Show rig B lin dm uila CHAPTER XV continued 1 1 12 lie ile thanked her and withdrew lie did not look benekas miss davis closed tile tho door behind film hlin their eyes had not met inet but lie he understood that she had comprehended fully today he would be away from the Sant San olno toino house and away from tile tho guards allo it ho watched him for at least four ho hours lies under no closer espionage than that of avery tills this offered opportunity the first opportunity lie ho had lind had for com between him and his friends outside tile tho house ho went to tits his room alad made doino slight changes in ills his dross dress he camo came down then to the library found n u hook book and settled himself to read toward noon avery looked in n on him film thero there and rather constrainedly P proffered tits ills invitation f aaton laton accepted and after avory avery had haid gone to got rea ready dy eaton baton put away tits his book fifteen minutes litter later hearing averys motor purring outside eaton went into tile tho hall a sery servant tint brought lila ills coat and hat and taking them lie ho went out to tile iho motor avory avery appeared a anoll moment lent later inter with harriet Sap captolo tolO silo she stood looking after them na they s spun P un down tho curving drive and n na onto tile the dike outside tho the grounds then silo she went back to tile the study she dismissed miss for the day and taking tile tho typewritten shoots ond and some other papers tier her father had asked to havo bave read to him she V went tl up to him 1 blis basil I 1 Sant olno olne was alone and awake what have you nan harriet lot ho asked bile sat down and glancing through mhd papers in tier her hand gave him the subject of each eacia then at ills direction 1 she began to read them aloud As A she bhe finished tile the third page lie ho interrupted her lias illas avery taken eaton 1 the country club ns as I 1 ordered A yes 91 1 I ahn ahall want you to go out ut there in the afternoon I 1 would trust your observation more than averys to do de cormine tormine whether eaton has hag been used to such auch surroundings she rend read another pa page ge then broke suddenly 1 I una has donald asked you anything today father in regard to what 11 1 I thought last night lie ho seemed daft about my relieving him of part 7 of his work 6 disturbed in what way she hesitated unable to define defino even to herself tho the impression Avery inan nor ner had bad made on her 1 I understood I 1 ho he was going to ask you to leave it still in his hands ho he has not done so yet then probably I 1 was mistaken 1 sho she rend read again for halt half an hour after luncheon lit finishing tho the pages she had brought now mow better go to tho the club the blind man directed sho she put tho the reports and letters away lit in tho the safo safe in the room below anti and going to tier her own apartments sho bile dressed carefully enre fullY for the afternoon As she drove down tit tho e road she phe passed the scene of tile tho attempt by the men in tho the motor to run eaton baton down tho the indefiniteness of her knowledge by chomor whom or why alie ahe attack had been rondo made only inneo ande it seem scorn more terrible to her unquestionably lie was in constant danger of itz its repe tit loll p amt ni especially whon when as aa today ho be was outside her fathers grounds instinctively she hurried her horse silo she stopped at al tho the clubhouse only to make certain that mr avery and his hir ruest guest word were not there then she drove drosdon on to the polo held field As silo she approached sho eho recognized averys A little lithe alert figure on one of the ponies with n deft quick stroke he cleared tho the ball from before the feet of an opponents pony then ho be looked up and nodded to her harriet drove up tip arid stopped beside zhe she bar aler people balled tier her from till nil sides and for a moment the practice was stopped as the players trotted over to speak to hor her then ploy play began again find she had the opportunity to took look for E eaon aton ber father sho she know had instructed avery that eaton was to be introduced as tits hla guest but avery evidently had either carried out these instructions in a purely itin manner tiner or had not wished eaton to bo be with others unless lie he himself was by for or harriot harriet discovered eaton standing off by himself sho she waited till he looked toward her then signaled him to come over she got down and they stood together following the play you know polo she ques questioned him ns no she saw the expression of appreciation in hla his faco face as a player daringly rode off an antagonist and saved sated a cross she put the question without thought before she eho r rec that silo she was obeying her it a abers instructions 1 T I under understand the game somewhat pa raton ton replied nave have you over ever played it seems to deserve its reputation an tile the summit of spart ho replied ile he answered so 80 easily that she by william macharg edwin balmer r copyright by bf laue brown mud and could not decide whether ho hemas was ovad evad ing or not and somehow just juat then she found it impossible to put the simple question direct again I 1 good I 1 good don I 1 silo she cried enthusiastically and clapped her hands bands no na avery suddenly Aud denly raced before them caught the boll ball with a swinging g backhanded stroke at and drove it directly toward tits his opponents goal instantly whirling tits ids mount avery raced away after the ball and with another clean stroke scored a goal Evy E about arted cried out lit in approbation tion I 1 lies iles very quick and clever lie he II arret said to enton eaton eaton baton nodded yes lies hoa by oil all odds the most skillful man on the field I 1 should sity say the generosity of the praise impelled tile the girt girl somehow to quality qualify it but only two others really have played much that man and that yes I 1 picked them as the ev experienced verl ones eaton said quietly the others etwo awo of them at least are out for the first time I 1 think 11 they watched tho the rapid course of the bull ball up and down tile tho geld field the scurry till and scamper of th the ponies after it then the clash ofa of a meleo melee two ponies went down and their riders were flung dung when they arose ono one of tho the least experienced boys limped apologetically from tho the field avery rodd to tile the barrier 1 I say any of you fellows follows dont I 1 you want to try it were just ot getting ting warmed up avery loo looked ked over to eaton baton and gave the challenge direct I 1 care to take a chance harriot San totne watched her companion a sudden flush had come to his face abich vanished as she turned and left him almost pale but fits eyes glowed averys manner in challenging him as though lie ho must refuse refuge from fear of such a fall 11 na 0 h he 0 just apil witnessed was not enough to explain batons start how can IV I 1 ho he returned if you want to play you can nn avery da dared r ed fi him I 1 m furden that wits was the he boy who had just been hurt will lend you some things hiell just about fit you and you can have his mounts harriet continued to watch enton eaton tho the challenge had been put so as aa to give him no ground for refusal but timidity you dont caro care to A avery very taunted tsiun ted him dettl deftly why dont you von try it harriet found herself saying to him lie ile hesitated she realized it was not timidity ho he was feeling it was something deeper and stronger than that it was fear but so S 0 plainly it was not fear of bodily hurt that she mosed mood instinctively InstInct ivol Y toward him film in fa sympathy he looked swiftly at avery then at her then away IN fie seemed to fear alike accepting or refusing to play suddenly ho he mado made a decision til play piny ile he started instantly away to tho the dressing rooms a few minutes inter when he rode onto the field harriet was con conscious selous that in some way eaton was playing a part as lie he listened to averys directions I 1 avery appointed himself to oppose eaton wherever possible besting him in every contest for the ball but she saw that donald though he tool tooh it upon himself to show all thia the other players where they rondo made thol thel mistakes did not offer tiny any instruction to eaton one of the players drove the ball close to tb the barrier directly be fore harriet eaton and avery raced for it neck by neck eaton by better riding gained a little as they came up she saw donalds attention was not upon tho the ball or tha play instead ho he was watching U eaton aton closely and sho sh realized suddenly that donald had appreciated as fully as herself that batons clumsiness was a pretense it was no longer merely polo the two were playing donnld donald suspecting or perhaps even certain that eaton knew the game dame was trying to make him show it and eaton was watchfully avoiding this just in front ot of hor her donald leaning forward swept tho the ball kram in front of eo ea tons donys for a few moments tho the piny was nil all at the further edge of the field the ball crossed wah belong curving shot and came hopping and rotting rolling along the ground close to where eho gabo stood donald and eaton baton raced for it stedman I 1 avery called to a team mato mate to 0 prepare to receive the ball after he had bad struck it and ho he lifted hla his mallet to drive the ball away from in front of eaton baton but as averys club was waa coming down eaton baton like ilke a flash end and apparently without lifting hix mallet at nu caught the lanil 1 a sharp smacking stroke it leaped litte ei a bukiet bullet straight and true toward tho the goal and before avery could turn eaton was wa after it and upon it but ho be did not lot have vo to strike again it bounded on and on between the goal posts while title together with the applause for the stranger arose a laugh at the expense of avery dut but as donald halted before her harriet saw that he ha was not angry oi 01 discomfited but was smiling triumphantly to bamsel hl bim rosel sel nad and na as she called in praise to eaton when ho he came close again she discovered in him only dismay at what bo it had and done the rno practice ended and the players practice ended and the players rodo away awny she waited in tho the ca clubhouse U b till avery and eaton baton came up krom from tho the dressing rooms donalds triumphant satisfaction seemed to havo have increased eaton was silent and a nd preoccupied avery hailed fiall edby by a group of men started away ns as ile he lid did so he saluted eaton almost derisively batons return of tin salute was openly ibon hostile stile sho she looked up ot at him keenly trying unavailingly tp to determine whether more had taken place between the two men than sho she herself had bad witnessed you tou hod had played polo before and played it well silo she charged why did you want to pretend you ho he made no reply As sho began to of other things discovered with surprise that ills his manner toward her had taken on oven even greater formality and constraint than it hod had had since its his talk witcher with her father the day before tile the afternoon kasnot was not warm to sit in the club house were seroj gathered groups of men and girls who had come in from aiom the hie golf course or from watching the be polo practice she found herself now facing one of these groups composed of some of her own 01 friends who were taking tea and wafers in the recess before bome windows they motioned to tier her to join them and she could not well refuse especially as this had been a part of her bee fathers instructions the men rose as sho she moved toward them enton with her she ilie introduced eaton A a chair was pushed forward for her and two of the girls made m ado a place for eaton baton on the window windo w seat between them As they seated sealed themselves and we were re served batons participation in the polo bract practice ace was the subject of conversation she found as she tried to talk with her nearer neighbors that sho bile was listening list ehing instead to ahta more general toi conversation which eaton enton harf toi eaton enton harf had joined silo saw that these people had accepted him as one of their own sort 0 ort to the point of jesting with him about aboul his lucky polo stroke for a beginner his manner toward them was very different from what it had bad been just now to herself hers elfi he seemed at ense and unembarrassed with them one or di two 0 of the girls appeared to have been eager even anxious to to meet him and she found herself oddly resenting tile tho attitude of these girls her feeling wits was indefinite vague it mado tier her flush and grow uncomfortable to recognize dimly that there was in it some sense of a proprietorship of iier her own in him which took alarm at seeing other girls attracted by him u but bui underneath it ano in u bui ano in was her uneasiness nt at his new manner to herself which hurt burt because she could not i e explain pia li it n las As tho the party finished finIs bed their tea silo sho looked neross across to him are you ready to go mr eaton she asked whenever sir mr ayery avery ts Is rendy ready you relt bior for him film unless you wish ill drive you back slie she offered of course id prefer that miss san colne tolne they went out to her trap leaving donald to motor bock back alone As soon as she had driver driven out of tho the club gro gru grounds ands unus she sue let the unus horse talce take its own galt gait and she turned tumor and faced him will you tell me site she demanded what have I 1 done this afternoon to make you class me among those who oppose you what have you yon done nothing miss Sant olne but you are classing me so now oh no he denied so angly that she felt he was only nitting her off harriet Sant olne knew that what I 1 had attracted her friends to ti enton eaton was their recognition of his likeness to themselves but what had impressed her in seeing him with them was hla his difference wits was it somo some memory theme of his former life that seeing these people had recalled to tn him which hod had affected his lit mahner toward tier again she looked at him were you sorry to leave the club rhe bhe naked asked 1 I was quite ready to leave he answered inattentively it roust must have been pleasant to you though to to bo be among tho the sort of people again that you yon you used to know miss purden sho mentioned one of the th girls g r Is who W ho had seemed most interested in him the th 0 slater sister of the boy whose place he had token taken in the i volo polo practice ills Is considered a very perso por son n M mr enon enlon have heard it said that a man any nian man not to bo be attracted by her must bo be forearmed against tier her by thought or memory of sonio some other woman whom ho be holds dear vm tro afraid I 1 dont quite understand the of tits his answer rem reassured tier her 1 I mean mr eaton she forced tier her tone to ho be light amiss furden was not as attractive to you as she might have been because there has hag been borno sorno other woman in your life choso whoso memory or or tho the expectation pec tation of seeing wixom whom again pro you lias been oh you yoo mean before yes of course sho she answered hastily no none he replied simply its rathor rather ungallant miss Sant olno but im afraid 1 I thinking much about miss Fur furden denI st she 10 felt that tits his dental denial was tho the truth for hla words confirmed tho the impression pres slon she had it hod ad of him the night before silo she drove on or rather let the horse taho them on for a few during which neither spoke they had comy come about a bond bend in tile the road and the great greab house of her father loomed ahead A motor whizzed past them coming from behind it was only averys car |