by day and night us well the Town abandoned Itself to such frivolity as hud no precedent prec-edent In the maddest chapters of Its history. Between twelve nnd twelve It wns dllllcult to secure a table ut any of the more fnvored restnurnnts unless one had been thoughtful enough to mnko rcsorvutluti long In udvnnce. I'luys offering the sorriest of entertainment entertain-ment prospered beyond 'belief. At ono In the morning rushing tides of motorcars motor-cars rendered tho passage of Fifth avenue ns perilous ns nt five in the evening. Tho more retiring soclul llfo was proportionately more guy nnd restless, rest-less, Its brief post-Lenten senson Incandescent In-candescent with u brllllunce unparalleled unparal-leled In the memory of tho most elderly elder-ly Idler. Everywhere there was endless end-less feasting, dancing, coquetry, luugh-ter, luugh-ter, love In Idleness. Announcements of engagements popped In well-nigh continuous fusillade; and after dark all the kindly shadows In tho parks were murmurous with the voices of humbler sweethearts. Love was In the ulr, as omnipresent ns the dust of gold sprayed Into the night by llnmlng sky-signs. sky-signs. It found few immune, none quite Insensible to the preoccupation It Imposed so generally, liven Prlscllla, Prls-cllla, though she miide no sign . . . II. ANALYSIS. Love worried 1'hlllp Fosdlck with relentless re-lentless Importunity, whether ho wero behind the desk In his consultation room, doing his best to give his best to those unfortunates who sought him out to lay open distressed hearts and bespeak bis sympathy und healing counsel, or whether he sat in solitude cudgeling his wits for Insight Into the mystery that shadowed the happiness of the woman ho loved. Tho problem mocked his shrewdest I efforts. Practice and study, personal contact nnd observation together with clow examination of cases recorded by others, hud long since miide him, as ho believed, familiar with every phase of psychosis, hysteria and neurosis, ns well as with those psychic phenomena wh.ch will at times develop In persons per-sons of seemingly normal Idiosyncrasy, from simple dreaming to somnambulism somnambu-lism In nil Its guises, with hallucination, hallucina-tion, trance, ecstasy, telepathy und tclnesthoslu and the various forms of hypnosis. However nearly akin they might be to moro than one of these, what Fosdlck Fos-dlck for want of u better name continued contin-ued with Priscilla to term her "dreams" persisted In defying classification classifi-cation by virtue of n perverse sort of intrinsic unlqulty. For they were In no sense true dreams, having none of the features peculiar to those fantastic Inventions of the mind uncensored b waking consciousness. They were utterly ut-terly without traceable relation to nnythlng nny-thlng In the memory of the subject or her personal circumstances and environment. en-vironment. Nor wero they, ns Is every ordinary dream, n Jumble of condensed con-densed nnd disfigured Impressions unintelligible un-intelligible but to the trained perceptions percep-tions of the analyst. On the contrary they were, ns communicated to Fosdlck, Fos-dlck, coherent, drumntlc, picturesque, convincing reports of happenings which, If they fell short of the rounded round-ed completeness cf the Invented story, wore strikingly like reels Inconsecu-lively Inconsecu-lively viewed In somo cinema of entrancing en-trancing Interest. Further: Prlscllla was not hysterical, hysteri-cal, neurotic or anemic. Neither was she of impound mind. Hallucinations, trance and ecstasy take shape only In the mlusmnta of Insanitary mental nnd physical states. The man who since her earliest days hud adored and i watched over her, knew few minds more clear of vision, unprepossessed by illusions, or capable of straight, honest rcnsonlng. Rut It wns not more sane than her well nourished, groomed nnd guarded body. To a certainty, however, the "drenms" were telepathic. And Fosdlck Fos-dlck hud already seen they could be stimulated by auto-suggestion as when Prlscllla had suffered a sense of translated Identity while puzzling over her portrait of "Leonora." So, too, without question, they fell within tho definition of telnesthesla ns "any direct di-rect sensation or perception of objects or conditions Independent of the recognized rec-ognized channels of the senses, and also under such clrcumstnnccs that no known mind external to the percipient's percipi-ent's can be suggested as the source of tho knowledge thus gained." Rut In cither case the link wns missing; there was no "known mind" with which Prlscllla's could conceivably communicate with such Intimate sympathy sym-pathy whilst she slept, but only "Leonora's." "Leo-nora's." j But wns "Leonora" anything more than n funcy bom of subllmlnnl rec-1 ognitlon by Prlscllla of tho fact that slio was the vessel of a duul personality? personal-ity? Or, If there were a real Leonora, whnt was the nature of the afllnlty that linked her mind with Prlscllla's? Indisputably Leonora was to Priscilln Pris-cilln living fact, a dlssoclato personality personal-ity lending nn Independent nnd factual existence. On the other hnnd, constantly con-stantly by word of mouth nnd In writing writ-ing Priscilln referred to Leonora as her "other Self a plain and direct lend to the solution expressed by the term dunl personality. And (ns Philip had told tho girl) In tho unconsidered, spontnneous phraseology of a naive subject the key to the rlddlo may frequently fre-quently be found. And yet, Fosdlck hnd repeatedly to remind himself, the projection of a ' Kecondury personality through nny considerable distance In space, or tho ' creation of n now nnd strange en- I vlronment for Its activities, wns n phe-! nomonon us yet even to be suggested . by the most pretentious churlutnn or the most credulous pseudo-sclentUlc student of the psychic. j Nevertheless', he felt constrained j provisionally to adopt the hypothesis ! of duul personality und upon It base : the beginnings of his survey. III. THE AMATEUR SLEUTH. Dredging the pust for the truth nbout Prlscllla's mother brought to light nothing Hint seemed helpful. In twenty-odd yours New York Itself had changed almost beyond recognition i nnd tho constitution of Its society had i bceu made over again nnd again till few of the original elements remained. ' Then, too, the memory of man Is pe-cullnrly pe-cullnrly brief concerning the troubles of others. Henry Ilobart Maine, oue of the most successful of American portrait painters und in his day a conspicuous con-spicuous rtgure In the soclul life of tho city, nevertheless had mnde few close friends, nnd of these only one hud survived him by a your or two I Philip's father. Pris'clllu's "aunt." I Mrs. Trowbridge, being duly pumped ! proved to bo as Ignorant ns the girl j hud said she wns concerning the mur-j mur-j riugo of her klnsniuii. She knew Indefinitely In-definitely thnt "there hud been trouble;" trou-ble;" Its nuture, Its cause, Its outcome, were alike outside her knowledge und alien to her Interest. Apparently she hnd never been anything more than sho was today, aw nmlubly self-centered soul, comforted und sustained by those delusions of personal Importance which lire so essential to tho Insignificant. From other sources, by dint of guarded guard-ed und seemingly casual but persistent gossiping In the lounges of clubs fro-quented fro-quented by the elder generations, Fosdlck Fos-dlck leurned that Maine hud been regrettably re-grettably guilty of a romantic Indiscretion Indis-cretion In mnrrylng a woman of n , world outside his own. Rut her very nnme hud been forgotten. Ho found, I j Indeed, nobody who remembered Mrs. i Maine, nnd but few who recalled the j tradition of u hot-blooded, high-spirit- ! ed creature whose hopeless Impatience i ' of restraints and conventions defied nil j J Maine's half-hearted attempts to rec-1 onclle his wife with his friends and mode of life, till, discouraged, he dls-nppcured dls-nppcured with her nnd for some yeurrf absented himself utterly from New York. Concerning this period of his life nothing definite was known; there wus a suggestion that ho had devoted de-voted it to travel In South America. But It was certain that ho hud re turned with a girl child and without a wife. This Inst wns presumed to hnve died, though there were whispers to the contrary, that "Incompatibility" hnd dictated a separation. Maine never made nny explanation but, It appeared, quietly resumed his plnce and thenceforth thence-forth devoted himself steadfastly to his profession nnd the care of his daughter. Philip remembered him well. He lived to see Priscilln give promise of carrying on tho torch of his genius, even ns her dnrk loveliness foreshadowed something of tho furore It wns destined to crcnte. . . . Dlsnppolntcd but not discouraged, Fosdlck turned to other avenues of Investigation. In-vestigation. , Bound by his pledgo to Prlscllla not to consult the police, discreet employment employ-ment of channels of Information provided pro-vided by n wide ucqunlntnrjcc among newspaper men nevertheless brought him all police headquarters knew about the Blellnsky affair. Nothing was known concerning the party In the room nt Rlstorl's by wny of which the Russian escaped nfter adding two murders to his score. The name of Red Cnrnchnn hnd not been mentioned In connection with the crime. There wns, howover, such h person, n notorious notori-ous gang-leader of the lower East side. Considering it essentlnl that ho should learn more of Mr. Carnchan and his friends, nnd perceiving but one wny to gain thnt Information without breaking his promise to Priscilln, Pris-cilln, Philip adopted It without more hesitation. On the following rooming Prlscllla, calling up his office, was Informed that Doctor Fosdlck hnd been suddenly called out of town vg a ense of vital Importance. IV. MERE PAINT AMD CANVAS? After ono week of giidlng about, of shopping nnd theaters and dntices and motoring, Prlscllla felt quite fed up with distractions. She wanted to get back to her work, end wouldn't be happy till sho did. And why not? she demanded when she fnlled to get Philip on the telephone tele-phone and secure his professional permission per-mission to return to her studio. "A few days" oC trifling wns all ho hnd stipulated; and those few had sorved. . Sho dreamed no more of Leonora or I Red Carnehan or Mario. Today, all I that, indeed, seemed remote and unlin-I unlin-I portnnt. What though she hud dreamed a nightmare which coincided so mysteriously mys-teriously with actual events ns to scare hor uonrly out of her wits? After all, it was ut worst a dream ; and in this delightfully substantial and matter-of-fact world, coincidences don't count with anybody except novelists hard up for u plot, . . . She found Ada Moyer pottering with u hopeless daub of still life, spent most of the morning giggling nnd gossiping, carried her oft to the RItz for lunch eon, nnd. left her there with some , friends who needed a fourth at bridge ; nu arrangement perfectly ngreeuble to , Prlscllla ; It wus hurd enough ut any , time to settle down to work nfter a spell of Idling, It was the next tiling to I nu Impossibility with Ada on the1 premises. j The quiet of the empty studio wus soothing und grateful. Prlscllla sighed , contentedly, wheeled the heavy easel over to Its stand beside tho pier glass, shrugged Into a pulnt-smenred smock,-und smock,-und in the next fifteen minutes did nothing whatever but sit in a chnlr , before the self-portrait, In stlrless, Intent In-tent study of her work. Agnln It seemed good In her sight, decidedly the best thing she hud ever done; und yet she wns dissatisfied; something wus wrong, something wus missing without which It could not prove convincing. The bend she must not touch, lest one misjudged stroke mar the excel- The Head She Must Not Touch. lencc of Its spirited gesture. Neither could she seo nny wny to Improve her painting of the figure. The folds of tho skirt needed some little attention, not much, possibly half nn hour's work. . . . No: the fault was In n background trented in a fashion too academic and tame to suit that hrll-limit hrll-limit counterfeit of life. At length, rising. PrlscMIn took up her palette and from rat shining tubes squirted upon Its satiny surface sleek colls of color. For hours she worked steadily, absorbed, ab-sorbed, till a premature change In the light broke the poU. With a slight frown of annoyance-she looked' up to find tho frosted glass of the north-light north-light overcast with pnlfe blue shadow. No matter: her task was ended, and sooner than she Had thought It wonld be. A few days moro nnd sho could vnrnlsh. . . . "She put aside brushes nnd palette, shut the windows (through which now n cold, strong draught was blowing) drew the draperies close, and returned to tho chair before tho portrait. i-v Reverie led her Insensibly back W memories of the Street of Strange1 Faces whoso dim reaches stretched away Indefinitely behind thnt painted shape of dream. The effect of return to old associations grew strong, sh could verltnbly see, she could almost ; smell nnd henr the Street . . . ( I She knew n period of mental uncer- I tnlnty, of dnze nnd wonder, out of i which grew the sensntlon she hnd onco 1 before experienced of confusion of I identity with the womnn In the por- i trait. Inexplicably something Impalpable Impalp-able yet essentlnl seemed to go out ' from her to the other, with whose splrltunl essence It blended Intlmnte-ly, Intlmnte-ly, so thnt for the moment sho hnd no true existence save upon that painted surface, where she paused, hesitant, doubtful, confused, ns on somo dark strange threshold, before passing mt nnd nwny Into n vague half world, a plnce of vast and- shnpeless spnecs where there was neither light nor : darkness, wherein consciousness grew fldnt nnd the sense of Self wns blotted blot-ted out entirely . . . V. BEYOND THE THRESHOLD. , Out of nothingness, out of n sort of ' ' Inert chnos, spectral wnlls like veils ; of mist took shnpe, closed In, added unto themselves a floor and celling, assumed a semblance of stability, be- enme u boxllkc room wherein her spirit wns pent In a mood of sluggish , nnd melancholy mutiny: a room hnto-fully hnto-fully familiar to her In Its every hideous hide-ous detail: Its poisonous wall paper, stained celling und thrcadbaro linoleum. lin-oleum. Its Iron sink In tho corner, Its rude chairs and common tnblo cluttered clut-tered with soiled crockery and a gas stove linked to an overhead Jet by frayed tubing, Its shelf from which hung articles of defected clothing, Its shaky iron bedstead with sagging I springs und tho lumpy mnttress upon i which her Self lay, half dressed and half conscious, too bored to care whether she waked or slept ... Weariness nnd dlsconsolatlon were j eloquent In her posture ns sho rested J on her side, n -hnnd between her head A nnd tho emncinted pillow, and written. legibly In bluish shadows under list-, list-, less eyes, In sallow cheeks whose nor- I j mal hue was clearest pallor barely I warmed by glowing health, In the un-! un-! studied disarray of her masses of flno ' black hair, in the sullen cast of her Arm-lipped mouth. , a mnttnr of fur thunder swelled nadi "TE A mutter or iiir munucr bwvuvu n i died. The girl moved only her eyes, looking look-ing up to a window thnt revealed tho- 'j storm-blnck sky. Whnt mattered It to her whether or j not It rained? She- wus condemned, npparently, to endless Imprisonment In this dlsmnl pluco whoso threshold. j her foot had not crossed In so mnny days she hnd lost count of them The room grew dnrk, tho sky more-snvnge. more-snvnge. A sword of lightning slnshcd ( the gloom, nnd ugnin distant thunder . boomed and grumbled Into silence. By the pert tin clock whose stridu- lntlon wus the only voice her hiding- ; plnce had heard In days, tho hour was barely five. She wondered why Bite hnd taken the trouble to look. Whnt was the j use of It. this keeping count of time? Whnt was time Indeed but waste, one-! one-! long-drawn torment of wnltlng In ldle-I ldle-I ness nnd Impotence for the sign that j never enmo to set her free? , , Sho could hnvo shrieked for sheer j exasperation bf ennui without alloy. . I She told herself that nnythlng were I better than such a fate us this. Why I not shriek till her cries fetched tho 'j t police? Or, better still, arise, go forth, ! and court arrest? A cell In the Tombs were preferublo to this place of dubl- ous security. Wus she less a prisoner here thnn she woulti he there? I But she did not shriek, sho did not move, she did nothing, but remnlned as she hnd been on awakening from 1 the desolnting stupidity of unneeded , sleep, so still she scarcely seemed a ( living, breathing being. ' More lurid lightning, n deeper diapason dia-pason of thunder, ngnln that breathless breath-less hush ... ' Of a sudden she left the bed nnd In one soundless bound gained the middle mid-dle of the floor, where sho paused In the crouch of a hunted thing nt buy, her wide gaze fastened to tho door. Through n wait so long that sho concluded her hearing must hnvo by ut fault, sho heard nothing. She re-lnxed, re-lnxed, drew a deep breath nnd grow I . rlchl with nlnrm when sho heard tho , rigid wun uinrm wnen sno uenru uii I noise repeated, a stealthy knocklngUt I tho panels. .7f With nn enr to tho crack between door nnd frame sho seemed to detect a panting murmur: "Nora I . . . I Nora I ..." She called guardedly: "Who's J there?" A voice of greater confidence i .replied: "Me Charlie le' mo In I" j She drew n bolt und turned the knob, 1 distrustfully opening the door a few Inches with n shoulder to It, prepared ! to slam It shut with nil her might I , should she find cnuse to think she wns F '. bolng tricked. In the outer murk, the j pnlo contour of a face sho know wns B just discernible. Sho stood aside und I ! let Its owner enter. M "Well? What do you wont?" I The Coko returned a twisted, pla- eating grimace. B "I don't want nothln. Red sent mo H to tell yuh ho wants yuh." jH, (Continuod on next page) Hi ginimiiiiiiiiinHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiu I The I I Dark ( j Mirror J Louis Joseph Vance I E f Author of "The False Faces," I 1 "The Lone Wolf," Etc & I Illustrated. by IRWIN MYERS niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiin (Copyright, 1020, by the Author.) "Rod I" She caught her breath Bhnrply. "Where " "I tlnssent tell. Ho inado mo take mo oat'. Hut he wnnts yuh." "When? How?" "T'nlght. He says It's all right RIs- 1 torl'B kep' his trap shut. Tli' hulls nln't wise to lted and Leo's hang-out. i He wants yuh shou'd come to him t'nlght." "Ho does?" There was a trace of challenge In her tone that was less i "Honest t' Gawd, Nora, Yuh Got Mo I Wrono!" the Coke Protested. disguised when, after brief delibera tion, she demanded : "Suppose 1 don't? What If the hulls pipe mo In the street? Suppose I don't come?" The dope slave shuffled spasmodically. spasmodi-cally. "Red says yuh're to" "So you nay. But how do I know he does7 Uow do I know Hod sent you hero to tell me that? How do I know tills ain't some dodge the Nut put you up to or Inez?" "Hones t' Gnwd, Nora, yuh got me wrong 1" the Coke protested. "I ain't seen the Nut, nor Inez either, slnst that night. Red sent mo." . "Prove It" "How'm I gonna do that?" "Go back to Red and bring mo something to prove ho sent you that silver ring he wears anything." "I would, Nora" tho protestation was convincingly earnest "but I das-sent. das-sent. Red'll half kill me If I go back I!, without yuh. Besides, It nln't safe, li goln' there too often. The bulls might see nnd follow me." "Well, what about mo? What If tlicy see and follow rao? I supposo It's nil right If I get pinched nlong with Red nnd Leo." The girl gnvo a gesture half Impatient, half defiant "Nothing doing. You tell Red I said BO." "Red Bays, tell yuh If yuh don't come t'nlght somepln yuh won't llke'll happen to that Wop what's stuck on I yuh." I Harlot . . . Her lips framed) without uttering the name. She retreated re-treated a pace, convulsively tighten- lng the list that clutched tho folds over tho kimono above her bosom. "What what are you talking about?" "What Red said to tell yuh. Take it from me, Nora, yuh better do like ; ho says. Somebody's been glvin' him an carfull about yuh nn that Spanish guy-" "Spanish guy?" she echoed shrilly. ) "I don't know what you're talking i about 1" rMnybc no, maybe not." The Coke llcied his lips with a furtive tongue. "Anyhow he's sore. If I was yuh, and ajtip' want no more trouble I'd do like fl says." After a xrtille the girt mid sullenly: "How am I going to find him If you won't tell me where he ls7" T'l ako yuh there. Red cold I should. It's all right, Nora yuh don't haftn be afraid" "What time r "Ten o'clock tonight" i "WhereTi I meet youf" 'l "In tho room upstairs at n i ( A lurid flamo of lightning dried ' i' speech upon his lips. Terrified, he , cowered back to tho wall. Darkness , fell. Thunders shook tho tenement on Its foundations, crash upon rippling !j crash. Half stunned, tho girl felt the '' leash upon her senses slipping. Her i hands caught wildly at nothing ness . . . VI. THE STORM. Body soul seemed welded Into t i one taut string vibrating In ngonlzed response to tho fury of the tempest: ' Rhe found herself standing far from the chnlr In front of the easel. In quivering nffrlght gazing over-shoulder at the featureless long rectangle of tho portrait In tho shadows. Rain sluiced the skylight In wind-whipped wind-whipped waves, with a crisp, tearing noise. Thunder rocked the skies, ripped nnd raved, rumbled nway In lessening reverberations. Then without with-out warning the gloom was abolished by a ghastly lilac glare and the face on the canvas started out of Its dark . background with nn uncanny look of life, the gay mockery of Its smile distorted dis-torted Into grinning ninllce. She was fnlti to switch on tho lights to lay that ' ghostly leer. Even then she dnred not look again. With head averted, she swung the easel round so that the painting faced ' the wall. Still she was 111 at easo In tho com-1 pany of the thing. She could not forget for-get how thnt cold electric blaze had seemed to wake tho painting Into goblin gob-lin life, transient but terrible. The, memory of Its Jeering smile persisted. ' Like a specter unseen but Importunate at her shoulder, round a corner of her consciousness, denied but Insistent, Insis-tent, the notion lurked of tho work of her own hands turned monster, pre-1 tcrnnturnlly Inspired with a spirit of fatal animus ... She had a crawling shiver of super-j stltlous dread. Commonsenso was powerless to comfort her with Its as-j surancc thnt she had merely hod one' more hypnotic hallucination Induced ! by auo-suggestion. Instinct Insisted commonsense for once was wrong. that there was more In this than the' human mind, fettered to the claims of natural laws, could comprehend or ope with. Surely supernatural forces were here at work . . . She strove without success to cast out that thought. . . . Comparing her wrist wntch with memory of the hour marked hy the clock In Leonora's refuge, sho reckoned reck-oned her Inpse from full waking con-sclousness con-sclousness had not Insted longer than live minutes: In Uiat scant spell her soul had Journeyed far, tarried a while In communion with nnother,. nnd returned re-turned with n freight of fears, of doubts and cares that threatened the stability of her reason; in those few moments the work of n week hnd been undone. She stood now whero she hnd been Immediately after the last preceding dream, poised perilously ' near the verge of derangement, haunted haunt-ed by a shape of fear no whit less nw-' ful If It were after all only the cren-' ture of her Imagination. Within five hours her other self' must go to keep nn assignation with a j murderer. Fancy pictured Leonora1 stenling through streets of sinister, shadow to that rendezvous with a fate ' Inscrutnble . . . But not for Leonora was all this torture tor-ture of.'sollcltude. Through unhappy mischance Mario had been marked for Red's enmity. And where Red hated, tenure of life was treacherous . . .. Now It was revealed to her that, however Inexplicable tho affinity of their souls, however dissimilar their circumstances and lrreconcllnblo their , ways of thought and standards, In this respect Leonora and Prlscllla Maine were one: In love with Mario. I Acknowledging this Incredible fact without protest, Prlscllla told herself j she had loved Mario always, ever since i that time, long past, when he hnd first figured In her life of dreams. , And contemplating the prospect of , living through the night to come, under un-der whoso Impenetrable cover Mario t and Leonora must work out their dark entangled destinies, while sho wnltcd, ' powerless to help or hinder, in nn Ignorance Ig-norance Irremediable and mnddenlng, Prlscllla felt a shadow fall athwart , her understanding, as black and cold no Death. ; CHAPTER FIVE Rendezvous With Destiny. I. THE CLOCK. By tho time Prlscllln Maine had spent twenty minutes phoning nnd all her pn-tlenco pn-tlenco garnering snubs from one nrro- gunt enh company after another, the van of tho storm had passed, leaving tho completer subjugntlon of the stunned nnd cringing city to tho endless end-less legions of the rain. I Her own car was being used by Mrs. ' Trowbridge for a dinner visit out of ' town. In her present state of mind and nerves the prospect of stopping on ' indefinitely in the studio was lnsuffer- ' able. I Resigning herself, then, to a drench- ' lng, the girl locked up und scampered , through swimming streets to Fifth avenue whero sho waited three mln- i utes that seemed ten till a trudging I bus consented to pick her up. At the I uptown end of her Journey, likewise, she had two blocks to run, from Fifth avenuo to Park, before she got home, i with hat suit, furs and temper all do-moral do-moral teod. While her mold prepared a bath, Bhe ; begged off by telephone from a dinner i engagement to which she had long been looking forward. Tonight sho felt it would bo Impossible to hold her l own, with anxiety on account of Mario ) and Leonora forever at her elbow, a ' gibbering specter. A hot bath nnd tho ease of neglige should have lent her some tranquility, but did not. She mndo tho merest pretense pre-tense of dining from a tray In her room. Sho could not forget . . . Past seven : In less than three hours Leonora must sturt upon her Journey And she could do nothing . . . nothing I . . . but wait and wonder and wring useless hands . . . A llttlo beforo ten an Inexplicable chnngc In tho texturo of her emotions made her aware that the peak of her transports had been reached and passed. Of a sudden sho found herself more calm, not with the calm of misgivings mis-givings set nt rest, rather with that of courage dnuntlessly addressing Itself to a forlorn hope. Intuition divined the explanation: In that strange, deep sympathy which made them one, her mental and emotional emo-tional processes faithfully reflected Leonora's; what agonies of doubts nnd fears she had suffered tonight were hut replicas of those which Leonora had suffered. But now the time of waiting was no more: Leonora had left her hiding place and, committing herself her-self bravely to her dark adventure, hnd found relief In action. If only she might be with Leonora tonight as she had so often been, seeing see-ing what she saw, doing what she did, knowing what she knew, participating In every reaction of her wits and perceptions per-ceptions . . . Only If she could sleep, It was possible, pos-sible, she might dream . . . Darkening her bedchamber, she went to tho window, opened It, nnd tnrrlcd a little In Us recess, looking out. Rain was still falling, torrential, lancing tho night with Its myriad slender, slen-der, silver, slanting Jets, brimming gutters, Hooding sidewalks, blackening and burnishing roadways to( tho semblance sem-blance of rivers of Ink that' mirrored n multitude of lights. Sho thought of Leonora struggling through that scouring scour-ing tempest to an unknown bourno . . . Tho clock struck ten. She turned bnck to her bed, threw herself down upon It without undress-1 undress-1 lng, nnd closed her eyes. Immediately she opened them again; there could bo no sleep for her till mind nnd spirit were fagged out altogether. On her dressing tnblo tho convex ' crystnl of n French clock caught a j clear beam from some street light nnd j was transfigured Into tho likeness of a llttlo captive moon of dead white glare. ' Upon this, the brightest spot In the j room, Prlscllla's gaze focussed naturally. natural-ly. For minutes on end she watched it, In n phase of lethargic fascination which was rewarded when tho little moon hegnn to grow, to sprend out, Its cold light filling the room, the world, nnd all tho spaces of her consciousness, con-sciousness, so that spellbound perceptions percep-tions grew faint, then failed, and she was no more aware of herself as Prlscllla Prls-cllla Maine, nn Individual entity, but only ns a pinpoint of anonymous being adrift In tho raensurelcss Incoherence of Infinity. . . . II. THE STREET. She hnd neither raincoat nor umbrella; um-brella; demoniac squalls hailed such defenseless prey, nnd gusts of pelting pelt-ing drops stung the bare flesh of her fnce like blrdshot. Long beforo she managed to weather the corner her thin cloak was soaked through and so was nil beneath It, her shoes were squelching, her sodden skirts, harried by the wind, were clinging tennclously to her legs, making progress Incredibly difficult. Yet she did not mind, but found n kind of savage delight In battling bat-tling with the elements, gaining ground ngalnst their malicious will. Following long confinement to thnt room of unspeakable un-speakable boredom there wns compensation compen-sation and to spare In this false sense of freedom, In the mere fact that she was at last nt large, enough to render her Indifferent to damaged clothing as well as to tho clammy discomfort with which It plastered her chilled body. She lenned her slim young body ngalnst the wind nnd gladly fought It for every breath and step, she relished keenly tho wet sweetness of the air, the gurgle of rushing gutters, the 11111-putlau 11111-putlau drumfire of tho rain, the motley cheer of weeping windows. But for these Inst ono might pardonably havo taken the Street for part of some drowned city peopled by gray ghostly shapes, figures glimpsed darkly through sweeping wnves of rain as they scurried from curb to curb, lumbered lum-bered down the wind or, llko Leonora, plodded doggedly ngalnst Its howling opposition. But few such were visible at any time; humanity braved the ele-meuts ele-meuts that night srjjcly under the lash of elemental appetites, such as tho necessity ne-cessity of beer, nnd then made Its excursion ex-cursion as brief as might bo. Even the police hugged shelter. . . . A night of terror, she thought, with n shiver as much of dread as of cold, pausing In the lee of n corner to re-gnln re-gnln her breath .before renewing contest con-test with the storm ; a night when anything any-thing might happen . . . Resolutely she put that thought behind be-hind her; she did not dare to be afraid. And lest she he tempted again to think nnd falter, she spurred herself pitilessly pitiless-ly on once more. At length she turned njilde Into n sullen street, Illy lighted, wholly deso-Inte deso-Inte In nil Its visible length save for the shining welcome of snloon windows on the ground floor of a dilapidated dwelling in the middle of the street: beacons marking the end of the first stage of her Journey. III. THE HOP-JOINT. Tho saloon, a boozing ken of the lowest order, occupied quarters first Intended for a shop. Empty show windows, win-dows, flanking a double doorway, were backed by screens of machine-curved wood stained to mock mahogany and hung with beer lithographs. To one side, under a sign gilt lettering on a black ground: "Family Entrance" n single door stood open on a short hallway hall-way which led to a dreary room behind be-hind tho bar, where local sots of both sexes sat In sodden congress over tables ta-bles sticky with dregs, their feet scuffling scuf-fling In course, damp sawdust. To the ww . . - right of this door n window with a ledgo broke the side wall, communlcnt-lng communlcnt-lng with the bar for the convenience of neighboring Indies and other fastidious souls who, rather than risk social contamination con-tamination by entering n common barroom, bar-room, fetched empty palls of tin nnd carried them away filled with nourishment nourish-ment for home consumption. To the left a constricted staircase ascended to regions of uninviting darkness. Leonora, Leo-nora, however, mounted with confidence confi-dence nnd, finding n blank shut door nt the top. planted a confident finger on a pttslt-lmtton which she tould not possibly have located by sight. A venomous buzz responded. Shuffling Shuf-fling feet drew near the door, In which a grille opened, letting out n shaft of strong light which fell squarely on the girl's face. She said coolly : " 'I), John. Le mo In." A chain holt rattled. The door swung Inward. Leonora entered, passed, faced the guardian of the portal a Chinese, aged, shriveled of face, shrunken of "Charlie Anywheres About7" body, Impassive whom she addressed with the brusque Insouciance of old acquaintance. "Charlie anywheres about?" With racial cebnomy of gesture the Chinese Jerked a thumb toward the rear of the house and turned to re-fasten re-fasten the door. Leonora moved down the hnll, disdainfully snllllng tainted nlr, and entered a Inrgo room whose atmosphere was mephltlc with the unforgettable, un-forgettable, sickly sweet fumes of opium. Here, In hnlf-curtalned hunks or on thin mattresses upon the lloor, In a forbidding half light furnished by a single, closely shaded lamp, perhaps n dozen men and women lny In uncouth un-couth postures, deep In drugged stupors. stu-pors. Ono only was In apparently complete possession of her wits: the woman Inez of whom Leonora had eon nothing since thnt fateful night at Rlstort's. Inez alone recognized In nny wny this addition to the company, looking up with a sullen face from her sent on the edge of a mattress on which lay. with limbs asprawl and face of ghastly pallor upturned to the dim light, his mouth half open, his eyes half closed, the thick stem of an opium pipe dnn-gllng dnn-gllng from limp fingers, tho man whom Leonora had come to meet In a seizure of dlsmny so overpowering overpow-ering as to blind her completely to the sneer of gratification which Inez sought In vain to dissemble, Leonora dropped to her knees besldo tho man and shook his shoulders with frantic hands. "Charlie 1" sho cried In a volco urgent with fright nnd entreaty "wake up, Charlie 1 For God's sake, wako upl" Tho mnn's bond rolled from side to side with horrifying limpness, his lips moved tremulously without closing, otherwise he made no sign. Ho might hnve been lifeless, he hnd better been dead. Not ono person In the room so much as turned a head when the cries of tho frantic girl disturbed tho quiet, not even Inez; for though sho had mastered her betraying smile, that one hnd no need to stir In order to wntch Leonora. Evil exultation continued con-tinued to Inform her cold eyes as long as they were unobserved; but Leonora found them quick with specious spe-cious sympnthy when, nt length appreciating ap-preciating the futility of her cffortB, she loosed her hold on Charlie's shoulders shoul-ders and sank on her heels. "My God 1" she snld, with n stricken fact "whnt'm I going to do?" "What's the trouble, denrle7" Inez spoke with cloying sweetness, but the other wns too far gone In despair to notice, or to care If sho had noticed. "Anything I can do to help?" "I don' know" Leonora shook her head slowly "guess not." "Whyn't you tell me and find out?" Inez lenned ncross tho body of tho drug victim and placed a coarse red hand nffcctlonntely over Leonora's. "You can trust mo, I guess. We're all In this mess together, nln't we?" "It's only Red," Leonora responded dully. "Ho snld for mo to como to him tonight. He sent word by Chnrlie said I'd got to como tonight. Chnrllo promised he'd meet mo here and show mo tho wny. Ho wouldn't tell me said Red made him swear not to. I don't see why . . . But I wish to God Charllo'd kept his word to mo llko ho did to Red." "What do you mean?" "I was afraid of this." Sho nodded nt thu unconscious man. Charlie promised me ho wouldn't smoke more'n two pipes." Inez laughed shrilly. "Guess ho must'vo had six," sho declared: "I rolled three pills for him since I came In." "And now he's down nnd out," Leonora Leo-nora pursued, "and I don't know how to find Red, nnd ho won't take any excuses ex-cuses . . . Inez, I'm scared I" "You poor kid 1" Inez tightened her clasp on Leonora's hand. "But you "You Poor Kid!" Inez Tlohtencd Her I Clasp on Leonora's Hand. ' don't hnve to worry. I'll tako you to 1 Red. I been there half a dozen times I nt least." The smile of conscious triumph, . which Inez could not suppress, was I unspeakably offensive, and. brought bnck vividly to mind tho rivalry which had nlways existed between them nnd ' which had flared up into open hostility I nt their last rencontre. Hot resentment resent-ment kindled In Leonora's eyes, hot ' color flushed her checks; but sho dug teeth Into her underllp nnd grimly fought down the Impulse to give her nngcr tongue. Not only was that precisely what Inez wanted, but It might prove fatal. There was more than pride at stake, there was the life of him who loved her nnd whom she loved. Nothing, Indeed, hut that love of hers for Mario had broken down her will to refuse Red's summons: only the thrent of Red's vengeance wreaked on Mario had mndo her supple sup-ple to the gangster's will. And now, If she quarreled with Inez, that one would never show her tho wny to Red. ' Anything (sho repeated, In her secret thoughts) might happen . . . "Leo told you," she muttered. "Sure he did," Inez agreed cheerfully. cheer-fully. "Yon don't suppose Leo's lenry of mo like Red Is of you, Nora dear? Why, I've known nil along whoro them two wns layln up." Long lashes drooped to veil Leonora's Leo-nora's smoldering eyes. Inez's malicious ma-licious smile flashed and faded. Tho other clenched her hands Into tight fists, then opened them. She looked up, prldo conquered nnd trampled under un-der foot hy love. "Inez," she pleaded simply: "I got to see Red tonight or ... I don't know what'll happen. Please take mo to him, Inez I" The woman delayed her rcsponso for n' moment, that she might relish the full flavor of her triumph. Then, Jumping up, she said: "Sure I will, dearie. C'mon: lo's go." IV. THE ROOFS. Again tho night, tho wind, tho rain, tho laborious transit of dim, weltering streets . . . Inez led through a tortuous tor-tuous mnzo of murky bnckways, till they came to a sinister block of towering, tower-ing, teeming tenements, Into which, plucking Leonora by the sleeve, sho turned. In the unsnvory lower hnll Leonora spoko Incredulously: "Not hero?" Inez gave a negntlvo gesture: "I should say not Acrost tho roofs . . . You don't supposo I'm such n simp as to lead a dick to the right door, do you?" "Yon don't think we're followed?" Leonora demnnded In quick alarm. Inez nodded emphatically. "I know wo wns." "Who was it? Could you see?" "Nobody I ever seen beforo; a now bird, I guess, from some uptown precinct. pre-cinct. Conrte worker, too: ho must've spotted you first, 'cause he was waltln1 when wo enmo out, nnd trailed us uil the way." "Why didn't you tell me?" "What's the use? You know now, don't you7 It wouldn't 're done you nny good to know In tho street, as long's I knew and hnd sense enough to lend him wrong, llko tills. . . . Cmon." They began to run up long flights of stairs lighted only by single gas Jets low-turned on every other landing, and nolsomo with stratified stenches of evil cookery and things worse yet; the predominating raco tenanting each successive floor Indicated by Its dominant domi-nant effluvium, wcro It garlic, boiled J cabbage, fried fish, or the subtle, pene- trattng, undlsgulsablo odor of opium i smoke. Ousts of voices lifted In rude j laughter or more commonly quarrelsome quarrel-some Issued from doorwnys that stood as a rule wide. Once thero wns n sound of weeping, too, sickening dull walls of somo woman cruelly used. And qIwmv- - '-ovltable squalling of children fretful in unhnpplncss. .. ,... 'H On tho top landing Inez pnused to H peer over the mil. "That's him," sho H panted, nodding. H Leonora Joined her. Atlho bottom ,flH of tho gloomy, deep well of tho stair- ' H I caso tho fore-shortened flguro of n H i man wns visible, his upturned face n . H mere blur of flesh color. But some- H I thing lndlvldunl In tho pose caught 'J j Leonora's eye nnd prodded what sho jH took for somo memory half erased. ,H "That's no dick," sho declared lm- M 1 pulslvely. flH "How d'you know?". M "I don't know, hut somehow I do. H SeeniH llko I must'vo seen him some- M whercH before." ! "Well, If he nln't no pussyfootcr, M what for's he followin' us?" M "I don't 'know," Leonora repented H vaguely. "Maybe I'm wrong . . M Sho wns not, ns thn Self know that H Journeyed with her, though sho did H not suspect tts company. . . . H An Iron ladder rose to a trap door , through which they crawled out upon H the H Hero the blackness wns oppressive, H relieved only by a dull reflection of H the city's glow on the low-hung canopy B of cloud; and tho .tempest hnd unhln- H dered sweep. Time nnd again vicious H blasts all hut carried tho two women off their feet. Rain driving In vnst sheets half blinded them nnd rendered H their pnssago of the roofs doubly M perilous. They slipped, stumbled, H . blundered, bruised their bodies against c- cH ' unseen obstneies, their shins upon low ll copings dividing house from houso ' (for the roofs were fortunately all mil M a level) and more than once hy tho' H , narrowest of margins escaped pitch- H lng headlong to death at the bottom of H somo dark nlrshaft. H J Leonora soon lost all senso of reck- H "ntng nnd was beginning to wonder H how Inez could hold on so confidently ( H , when the latter stopped, knelt, nnd be- ' H i gnn to tug at the heavy hatch of an- H other trap door. Leonora nsslstlng, between them they threw It back, do- H scended n second Iron ladder Into n H i hallway Imllstlnghlshnbly unlike that H which they had Just left. But Inez H seemed to recognize It Instantly. M "It's nil right." she whispered harsh- H ly, pausing liulf wny down the ladder H when Leonora stood on the binding M below. "The door on the left, nt the H ! back. You know the high sign. I'll M bo shutting this trap. Look sharp M ! beforo somebody lamps us!" H She el Imbed back a couple of mngs M 1 to wrcstlo with tho hatch, while Leo- H I norn, turning to the door designated, H I saluted Its panels with tho peculiar H rap which alono would bo ncknowl- H edged by Red. j H For some time she wnltcd, hearing H no sounds from the far sldo of the H door, hearing Indeed nothing other H than the bluster of tho storm and Inez , H petulantly anathematizing tho clumsy H nnd obstinate hatch. Presently the ) thing fell Into plnce with n crash, nnd " Al the girl turned, looking to seo Inez tH drop to the landing nnd surprised that 'H she did not hut with n surprise nn H sooner conceived than smthercd In n H greater. For tho door swung open H suddenly, and n voice she know, for H vhoe accents she hnd hungered H ceaselessly for days on end neither H Red's volco nor Leo's cried In amaze- H meat: , I H "Leonora I" I H And looking up Into the fnco of tho H man Mario, the girl uttered a broken H cr, of wonder and gladness. She did H not understand how this thing hud H como about, that she should find here H tho man sho loved where she hnd H thought to find that other whom sho H I feared with fear so profound that It jH ' was twin with hatred. But It didn't H mnttcr; In the stunning Joy of that H ' surprise, nothing seemed to mnttcr ox- H cept that chance had led her nt last H to Mario, In splto of nit her struggles H to keep away from him, to deny love H and self lest she cxitnngle him ns well H In the tolls of her misfortunes. H She went ns naturally to his arms H as a child In trouble to the arms of Its father: Inez, Red, Leo, tho pollco H j everything forgotten In tho hnppl-, H ness of thnt meeting. H Gently drawing her ncross tho H threshold, Mario shut tho door be- H tween them nnd tho world. H V. THE HAVEN. H "So you have como to mo ... at H She lifted her raln-sweot fnco from H the warm haven of his shoulder, blind- H ly yearning toward his lips . . . and JM remembered. Fear lanced that ecstasy H llko pain. With a convulslvo move- H , merit sho wrenched away her lips and H struggled from his arms. M "Leonora 1" ho protested "what is H "Red I" she gasped, staring wildly H , round "Leo whero are they?" H "How should I know? What are H 'those two to me to us?" H "Where are we?" H "In my rooms, as you seo . . . H well beyond tho reach of those cut- throats 1" "But" a dubious hand faltered to M her cheek "I came here to moot Red. H He sent for me. Inez brought me." H "Then Inez led yon nmlss, dear H no: aright I" Ills arms again enfolded M her. "And thank God for that" Confused, she fell Into a Bllence, M misgivings benumbed by wonder. M Taste and means hnd transfigured the B commonplace Into nn nbodo of such H luxury as tho girl had seldom dreamed of Indeed, had never seen but In the ' pages of 111" M-,ited mngazlnes. ,fl (To bo continued) H |