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Show THE HOUSeTfII A THOUSAND CANDLES i By MEREDITH NICHOLSON Author ol "THE MAIN CHANCE," ZEIDA IMMERON." Elc. Copyright INi by Ikjbbs-Merrlll Co. CHAPTER XV. Continued. "I wns eavesdropping on my own account," sho said hurriedly, and with a nolo of finality. "1 was thcro by in-tontlon, in-tontlon, and" thoro was another hint of tho tnm o' shnnter In tho mirth thnt soomcd to bubblo for n moment In her throat "It's too bad you did not sco mo, for I hnd on my prottlcst gown, nnd tho fog wasn't good for It. Hut you know ns much of what was said as I do. You nro a man, nnd I havo hpard thnt you havo had somo experience experi-ence in taking can of yourself, Mr. Glcnnrm." "To bo Biiro; but thoro nro times" "Yes, thoro are times when tho odds soem rather heavy. I havo noticed that myBolf." Sho smiled, but for an Instant a sad look camo Into hor oyes a look that vaguely but Imlstcntly suggested anothor tlmo and place. "I want you to como back," I said boldly, for tho train wns very near and I ffcit thnt tho eyes of tho Sisters wcro upon us. "You can not go away whoro I Bhall not And you!" I did not know who this girl wns, her homo, or hor relation to the school, but I know thnt tier life and tnlno hnd touched fltrnngoly; thnt hor oyos yoro bluo, nnd that her volco had called to mo twlco through tho dark, In mockery onco, and In warning another an-other time, and that tho sonso of having hav-ing soon hor boforo, of having looked Into hor oyes haunted mo. Tho youth In her wns so luring; sho wns at onco bo frank nnd so guarded breeding and tho tnsto and training of nn ampler am-pler world "thnn that of Annnndalo wore so evidenced m tho witchery of her volco, In tho grace and caso thnt marked' hor ovory motion, In the soft gray tono of hnt, dross and gloves, that n new mood, a now liopo nnd faith sang In my pulses. Thcro, on thnt platform, I folt again tho sweet heartneho I hnd known ns n hoy, when spring first warmed tho Vormont hillsides hill-sides and tho monutalns sent tho last snows singing In Joy of their rclcnso down through tho brook-bods and Into tho wakened heart of youth. Sho mot my eyes steadily. "If I thought thoro wns tho slightest chanco of my over seeing you again I Bhouldn't bo talking to you hero. Hut 1 thought I thought It would bo good fun to boo how you really talked to n grown-up. So I am risking tho dls-plcasuro dls-plcasuro of theso good Sisters Just to tost your conversational powcrB, Mr. Glenarm. You sco how perfectly frank I am." "But you forgot that I can follow you; I don't intend to sit down In this holo nnd dream about you. You can't go anywhere but I shall follow and find you." "That Is finely spoken, Squlro don-arm! don-arm! Dut I lmaglno you aro hardly llkoly to go far from Glenarm vory soon. I don't hesitate to say thnt I feel perfectly safo from pursuit!" and sho laughed her llttlo low laugh that was delicious in its mockery. I felt tho blood mounting to my. check. Sho know, then, that I wus virtually a prisoner at Glenarm, and tor onco In my llfo, at least, I wns ashamed of my folly that had caused my grandfather to hold and check mo from tho gravo, as ho had novor been ablo to control mo In his life. Tho countryside know why I was at Olon-nrm, Olon-nrm, and thnt did not mattor, but my heart rebelled at tho thought thnt this girl know and mocked mo with hor knowledge "I shnll follow and find you," I repeated. re-peated. "I Bhall sco you Christmas ovo," I satd, "wherovor you may bo." "In threo days? Then you will come to my Christmas ovo party. 1 shall bo dollghted to soo you, and flattered! Just think of throwing nway a fortuno to sntlsfy ono's curiosity! I'm surprised sur-prised nt yqu, but grntltlcd, on the whole-, Mr. Glonarm!" "I will glvo more thnn a fortuno; I will glvo tho honor I have plodgod to my grandfathers memory to hear your volco again." "That Is a great doal, for so Bmall a volco; but monoy, fortuno! A man will risk his honor ready enough, but his fortuno Is a mora serious mattor I'm sorry wo Bhall not moot again. It would bo pleasant to discuss tho sub Joct furthor. It Interests mo particularly." particu-larly." "In threo days I shall sco you,". I said. Sho vcit3 Instantly grnvo. "No! Plenso do not try. It would bo a vory great mistake And, any-iow, any-iow, you can hardly como to my party without being Invited." "That mattor Is closod, Whorovor you uro on Christmas ovo I shall find you," I said, and felt my heart loap, knowing that I meant what I said. "Oood-by," alio said, turning away. "I'm uorry I shan't over chaso rabbits at Glonnrm any moro." "Or paddle n canoo, or play wonderful wonder-ful celostlal music on tho organ." "Or bo nn eavosdroppor or hoor pleasant words from tho master ot Glonhrni " "Hut I don't know whoro you nro - going you haven't told mo nny thing you aro slipping out into the world " Sho did not hear or woiild not nn-swor. nn-swor. Tho train ronrcd up to tho pint-form, pint-form, and sho wns nt onco surrounded by n laughing throng, of dopnrtlng students. Two brown-robed Sisters stood like sentinels, ono at clthor Bldo, as sho stopped Into tho car. I was conscious of n feeling that from the depths of their hoods they regarded mo with un-Chrlstlnn disdain. Through tho windows I could sco tho studonts fluttering to scats, and tho girl in gray scorned to bo marshaling them. Tho gray hat appeared at a window for nn Instant, and her milling fnco gladdened, glad-dened, I am Biiro, tho guardians of tho peaco at St. Agatha's. Tho last trunk crashed Into tho bag-gago bag-gago car, ovory window framed n girl's face, and tho train wns gone. CHAPTER XVI. The Passing of Olivia. It was from Stoddard that I learned tho truth about Olivia, nnd I am not, I fear, greatly ashamed of hiving Invited In-vited him to dinner moroly to pump him ns to tho Armstrongs of Cincinnati Cincin-nati and their daughter. Olivia's fathor, Stoddard Informed mo, was a rotlrcd physician of wealth, who lived at Walnut Hills. I con hoar now tho great roars of laughter that broke from him as I kopt protesting that tho girl In gray I had seen nt tho An-nnndalc An-nnndalc station was Olivia Gladys Armstrong. It wns only when we sot-tied sot-tied down to a comparison of our Impressions Im-pressions thnt tho truth gradually dawned upon mo that tho girl In gray was not Olivia Gladys Armstrong Arm-strong but Mnrlnn Doveroux. Tho wholo thing wns ridiculous my density, den-sity, iny stupid nccoptanco of tho ground on which Mnrlan Dovoroux had chosen to mcot mo; and I was not convinced 'until -tho big chaplain had given mo a circumstantial description of tho real Olivia n 'child of 15, with u gypsy faco and dark hair and oyes. "Whero hns Miss Dovoroux gono?" "Why, to Cincinnati, with Olivia Gladys Armstrong," ho nnswercd. "Thoy'ro grcnt chums, you know." On top of my mall next morning lay a small cnvelopo, unstamped, and ad-dressed ad-dressed to mo In a frco running hand. "ForgtiBon, the gnrdnor, loft it," explained ex-plained Rates. I oponcd nnd rend: "If convonlont will Mr. Glenarm kindly look In at St. Agatha's somo dny this weok at four o'clock. Slstor Thoresa wishes to boo him." I whistled softly. My feelings to-wnrd to-wnrd Sister Thoresa hud boon thoso of utter ropugnnnco and nntngonlsm. I hnd bcon avoiding hor studiously and wns not n llttlo surprised that sho should Book nn Intorvlow with mo. Quito possibly sho wished to Inqulro how soon I oxpected to abandon Glonarm Glon-arm Houso; or porhaps sho wished to admonish mo as to tho perils of my soul. In any ovont I liked tho quality of hor note nnd I was curious to know why sho sont for mo; morcovor, Mnrlan Mn-rlan Dovoroux -was hor nloco and this knowledgo hnd changed my attltudo toward tho Institution boyond tho wall. At four o'clock I passed Into 8t. Agatha's territory nnd rang tho boll nt tho door of tho building whoro I had loft Olivia tho ovonlng I found hor In tho chnpol. A Slstor admitted mo, lod tho wuy to n small rccoptlon room whoro, I Imagined, tho visiting parent was received, and left mo. I folt n good deal llko n' school boy who has beon summoned boforo a sovoro mas-tor mas-tor for dlsclpllno. I was Idly boating my hat with my gloves whon a quick stop soundod In tho hall and Instantly n brown-clnd flguro nppenrod in tho doorway. It was a doop, rich voice, a voice of assurance n volco, let mo say, ot tho world tho volco. too, I mny add, of n woman who Is llkoly to como to tho point without ado. Tho whlto band at hor forehead brought Into relief two wonderful grav eyes that woro alight with kindliness. Sho survoyoa mo a moment, then her lips partod with a smile. j "This room Is rather forbidding; If you will como w'S mo " I Sho turned with an air of authority that was a part of hor undeniable distinction, dis-tinction, and I wa3 Eented a moment Inter In n protty sitting room whoso windows gavo a vlov of tho dark win-tor win-tor wood and frozen latce beyond. "I'm afraid, Mr.'Glenarm, that you nro not disposed to bo neighborly, nnd you must pardon mo If I scorn to bo pursuing you." Hor smile, hor volco, hor manner woro charming. I hnd pictured hor n sour old womnn, who had hidden away from a world that had offered her no pleasure "Tho apologies must all bo on my side, Slstor Theresa. I havo boon greatly occupied slnco coming horo distressed nnd perplexed, even." "Our young Indies treasure tho Illusion Illu-sion that thcro aro ghosts in your house," sho said, with a Bmllo that disposed of tho matter. Sho folded her slim whlto hnnds ana spoko with simple directness. "Mr. Glcnnrm, thero Is something I wish to ask you, but I can say It only If wo nro to bo friends. I havo feared you might look upon us horo ns enemies." ene-mies." "Thnt Is a strong word," I replied evasively. "Let mo say to you that I hopo very much that nothing will prevent your Inheriting all that Mr. Glenarm wished you to hnvo from him." "Thank you; that Is both kind and generous," I Bald with no llttlo surprise "I Have Feared You Might Look Upon Us Here as Enemies." "Not in tho least. I should bo disloyal dis-loyal to your grandfather, who was my frlond and tho friend of my family If I did not fcol kindly toward you and wish you well. And I must say for my nlcco " "Miss Dovoroux." I found a ccrtnln plcasuro In pronouncing hor name. "Miss Dovoroux la vory grently disturbed dis-turbed over tho good Intentions of ypur grandfather In placing hor namo In his will. You can doubtless understand under-stand how uncomfortnblo n person of nny sensibility would bo undor tho clr-cumstancos. clr-cumstancos. I'm sorry you havo novor mot hor. Sho Is a vory charming young lady whoso hupplncss docs not, I may say, dopond on othor peoplo's monoy." Sho had novor told, then! I smiled nt tho rocolloctlon of our lntorvlows. "I am Biiro that Is truo, Sister Thoresa." Tho-resa." "Now, I wish to ipoak to you nbout n mattor of somo dollcncy. It Is, I understand un-derstand porfectly, no business of mine how much of n fortuno Mr. Glcnnrm Glcn-nrm loft. Rut this mattor has been brought to my attention In a dlsagroo-ablo dlsagroo-ablo way. Your grandfather established estab-lished this school; ho gave most ot tho money for those buildings. I had other friends who offered to contrlhuto but ho Insisted on doing It nil. Rut now Mr. Pickering tukes tho ground that tho monoy or part of It, at least was only n loan." "Yes; I undorstnnd." "Mr. Pickering tells mo that ho has no altoi native In tho matter; that the law requires him to collect this monoy as n dobt due t)io estate. "That Is undoubtedly truo, as a gonoral gon-oral proposition. Ho told mo In Now York thnt ho had n claim ngalnst you for 150,000." "Yes, that Is tho amount. I wish to say to you, Mr. Glonnrm, thnt If It Is necessary, I can pay that nmount." (TO UK CONTINUED.) |
