| Show THE GIRL W HO aa AD nd GOD y ley by mary robarts rinehart CHAPTER XI continued 10 hes he 13 sound asleep 11 she said smilingly lie he thinks I 1 am someone named ae elinor 1 andee and he calls me that As my own name la Is sarah its rather pleasant plen sant ward vard had been shot on sunday night by the following wednesday he was out oui of danger on that same wednesday the rector of saint judes brought brou glit himself and his rheumatism back to his parish eer three days daks elinor had hardly slept or eaten never once had she been in wards room but always day and she was just outside when on that wednesday evening the doctor said ward would live slie she went down once more into her garden many times during those three days lad elinor tried to P pray ray to wards god and found herself voiceless and inarticulate but now out of the depth of her great relief came welling ohp the first prayer of her life she stood wals among her phlox and larkspur 1 I thank mhd ante thee she said 1 I thank thee ahee nothing had been heard of iluff huff the assault on the assistant rector of saint judes had been of a line with the other mysterious happenings around the village the little town was hag ridden with fear extra constables had been sworn in and from the hall during her long night vigils elinor had seen many lighted windows where there had been but the one I 1 the problem of her future began to ulisess Cli sess her it was plainly impossible to stay on here riot not that she feared exposure she was quite past fear but the thought of going on with her life was intolerable to meet ward to see again the scorn and loathing in his eyes more than all to continue to deserve them those were the things that to elinor seemed worse than death itself all the philosophy that old hilary had taught her failed her now the revolt of the individual against laws made for the masses what had it brought her but isolation and grief of what use was revolt all must go through the mills of the gods she knew that now there were no exceptions ee p eions and something else she had learned that if one is to live through great crises one must have a higher power to turn to for help she had felt it vaguely at the time of her fathers death sitting outside wards door she had bad known it every breath had been a prayer to something she knew not what to save him 1 I thank thee she said again the phlox and larkspur quivered about her as if under the touch of a gentle hand boroday had been free for three days but beyond a telephone message announcing his release she had heard nothing of him over the wire he had advised extreme caution she judged from that that things were not going well she knew that huffs buffs reckless crime would demand a scapegoat there were bound to be arrests all th this Is elinor knew quite well it was in sue such h an aimo atmosphere sphere that she had drawn her earliest breaths the play of cunning aga against trist cunning wit against wit she did not send for boroday she dared not but because the intimacy between her and the middle aged russian had always been very crose close he seemed to feel her need and so on that ahat wednesday night nn an hour or so after midnight he came old came down and lapped topped softly at elinore Eli nors door boroday she whispered he has xung irom from the arbor that was one of old hilares Hi larys devices a hidden wire from the arbor to the kouse house it prevented tolli collisions unless otherwise summoned no mem tier ter of 4 his lits bacal band ever caine carme directly to the house hause nil elinor went out cut and ana found him there nor ile he bent owr over her liand hand and ft as was his custom cu stana and then realizing that she was trying crying he held buthis out bis arms and she ehe weri went tInto into them very tender wits was the russian alth her that night very fatherly he put her into one of the arbor seats to and sat down beside her now tell me he be commanded everything from the biart it was walter ihnow I 1 know but why when she did not speak the itus bus elan nodded jealousy of course but what madness I 1 there in the arbor with her hand between two of his Elinor Ellnor sobbed out the story of the pearl and her attempt to return it buffs huffs threat against ward wards evening visit and the scene between therril them had and last of all the shot that had nearly ended everything in this world for ward and for her boroday list listened bried quietly better tha than n old hilary ever could lie he understood lie ile had been reared on an ancient chent faith lie ile ts Is recovering yea V and lie he cares for you yon of course no I 1 think perhaps before he know knew baht Bahl sald the russian ii and nd rose what sort of love Is that which chi changes inges I 1 have seen ahe the man if ho he cared at all he still cares 11 he stepped to the door of the arbor and drew along a long breath over on the next hill sleeping through all this turmoil lay old hilary under these same tars stars huff fled the law ward tossed on his bed elinor sat despairing and ashamed alint did it all mean nican what was vas the answer perhaps Pei haps had he known it old hen alette could have told fit ailin irl henriette Henr lette who had begun to measure her days from the end and not noi from the beginning and who now sat on the edge cage of her ber bed mumbling between her aln haq she ran the beads of ati an old rosary which she sae had found beneath a carpet 1 I had thought said elinor wistfully that afi could get getaway away somewhere and start all over again perhaps some day I 1 might be good like other women I 1 can never go back to things as they were before no said the russian 1 I can see that but make no mistake you are good as few tire are good 1 I could sell the house and and I 1 do not want tha jewels it if only you and the others would woula divide them But Boroday would not hearod hear of this to acer a certain talu extent he wits was reconciled to her going away awa y things were closing in on the baud band they would probably all have to separate it were better that elinor be bean in safety so for a long time they discussed ways and means available money the question of a home for old henriette Henr lette in some ways elinor said 1 I feel as though I 1 am deserting him she glanced toward the graveyard where old hilary slept but all I 1 can think of now Is to get away to forget everything when will they beable be able to move mr ward in a week I 1 should think then in a week said boroday where do you think of going elinor 1 I had hardly got so far anywhere but here wa shall have to plan for you he picked up his soft hat and ellnor elinor rose good night elinor good night I 1 am always happier for having seen you lie ile watched her back to the house then went down the steps into the road there had been iii n dinner at the e country club that night the chief had attended it unknown to hostess and giL guests ests to the extent of sitting in the grillroom during the evening and carefully watching the men who came and went he had dined quite alone in the grill from where he sat he could see the dinner party guests on the veranda there were no noticeably tice ably few jewels to be seen over his chop and lager beer the chief smiled grimly after that he shook dice for a short time with a young englishman named talbot an interesting fellow from lafin the chief got the club view of the jewel robbery its been coming to us for a long time said talbot shaking the dice long ago I 1 advised some of the women who had famous pearls to have copies made and keep the originals in their banks but they disliked the idea of wearing imitations 1 I see then a woman satis satisfied fled to have a string of pearls she must have it announced in all the papers of course cr crooks boks all over the country read about aptt aten i and naturally natu roUy thir angers itch 1 I understand said the chief that the bryant pearl has been recovered yes and woodwork goo good dwork work on oft the part of the force was talbots Tal hots bots comment if the chief smiled under his heavy mustache if there was the faintest possible twinkle in talbots Tal bots eyes who was there to see talbot took the chief down to the station in his gray machine they had clint chatted ted very pleasantly but just 0 op the steps from elinore Eli nors garden they blew out a tire the car swerved suddenly throwing the light from the lamps along the bank standing in the shadows and thus unexpectedly revealed was Bd boroday roday talbot brought the car to a stop and jumped out the russian had gone on down the hill bin awfully sorry said talbot L looks 0 0 ks as if you dhave have to walk down perhaps you will find another car to pick you up 1 I shall rather enjoy the walk said the chief eyes ahead in the darkness whose placers place as this talbot glanced up and around im afraid if raid J dont know anything about the village ile he opened the toolbox the chief took two or three steps along the road and turned about here it that the episcopal clergyman was shota 1 I cannot tell you ou that either it was somewhere along this road goad good night sang therl the chief ilef cheerily and started down the hill bill boroday had comenout come out of thell the hilary ilary kingston place he knew that right here almost where he be stopped was where ward had been found athen then in spite of old Hi hilares Hilary larys 8 death the band was still using his house I 1 things were closing up boroday tramped on down the road about one hundred yards behind the chief followed talbot hammering at a recalcitrant tire filled the air with the short angry raps of lils his hammer on the rim the russian had bad an almost uncanny sense of pursuit more than once in his life it had saved him and now lie he knew lie he ans was being followed ile made no attempt whatever to throw lifs his pursuer on off the track but wf want nt directly to the station thero there he got nil fill evening paper at the closing news stand and glanced over it standing under an are arc light vor for alkhis all his engrossment he saw quite distinct distinctly lythe the figure of the cl chief I 1 lef as ho he crossed the track and took up his bis station behind a pillar of the train shed boroday was as thinking hard it hadj been that unlucky swerving of a machine on the hill that had find betrayed him ho he knew that now and he had just come out of the kingston place it was bad very had bad boroday rode roa all the way into the city with the chief a dozen seats behind him the chief did not follow him home he knew where he lived and ho he could lay hla his hand on him when be wanted him he was going to want him now pretty soon the russian knew that too when lie he had entered his apartment and turned on the light he found huff standing by a window the boy ducked back as the light went up for a moment the two eyed one another huff was unshaven sunken eyed dirty the contrast between this wild eyed boy and the tall russian was strong well said huff defiantly antly sit down Boro days tone was kind ile he went to a closet and got out a bottle of vodka when did you have anything to tat cat 1 I am not hungry nevertheless less boroday forced on him a little bread brad e and meat 1 I know boil you were out until tonight huff said at last pushing his plate away where have you been drinking my head off in a dive on fortieth street said huff savagely im all right now what got into you walter for you to turn on us like that to expose everyone of us as you have she was in love with him I 1 wish id killed him very patiently boroday told him what had happened over the matter 1 I 1 7 I 1 1 bury them in old hilares Hi larys crave 11 of the bryant pearl lie he passed as lightly as lie he could but huff realized the significance of elinore Eli nors placing it in the alms box ire he went rather white we would have got off with the country club matter well enough but this murderous frenzy of yours has finished us all well have to break up lip and get away I 1 want you to go out to elinore Eli nors tonight she will not see me 1 I think she will said Do boroday roday 1 I want lier her boget to get away the first thing in the morning let her empty the vault he hesitated elinore Eli nors fortune in jewels was becoming a menace whoever took them in charge was ivas possibly putting a halter around his neck bring the jewels to me if you have a chance if it seems better perhaps better bury them out there where you might said the russian Ilus sinn thoughtfully bury them in old hil 1111 arys grave TO BE CONTINUED |
