OCR Text |
Show r 11 it 1 i i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ri 1 111 i t 1 1 111111111 i f i i 1 1 1 1 1 1 i i , Ihe Masauerader "'ssl w X T aitiC -wj Vai tivlVA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 r 1 1 1 r f 1 1 1 1 1 : 1 1 1 : hie I'Khl. Me wa.i ctrenj-,! in n nTa..v I I weed Muit; in,! f.i.e liMikeil paie anl iftt-t wilii it sliphtty nervous tension, hut hcuHleM the look ami a certain u dded reHtlejtsnesM of glance there was no vinil.1" chuntfe. Htacliinx toiler, he held out his hund. "Well?" he mi Id qmrkly. The other loiked at him question-ins question-ins ly. Well? Well? How haji it pone?" The srhnjie? Oh. xct-llently : " l.o-tler'H l.o-tler'H manner wan abrupt. Turning from Ihe. rentlejin eurioiiity in Chil-coie'tv Chil-coie'tv eye, he moved a tittle wav airosfi the room and heKan to draw-off draw-off hiii roat. Then, ait if struck hy the uit-iviJity of the anion, he looked i n.M'k an-ain. "The scheme has one extraordinarily." he said. "I could almost al-most say ahMirll There are some tilings. I'htlrotr. that fairly how I a man over." A great lief tinged rhilroie'H fare '"iood" h exclaimed. "Tell all about ft.' I But Ixult r was letieent. The moment mo-ment nan not propitious. Ii wan as if I hungry man hud dreamed a prt-at hanqui t and had awn kened to his starvation. He was chary of imparting impart-ing his vision. "There's nothing lo tell," he said shortly. "All that ou ll want to know-is know-is here in black and white. I don't think you'll find I have slipped anything: any-thing: it's a clear business record." 1'roni i. ii inner inck''t he drew out a bulky notebook, and, recrossini the room, laid it open on the table. It ! was a correct, even a minute, record of every anion that had been act om- 1 piishrd in Chilcote's name. "I don't think you'll find any loose ends." he j said as he turned hack the pages. "I had you and your position in my mind ; ail through." He paused and glanced I i tip from the (took. "Von have h po- j j sit ion that absolutely insists upon attention," at-tention," he added in a different voice. At the new torn Chileote looked up i as well. ".No moral lectures!" he mi id, j with a nervoua lautsh. "I was anxious j to know- if you had pulled it offh and 'you have reassured im. That's enough. I 1 was in a funk this afternoon to know I i Continue J from yesterday.) lint the corridor, as well as the room, w.is empty; lw whs too late. He mood irresolute; then he laughed shortly, turned and passed back towards the fireplace. I Th blow had fallen, the Inevitable ! come to pass, and nothing remained but lo i.ike the fuet with in gnPil a I glace as possible. I'hilcote's telegram 1 had summoned him to Clifford' Inn at 7 o'clock, and it was now well on towards ti. He nulled out his watch Chileote'a wuich be realised, real-ised, with a touch of grim humor as he stooped to examine the dial by I the light of the fire; then, as if the I humor had verged to another leellng. h utood straight again and felt for the electric button In the wall. His fingers touched It. and simultaneously the room was lighted. The abrupt alteration from shadow-to shadow-to tight came almost as shock. The feminine arrangement of the tea table seemed Incongruous beside the sober books a-d the desk laden with paper incongruous as his own presence In (he place. The thought was unpleaa-unt. unpleaa-unt. and h turned aside as if to avoid it : but at the movement his eyes fell on Chllcote's cigarette box with its gleuming monogram, and the hhn-Mcal hhn-Mcal suggestion of his first morning rose again. .The idea that the inanimate inani-mate ob'd in the room knew him for what he was recosm.sed the Interloper Inter-loper where human eyes naw the rightful right-ful possessor returned to his mind. Through all his disgust and chagrin a smile forced itself to his hp, and. crossing the room for the second tun, he passed into Chiicote's bedroom There the massive furniture and onilnr atmosphere fitted better with his mood than the energy and action which the study alwiys suggested. Walking directly to the great bed. he nut on its Hide and for several minutes min-utes stared straight in front of him. apparently seeing nothing: then at lat the apathy passed from him. as hts previous anger against Chilcite had passed. He sttxwl up slowly. : drawing his long limbs together, and rerrosscd the room, pausing along the; Iarross t he room and held the door ' open. . i , There was no silence while tiiey exchanged ex-changed eloth'. Ioder talked cot:- tinutnisly, sometimes in short, curt sen- . I tences. sometimes with ironic touches lot" humor. lie talked unt:l Chilrote. j j strangely n'fected by contact with mi-I mi-I oihi r personality after his weeks ,f i yoUii.dc, fen under hin Inr.iP'Mco. lim 1 excit ement rising. his imagination stirring at the novelty of change. Ai In t. garbed once more in I he clot hes ; of his own world, he passed from the ' bed rt Kim hark into the sit ting roc.m. i and there halted, waiting for his com- i panmn. ! . Almost directly Ixder followed. He j came into the room quietly and. uiov- j ing at onre to the. table, puked up; lh' notebook. j "1 m n. t going"" to preach." he be- i Kim, "so you needn't shut nie up. Hut; I'll say just one thing- a thing thai will get said. Try to keep your hold: Ilernember your res pons t bill ties and t ; keep your hold:" Ho eiM.ke energetic- I ally, lot king earnatty intti Chitcote s : J eyes. He did not realire It, but he j was pleading for his own career. i j Chilcote paled a little, as he always did in fare of a reality. Then he . x- t tended his ha nt). j "My dear fellow." he tsaid with 'n touch of hauteur, "a man can generally j be trusted to look after his ow n 1-fe" Kxt rival i ng his haiul almost imnii" i il lately, he turned towards, t he dour and. without .i word of farewell, pas.sd into the iiitle hall, leaving Lod.r alone in the sitting room: , CHAPTER XII. On the n :k ht of Chllcote's rUnrn to hi ' own, l,oder tastetl the h ea .f ! I life pfiiguantly for the firi t m--. He-j i for their curious ct impact h id been J i entered upon he had been, if not eon- tent, at least apathetic; but, with a '- ' I iori. the apathy had been dispersed, i never ngain to regr.in it fdti position.) He realized with bitter certainty hat j hi was no real homcoming. n t n- tering Clnicote's liouse he had t xper:- i raced noiiu if the unfamiliarity. note-1 of the unsettled awk wardnes". that as-' sailed him- now. There, he had al- j most seemed the exile it turning after; many hardships. Here, m the a linos-) phere made common by years, he felt ) i alien. It was tllust:at.vc of the; man a character that sent! mentalities : ! found no place in hts nature. Senti- ' ho.v tilings were gom-one of those sudden, unreasonable funks. Hut now that I se you" he cut himself dioit and laughed once more "now that I see you, I'm hanged If I don t want to to prolong your engagem nt." I Loder glanced at bun. then glancdi away. lie felt a quick shame at thej eagerness that rose at the words-- i ' surprised contempt at hi own readi-j ness to anticipate the man's weak- j ncss. But almost as speedily as h I j had turned away he looked back I ! attain. ' j "Tush, man'" he said. With his old. I intolerant manner. "You're dreaming. You've had your holiday and achl's j begun again. You must remember j , you are dining with the ("harringtons j i tonight. Young Charring ton' coming i of age quite a big business. Come' along! 1 want my clothes." He j laughed, and. moving closer to Chit- i cote, slapped; him on the shoulder. j Chilrote started; then, suddenly be- coming Imbued with the other's man- ner he echoed the laugh. J I T.y .love!" he said, you're right!! ( You're quite right! A man must keep his feet in their own groove." Hats- i Ing his hand, he began to fumble with' 1 his tie. Hut Loder kept thej same position. "You'll find ' the' checkbook in Its usual drawer." he I said. "I'xm made on entry of 1 0 , Tounds pjiy for the first week. The : rest can stand over until " He; . paused abruptly. i j Chilrote shifted hia position. "IWn't ! I talk about that: it upsets me to an-! 'ticiiwue. I can make out a cheek to-J i mtirrow payable to John Ider." "No. That can wait. The name of I Loder la better out of the hook. We i can't be too careful." Loder ioke . J wl'h unusual impetuosity. Already a slight, unreasonable jealousy was col-! col-! oring his thoughts. Already he he-1 he-1 grudged the idea of Ohticote, with hi . unstable glance and restle f c. t opening the drawers and aorting th i iapers that for one stupendous fort- night had been hia without question. 'Turning aside, he changed the sub-. ject brusquely. "Come Into the bedroom. he said.; "It's half ast seven. If It's a minute. , and the Charringtona' ahow in at nine." Without wailing (or m reply, he walked corridor and through the door communicating com-municating with the rest of the house Kive minutes later he was in the open air and walking steadily eastward, his hut drawn forward and hia overcoat buttoned up. As he traversed the streets he allow al-low ed himself no t hooch t. nice, as he waited In Trafalgar Square to find a passage between the vehicles, the remembrance of Chllcote's voice coming com-ing out f 'he fog on their first night made itself prominent, but he rejected it quickly, guarding himself from even an involuntary glance at the place f I heir meet .ng. -The Strand. wt h Irs unceasing life, came to him as wine thing almost unfamiliar. Since his Identification with the new life no business had drawn him east of Charing Char-ing Cross, and his first sight of the narrower stream of traffic struck him as garish and unpleasant. As the impression came he accelerated his steps, moved by the w;h to make regret re-gret and retroKpection alike impossible by a contact with actual forces. Still walklrvg hastily. he entered Clifford" Inn. but there almost un-i un-i consciously his fet halted. There was something In the quiet Immutability 'of the place that sobered energy, both mental .nd physical. A sense of i changelrseness the changelessness of 1 Inanimate things, that r.sea In such I solemn contrast to the variableness of inrr human nature, which a new environment, en-vironment, a nw outlook, sometimes I even a new presence, has power to I upheave and remould He paused;. 1 then with slower and steadier steps ! crossed the little court and mounted ! the familiar stairs of his own house As ne turned the handle of his own 'door someone stirred inside the sitting room. Still under the influence of the stones and trees that he had Just left, he moved directly towards the sund. and. without waiting for permission, per-mission, entered the room. After the darkness of the passage ft seemed well alight, for. besides the lamp with its gr,een shads, a la rue fire burned in the grate and .helped, to dispel th shadows. As he entered the room Chitcote rose and came forward, his ficure thrown into strong relief by the dou i im r:ts were mt lacking, though the;" lay out of sitfht, but aen I imentulit les he altogether denied. I--ft alone in the sitting room nfur Chllcote s departure, his first sensa-I sensa-I lion was one of phM( al discomfot t 1 and unfamiliarity. Him own clot he., w.;h th .i v orn looseness, brought no sense if fr.endhness such as some m n : f.nd In an old garment. i- urging, and the clothes that .Kiik'K-ted lounging, ! had no appeal for him. In h:s eyes, the garb that implies responsibility was symbolic and even Innpiring. And. as with clothes. su with his actual ac-tual surrounding". Kach detail of hs rHnu was In miliar, hut not one had ever become intimately close. He had used the place for rars, but he had used it as he might use a hotel, and whatever of hss household goods had come with him remained, like himseli. on sufferance. His e'Uiance into Chllcote's Chll-cote's surroundings had been altogether altogeth-er different! I'nknown to himself, he had been in the position of a young artist who. having: roughly modeled in ciay. is brought Into the studio of a sculptor. To his outward . vision, ever) thing is now, but his inner sight-leaps sight-leaps to instant understanding Amia all the strangeness - he recognises the one es ntial the workshop, the ht-mokphere. ht-mokphere. the home. On this fust night of return. L'aler comprehended something of his poM- i tion and. comprehending, he faced thei problem and fought with it. N He h;d made his bargain ami must ! pay his share. We. going thla. he had! looked about his room with a quiet I gaze. Tnen. at iast, as t finding the obj-ei t r allv sought for. his eyes hd t ' ie louad io the mantelpiece and -ested on the piperack. The pipes tood precisely as he had left them. ' J'e had looked at them for a Ions; lime, then an ironic expression that was it most a smile had touched his lips md. crossing the room, he had taken the oldest and blackest from its piace ' and slowly (tiled It with tobacco. I (Continued tomorrow.) 1 |