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Show 3 COAST 'of CHANCE clod pin, the laces, which she shook out n lid folded daintily, the glove and powder boxes, the gold boubonnlere, thj long violet box, the leather pocket-book pocket-book each deftly and unhesitatingly In the place from which una had taken It, n rid al the heap of white hand kerchiefs. One by one she laid back In the chiffonier drawers the garments, properly prop-erly and tn-atly folded, that she had io hastily snatched out of them. She tilld buck the last drawer Into the chiffonier, chif-fonier, and rose from her knees, Iluhtly diluting off the front of ber Ifown; went to the closet door and closed It. She siood before it a moment mo-ment with a face perplexed and thoughtful, then turned alertly toward the outer door. Hoi a stood as If she were afraid to move, while Clara crossed her bed room, stopped, went on and closed the outer door behind her. And even after that soft little concussion she stood still, burning, choking, strug gllng with the overwhelming force of an affront whose Import she did not yet realize, Why, she had thought that such thlriKs couldn't happen! She had thought that people's private belong Ings, like their persons, were inviolable. inviol-able. In the shuiue of It the could no more huve faced Clara than if she had surprised Clara naked. She snatched the ring out of the pocket of her gown and clutched It In her hand. Was there no pluce In the world where she could be sure of safety for this? out, what have you to say to ine?" "Now you've come out," ho repeated, repeat-ed, and looked at her thin time with full gravity, as If he realized Anally how far she'd come. She had taken the chair In the light of the eastern windows. She lay back In the cushions, her head a little bent, her hands Interlaced with a perfect Imitation of quietude. He looked down, upon her from nil height. "You know what I've come for," he said, "but now I'm here, now that I see you, I wonder If there's something I haven't reckoned oo." He looked at her earnestly. "If you think I've taken advantage of you If you say so I'll go away, and give you a chance to think It over." It would have been so easy to have nodded III in out, but Instead she half put out her hand toward him. "No; stay." Ho gave her a quick look surprise and approbation at her courage. He dropped Into a chair. "Then tell me about It." Flora's heart went quick and little. She held herself very still, afraid In her tense consciousness lest her slightest movement might betray her. She only moved her eyes to look up at him (juestlonlngly, suspending acknowledgment ac-knowledgment of what he meant uutil he should further commit himself. "I mean the sapphire," be said. He waited. "Yes," she answered coolly. "I saw that It Interested you last night, but 2r his coolness, there in the face of her burning agitation, was appalling. Mrs. Hoi rick's face was taking on an expression no lens than wary. What he was, Mrs. Ilerrlck could nut dream. She could not even suspect what Mora believed. Hut In the light of her terrible discovery Horn dared not have him suspected at all. Now, If she had ever In her life, she talked over the top of her feelings; feel-ings; and though at first to her ears her voice rang out horribly alone, presently Mrs. Ilerrlck was helping her. adding words to words. It was the house they spoke of, the San Mateo Ma-teo house, the subject about which Flora knew Mrs. Derrick had com to talk; but to Flora II was no longer a subject. It was a barrier, a shield. In this emergency It wan the only subject large enough to fill the gap, anil much bs Flora had liked the idea of It, she had never built the house so large, so vivid, so wonderfully towering tow-ering to please her fancy as she was doing now to covet Kerr. With questions ques-tions she I' d Mrs. 1 l-rrlck on to, spin out the subject, to play It, over with lights and shades, to heat all around It. And all the while she knew that Kerr was watching her. " The lady's clear gray eyes traveled between Flora's face and his. t'nder their steady light there was a Strang alertness, as If she sat there ready enough to avert whatever threatened, but anxious to draw her skirts aside from it, distrusting the quality, hating to have come In upon anything so dubious. du-bious. When the hall door opened and closed she listened as If for a deliverer; de-liverer; and when Clara appeared between be-tween the portieres she turned to her and met her with a flash of relief, as If here nt Inst was a safe quantity. Clara was still wearing her hat, with the veil pushed up In a little mist above her eyes, and still had her white gloves on. The sight of Mrs derrick's hand soliciting the clasp of those gave Flora a curious sensation. She looked from one face to another, an-other, and last at Kerr's. She shut her eyes an Instant. Here wbs a thief. He was standing In her drawing room now. She had been talking with him. She opened her eyes. The fact acknowledged ac-knowledged had not altered the color of daylight. It was strange that things furniture and walls and landscape land-scape should remain so stolidly the same when such a thing had happened to her! For she had not only spoken with a thief, but she bad shielded him. CHAPTER XII. Disenchantment. Then this was the end of all romance? ro-mance? She must turn her back on the charm, the power, the spell that had been wrought around her, and, horror-struck, pry Into ber own mind to discover what lawless thing could be In her to have drawn ber to such a person, and to keep her. even now that she knew the worst, unwilling to relinquish the thought of him. Ills depravity loomed to her enormous; but was that all there was to be said of blm? Did his delicacy, bis Insight, his tempered fineness, count for nothing noth-ing beside It? She couldn't believe that this one spot could make him rotten throughout through-out Her mind ran back Into the past. She could not recall a word, an action, ac-tion, or a glance of his that bad shown the color of decay. He had not even been Insincere with her. He had come out with his convictions so flatly flat-ly that when she thought of it bis nonchalance appalled her. He bad been the same then that be was now. Hut the thing that was natural for him was Impossible for her, and she had found It out that was all. Yet the mere consideration of him and his obsession as one thing was Intolerable. She curiously separated bU act from himself. She thought of It, not as a part of blm, but as something some-thing that had Invaded blm a disease dis-ease something Inimical to himself and others, that mixed the thought of him with terrors, and fllW her way with difficulties. Now It was no longer long-er a question of how to meet him, but of how she was not to. It was not bis strength she feared, but her own weakness where he was concerned. Her tendency to shield him she must guard against that and that disturbing disturb-ing Influence he exercised over ber. too evidently without Intention. Hut be would be hard to avoid. This way a id that she looked for a way out of ber danger, yet all the while she was conscious that there was but one plain way of escape open to her. She could give the sapphire back to Harry within the 24 hours. (TO UK CONTINCKiVI ill i if li I I 1 ( ) I "You Can't Get It Away from Me, and I Shan't Give It to You." cormoar two by MJJAT- fUL CO. 1 8YN0PSI8. At a private view of the Phntworth personal estate, to Im ncilil nl nil' Him. (liu l'li;ilwirth Hiitf. known a the 'rew Mol, mysteriously disappears. Harry rn-ssy, who wan present, ili-m-rllM'S I ho HnK l Ins ll.iiiii-n, Flora illlsi-y, nnl her chaperon. chap-eron. Mrs. Clar.i Hrilton, n heliis Use a li.-ullii-n god. with H I -ii i j 1 1 r u I s.ipphirn et In the lii-it. Flora meet Mr Kerr, n FiKjIlshman, St the chih. In ilix-numiiiK ilix-numiiiK Ihe dmnipi-nrani of the rinK. lh" exploit of an Knailsli thief, Furrell WhiiiI, sri- recalled. Flora him a fumy Mint Harry anil Kerr know smiicl hln-H hln-H In in t th mystery. Kerr tells Flora thai tin has met II irrv somewhere, Iml cannot plain him. I-.'",1"-" reward l offered for Ho- return of the rlrm lliirrv admits to Flora that h dislike Kerr Harry takes Fliira to a 1 hlm-nn Knld-unll h's to huy an eiiKiiKemeiit Nou All ex n n Im t sapphire set In a hoop of hriiHM, la seleeied Harry iTKM her not lo wear It until It Is reset. Th possession of the rilIK Seema to CHSt A spell nier Flora. Hh liecoim-s uneasy anil apprehensive. Flora meets Kerr at a hox party flu- la startled hy the effect on h'to wt'"n l" ifein a rlloipse of the sapphire. Tim posslhlllty that the stone la purl of tin. Crew Idol cause Flori into ti anxiety. CHAPTER X. Continued. "Then Isn't It for lis to show them that we are more than usually elvl-l.ed? elvl-l.ed? I can't run away from him like a frightened little native" "Of course; but that Is where I come In; It's what I'm for to get rid of such things for you." Clara had risen, and stood considering consid-ering a moment with that same sweet, impersonal eye which Flora found It hardest to comprehend. "What I mean." she explicitly stated, "la that If he should undertake lo carry out his preposterous sugges Hon. and call this afternoon. I am quite ready, If you wish, to take blm off your hands." This last took Flora's breath away It had not occurred to her that Clara 1 had overheard. It shocked her. fright ened her; and yet Clara's way of stating Ihe fact, as if It were the most natural thing In the world, made Mora feel that she herself was In the wrong to feel this. "You're very kind," she managed to get out; and that seemed to leave her committed to hand Kerr over, tied hand and foot, when she wasn't sure at all she wanted to. "Then shall I tell Mrs. Ilerrlck that you will consider the house?" said Clata, already In the act of departure, "She Is to call to-day to go Into It with me more thoroughly. Thus far we've only played about the edges." Her ryes strayed toward the dressing dress-ing table as it lie passed It, and as she reached the door she glanced over the chiffonier. It was on the tip of Flora's tongue to ark if she had mislaid something, some-thing, when Clara turned and smiled tier small, light curled smile, as If she were offering It as a symbol of mutual understanding. Curiously enough. It checked Flora's query about the straying stray-ing glances, and made her wonder that this was the first time In their relntion that she had thought Clara sweet. Hut there was another quality In Clara she did not lose sight of. and she wnited for the closing of a door further down the hall before she drew the sapphire from under her pillow, i- With the knocking at the door her first net had been to thrust it there. The feeling that It was going to he hard to hide was still her strongest In stlnct about It; but the morning had dissipated the element of the supernatural super-natural and the horrid that It bad shown her the night before. It seemed to have a clearer and a simpler Ivan ty; and the hope revived In her that Its beauty, after all. was the only remarkable re-markable thing about It. Her conviction of the night before had sunk to a shadowy hypothesis She knew nothing nothing that would Justify her In taking any Vp; and her only chance of knowing more lay In what she would get out of Kerr; for that he knew more about her ring than she. she was convinced. She was afraid of him, yet. In spite of her fear, she had no Intention of handing him over to Clara. For on reflection she knew that Clara's offer must have a deeper motive than mere kindness, and she had a most unreasonable feeling feel-ing that it would not be safe. Yet Clara would do a kindness If It did not Inconvenience her, and surely this morning she had been kind. Still Flora felt she didn't want to reveal anything until she was a little surer of her own position. When she knew better where she stood she would know what she could confide to Clara. Meanwhile, If there was any one to whom she could turn now It would urely be Harry. Yet. If she did. what a lot or awkward awk-ward explanations! She could not return re-turn the sapphire without giving a reason, and what a thing to explain-that explain-that ahe bad not only worn It. but, In a freak, shown It to the one of all people be dtoat objected to. Nevertheless the most sensible thing clearly waa to go through with it and confess to Harry. Then ahe must communicate with him at once. No be would watt until after breakfast There waa plenty of time Kerr wonld not come until the afternoon. Hut after breakfast, the wondered If It wouldn't be as well to rtng blm up at luncheon time? Tben she would be are of Coding him at the club. Meaa while she dared not let lh sapphire out of her grasp; and yet she could not wear It on her hand, j Sim had thought of the pear-shaped pouch of gold which It was her custom cus-tom lo wear; but the alender length of chain that linked It to her neck was too frail for such a precious weight At last Bhe had fastened it around her neck on the strongest chain she owned, and thus she carried It all tho morning under her bodice with a quieter mind than had been hers on tho first day she had worn It. wlieii there had been nothing to explain her uneasiness. She was alone at luncheon, and In a dream. She glanced now and then at tho clock. She rose only ten minutes min-utes before the hour that Harry was In the habit of leaving the club. She went upstairs slowly and stopped In front of the telephone. She touched the receiver, drew her bund back and turned away. Sho shut the door of her own rooms smartly after her. Hut when at last Kerr's card was handed In to her It gave her a shock, as If something which couldn't happen, and yet which she had all along expected, ex-pected, had come to pass, In her Instant of Indecision Marrlka had got away from her, but she called the girl hack from tho door and told her to say to Mrs. Hrltton that Mr. Kerr had called, but that Miss Gllsey would see lilm herself. She started with u rush. Half way down the stairs she stopped, horrified horri-fied to find what her fingers were doing. do-ing. They were closed around the little lit-tle lump that the ring made In the bosom of her gown, and she hnd not known It. What If she had rushed in to Kerr with this extraordinary manifestation? mani-festation? What If, while she was talking to li I in. her hand should continue con-tinue to creep up again and yet again to that place, and clone around the Jewel, and make It evident, even In Its hilling place? The time had come when she must even hide It from her self. And yet, to creep back up the stair when she made sure Kerr must hive heard her tumultuous downward rush! It would never do to soundlessly soundless-ly retreat. She must go back boldly, as If she had forgotten nothing more considerable than a pocket handkerchief. handker-chief. Yet before she reached the top again i.he found herself going tiptoe, ns If elio were on an expedition so secret that her own ears should not hear her footsteps. Hut she went direct and unhesitating. It had come to her all In a flash where she would put the sapphire. The little buttoned pocket of her bath robe. There It hung In the bathroom on one unvarying peg, the inort Immovable of all her garments, gar-ments, safe from the excursions of MarrlUa's needle or brushes, not lo be disturbed for hours to come. She passed through her bedroom, through her dressing room Into the bathroom. Tho robe was hanging behind be-hind the door It took her a moment to draw out the ring and disentangle j Its chain, and while she was doing this she became aware of movlngs toj and fro In her bedroom. She drew the door half open, the better to conceal con-ceal herself behind It. and at the same time, through the widened crack of the jamb, to keep an eye on the dressing room, and hurried lest Marrlka Mar-rlka should surprise her. Hut nevertheless never-theless she had barely slipped the ring Into the little pocket mid re-1 fasteni d the flap, w hen Clara opened the bedroom door and stood looking Into the dressing room. Her lifted veil made a fine mist above the luster of her eyes. She was perfect to the tips of her Immaculate Im-maculate white gloves, and she wore the simple, sober look of a person who thinks himself alone. Then It wasn't Flora, Clara was looking for! She was looking all around over the surface of every object In the room. Presently she went up to the dressing dress-ing table. She laid her gloved bands upon It, and looked at the small objects ob-jects strewn over Its top. She took a step backward and opened, the top drawer. She reached Into It. and delicately deli-cately explored Flora could see the white gloves going to and fro among her white handkerchiefs, could aee them find, open and examine the contents of her Jewel box. And the only thing that kept her from shrieking out was the feeling that this abominable thing which was being enacted before her eyes couldn't be a fact at all. Clara took out an old pocket-book, shiny with years, shook from It a shower of receipts, newspaper clippings, clip-pings, verses. She let them lie. She took out a long violet box with a perfumer's per-fumer's seal upon It. It held a bunch of dried Vloleti. She took out a bonbonnlcre of gold filigree. It was empty. A powder box. a glove box, k froth of lace, a handful of Jewelers' boxes, a Jewel flung loose Into the drawer. This she pounced upon. It was a brooch! She let It fall turned to the chiffonier; upended the two rases of Venetian glass, lifted the lids of Jars and boxes, Anally came to the drawers. One by one she took them out. turned the content of each rap-Idly rap-Idly over, and left them standing, gaping white ruffles and lace upon the floor. Her eye fell upon the waste basket She turned It upside down, and stooped over the litter. She gathered It up In her white gloves and dropped It back. Then, for the first time, she : glanced at the bathroom door; stood : looking at It, as If It bad occurred to : her to look In the soap dish. Then 1 the turned again to tbe room, to the dressing table. She put back the ' pasteboard jewelers' boxen, tbe Jew- doubt. After saying so much, was he going to Bay nothing more? She had a feeling that she had not heard the worst yet. and when he turned back to her from the other end of the room there was something so haggard, so harassed, so fairly guilty about blm that If she bad ever thought of telling tell-ing him the truth of how she came by the ring she put It away from her now. Hut betieutb his distress she recognized recog-nized a desperate earnestness. There was something he wanted at any cost, but he was going to be gentle with her. She had felt before the potentiality poten-tiality of his gentleness, and she doubted her power to resist It. She fanned up nil the flame of anger that had swept her into the room. She reminded re-minded herself that the greatest gentleness gen-tleness might only be a blind; that there was nothing stronger than wanting want-ing something very much, and that the protection of the Jewel was very thin. Hut when he stood beside her she realized he held a stronger weapon against her than his gentle ness, something apart from his Intention. Inten-tion. He was speaking, almost eoaxlngly. bs If to a child. "I understand." h was saying. "I know all about t. It's a mistake. Hut surely you don't expect ex-pect to keep It now. It will only be an annoyance to you." She turned on hliu. "What could It be to you?" Kerr, planted before her, with his head dropped, looked, looked, looked, as If he gave silence leave to atviwer for him what It would. It answered with a hundred echoes ringing up to her from long corridors of conjecture, half art Iculnted words breathing of how extraordinary the answer must be that ho did not dare to make. "What will you take for it?" he said at last. She was silent. With a sick distrust dis-trust It came to her that It was the very worst thing he could have said after that speaking silence. She stepped away from him. "This thing Is not for sale." He stared at ber with amazement: then threw back his head and laughed as If something had amused him above all tragedy. "You are an extraordinary creature," crea-ture," he said, "but really I must have It. I can't explain the why of It; only give the sapphire to me, and you'll never be sorry for having done that for me. Whatever happens, you may be sure I won't talk. Fven If the thing comes out, you shnn't be mixed up In It." Ho had come r her again, and the point of his forefinger rested on ber arm. nnc was motionless, overwhelmed with pure terror, with despair. "Why not give It to me now," he urged, "since, of course, you can't keep It? 1 could have It now In spite of you." Ferythlng In ber sprang up In antagonism to meet him. "I know what you are." she cried, "but you shan't have It, You have no more right to It than I. You can't get It away from me, and I shan't give It to you." He had grown suddenly paler; his eyes were dancing, fastened upon ber breast. His long hands closed and opened. She looked down, arrested at the sight of her hand clenched just where her breath was shortest, over the sapphire's hiding place. He smiled. How easily she had betrayed be-trayed herself! Hut sho abated not a Jot of her defiance, challenging him, now he knew Its hiddlng place, to take the sapphire If he could. Hut he did not move. And It came to her then that she had been ridiculous to think for an instant that this man would take anything from her by force. What she had to fear was his will at work upon hers, his persuasion, bis Ingenuity. She thought of the purple pur-ple Irises, and how he had drawn them toward him In the crook of bis cane and her dread was lest be meant to overcome her with some subtlety she could not combat The click of a moving latch brought bis eyes from hers to the door. "Some one Is coming In," he said In a guarded voice. It warned her that her face showed too nnich, but she could not hope to recover her composure. com-posure. She hardly wanted to. She was In a state to fancy that a secret could be kept by main force; and she turned without abatement of her reckless reck-less mood and took her hand from where she had held It clenched upon her breast and stretched It out to Mrs. Ilerrlck. The lady bad stood In the doorway a moment a long featured, w hitish, modeled face, drained In a dull green veil, a tall figure whose flowing skirts of black melted away Into the background back-ground of the hall before she came forward and met her hostess' hand with a clasp firm and ready. "I'm so glad to find you here." she nid. She looked directly Into Flora'! eyes. Into the very center of her agitation. agi-tation. She held ber tremulous hand as If neither of these manifestations surprised her; as If a young woman and a young man In colloquy might often be found In such a state of mind Floras first emotion was a guilty relief that, after all. her face had not betrayed Kerr. Hut she hsd no sooner murmured his name to Mrs Merrick, no sooner bad that lady's gray eyes lighted light-ed upon him. than they altered their ! cU-sr confidence. The situation as reflected tn Flora looked naive I eunuch, but there was nothing naive about Kerr. Tbe very perfection of With trembling fingers she fastened It again to the chain about h-r neck. She thought of Kerr downstairs waiting wait-ing for her. Well, she would rather keep it with her. Then, at least, she would know when It was taken from her. Still in the fury of her outraged faith, she passed through her violated rooms, and slowly aloig the hall and down the stairs. CHAPTER XI. The Mystery Tarts Human Form. He turned from the window where he had presented a long, drooping, patient back, ar.d his warm. Ironic mirth the same that had played with her the first night ftatihed out at sight of her. I iiit after a moment another an-other expression mixed with It sharpened It, and fastened upon her with an Incredulous Intentness. She stood on the threshold, pale, and brilliant still In her blaze of anger, an-ger, equal, i.t last, to anything. Kerr, as he signaled to her with every lineament line-ament of Us enlivened face, bis Interest, Inter-est, his defiance, bis unc unreliability, was not the man of her Imaginary conversations. He was hot h'-re to be used and disposed of; but as he came! toward Ler. the new admiration in his face was bringing her reassurance that neither was she. The thought that ber moment of bitter Incredulity had made her formidable gave ber courage even to smile, though she rew but at the first words he sKke. You should not be brave and then run away, you know " Slie thought of ber rush up the stairs again. "I had to go bark to see Mrs. Hrltton" (Oh. bow h b4 seen her! ) "Ah. I thought you only ran bark to , bide In yonr doi, s house '' j She laughed Sue h a picture of her! i "Well, at any rate, now I re t0me I couldn't think especially why. It'i a beautiful stone." He laughed without a sound "hook noiselessly for a minute. "Meaning that a gentleman shouldn't pounce upon any beautiful stone he may happen hap-pen to see?" He got up and moved about restlessly In tho little space between their two chairs. "Quite so; lay It to my being more than a gentle-j gentle-j man; lay It to my being a crack-brained crack-brained enthusiast, a confounded beauty w orshiper, a vicious curio dealer, deal-er, an 111 mannered ass! Hut" and he flashed around at her with a snap of his nervous fingers "where did you get It?" For the life of her she couldn't help her wave of color, but through it all she clung to ber festal smile. Sheer nervousness made It easy. "Well, suppose It was begged, borrowed, bor-rowed, or given to me? Suppose It came from here or far away yonder? What's that to do with Its beauty?" She gave Mm question for question. "Itid you ever see It before?" He never left off looking at her. looking at her with a hard Inquiry, as If she were some simple puzzle that be unaccountably failed to solve. "That's rather neat, the way you dodge me." he aad, doling In hie turn. "Hut I don't see It now You're not wearing It?" She played Indifference with what a beating heart! "Oh. I only wear It I off and on." "Off and on!" His voice suddenly rang at her. "Off and on! Why. my good woman. It's Just two days you could have worn It at allf She s'ood np stood facing him. F'or a moment she knew nothing except that her horrible Idea was a fart Sle bed the eye of the Crew Mot, ard this man knew It! Yet th fart declared gae ber ourg. Sbe watched blm wltti Incrsslcg |