Show wa WAT WATERS V W alil U by anna mcclure copyright by va W a 0 chapman service CHAPTER VII continued 20 hand in hand they went back to the academy and the depression that near ly always settled upon wilton s spirit when he entered tle tt e building pressed down like a black cloud but a cloud whose ft hose heart was fire they went into the great hall and berenice paused be neata her batters painting here s my real guardian go and get gordon haskell I 1 will tell him here but winton did not have to go fir haskell was coming up the steps from the basement his unusually sleek hair mussed and tumbled his ees quite bloodshot he stared steadily at his teacher of psychology so this is the w way ay you abuse my confidence making love to your pupil a girl not yet tw twenty enty I 1 I 1 am tw enty t 1 I ilton said much nearer miss br bracebridge ace brIdge s age than you are A welt of red showed in haskell s face as if wilton had actually struck him with a whip oh you drel I 1 I 1 e muttered scoundrel haskell aou ou forget yourself fl 1 what Is wrong in love that Is open and honest since you are miss bracebridge s guardian I 1 am tell ing you that we intend to be marrie I 1 some day with your consent of course if we me can get it without it if we can t 11 I 1 Def defiance lancel 1 open def defiance lancel I 1 will pay you your quarters salary and you can go I 1 never come back I 1 if you at tempt to write to miss bracebridge or to see her I 1 II 11 take tale legal steps to prevent you that s all gordon haskell you are wicked 1 wicked I 1 Beren tees white face and klizing eyes transformed her for the moment into an accusing angel if you think III give up wilton payne for a thousand guard ans you do not know mel youe you e only known this man tor for a few weeks no matter now you are not to turn turia him out of this place he ile Is 1 a gentleman a scholar a min of honor lie ile pleaded with me to tell you at once and came to do it and arid this is your greeting you need not go until monday mond ay iy haskell muttered but then you must mutt I 1 certainly shall go and I 1 warn you I 1 shall also continue to see miss bracebridge I 1 am not penniless be fore I 1 engaged to teach here a death in my family put me in possession of enough at least to keep me from depending wholly on my profession haskell askell II changed countenance oh well it s not my intention to turn you off without a quarters payment I 1 shall certainly take it I 1 con could id force you to keep me here as vell well but I 1 shan shant t haskell shrugged his shoulders and walked away Le berenice renice stole to payne s side wll wil ton we must get his consent I 1 id d go anywhere with you share any pov erty I 1 well wait w aft for each other where will ou on go ask jerry to take tale me in and those of my pupils who want ant to finish this quarter with me can with no more obligation to me than they had before I 1 am afraid he will make it very hard for you I 1 m glad I 1 had nothing in my hand I 1 believe I 1 would have used it on him I 1 can quite understand now why your brothers and sisters did not like him kiss me quite openly under my fa ther s picture I 1 kno v he 9 bless ing us they kissed the great house was shrouded in si silence lencel wilton thought what a blessing it if the footsteps of haskell and balder would die out from these walls forever and the place be restored to a lost innocence and peace who chos s that playing the old piano berenice asked I 1 don t hear bear anything listen he ile did hear then the far off melody of a chopin prelude maa mabe be it its s janet I 1 think she plays oh my dear what shall I 1 do in this great place without you III stay near by I 1 can work and study and plan for the future life Is a all ours he told janet and arthur that eve ning the two were in dismay let us all leave arthur exclaimed let s clear out and leave the brute and take berenice with us what good would that do arthur janet remonstrated it would only make matters worse I 1 no I 1 think m we e must stay and help her in another way youre you re right janet wilton said I 1 want to get to the root of the trouble here and maybe I 1 can get to the root much quicker from the outside arthur looked earnestly it lt him you 11 never have a finer field for psychological research what do you think haskells game Is he ile wants money im rm sure but I 1 think he s fond of her too he ile puzzles her but she has never been actively antagonistic to him as were the four otier otter children chil dien you generally love what you protect and as her guardian I 1 suppose his affee tion and his sense of power lu to together getler on sunday he called at moore moores s and was able to make ddll factory arrangements with him wll wit ton too was to have a large bedroom open ing out of the kitchen and provided with a desk and a stove it will be good to have hane ye jerry commented lie ile turned you out for courtin eh eb well I 1 think berenice done right to take ye if you ask me I 1 wilton did asb ask him many things his parting from berenice had been ardent sorrowful defeated and deter mine minell 11 she had bad promised him tint with mrs denver or janet for a corn com panion sl e would make her usual visits to jerry wilton consoled him self by talking of her with the old farmer whose admiration of berenice was as great as his own lie ile spoke one night of the christmas tree jerry took out his pipe and st stared ired at him that ain aln t around yet not now hes burned it balder alwais always d d act queer about that tree lie ile lied to you when he said he saw it floated down he ile brought it down himself on old white star s back white was a araug draught gh t horse they use I 1 to have after the funeral mrs airs bracebridge sent jerry up to fetch down the tent and other things the tree had an american flag on to it so balder I 1 was helpin him he says III take down the hull business they 11 want the stand debbe why for he didn dian t burn it I 1 don t know but balder s a half witted loon any wiy you take him W ilton thought tl if e description ac curate apart from his separation from ber enice he be rather relished his change of surroundings the stark simplicities of life were always congenial to him and the plain old farmhouse the silence of the gre great greit it hills the bright procession of the winter days it was an open and friendly winter all corn coin bained to content him arthur he saw almost enery day berenice every week at least when janet could not come with her mrs denver did the little housekeeper was no more reas than she had been on the day of her archal the pupils were falling oft off she said the story of wilton s dis missal had gotten about and he had many sympathizers when the last pupil goes I 1 in go ing bhe she announced one day I 1 shall be the last pupil berenice said boull wait aft for me mrs den 0 ver they left the housel beeper and jerry talking on the subject of fruit preserve ing and went out into the cold for their own conference more important to them than the plans plaus of the clym plans why did you say you would be the last pupil dear wilton asked her because I 1 know that many ot of them are not coming back after the christ mas holidays there are rumors about since sally Wel fords story of seeing my brothers and sisters rumors that harm might come to people in the academy isow now that foolish no I 1 don t think it Is I 1 I 1 mean actual physical harm not queer feelings and fear I 1 was always af afraid raid of it its it s uke like a hidden ferment that may break out some day in a catastrophe has your guardian mentioned we in any way yes be he says you will have to leave the neighborhood after christmas I 1 by whose authority dear why not move as far aa as mrs denver could go down with me there on shopping trips and w we e could meet III not leave you berenice I 1 I 1 ill I 1 not leave loftland Lost land he answered stub borely but he has threatened to stop my coming to jerry s he ile keeps the front gates locked now and the way may around by the lake is farther then we must write when we can cant t meet he looks over the malubag every day how about our own post one of natures nature a providing here s a box ready he pointed to a squirrel hole in an old oak near by we can leave notes there and if you cant get this far arthur will bring them himself I 1 know I 1 wilton we well 11 do that I 1 my guar dian than has such an uncertain temper one never knos what the next mood will be I 1 hope arthur and janet tread lightly in that debatable ground they do indeed janet and I 1 are continually together we watch the shadows as if it they were alive we sit by the fire and wonder when the wind will die mother martha never leaves the top of the house now but I 1 hae hane to watch match her for she creeps up and down the corridor once I 1 heard her call out im coming althea I 1 im in coming my lamb keep close to janet I 1 have to sit with my guard an sometimes he seems so unhappy I 1 found him one day with his head burled buried in his hands and when I 1 asked him if he were in pain he answered quite savagely III make a bonfire of the whole place some day its it a been a torment and an agony ever since I 1 set foot in it I 1 ive ve been bound to the wheel of your family the whole hor tragedy descended on me I 1 told him I 1 would release him from his guardianship at once if he wished free he accused me of being in league wi h you against him you two are riving on me met I 1 I 1 neer nener wanted to bring these teachers here but ou on forced fored my hand as usual I 1 saw siw there was no use wilton I 1 I ll 11 it him to his dark fancies he ile even take any iny classes now iha tuna s the sooner the whole farce Is d doue oue the better I 1 dread christmas TO BB 1313 CONTINUED |