Show THE 1 HE H F E ALSO BLUE UE CIR CIRCLE CL chapter VU 12 A message the secretary dressed for dinner that night with ills his mind on Pe new arolin prolin problems ins the he first of which was tile the problem of the black leather case looked it at from every possible angle tie lie could not wholly solve it though lie was rapidly evolving a working theory it if 16 were to have any pence peace and comfort this year seir it he were to ret get back ills his nervous den ous strength alid mid recover for himself the man anin he had been lie he must do certain things and do them quickly among them lie he must crice and for nil all do away willi the melodramatic mysteries mys im stories of taw no ker her lie he must fand out what there was in the house that lint crept along hulls balig and climbed up to tra transoms and stole and duplicated leather cases and then returned them after tint flint perhaps ile he would line have some comfort a condition lie he could not hope for now this very eri night for fop example he wits was probably in for some internal infernal manifestation that would deprive dearl him of the steel sleep lie he su urgently needed however lie he was in a wily way pre pared for these ile he had two pistols now and tile lie other articles lie he had bought the pistols were loaded and ready in one way the he fact its re assuring in naother it disturbed win him ho did not wish ash to do tiny ani shooting and subsequently subsequent 1 and bit bittell terl regret it ile he began to feel fed that lie III lind made a mistake in buying billing ill the pistols lill ile he considered hiding thlin alilin in ills bis trunk ile he ended by hiding oni one there tin and slipping the lie other into it auchet of tits his evening trousers it willi was it very ev small unobtrusive Ill pistol stol ile he lind had been cm eaul to 0 o select tillit lint kind and undoubtedly it would be safer lit in liis ills bunds in ill tile hie dark daik lind sin ister hand lit lie had bad seen through hi transom tian soni window the night before dinner that night was again almost gay gai mad hind me Hops lef wits us her most engaging self evidently with ill tho transference of tilt the hanck leather case to the lie trust companas comp anys aults vaults it a great weight had rolled boiled off lier her wind mind verity and david campbell Cami ibell responded to iu tier mood soft ripples of laughter lighter swept the lie table laughter in which iten blaw did not dot join but which he sub ill consciously enjoyed it was rather wonderful to hear verity campbell laugh and lie he lind had not realized that tier her beautiful but ruther rather cold face could be so BO warmed and illumined as ike he saw baw it now tier her laugh was dul delicious lelous soft low and full of mirth tle he listened to mrs pardee but looking nt at verity and as is lie looked ills dislike of tier her and ills inner mas i cullee resentment of tier lier cool self suf gme gave place to tits bis first tin im ailse of genuine admiration something like admi admiration rallon hit anid stirred in him when lian lie watched d lier play aln alth till we wee he M begin began to realize that hat the lie beautiful miss 11 laid ad two to sides that was baug with tile discovery of an side ildo lie he could not tend lend himself to tile lh hearted disapproval of tier lier which lie he had d expected and desired to feil feel iler her sl aging dinner siran strength ali belled this conviction it it to reflected tier her new mood diw slavic son sons s to balitch heretofore site she and UK mud madame line had largely confined ilea selver tl CR made way tonight for preach and allot spanish numbers in which tile lie predominating theme of love loe was wedded to blint of joy jov listening in tits his corner renshaw felt ills lip curl a trifle much aluch that girl knew about love loe tile foreigner knew there was a woman 0 who o it bid ad loved and lived and died a few tit times ties and been born again always with a heart ait tined to life and the master hand she knust have hae had bad ninny love comra rs she was the type whose inner fir tins e 8 were mere fierce and consuming and soon ix ex bli hausted and readily replenished UP lip wondered alint site she and alsi camphell campbell talked about when they were alone certainly not about love loei ilie hie I lie foreigner was too sophisticated to per mit verity verily compbell s clear eyes to rest on any untidy pages lit in tier her book of life ele eie rec recalled tilled ills his vagabond thoughts I 1 with n suddenness that brought aitu upright in tits cleall without an lit his reasons lie felt that speculation as to the he possible lovers ers of the lie foreigner ans was in it wm way pardonable he had find indulged in it without the sense of recoil lie he now no felt the recoil merged into a grim amusement at hla his own on expense re he wits was making progress lie he ins getting bick back in touch with life when he found himself speculating about women 1 lie he resolutely centered tits his thoughts on tile alie black leather case he fie went up to his room nt fit before he be opened the door he stood for a moment in front of it silently studying the lock it was a good lock but bilt on an ordinary one A trine he bad bought in town would effectually prevent it t from being locked from the outs ld ile he entered his room and Inser inserted tea this trifle into the keyhole nodding with satisfaction oa as he did so no 0 o one outside could lock his door tonight on tilie the by elizabeth jordan Q by the th century co der bervice vice other oilier hand neither nelt lier could lie himself lock it ile he drew borwn forward rd a chair in seated ried its ita back under the door doorknob knob und and to so placed it that a certain effort would be required to push tile the door pen olen ile he could not be taken wholly by bv surprise after these simple prep arit ions lie he read and smoked for a time then with a sense of elpe in ion mingled with other emotions in which w excitement resentment and nd nervousness predominated in turn lie he undressed got into bed and turned out tile he lights putting one of tile the new revolvers under ills his pillow but within mediate reach is as the lie final aon i on for nn an interesting vigil lie waited with taut nerves it was waa alil almost lost tinie time forthe forth nocturnal activities of the thing to begin As soon us as he heard the sounds announcing noun cing the things near approach lit lie would ling fling open tile the door and spring pring out upon whatever wits there after that lint well after that lie he would lit at least know what lie he wua was up against the clock on tits mantel struck tN twelve elve lie ile was almost convinced that lint nothing would happen possibly the thing did not roam about every eairy night possibly possible it would never louin again probably it had been shut up confined lie III closed ills his eyt eves s and swiftly opened bened again Soul something ettling halt mie heit passed them and was on oil the lie wull wall it was the it liliie blile arcle ind and tills till th alino lie studied it closely it wis ilas n elide circle about th size sie of it fl sliver silver dune dinie Us its blue color was us it a singularly ald vivid title hue it danced aind quivered on tile the null beside him so close to him that he could put up ills hand and touch it As lie did it so go it vanished and the lie familiar darkness of the room closed around him lie ile lay still and for the first time flint seriously tried to explain the lie circle to himself it ns its or of course as lie he had held from the first a reflection from froin somewhere from something that wise conclusion was ivas stil obvious but from what the visiting vi light appeared again it 11 w was as us as feverishly active now its as it hit and been motionless on its previous visits it touched his face flitted flirted about and cattle came to rest on the footboard of lils ills bed it to touched luched hla his hand ond and flew to to lie ile opposite wall it played placed omit his hits and leaped to the door leading leidl ng to hull hall where it glowed silently on it a panel annel watched it with a n gaze that flint shifted when mien it did if lie he closed its ills eyes era ll it Illig lingered ered on tho die lids till lie he reopened them its character hanged changed it hid had been Interest illg lit at first it became annoying like the lie repeated lit at baika of one mosquito on a liot hot night it become bee line more limn annoying it be e chuie title llast infuriating und and ut tit last sim ply pl lie llo ile rose lose and koin going in turn to the boonis four windows stared out tit at en eidi ch 1 tit l lilb ills tile lie light d isa paea red lie could see nothing not liing liht ide tint ut the tin and llie file tortured wind vind lung hung branches of onks oaks 1 I 11 Ples lie ile ment to ills door opened opt nod it find glat iced down tile hie dark corridor no or 11 re eI liliu lie ile closed the door replaced the chair back under file knob in il returned turned ic to ills ile bed As soon as lie wis settled the hie hine ball entered touched tits his face and danced for n moment on in lie he wall then suddenly it prow grew quiet and remained 1111 ined fixed in ono one spot liko like it watchful ful and infernal little liliie eve ee tile clock struck I 1 wo 0 o file deep toned strokes sounding ominous in tile the dar darlina linc iwo int 0 oli ik and he had been on it the hie edge if hla til nerves since eleven I 1 tant sort thing would not io do lt it glinny coil coni J not be endured ro tomorrow lomori morrow ow he INO would 11 I 1 d t tell ell campbell il lint it lie itin Iten liaw gu go tillit lie was w is not tit up to n tit lie work rut hut no that would pot not to do cloher bellber lie ile had already shown lown that lie ans as up lip to tile work campbell tin lind referred at dinner lannor tu to it 11 lot lol of things to ile be bouldi done the he next ne div day well then IKI lie could say it he was nut in ns its goott condition PIS as tie he had imagined A sudden memory seared sen red his consciousness ness ile he could not rR ln lie ile tind no to resign because he hild refused refuse rf if lie he was not ills his own muster master lie was its for a dald Com campbells property bought and in prin part actually paid for on the morning of the day that had only just ended campbell had given him film a generous advance adnice on tile the purchase u price and the greater part of that advance lie he kenshaw had al ready spent in town ton even cven assuming that flint lie be was willing filing to break the agreement he and campbell ampbell had en into he must work a month to pay off the obligation imposed by that adv advance ana in other oilier words he be wag vas a fixture here lie could not leave hie ile eyes ees had bad closed and he be had almost lost consciousness when lie bg heard a noise lit in the lie will bull it was not lie fa millar thump nor was it the equally abhorrent sound round of crawling ling it as tile sound ill of leps light and running mailing there ns as also we sound of hurried excited breathing lind of a i rap on ills his door ile he sprang out of bed and hastened to open it disturbed yet reassured by the ernp it M its is alarmed al united but it wits was normal lie threw open the door anti stared incredulously credit lous y verity stool stood before hlin film in the darkness ile he could not lot see hee tier her but lie knew tier her even before title spoke to him lit in a voice ow hushed and terrified oli oil mr Ilens linw blip gasped please como collio with mill ryle me quickly I 1 I 1 kant int ellid either jenks or james onil find solli ethIng dreadful luia has happened to grandval grand fal tier I 1 nodded find stopped back into tits his room one it moment lent lie ile sall and I 1 will be avith M ali you ile he thrust lila its feet into and pulled n dr esting gown gon OMI oer lila ills pa jakins kawing tile cordi of tho lie robe ns its lie rejoined tier her lie he lind to run to I 1 up her hai binl summoned ea him slip wit us tit lit tile lie end of alio corridor lian she ehe felt till tie ile slit side her AS they hurtled 1 it st t lie hull hall hinding and into the vust IHK of the house lie he a n low toned question or two vo slit slie replied in it a solve le lint hat treni blvd Is with alth win slip sim said 1 I called c her hei first awil I 1 collel not IKI got K alii lit sern nt I 1 ant t li alint hits lin happened liap eneil tn n lit he Is so i aind rail lift 11 lint il I 1 A aunt III I 1 t sm s they a ili iii lind KO go tilt lull IMI ellinos tit nt wid per limps she mie 1 right though liou gli I 1 ner so n leits li its lie mutter matter ah bour ain nl fit lur long liui liik it li alls n busily leeping pice 1 ice now ilow mili ili her ix r shorter feli niter f 11 1 I dont biow lii diw I 1 heard a full 11 bilg Is bedroom Is next to mine you 1 I 1 bhough glnn ti I 1 lourd ft a groan I 1 i in ill nut lit in ili the lie enill to ills door ili ind h I 1 I 1 when herp was ns no answer I 1 ann M nl II 11 in n lie wits ns ii alln ing in lila ills haroom 11 the ibe floor Il hint lurt 1 I dont know I 1 run for kielp in lii for jenks first then when I 1 couldn coulden t and him ill for Ala aladayne daine auntie autotte Is of no its of course in a crisis so we even wilko her she stopped na as they reached ant was evidently the door of the lie old mails bedroom and akis cd through in silence leaving the door open for henshaw to to follow he hb ills hla first Irn impulse was ns one of shock nt fit tile the seeming ng of tile lie prone figure on tho the floor over oer which was us distractedly keeping keep ln guard ifer her dark face lighted up with relief ns as tile young man joined tier her 1 I have not ventured to do tiny filing site lit in a quick whis whimper ile brea flies flat I 1 alid alil not know if it would be wise to lift tits ills hend 6 hell Ilens linw keivit cesido hia alq mf maiter iter lint and ills his heart lightened ile he hod hall lwon in n I 1 oral or of violence eon enen L trag lly anything ile he now belle bellied might trippen in evno ner ker nut but seemingly alint hit and happened was ns common enough ll rhe oil old man find felt lind had risen lind find perhaps tried to call for help and hall fallen unconscious what Is 19 it verity asked the question in a wails whisper the young fill dmn ent on etli ill ills hla hurried examination A shock im alii afraid IR be alna dl na no no indeed iler hut but ills heart Is working well alie il I 1 e first tiling filing to do Is to ineke win lorn corn fort for forcible abie lible lie he lifted it the ll 11 ailt figure in ills arins ns as easily ns ng if it lind had been ix cn the lie body of a child wid carrying it to th HIP hed bed laid it between bertteen bett teen the lie sheets drawing the bed clothIng c I 1 irefully re fully up till around it TO ro BID CONTINUED |