Show m 0 00 12 ajo SOP E ERIAL R T A L STO to P d ah md ns t W AM a a a ave da dyen im all N p by marie van vorst us on author of it of the 11 D miss desmond etc etc me no ave i copyright 1905 by J D lippincott company 0 S SYNOPSIS basil tempest worlds greatest novelist and poet refusing to be further lionized huts abuts himself up in craven his h country home ills his gloomy meditations are broken by tits ills housekeeper who lias bas disobeyed tits his orders not to admit any one the visitor Is lucy carew nn ATner american ican who has como come to england to write a study of the author but more especially to get a synopsis of lits hla now new suite of poems having been promised a good position with a magazine if successful tempest in anger tice declares lares he will write no more and asks her to go repenting nap enting of his rudeness in sending tier her out in the rain at night he follows but she refuses tp to return to braven craven with ailin and takes lodging ath a cottager CHAPTER I 1 continued now s said aid tempest one more favor can they spare you here tonight to night it if so will you drive nie roe back to craven ive sprained my wrist wilst and it has been ball all I 1 could do to 11 get my mare to the F ford ord lucy carew opened her eyes the next ext morning in the blaze of brilliant day the irth of november broke in holiday and golden fashion after a night of wild unusual storm in the euarse coarse nightdress of her hostess she liy lay in her clean bed in the country i smelling melling little attic she had bad scar scarcely coly stirred to rise when a knock at her door held tier h pr motionless mrs Ranis dill red checked cheeked bashful eyed came in like a bright apparition for she looked at her lodger over a giant bouquet the profusion filled her hands she ar arrived rived like flora S she he had a note and gave it if you please miss from craven theres a bansmer to take she regarded with pretty timid curiosity this handsome young lady who stood well out of the short nightdress her feet gleaming charmingly displayed P below the ilem hem above the low plain collar her neck and dark he head adrose jose frankly women beautiful women do not imagine how bow much to their beautys enhancing is sometimes the naive garn garin mits vats of their simple sisters ribbons and furbelows fur belows would not have made lucy carew more lovely to look on oil than as thus the english cottager saw her the coarse muslin over her swelling breast her arms hare bare to the elbows for mrs ills gown gawn stopped there miss carew took the roses in lier her hands mrs had her wanderings wonder ings tempest was beloved but lie he was as well known even Craven ford could tell its tales the good creature mused on her guest and remal remarked ked the eyes how they lost their clearness to sparkle how cheeks checks mantled a a the letter with entire ignoring of her company was broken open ill wait outside miss she dells cately suggested and call me for the answer miss carew held the roses against hor her and read her note craven november 10 my dear miss carew if wai what it you tell nie me is truo and liow how can I 1 suppose you 1 liaf q vo corno 1 coo miles hilles to play with my f amy x t 0 vanity then you will fool feel it worth your while to write the study of which you spoke unless my conduct as host has bas blackened me too much in your eyes if you will come I 1 have sent a carriage for you I 1 will do all in my power to malm make it easy for you to write what you wish there will be no train to ondon london I before late afternoon if you refuse M me 9 the proof of your entire cordiality I 1 shall come to the ford to avoid mo ine you will have bave to walk and I 1 fancy your shoes will not help youl faithfully BASIL TE TEMPEST for the first time in weeks mr tempest slept till morning and for the first time in weeks awakened not a prey to the black horrors that gon gen orally perched on his bedpost to wait the opening of his eyes if as lie he had often grumbled one could 0 only get into the day without beginning it to superintend the gathering of a bunch of 0 roses to write the note he had sent amused him and no sooner was Rains i dill and the trap dispatched than alia ii whis whistling aling like a boy he made a tour of the house followed by mrs henly to whom lie he gave countless d directions ions as to setting of craven in holiday trim sunlight flashed at him everywhere jt it fell in luxuriant floods down the long galleries routed melancholy lel out of nooks in the darkest rooms where ghosts and dismals dismays that to nicest had grown to consider as familiars nested and latched hatched what a day he exclaimed more than once open every everything th in g etli throw raw all the windows wide no I 1 will arrange the flowers myself the gardener had fetched in what tempest called torrents of bloom and lie he glowed with enjoyment as he piled roses and carnations and lilies into glass and stiver silver according to ills his fancy once he caught up his buoyant mood to say what if the adventurous la lady dy should refuse ills brow darkened she will not she will come he decided with an arroll arrogance ance for which years of success were responsible at noon wheels were heard on the terrace gravel and lie ho went out to meet her and lifted her out of the trap you have brought this weather with you from the states where I 1 hear everything Is golden he had not released her hand which he took in welcome leave me a calendar full of days like this when you go wont you so BO that I 1 can call on in them when I 1 like ho he had drawn her into his arudy window and was by her side before them miles and miles of meadowland meadow land swayed and rippled and undulated like in an inland sea hemmed on all sides by a thick forest the trees were still in yellow leafage and made a halo of gold around the val beying land no house was insight in sight directly in front stretched a thick green turf and to meet it the stona stono terrace with pillared mossy rail railing tig while the american feasted her eyes on the scenes melting beauty tempest talked to her as perhaps he alone of all the world could have talked ile he told her t jalcs les of shire in a humorous mystic fashion prye pryce d out for tier her the secrets ets the traditions of the country and its humble ble pretty legends prom from those lie passed to th the e scones scenes of the revelation his hio latest novel laid here and g gave ave tier a sketch of the history of the creation and development oatlie book then finally lie he said come lot let me show the place where I 1 found lettice grammont his bewitched listener followed followed him in a dream walking on air enchanted hatless they both slipped out from the terrace into a park tempest leading and suddenly she found herself in what went for a bit of woodland at the side of a meadow brown brook upon whose well like water the trees had bad sent barques of withered leaves to be whirled and destroyed tempest est said stand there please where you are by that birch miss carew obeyed the fancy and stood motionless whilst filtering down upon her one by one the flecks and circles of sunlight fell through the leaves dancing on her brown hair and her brown dress tempest his brows knit but his hie expression radiant watch watched edher her smiling do you by any chance remember the book miss carew oh well and you liked it I his its tone was almost timid he waited with suspense for her response I 1 it struck lier her as curious that tier her opinion about a work already trans into four languages and whose merit was a household word shout should d be asked I 1 like it she exclaimed and he was answered ile ho crossed the brook from her extended tits his hand and helped her oyer over 1 I ani am glad lie ho anid fervently luncheon had followed in a small breakfast room whose air was domesticity and intimacy a faultless meal faultlessly served the light rioting in the reflecting surfaces of oc glass and silver and dazzling on the cloth it was past three when miss carew found that she had made the tour of craven under tho the guidance of the host himself 1 I must gp mr tempest nonsense he exclaimed impatiently tient ly what Ili at for pray in an hour my train leaves for london 11 what train of yours you have no time no destination have you other than this one spot of the old world what is waiting for you in london to ills his direct query made testily and sharply she did not reply but simply held out lier her liand hand to him in goodby good by ile he did not defuso to take the hand which in his felt prisoner you have been amusing yourself I 1 see this has been a little jaunt from london to what you have made fiade in your romantic mind a shrine I 1 have made myself ridiculous in taking it seriously she withdrew her hand and colored at his tone 1 I have told you quite the truth mr tempest I 1 sail tomorrow to morrow without your essay 1 i 1 I 1 must since you refal refuse se but I 1 dont he interrupted it shall be written you have my word but you must jo be patient you are a woman of you must seo see that a man of moods cant master them all not all it takes so much character to do away with one strong habit that the others grow meanwhile al J ri 11 she looked at her lodger over a glant giant bouquet and then all of a sudden as ashe he rises up with one poor little uprooted weed in ills his liand hand finds blAi self in a forest fore t the t i others have grown overnight the gloom she had in tier her short acet ac with him li ahi grown to dread was enveloping bilm really miss carew im not an eccentric dont say it in your study let me prove to you how commonplace I 1 am ill keep my word too you must know that the chief reason your editor wants this absurd article forgive me is 19 because it will be the only ono one and it shall be yours you the skeletons and skulls of the unfortunate reporters who have been devoured at my gates today to day I 1 wanted the pleasure that I 1 have had tomorrow to morrow she showed tier her perplexity you must have your things of course telegraph for them or better ill have them telephoned for polly can make you comfortable lor for a day or two Js Is it the article worth this I 1 bit of effort no thought was in lucy care carels W s mind of worth or effort she knew she could never write about this dark elusive man inan her chief instinct V t was that she should leave cra benford von ven ford but tier her will vill was not with her instinct she consented therefore that the telephone lione message should be sent and to remal nat the friendly cottage fo for r a couple of days r E we are none of us so blase with pleasure or excitement that tha we cannot bear at least one repetition of a good thing miss carow carew found that she was quite able to endure the repetition 1 at an early hour of the ros roses s of yesterday and a note from mr Teni tempos pest A second autograph from sf a celebrity gave her no thought of its value in future benir tatiana ts tiana and she opened the envelope with only a flutter of pors personal onal feeling of surprise and 3 delight it kasnot was not a letter it was a verse short and perfect one she knew and loved it ran in clear heavy script over a sheet of thick paper T the envelope had lain in the roses 1 she read it drank in its fraer fragrance ance and beauty with the flowers scent put the envelope with the letter under under the pillow and the roses to the still lovely ones of yesterday side by eldeon side on the stand in her low roofed room then went down to the waiting 4 I 1 N 1 I carriage mrs henly met her and showed her into the study regarded her with benignant approval and left her alone here in the workshop she waited an ail hour for foi the lord of craven patiently at first then wih embarrassment her observation of the details of the room an inventory of the books wa was j long over before lie he came full of apologies 1 I have been walking your 12 miles and more otherwise I 1 could not have seen you today to day much as I 1 wanted to I 1 had a bad spirit with me for company but I 1 tired him out left him afield and I 1 have come back alone ax ills his voice was joyous and fresh ills his V face full of animation and as he frankly took her hand between both of his she was a prisoner held by an irresistible force when lie he let tier her hand band go it was with aril abruptness ans which not only let tier her free but put her ier as it were away from him ho he asked li her er if she were comfortable at mrs Rams Ranis dills if her boxes had come in season and so glanced at tier her appearance pe arance tt it should have satisfied even a tyro in habiliments for from shoes to hat miss carew carba was faultless in her simple toil toilet et you have taken up the most dim cult profession in the world he said 1 I 1 say taken up if youre forced ta to K cursed to it by temper and talent one thing but to write simply simpli for example as a profession why its sl slavery averyt to co you he demanded curtly write writ 0 well no she confessed at once T of course you dont he accepted with satisfaction you could nt wh why y should you you lack the essen essentials bials dabold le ie feu felt sacre youve not got that tha experience and more misery than happ happiness hiess but bilt both mark you both are indispensable and you ho he pau paused sed and scanned tier her face with the intensity which whilst it fascinated tier her made her shrink 11 you havo had neither TO BE CONTINUED |