Show I I 1 it H it K ii leadin g L a dy 1 A by GERALDINE BONNER W H HH tl H hit 1 11 1 1 H cheso borvice I 1 C e copyright by th bb a sterrill co CHAPTER XIV continued 19 so 80 joe had find died a body clad in gala gain dress swirling out on oil currents that would never bring jilin back anne anna said nothing silo did not feel any special griff grief or feeling of uny any kind too touch had bud happened site she was benumbed sho find u vague that lit la some dome future tillie when SILO she tind hild recovered from tier her dulled and buttered state site might be orry lorry cry perhaps her eyes eye s fell on tier lier blind with sybila clasped around it anti and tho the might eight of tho linked fingerr roused tier she khe lifted tier head bead and looked tit lit the fitce face bedside her but but why did you do nit nil tills this hide not say anything let them thinie you were dead 1 I 1 wanted to iet get away bet awall away I 1 what for where to jim dallas I 1 know where he Is youve known tor for u month ive fie written him telling him id come if I 1 could if I 1 ever could oh but 1119 lt been hopeless I 1 wax spied on dogged followed her foice rose on it i note stopped slopped and after a seared listening hush went on whispering 1 want to stay dead never como come to life here again its my cliance chance the only chance ill ever have bouvo found me now and ill tell you everything and site told atine anne the story the story etory that no onu one else hua has ever hoard heard yince since silo bhe had received tits ills address tile the longing to join tier her lover find bud possessed tier she bhe lind find written she would come coine silo she know knew lie ho was waiting for her ter but tile watch kept upon tier lier made tiny any move impossible What whatever evee tier her anguish ae could not allot risk betraying ills his whereabouts if it had been only 1131 solf she W would have dared anything in this position growing dally daily more unbearable had suddenly coine the nicana or of escape tragedy swift unit and terrible its aa a bolt front from the blue had been tier her opportunity and she had desperately faily ed it fro from ni tier her window flow titter the interview i with stokes site sho had seen juo in ills sebastian dress puss pass below silo sho had known it was lie because of tile the cost and was astonished supposing him ail already ready gone stokes elitie into view following liliu him and the dia curbing iden idea tided seized tier her that lie he hall mistaken tol staken the lioy hoy for herself sliu slin lind had run to tho door to go down und and enil the and then stopped ut tt close quarters stoker would sw who it wits was and to lot let joe lo 10 evil tongued and hostile discovered dIscover od their rendezvous was waa the last thing site bhe wanted slie vent bucic back to tho the window to watch tile outcome anti and saw lipit hr ot of them this frightened hor her tho ali fitly place they alicy could have disappeared to wits tilt thu su farner house stokes tolas iri inight suy say too much before lie IHS dincov ered its ini stake and panic stricken she abe wits was about to rush out when joe ran from the doorway and tile shot I 1 followed I 1 vor lor a she find no idea how lung long slie silo wits paralyzed pul lily zed not believing her sensed alio remembered moving buck back into lite room and drouk there t she saw stokes issue front from the house and lieu to the shelter tit of tho pine wood that told tier what it at site she had seen was real it a murder had been committed tinder tier eyes aca and nd sit slip went vent to to tile thu door to go down holding it open sho inus cil on oil tile the threshold ilioyd heard the voices below heard stokes entering wind ind had anad it a forward l step to run doin and denounce fifty bilm a sound frola vt t tipped tier florus ll oras cry sybil was is killed it ms its that wild sai tillit gave tier tho idea sent it through her brain like it a zigzag of ligh lulng title tile llo people below made thal rush front from tile the house she ethod in thu norway doorway nio Ho lit in loll 1011 of the possibilities vint that before tier lier the excitement that had shaken tier lier a few minutes cartler cat her died tier hor igind steadied rud alf nd site she felt herself uplifted toy by nit an Ill darlng daring and there wai lio no danger of it a recovery of tit the body for sh aho 3 had find heard beard from froin Chi gabriel briel mitt aless binkney that hat bodies curried carried out on the tide were never found alone on the second hoor floor with little fear of interruption site she had gono gone about tier lier preparations fit at once she had taken nothing front from tier own room but money from tier her purse leu leaving ving at a bait amount to avert suspicion tha ui I 1 candles from the box anthe table I 1 tew ww crackers she had brought up tt tte tle e light flight before from finni supper unit it putt pair or hf asora then goldig to joes joea ruoti j the he find gathered tile alio clothes ito lidd had discarded lying ready to her ter hand on oil file ue hed lied everything from the shoes to hw gnp ap and sf stolen oleti out and upward t ino top floor hero title he lind find put on low ara c oft her tifilo she alie oo A act spek na ot t the rellow ellow curls in tier her jacket pocket hiding her own clot lies in a box la in the storeroom the next day she ahe had find been a prey to 11 11 rising tile tide of iron from 1 be hind a curtain site olie had watched the search of the island and realized it hunt through the lite top floor door must follow every sign of tier her presence wits wan obliterated and silo elio studied her surroundings roun dings for a hiding place tile the windows opened halt half way to air the rooms suggested the of 4 u cache outside climbing up tip tho the wall anti extending to tile the roof was the great wisteria vine its outspread brunches branches twisted into ropes and coverett covered with a Illi of dense foliage the main trunk passed close to the window of tile raum ro aiu that faced the batali hend tin the place where site eho slit walting waiting for use endIng footsteps when anno had find made tier her lilt site hai had hoard the first arst creak of thu the stairs and crawled out under tinder the alie window with a foothold on tho gutter silo she had find slipped behind the curtain of tile thu vine tier her fiands gripped round its ita liven even from thu the gurden gierden below all she thought it would have been 1 tle to detect tier her of annes whispered i site had find heard noth ing she had bud supposed tho the intruder one of tho the men luen whet when they cattle up title aho hild had plenty of little to tilde hide for elie eho lind had heard their footsteps when they cattle came along tile hull hall after tile the visit of and williams site sho know knew the danger of detection increased Inc reused wi alth every hour also the necessity for food could not le ito dented denied much longer tile one chance left tier her wits to got get away that night make what sliu silo felt would bo be a last attempt to gain the freedom that mount life to tier her tile the darkness was in tier her favor and site sho resolved to slip from tile the house and cross tile tho bed of the channel below thu tho causeway at tho the foot of tile the stairs sho she hod find hesitated undecided whether to go by the living room or tilt kitchen finally site she chose tile way she know best beat khero slie she was familiar with the tha disposition of tile the furniture an aa tho the flashlight burst silo eho had made a noiseless rush for the stairs was lit in the upper passage when the doors new open and came running along CZ it stood out in sharp silhouette the hall below tit the durl darkness mes and holso holse lind covered cohered tier lier light flight but lit in her ey eyrleen byrle rleon on the top floor site she had tit t thu the fiend of the stairs sick sich with uncertainty uncertainly und dread tho the concerted shrieks of ti alie le women lind had como lle to her cries 4 of f tier own imme she guessed then it 11 picture lidid been taken tirey find seen been it and silo sho waited not knowing what was vas cotil coming alig she lid find stayed staged there it long time 11 listening with every sense alert heard silence gathering over the house hild and then gono buck back too to tier her place by the window 1 it I riven given up tip I 1 find the spirit to tight light still it was so not noc knowl knowing tig what the thiry y mm N vue doing it if lipid round bound out I 1 was ache awl ml ans vil 4 1 I to do stay hm here get out tal nn the island I 1 tell I 1 ans wit 4 till nil in the durk dark and I 1 felt my illy tielve for tin tho first ahne and airn I 1 heard your votre voice atille amu ill col coming lIlg to you it tt 11 alil sit drew buck gilld looked with solemn I 1 menning into tile the others hice you yot lite meant alit it you will viii akk gnp JP 1110 sybil sibil yuu YOU know it theres only onu olie way vay you full any ally iva way 1 let itt tile me go gi aler ver tell that you were here that it youl yes lot let litt tny stay dead everybody lvery lody believes it let them go 90 un oil believing it w ans death my life since that night when allm dim disappeared appeared I 1 it t iva s i it worth going in ill with now I 1 can call go to ti hilli bu be with hill therell bo be no ito une cone watching sybll Sta Kaun luderS dera uny more aven if I 1 looked like myself it would ito bu only the cliance chance resemblance rice to a murdered woman and do I 1 look like ille Illy self silo turned tier lier face to the light bright now will tile the collell cOl coming lill g of tit the e sun still isalow the smooth sti tooth sweep of hair across tier lier forehead it was iso changed in its pallor and thinness so bereft of its rounded curves and delle ite ate freshness that it was only n dim rc reflection of sybila the fact face of it a lad in whom the sunie blood rati ran tile tho havoc worked by tho sul TerinA that had find so ed it drove like 1110 it knife to annes heart she felt tile prick of teara under tier her eyelids all and lowered owe red tier her liend sybll sybil gripping lit at tier her happiness 8 with tile the alerce coara court courage ge e of d espair despair aal aal nu sybll l break ing ull oil ties going for a I 1 she could not ak and the other thinking tier ber silence reluctance luc tance to agree caught a her pleading with breathless breath least urge tive ahe accepted its all 11 explained und and ended joe tins has gone dropped out of sight boys of his kind do that do something ashamed inh umed of and disappear what good would it do stokes or bassett or r the police to know it was joe who was killed its not lies alea its not being false to ai anyone lyone tta its only to keep silent and lot let tile in io go oil anne weve been rent real friends lenda fr weve loved each other love roe me enough to let me lite be happy tile the rim of the alie sun slipped neove tile the distant sea aea line tind lind sent bent a rny ray of light through tho the window it touched their settled seated figures lind and lay ruay on oil annes face as site raised it go co she said softly go ill never dellill tell tel lIll ill keep that promise HB ali long us as I 1 live lire she could stay no longer the house would ho be waking soon goon there wua tat rapid of last injunctions information for sybila safety tonight tit at low tide silo she would crosa on ol lite causeway every evidence of tier her occupation would be removed and with this in fit mind site she took tier her aloia dress from its hiding place and pave gave it in t anne aline no on one ransacking the lite top floor fit at gull island would ever find it n trace of tier lier that night wits was cloudy great black blinks banka passing across tile alia leavens heavens at times they broke und and through serene open spaces the moon rode silvering the sea turning tile pools mid arid stream lets of the channel bed to a shining tracery A boys boya figure that had started across tile the causeway in ill thu dark was chught lit in one oi of these transitory gl gleams enins a hitting flitting shadow on the straight bright path it stood out in sharp silhouette running on tile the slippery stones then lien clouds swept across the moon und in the darkness dark nesa it gained tho shore and the sheltering trees dogs scented its passage and br broke oke out barking the sound following its progress till the houses were passed and the rond road stretched on between quiet fields to the railway some people heard the dogs light sleeping villagers who turned and wondered f a tramp was about and lapsed into comfortable slumber in tile the still nesri nesa of the room where stokes lay unconscious drawing toward tile the hour of deliverance the barking sounded loud and insistent the nurse was waa disturbed by it and went to the window and looked out but flora never heard it anno anne did and sat up in bed following it along the edge of the village till it died on tile outskirts EPILOGUE three yours years later Ila sett and anne amla had at a friend at dinner lie ile was u writer who had find just returned front from it n successful le lecture deture tour in fit australia on oil ills his way back lie luid ranged through the pleasant atit rca roaches Vlies of tho the south keas and had failen under their spell a little more mora money lit in tits his pocket and for or him it would bo a plantation on oil some home isle of enchant eilent not the necess accessible ible places they were already sabile d steamers steamer 4 lisul haft conie come jazz music and tourists touris tm lit in pith helmets with red gulde guidebooks books were under your feet it was the remoter remoler still out of the line of travel where it a trading schooner wits the sole bol link with will the world lie had tande it a point of visiting some of blui t hired ailred un tin old tub with it a native crew und gotte batting nebout und had a glimpse of if the real thing unit that stevenson saw haw and lie enlarged on oil it 11 particular island the ciul most of it a scattered group where lie had found an Amerle till and tits wife running a u copra plantation delightful people called whittler hed stayed beveral daya with them client in it a long bamboo house on oil the edge of it a lagoon you cu imagine anything an tiling more beau after dinner moving about in thu the otting frit ting room the gueft had stopped befort bofort a standing on it a side table picked it up tip mid and asked whose it was bassett had find answered it friend of tits his wife now bend nut but tic lie would remember lt it was sybil saunders Sti wiio wt lind had mot inet with such it brugle death some years mira UK the gue cucil ii ed of course liu ito neatem bored a 11 horrible horribly horri blu affair then after it 11 last las t look ill thu tho liu lie turned to amu its alku mrs NI whittler I 1 way telling iou ili out just the sumo eyers jul itka 01 ly silos shua u bit stoutte stout tr alid moro more niu it lauve been lier hot victure when slit abu wits was it gill elicit tin the was over escorted the amest aust to the hie dow dour on oil liis ills wily bud back tu to tile room he thought lie would mauge aus geil t to aunt annu that she put away tile people noticed nolle cd it IL und and tho the subject klit kept tum ins ilig up it was as evidently unbearably painful to ler her for she rarely apoka of it that hint diuk darl chapter clui pter lit in her was u thin tiling anti settled ilu he lind tile words nn it ills is aliis as lie ile tnt vied the room und luid then alien that site blie hold tile picture lit ID tier lier hands and was looking intently lit at it softly smiling tier her tranquil even ern happy that way good tile wound luid lintl hestler so lie he said bald nothing END |