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Show thlsr-cr assistant you speak on That Is rather eud. Was then much money?" "Seventy-eight thousand dollars," said the chief, and put his cigar back In his mouth. "There Is n story be-1 hind It, Iloroday, mid it's that story I nm going to get. I'm warning you because be-cause you've played pretty square with me. I needed that pearl In my business." busi-ness." i Iloroday rose. V ! "All right, chief," he said. T am sorry about young Word. I hope ho wasn't killed." "He wasn't killed," replied tho chief. "And 1 haven't said his name wast Ward. If you haven't hnd your break-fast break-fast yet, we might brcnkfnst together. I overslept and haven't had time for anything." ... I Ward came bnck to consciousness In I the great four-poster bedstead In which old Hilary Kingston had lain In state. He felt very little pain and no curiosity at all as to his surroundings only an overwhelming lnltmlo and weariness of life. Something onh-thing onh-thing thnt mattered very much had gone out of existence. He could not remember whnt It was. There was n uniformed nurso by tho bed. He hnd'n curloun antipathy to asking her anything. Ho had mado u promise of secrecy to someone nbout whnt? Toward evening he had manngd to ' evolve out of his reviving consciousness conscious-ness some fill tit memory of what hud happened to him. He remembered thnt he was walking down a hill nntl that ho hud fallen forward. For quite n half-hour, lute In tho afternoon, ho struggled to remember why he had gone down the hill. Then he got It. Ho hnd been up nt the hull to see Elinor, It was Elinor who hud gono out ot his life. Elinor I Elinor I He slept very Uttlu during tho night, nntl ns Ids fever rose, hu called thti nurse "Elinor," nml begged her fruti-tlcnlly fruti-tlcnlly to tell him that Something was not true. "Of courso.it Is not true," Mild tho nurse, who was accustomed to being called various things. j "You did not mean It at all?" Ho eyed her wistfully. Tho nurso, was Inrgo and pluln, with a wide, Hat face. "Ymi, with the, eyes of a saint," said I poor Ward, "to try to tell me that you are wjcltod. I see that It Is 'ltuisis-bible. 'ltuisis-bible. I think I can sleep now." The nursu put her linntl, which was I large and Ill-shaped but very fight and tender, on his head. And so ho went to sleep. When ho was quite settled, the nurse went out Into the hall where Elinor was xlttlng on u straight chair. Sim had sat there almost all of tho time since Ward was carried up the night before. "He Is sound asleep," sho snld smilingly. smil-ingly. "Ho thinks I am someone mimed 'Elinor,' and ho calls mo that. Ah my own name Is Sarah, lt'.s rather pleasant." . Ward had been shot on Sunday night. IJy the following Wedliesthiy ho was out of danger. On that same Wednesday tho rector of Saint Judo's brought himself and his rheumnllsui back to his parish. For three days Elinor hud hardly slept or euten. Never once hud she been In Ward's room, but always, day and night, she wns Just outside. When on thnt Wednesday evening thu doctor said Ward would live, sho went down oucii moro into her gnrden. Many times during those threo days hnd Elinor tried to pray to Ward's God and found herself voiceless and Inarticulate. Hut now, out of tho depth of her great relief, cnino welling the llrst prayer of her life. Sho stood waist-deep among her phlox and larkspur. lark-spur. "I thank thee," sho said. "I thank thee." . . . Nothing hnd been heard, of HulT. The assault on the assistant rector of Saint Jude's hnd been of n lino with the other mysterious happenings around tho village. The little town wns hag-ridden with feur. Extra constables con-stables had been sworn In, and from the hall, during her long night vigils,' Elinor had seen mnny lighted windows, win-dows, where there hnd been but tho one. The problem of her future hegnn to obsess her. It wns plainly Impossible to stay on here not thnt sho feared exposure; she was quite past fear but tho thought of going on with her Ufo wns Intolerable. To meet Ward, to sco again tho scorn and loathing In his eyes, moro than all, to continue to deserve them those were thy things that to Elinor Seemed worse than denth Itself. All the philosophy that old Hilary had taught her failed her now. The revolt of tho Individual against laws made for tho mnsses what hut! It brought her but Isolation mid grief? Of what uso wea revolt? All must go through the mills of the gods Sho knew thnt now. There were no exceptions. ex-ceptions. And something else sho hud lenrncd: thnt If ono Is to llvo through great crises ono must havo a higher power to turn to for help. Sho hud felt It vaguely nt tho tlmo of her father's fa-ther's death. Sitting outside Ward's door sho had known It Every breath had been n prayer to something, sho knew not whnt, to snvo him. "I thank thee," sho said ugaln. Tho phlox and larkspur quivered about her as if under tho touch of n gentle hand. Horoilay had been freo for threo days, but beyond n telephono message nnnoiinclng his relenso sho had heard nothing of him. Over tho wlrq ho had idlM'd extreme caution. She Judged ""t that that things wero not going oil v '" at nufTs reckless crime a, MPpegout. TJicrq were bound to ,bc arrests. All (bit If H Elinor knew qulto well. It wns In atfc , I H an atmosphere that she had drawn to i HM earliest breaths the play of cacoJnc' -sU against cunning, wit against wit. H She did not send for Iloroday. ' Shrfi H dared not. Hut because the Intimacy j J between her and tiic mldille-itgcd Hob- j t H slan hnd always been very cl.. hr , 1 seemed tn feel her need. And so, mi ' thnt Wednesday night, an hour or m 'lH after mlilntghi, he came,, j l Old llemielle came down at7j jH tapped softly nt Elinor's door. .1 ( jH "Horodayi" she whispered, "lie to 'sasl rune from the arbor." lll That was one ot old Hilary' iZ4 vires: n hidden wire from the ar&t'V jH to the house. It prevented collIisVffM' ; j M 1'uless otherwise, summoned, norsacsit 'flJ her of his band ever como directly ft ' tho ' Elinor went out nnd found bini 'H there. He bent over her hauJ nctf kissed It, ns was his custom, nml tbteu ' 'H . realizing that she was crying, he ftf . iH nut his arms and sie went Into tbrax, " tH Very tender was the llusslan w(f?i Jtin. H that night, very fatherly. He imt br. IH Into one of the arbor seats nnI rmt il down beside her. 'Hl "Now tell me," ho coinronnfrvV iffH ' "everything from the start. It jtam 'IFisH I Walter, I know. Hut why?" ! When she did not speak, tlicllas- isbI slim nodded. ill "Jealousy, of course, but what road- ; 'H There In the arbor, with her rmsd ' vH lietweeu two of his, Elinor sobbctlrot 1 ' H tho story of the pearl nnd her attempt ; jH to return it. Huff's threat npilnatf 'Wisfl Ward, Ward's evening visit, nml the :llsiiH scene between them; nnd last of .all, illl the shot tliat hnd nearly ended trrer- llfl thing In this world for Wnrd nnd fori-i lll her. Iloroday listened quietly; lrttcr J LJ)llH than old Hilary ever could, ho untfer- j j rH stood. Ho hud been reared on an u ' HH clent faith. ital "Ho Is recovering?" U ilJiJaH "Yes." 1 "And ho enres for you, of cours!""" 1 "No. I think, perhaps, before- lit IH knew flH "lSahl" said the Hussion, ant! rnf. Iliaaai "What sort of love is that vrMti H changes? I have seen tho man. If to; cared at all, he still cares." H He stepped to tho dour of the nrfaw: H and drew u long breath. Over an tttc aLifl next hill, sleeiilug through all this tax- H moll, lay old Hilary. Under these WMtM J ffl stnrs HulT tied tho law, Ward (oucodl " H on his bed, Elinor sat despairing uud , H nshamed. What did It all mean? Wbai :( M was the answer? j ' H rerhaps, hud hu known It, old Hen-: ' H rletto eon lit hnvo told hliu Hcni'lettc. ' iH who hnd begun to measure her !a.n jH from the eud and not from the Ix-glit- k nlng, and who now sat on tho edge l . lljH her bed mumbling. Hetween her ftiv mH gers she run the beads nt im rfv lH rosary which -lio had found benenU M i a fl "I had thought," said Elinor wistful-: ly, "that If I could get away somen lien WM and start all over again, perhaps sotiu WM day I might be good like other worn- Wt en. I can never go back to thtugu uc iH they were before." j "No," said tho Itusslan. "I can jH that. Hut make no mistake. You art ;H good as few are good." HI "I could sell the houso and nntl 1 ifl do not want tho Jewels. If only joe H and the others would divide them." II Hut Iloroday would not hear of thin II To u certain extent ho was reconciled MM to her going away. Things were clot- M lug In on the band. Ilefuro long the M would probably all havo to separate. I: M were better that Elinor ho In sufety. t So for a long time they dlscmwcC H ways nnd means, available money, 11k HH question of ii homo for old Henrietta. WU "In some ways," Elinor said, "I fee. IB as though I am deserting him." Slut j glanced toward the graveyard where iaaal old Hilary slept. "Hut nil 1 can think IH of now Is to get away, to forget every- H thing." "When will they bo able to move Mr ITfl Ward?" "In n week, I should think." AH "Then, In a week," said norodaj- (HJ "where do you think of going, Elinor?" flj "I had hardly got so far. Anywhere HJ but here." . ? "Wo shall have to plan for you." ' ijH He picked up his soft hat and Ell- HJ nor rose. HJ "Good night. Elinor." Hi "Good night. I nm always happirr HJ for having seen you." HJ Ho wntched her back to the house, IHJ then went down the steps Into the (H road. H There had been n dinner nt the H country club that night. The chief had . HJ attended It, unknown to hostess nnd j HJ guests, to the extent of sitting In the , HJ grillroom during the evening and can- , HJ fully watching the men who cnino und HJ went. He had dined quite alone In the Hj grill. From where he sat he could see , HJ tho dinner-party guests on the vei-nnit'i. i m Thero weru noticeably few Jewels to be ' 1 1 seen. Over his chop nnd lager beer (I thu chief smiled grimly. ! After that he shook dice for n shon i M tlmo with a young Englishman nameil JM Talbot, nn Interesting fellow. From ' ! liltn tho chief got tho club view of the jl Jewel robbery. I "It's been coming to us for n Ions ,'M tlmi" said Tulbot, -linking tho dice. " H "Long ago I advised somo of thu worn- ' 9 en who had famous pearls tn have ' H copies made ami keep tho nrlglnnln In W their hanks, but they disliked tho ldc , ! of wearing imitations," M "I see." "Then n woman Isn't sntlsHed tc I have u string ot pearls; sho must lmva j It announced In all tho papers. 01 I courso cropks all over tho country rcniH I nbout them, nuJ naturally their lingers I itch." "I understand," snld tho chief, "that: tho Hryant pearl has been recovered." I "YVs, nnd good vtoik on tho part erf I tho force," wns Talbot's comment. If I (To be continued in our next issue.) I |