Show cohe 0 C L A 6 V cla n SYNOPSIS at a private view ot of the chatworth chatsworth Chat worth personal estate to be sold at auction the crew idol mysteriously disappears harry cressy who was resent describes the ring to his fia fla cee flora gilsey and her chaperon mrs clara britton as being ike 1 ke a heathen god with a beautiful sap ph pp re set et in the head f 1 lora lors meets mr air kerr verr an englishman in discussing the d arance of the ring the ts of 0 n engi sh thief farrell wand are re called kerr tel s flora tl ti at he has met harry somewhere but cannot place him 2000 reward is offered for the return of the ring harry takes flora to a chinese goldsm th s to buy an engagement ring an exquisite sapphire set in a hoop of brass bra 5 Is selected harry urges her not to wear it 1 it Is reset the possession vt of the ring seems to cast a spell over ilora I 1 lora she becomes uneasy and ampre tensile flora Is startled by the effect en on kerr when he gets a gl apse of the sapphire the po possibility sivility lity that the stone ts Is part of the crew idol causes flora much anxiety unseen flora d clara ransacking her dress ng room if I 1 1 ilora lora refuses to give or sell the stone to kerr and suspects h m of being the thief she dec des to return the ring to harry but he tells her to keep it tor for a aay or two ella buller tells ilora that clara is setting her cap for her father B judg buller builer flora bel eves eyes harry sus erects kerr and is waiting to make sure t df t the re vard before unmasking the th et ef b kerr and clara claa confess their love for tor ach each other clara is followed by a china inan 1 CHAPTER cent cont aued lv well for a tact fact I 1 know it is stolen he leaned toward her and Ms his arms still flung out with the hands oceh ope as argument had left left them seemed to her frightened eyes all ready for her ready with his last ar S cament his strength she pressed back against the glass f until she felt it hard behind her harry she whispered if you care anything if you ever want me for yours you 11 take 5 our hands away she meant it she was sincere in that li moment for all she shrank from him her iler body and mind bould not have fp been too great a price to give him for 0 the gapp sapphire hire then all at once she felt his arm around her neck she couldn coulden t move her ber body she could only turn her bead lead from his hot breath for a moment ment he held her and yet another moment and then terrified at what k this strange immobility might mean gaj she ralyn ter r eyes and saw he was 1 bet not et e t her though he held ber fa ta count vas not con conscious semus of her strait the er r her head he looked through the window and down into the garden her eyes followed it lay beneath the bonder vonder of its morn tug tag aspect all blanched and d in she aw the silhouette of rose branches in mack black on the sky she saw the flow ers ff and bushes all one dull tone but in the midst of them the oval of the path shane white and there as in the aft ernson standing looking upward was the dark figure of a man her heart gave a great leap just so shed been summoned once before that day but what infernal freak had etched fetched him back to repeat that dan berous sally and brought him finally into his enemy s grasp graspo she tried to make a gesture to warn him and just there harry released her dropped her so that she halt tell fell upon the window seat and made a dash aero acro s the room for the light in a moment were in darkness in a moment to flora ilora pressed against the window the garden sprang clear and on the form less figure below the face appeared white in the starlight looking up she cried out in wonder it was not kerr it was the blue eyed chinaman after her haunted drive after her escape after search be he was there still inexorably there small d mini shed by the great facade of the house but looking up at it with his calm eye surveying urve ying it measuring its height numbering its doors trying its windows harry was beside her again he ile was tugging frantically at the window it resisted she saw his hands trembling while be he wrestled with it then it went shrieking up and he leaned out what do you wanta he called and though he used no name flora saw ne rie knew with whom he was speaking the chinaman stood fill mobile lifting his round white face whose mouth seemed to gape a little harry leaned far out and lowered his voice go away joe joel dont don t come here never come here there was a guiv er in his voice anger or apprehend sion or both whatever his passion was for the moment it overwhelmed him and as the ch naman stood un moved unmoving at his commands harry turned sharp from the window and dasha out of the room flora heard him running running down the stairs she hung there breathless waiting to see him meet the motion less figure but while she looked and waited that motionless figure sudden ly took life it moved it turned it flitted t mixed with shadows became a shadow and then there was noth ing there 14 in her turn she ran up and up a twisted s de stair shortest passage to her own rooms at least lock and key could keep her safe tor for the next few hours after that she think of something else CHAPTER flight by five 0 clock in the morning she was already moving softly to and fro so softly as not to rouse the sleeping mainka Alar rika by seven her lightest bag was packed herself was as bathed brushed dressed even to hat and aloi aloies es and stand ng at her window with all the listening alert look of one ones in a waiting room expecting a train she was batching foy for thy the enol c city ty to begin to stir avat watching ching for enough h traffic below in the streets to make her on movement there not too noticeable ti yet every moment she he wait ed she was in terror lest her fate should take violent form at last and assail her in the moment of escape she listened tor for a foot ascending to her room with a message from clara demanding an audience she listened for the peal of the electric bell under harry harrys s hasty hand harry arrived even at this unwarranted hour with heaven knew what representative of law to force the sapphire from her but all her household was still un stirring when at last she went soft step after step down the broad and polished stair and across the empty hall she went quiet direct deter mined not at all as she had fled on her other is ente only yes erday she shut the outer door after I 1 4 A but all her household was still un stirring when at last she went step by ftp i L a sound relief breathed in the tre fre i a and faint ly smoky air of morning i she walked quickly it was a cross town car bound for quite another locality that she climbed aboard it was filled only with mechanics and workmen with picks and shovels she sat crowded elbow to elbow among odors of stale tobacco stale garlic stale perspiration and looking straight before her through the car window watched the aspect of the city still gray grow less gleaming and formal and finally quite dirty and quite quite dull this was all as she had intended very much in the direction of her er rand and safe but in market street t the car line ended and she was turned out again in this broad artery of commerce where she was in dan ger of meeting at any moment people she knew she made stra across the thoroughfare to its south side turned down eighteenth and in a mo ment was hidden in mission street it was ten 0 clock in the morning three hours since she had left her house and a most reasonable time of dayl when flora turned out of the flatness of south of market street and began to mount a slow ns ris in ing 9 hill As she neared the hilltop she glanced at a card from her chatelain consulting the address upon it then anxiously she scanned the house fro fronts n ts it was not this one nor this but the square white mansion she came to now stood so far retired at the end of its lawn that she could not make out the number As she peered a young girl came down the steps between the dark wings of the cypress hedge a slim fair crea ture dressed for the street and draw ing on her gloves As she passed flora made sure she had seen her be fore there was something familiar in the carriage of the girl s head and hands something also like a pale re of another presence pale as it was it was enough to reassure her that this was the house she wanted this appearance of the place began to bring before flora mora the full enormity and impertinence of her errand but though her heart beat on her side as loud as the brass knocker upon the door she had no mind for fo turning back A h gh cool darkly gleaming inter lor for mellow with that precious tint of time which her own house so lacked received her and here as well as out of doors all the while sh sat eat waiting she felt that prote 11 was still the deity of the ailace place 1 4 flora floras s eager heart time was str ing by but the tal tall clock facing her measured it out slowly its longest golden finger had pointed out five min utes before the sweeping of a skirt coming down the hall brought her to 1 er teet feet mrs airs herrick came in hatless a honea honeysuckle suckle leaf caught in her gray crown of hair geraniums in her hand flora mora had never seen her so informal and so gay flora mora apologized I 1 knew if I 1 came at this hour I 1 should interrupt you but really there was no help tor for it she glanced down at her satchel I 1 had to go this morning and before I 1 went I 1 had bad to see you about the house I 1 in going down to look at it and and to stop a while mrs herrick hesitated deprecated but you know mrs airs button britton t satisfied with the price I 1 asked 01 said nora mora promptly but I 1 shall be perfectly satisfied with it and I 1 want to take possession at once 1 t I the positive mannelin man manner nerin in which she waved clara out of her way brought up in mrs herricks face a faint flash of surprise but it was gone in an instant supplanted by her ques tinning puzzled consideration of the main proposition oh I 1 hope 5 ou on haven t come to tell me 5 sou ou want it changed she pro tested you know its absurd in places quite terrible indeed its 1870 straight through and french at that but even such whims acquire a dignity it if they i e been long cherished I 1 tou ou couldn t put in III or br take out one thing without spoiling the whole char acter but I 1 don dont t want to change it I 1 want it t just as it Is flora mora explained it isn t about the house itself I 1 ve come it its s about going down there you see there are some people ome friends of mine I 1 haven t promised them to show the house butI but I 1 have quite promised myself to show it to them and they are only here tor for a few days more they are going immediately she was looking at mrs herrick all the while hile she was telling her wretch ed lie and now she even managed to smile at her I 1 thought how lovely it would be it if you could go there with me nie I 1 should like so very much to be in it first with you to have you go over it with me and tell me how to take care of it as its it s always been done I 1 should hate to do it any dis respect her hostess smiled with ready an sw sacr vr of course I 1 will go down I 1 should be glad but it must be in a day or two indeed perhaps it would be better for iou to have your people first and I 1 can come down say mon day afternoon or tuesday flora faced this unexpected turn of the matter a little blankly ah ali but the trouble is I 1 cant can t RO go down alone it wa mrs herrick s turn to look blank but mrs airs britton mrs button britton isn t going with me she cant I 1 see mrs herrick with a long soft scrutiny seemed to be taeng tak ng in more than flora s mere v N depre and you t put it until she can cana I 1 t put it off a moment flora ended with a little breathless laugh I 1 do so wish you would come down with me this morning for I 1 must go and you see I 1 can t go alone mrs herrick sitting there corn com posed in her cool flowing white and violet gown with the red flowers in her lap still looked at flora inquiry angly but aren arell t there some worn wom en in your party old enough to make it possible and young enough to take pleasure in ita it flora mora shook her bead head oh no she said her house of cards was tot bering she could not keep up her brave su smiling illing she knew her distress must be plain indeed as she looked at mrs herrick she saw the effect of it her heart sank if only she had told the truth even so much of it as to say thera there was something she could not tell what she had said was un worthy not only of herself but of 0 the end she was so desperately holding out for now in the lucid gaze con fronting her she knew all her anten eions were taking on a dubious color stained false like her words under the dark cloud of her own sen tation yet they were not false she knew her motives the end she was struggling for were as austere as truth itself she could not give up without one bold stroke to clear them of this accusation do you think there theres s anything queer about ita she faltered queer to floras mora s ears that sounded the coldest word she had ever heard I 1 hardly think I 1 understand what you mean I 1 mean is it that you think there s more in what I 1 in asking of you than I 1 have said the two looked at each other and before that flat question mrs airs herrick drew back a little in her chair I 1 have no right to think about it at all she said well there is flora insisted there s a great deal more I 1 am sor ry I 1 should have told you but I 1 was afraid I 1 don t know why I 1 was afraid of you except that in this matter I 1 ve grown afraid of every one it s true that there may be people going down at least a person but it isn t as I 1 let you think it a house party at all its for something om ething something that I 1 cant do any other vay ay something she had a sudden flash of insight that if it I 1 could tell you aou ou would bel eve eye in too mrs herrick s look had faded to a luere concentrated attention you vl mean ean that there Is something you wis wish h to do tor for whoever Is going downa oh something I 1 must do flora insisted mrs airs herrick considered a mordent why cant can t he do it for himself 9 she threw out suddenly it made flora start but she met it gallantly because he won t t I 1 shall have to make him you for a moment flora knew that she was preposterous in mrs herrick s eyes and then that she was pathetic her companion was looking at her with a sad sort of humor aly 1 dear are you sure that that is your ie re flora floras s answering smile was taint faint it seems as strange to me as it seems absurd to you but I 1 think I 1 have done something already are you sure or has he only let you think soa we e have all at some time longed or even thought it was our duty to adjust something when it would have bapa safer to have kept our hands off mis ails herrick went on gently oh safer flora breathed oh yes indeed I 1 know but it if something had been put into dour our hands without your choice it if all the life of some one that you cared about depended on you would you think of being safea flora leaning forward chin in hand with shining eyes seemed fairly to impart a reflection of her own pas concentration to the woman before her mrs herrick so calm in her re attitude calm as the old por trait on the wall behind her none the I 1 less ess began to show a curious sparkle of excitement in her face if I 1 were sure that persons person s life did depend on me she measured out her words de libera literately tely but that so seldom bap hap pens and it is so hard to tell but it you were sure sure sure flora rang it out certainly mrs airs herrick in her turn leaned for vard ard ah ali even then it would de pend on him and do you think you can make a man do otherwise than bis his nature nora answered with a stare of mis ery I 1 know what you must be think ing |