Show L h e djs M B sl wi iron qa katharine newlin burt burl copyright by Kith trin N durt CHAPTER VIL VII continued 19 lie ile cl imbed climbed in beside the wheel lie ile wits was very ti tired orell but lie had rei remembered that jane west when lie he had last seen been her had worn a look of profound discouragement site she never complained but when lie he saw that particular expression lie he was frightened and the responsibility for her came heavily upon him this wild thing lie he had brought to new york must not be allowed to beat its head dumbly against the bars bairs wiled whon lie had got rid of tits his driver he turned the car northward and a few minutes later mathilde the french maid chosen by betty opened janes door to him while he took off ills his coat lie he looked along alone the hall and saw its owner sitting her chin propped on a latticework of fingers angers slier she was gazing out of the window it was a beautiful desperate something fateful in the long still pose and tile fixed look she was wag still dressed in street clothes as when slie she had left the theater a blouse and skirt of dark gray very plain ifer her figure now that it was trained to slight corseting was less vigorous nud and more fine drawn she wits was very thin but she tied had lost her worn and haggard look the premature liard hard lines had almost disappeared a softer climate proper care rest food luxury tied given back her young clear skin and the brightness of eyes and lips her hair arranged very simply to frame her face in a broken setting of black was glossy and here and there deeply waved it was the arrana ent chosen for her by betty and copied from a dumaurier drawing of the duchess duc liess of towers it was hard to believe that this graceful woman was the virago jane harder for any one that had seen a heavy handsome girl stride into mrs uppers hotel and ask for work to believe that she was liere here morena clapped tits his hands in the eastern astern fashion of summons and jane looked toward him oh she said im glad you came ile he strolled in and stood beside her shaking tits his head 1 I like the look of you this afternoon my dear well sir air said jane 1 I dont like ilka the look of you either she smiled her slow conscious smile you sit elt down and ill make tea for you lie ile knew that thought for some one else was the best beet tonic for her mood so BO lie he dropped with ills his usual limp grace into the ro Larest chair put back his head and half closed his him eyes im used up lie ho said 1 I a word not one to throw at a dog please dont throw one at me then I 1 surely take it as a compliment ent 11 she made the tea gravely as absorbed in the work as a little girl who makes tea for her dolls she brought him his cup and went back to her ber place and again her face settled into that look she had bad evidently forgotten her eyes held a vision as of distances ile he put a hand up to break her fixed gaze what Is it jane what do you see to his astonishment she hid her face in her hands its awful to live like this she moaned and it frightened hira him to see her move her lead from side to side like an imprisoned beast shifting before bars ile he looked about the pretty room and nd repeated like tills this half reproachfully 1 I liate late etl she spoke through her teeth 1 I hate hale iti and oil the sounds the noises grinding into your ears here the hands came to her ears and framed a white desperate face in which tile the lids had fallen over SICK eyes I 1 jasper sat listening to the lium hum and roar and clatter of the street to him it was a pleasant sound and here it was subdued and remote enouf enough it iler her face was like that of some one maddened by noise you dont smell anything frash her chest lifted you yon dont get air I 1 cant breathe everything presses in she opened lier her eyes bright ard desperate what ant am I 1 doing beir gieir mr morena orena ile he had put down ills his cup quietly for lie was really halt afraid of her why did you ou cume jane because I 1 was afraid of some one I 1 was running away anay sir morena theres some one that ever find mo me now and to run away from him that was the business of my jay life and it kept my heart full of bf him rind the dread of his coming you yea see that was my happiness I 1 hoped he was taking after me sos I 1 could run away slie site laughed apologetically does that sound crazy to you no I 1 think I 1 understand and here Il hell willell never come here hell never find and me its been beebi four years and rm im so BO changed tills the gave herself a downward look this the gel he at probably by now w lips hes given me up maybe hes found another everything bed bad and hateful can find mo ma out here bad things con can find you out and try to clutch after you but when something wild and clean cornea comes hunting ti lot you something out of the big bl lonely places why it would be seared to follow into tills this city youre lonely jane ive told you sou a hundred times that you iou ought to make ft lends friends for youri yourself self oil I 1 dont care for that I 1 dont went want friends not many friends these acting people not real ml folks I 1 dont savvy their ways end they dont savvy mine they always end by disliking tile 1110 because im ill queer and different from them you have hao been my friend and your wife that Is she bho used to be suddenly jane become became more her usual self tind end spoke with childlike wistfulness slit come to see bee me any more inore sir air morena and I 1 could love oe her ashes so like a little girl with those round eyes jano jane held up two to circles made by forefingers and thumbs thumb sif to represent bettys round eyes oil oh dearl dear site said she awfully nw fully uI winning nnIng seems as if you must be taking care of lier sties so small and fine jasper japer laughed with some bitterness site she like me bowl now sighed jane but the feelings ketty betty had hurt were connected with a later development so that they turned her mood and brought her ber to a more inore normal dejection site she wits was no longer n R caged beast site she had temporarily forgotten her bars 1 I think youre oure wrong said jasper doubtfully netty betty does like you sties merely busy and preoccupied lf ive been neglected myself jane gave gae him a far too expressive look it was as though 91 she ie had sold said you dont flincy fancy that she cares carea for you r jasper flushed and blinked ills his long oriental eyes its a pity you yon a lover loer jane lie said she had walked over to the window and ills his speech purposely a trifle cruel and insulting did not make her turn youre angry she said oil J ft achta the tha french maid chosen by betty opened tho the door for him better go home im not in g good humor myself mi self at which he laughed his big murmuring musical laugh and prepared to leave her 1 I have a great deal of courage lie he said petting getting into his coat to bring a wildcat here chain her up und and tense tease her eh you think YOU ou have me chained chal ned iler her tone was enraged and scornful 1 I can snap your flimsy little tether and go slie site wheeled upon him she looked tall and fierce and free no no lie he cried with deprecating voice and gesture you are making mr mor lucks fortune and win not to mention your our own you yon break bour our chains chain get clet used to tn t them ilem we nil ill have to YOU vou know knew it its in anuci uell the best method 1 I schall rider get used to this life never neer it just sum somehow chov mine perhaps when you meet sir luck lucac hell be able to reconcile you jou ifer her expressive face darkened when shall I 1 meet mr air luck soon I 1 hope 1 I hate mr luck more than an any one in tile the world ll 11 she sald said in it a low quiet voice jasper stared biinte himl why in the name of savagery should you late hate him oh I 1 cant explain but better keep us apart how come came he to write the ali leopardess filially leave leae him to tell you that good night CHAPTER vill VIII gray envelopes Envelo pei it II was with more than the usual sinking of heart that josper jasper let him le ef f that evening into the he beautiful house which betty and he called their hows horn joans joane too tao expressive look liall stung the old soreness tor eneas of his bla diall lusion ment lie ile knew that tile the hou was empty of welcome ile he took off his lint hat and coat dejectedly there were footsteps or of tits his man who batilo front from the lie far end of the liall hall while I 1 lie i e stood ft waiting ailing jasper noticed tile absence of 0 a familiar fragrance for the first time in years ears hetty betty load forgotten to order flowers the I 1 he red roses which jasper always caressed with a long appreciative finker finger as lie ho went vent by tile the lable in the tha hall were missing their absence sae gave him it 11 faint sensation of alarm sir kane mrs morenas Mor enns brother biot lier has called to see you ou air ile he la 13 walting waiting jaspers eyebrows rose to see me Is lie he with sirs mrs now no air mrs viorena went vent cut this morning and his not yet et returned sir mr kane lias has been here since five sir 11 very will well it was t it mechanical speech of dismissal the footman went off josper stood tapping tits his chin with his finger ingar woodward iane come to sot see him during bettys absen absence col I 1 wood yard ward had not spoken more than three or four ley icy words of necessity to liliu him since tile marriage anlage iii after a stilt stiff ungracious fashion tills this brother had befriended frien doil betty but to ills his jewish brother in law lie tin had shown only a 11 slightly disguised distaste the jew was well used to such a manner ile ho treated it with light bitterness but ho he did not love loc to receive the users of it in fit his own house it wits was will heightened color and bent br brows aws that lie he pushed apart the long crimson hangings hannings hang ings and canio came into the immense drawing dinv ing room it was softly lighted and pleasantly v warmed armed A ore fire burned the tall fair visitor rose from a sent near the iaze blaze and turned nil all in one rigid piece toward ills his advancing host jasper was perfectly perfect conscious that his own gesture and speech of greeting were too eager too ingratiating tent they had a touch of servility ile he hated them himself but they were inherited with ft ath his blood as instinctive its as tile the wagging of a logs dogs tall they were met by a precise bow no smile no taking of ills outstretched hand jasper drew up at once put the slighted hand on the back of a tall crimson damask chair and looked his stateliest stat eliest and most handsome self betty como come in yet ct he said youve been waiting for her ber woodward kane pulled at ills his short yellow mustache and stared nt at jasper with tits his large blank blue eyes ees As aa a matter of fact I 1 call to see my sister but to lo see YOU ou I 1 have ost come from elizabeth she Is fit at my house site she come came to me this morning jaspers fingers tightened on the chair she Is sick no there wass was a pause during which the blank blue eves staring nt at bilm slowly gathered a look of cold pleasure jasper was aware that tills this man who hated tint him was enjoying its his present mission shall we sit down I 1 shall have to take a good deal of your time I 1 cm am afraid there Is rattier rather a good deal to be gone over jasper sat cat down in the chair tile the back of which he tied had been holding will you smoke nolle si lie he asked and smiled its charming smile there was now not a trace of em barrassi nent anger or anxiety about him ills eyes ees were quiet ills his voice ace flexible flexible flex ibie woodward declined I 1 to 0 smoke crossed ills his legs and drew a small s all gray IT envelope from his pocket jaspers I 1 per eyes eves fastened upon it nt at once it wa waa bettys paper and her angular boyish writing marched across it 1 evidently vl the note was addressed i to him ile he waited while woodward turned it about in ills his long stiff white fingers about two months ngo ago hetty betty came to me one evening in great distress of mind site she asked for my advice and to the best of my ability I 1 gave it to her I 1 wish that site she tied naked asked for it ton ten years oars ago slits might have saved herself a great deal this lime fline she has fins not only asked for it but she lias liag been following it and in follow ing it she he has too now left your our douall and come to mine this of course will ill not surprise you ou it dopf doc 4 however surprise me great giebl ly li it was belil the gentle murmur but ift jaspers pars cigarette celled ills his faid face 1 I cannot understand that tant hew ever its not my business betty lias ian asked me to you iou today so flint she may be spared the humiliation after this you sou must address nM oress your bonim communications u lit to her lawyers lawyer in a short time rogers end during will serve eyou you with notice of div wre jasper sat perfectly still If linIng slightly forward ills his cigarette between his fingers sool so ol he 4 said after a ion long silence P then he hed out ills his hand 1 I may havo have bettys letter TO DL CONTINUES CONTINUED |