Show nl the r blue circle X Q Q Q X by ELIZABETH JORDAN X by the th century co ODD NOISES incapacitated mentally by shock eg as a result of experiences during the world war renshaw makes la a proposition to david campbell wealthy elderly man ot of leisure that for or a vear he assume responsibility for him renshaw Rena haw practically buy him hial doctor stanley lifelong friend of campbells in borses the proposition which campbell with some aoma natural misgivings accepts the arrangement ran gement is young man becomes an inmate of the campbell household with the nominal duty of secretary renshaw w m meeta e a ts verity campbells grand granddaughter da u g h and gets the impression that she bhe flues does not like him jenks the butler renshaw also feels eels ta in distinctly hostile nevertheless rene renshaw aw went down to dinner feeling quite normal for him CHAPTER 11 II continued 4 another reflection followed the he first and was waa far less agreeable he wondered if campbell had bad told tits his granddaughter the peculiar relation in which he be renshaw had entered the family that he be should give this detail a thought was surprising that he should have the moments concern that now followed it was nothing short abort of amazing he wits was actually hoping that the girl did not know that old campbell had bad not told her I 1 I 1 the reflection though vivid in its if litt littlie lil instant of life perished almost ns as stion as it was born bom what difference did it make what the girl or any one else knew or thought ile he turned off the lights opened hla his door and strode out into the hall again as in the tha corridor downstairs lie he caught around a corner the flutter of a disappearing bit of white stuff it a natural enough phenomenon in rny house he reflected and interesting only because of the impression of flight it conveyed ilia nt attention to the incident was heeling evidently campbells servants were a curious lot and the arrival of a stranger to in this isolated house was to them an event out of till all proportion to its importance he entered the living room at exactly one manuto before eight and as he opened the door felt behind him the figure of jenks janks coming to announce dinner campbell and his granddaughter were already in the room the latter before a grand piano which renshaw in ills his abstraction had not observed during his first visit the girl had bad been playing or singing he assumed though he had heard no rou mu elc now seated sidewise on the piano stool she was absently turning the sheets on tl music rack and lending an car to the monologue of an old lady who sat eat with campbell before the fire fireplace her resemblance to him placed tier her as the old mans sister but she had bad entered the world ten or twelve years later like verity she abe was in full evening dress she wore a superb diamond and pearl collar aal half a dozen diamond sapphire and emerald rings relentlessly called attention to the enlarged joints of her fingers her white hair was as aa elaborately waved and puffed as if she were going to a ball As renshaw went toward her he heard the conclusion of her monologue delivered on a high pitched plaintive key and without the slightest pause of course you will belittle the matter davy as you always do but ive told you before and I 1 tell you again that your habit of leaving so BO many details to the servants ser vanta will eventually drive us ua out of house and home as aa to the way they act some of them get in till after twelve last night though where they could have been la Is more than I 1 know unless james drove 1 them hem to town in the service car r which verity has expressly forbidden him to do vit bout permission but they never pay any attention to what one orders anyway so what la Is the use of giving them orders old david campbell raised a thin band one momen kly kitty he said good let me present my neat secretary mr renshaw renshaw Bena haw this lady ta Is my sister bister mrs mra pardee and shells chea got more troubles than thail any one you ever met before shell tell them all to you too you may be sure sura of that H he chuckled over his big own joke while renshaw bowed over the wrinkled hand that lay in his own the voice of jenks placidly repeated the announcement of of dinner and david campbell offered hla his arm to hla his sister elster renshaw hesitated was be expected expect pd formally to escort miss campbell T or would she gho resent such an assumption on his part she was as proud as the devil that girl every line of her and every glance of her eyes proved that also sho she was really amazingly lovely feeling very unsure of himself he approached her and formally offered his arm on which she remotely laid a perfect hand together they walked the length of the long room and crossing the hall ball entered the dining room on its opposite side like the living room it was large and beautiful there was spaciousness in all the rooms odthe of the old house and a beauty of furnishing for which the somewhat confused architecture of 0 the exterior had not prepared one four high backed and carved florentine chalis chairs waited for their occupants at the awand table whose tall orange candles candies aided by the firelight gave the big room its sole illumination renshaw began to feel very much as if lie were in a dream in the mood in which ilch ho he lind approached campbell that aft afternoon ernon he would have agreed to clean out furnaces furn acea and work around the grot grounds Ands As it was he be stood committed to 10 ay any taste task he was offered however mental yet here bere he was ans an intimate part pan of a charming group seated at the he right of old mrs pardee and with the beauty of verity compbell opposite him on which to ferd tits ills eyes he acknowledged the beauty but let lite his eyes drift past it it was there but it had bad no message tor for hlin him once looking across the table babl he suddenly met V veritas Ver itys eyes and for an instant held them there was a momentary dancing light in them like ilke a nicker flicker of sunshine on we the surface of a dark pool also the corners cornera of her mouth quivered in a half smile which passed even as it came mercifully he was spared overhearing the comment verity mode made to her grandfather a little later under cover of the continued babble of mrs pardee 1 I think your bondman Is going to cheer us up site she murmured cheer us I 1 that young monument to gloom I 1 the old man shook hla his head im afraid hes going to got get horribly on our nerves he experienced anew the sen sensation that tills this acquisition of his had already too frequently supplied though their association was so brief an emotion of mingled admiration and resentment unusual and unsettling to banish it ho he turned to verity Is mandame having one of tier sick lienda headaches chesl yes poor dear renshaw Ilon shaw pricked up his fits ears there was still another member t f the fam lly fly then or a guest wherever cheter she was miss campbell liked tier her the modulations of the girls golec on the three words bonts she lind spoken made that quite clear when dinner was over campbell led the way back to the living room with somo some lingering hint of resentment in tho the stiff lines of his shoulders and almost curtly commanded verity to sing glenshaw heard hear the command with tits his nearest mental approach to relief but at least it would eliminate the necessity of a general conversation ile he dropped into a chair in a corner near the piano and though he was aware of the of his course let himself sink into the black abyss that always awaited his unguarded moments after all had lie he done right to come here he be instead added the ca capstone to the he towering structure of ills misery for lie he had offered himself and now it was too late to retreat ile he was bought and committed to led god alone knew what enterprise for both stanley end and campbell had bad hinted that tits his new life it if he entered upon it might hold bold more than the routine possibilities ties ile ho pulled hlin himself self up in a sudden ascent to the present something LhIng was happening to him something as on darful as that hour of sleep had been A stream of music had been flowing past him and now ns its he began to listen it seemed to lift him and bear him on it to another world a world of I love iove ove and passion and beauty the girl was singing ging and the girls singing was unlike any he had heard before what she die wt wua is singing was a russian fulk song whose accompaniment was like swiftly flowing water when she had finished david campbell was asleep but the plaintive voice of mrs pardee bro broke kethe the momentary stillness 1 I do wish verity that learn some cheerful songs such as other girls sing gay and bright you know from the musical comedies there roust must be cheerful music in the world though we never hear any renshaw rose abruptly and went to the piano thank you very much he be said bald and goodnight good night for on an instant her deep eyes met his their expression as remote as bs hi own goodnight good argood night mr renshaw she eh said aid casualty cuu ally renshaw crossed back to tho th tittle old littly lady by tile lie ore tin im slipping off to my room be h explained if mr campbell should want me ile wont hell sleep till ten and then james will come I 1 in n and take him to bed how he can bitic sleep so BO much at t hla his nee age I 1 dont know I 1 myself dont average five hours a night last night I 1 lay awake from twelve to five how I 1 happened to hear those servants come in in some way nene linw stemmed the verbal tide and made hla his escape A As he approached the door of hla his room it opened and two persons came out jenks land and a woman the woman was immaculate in a white gown white cap and white apron but she was not the trim housemaid of ones dreams she was past middle age and Inc inclined lived to stoutness and the expression of her plain face was rather dour this Is annie sir air the chamber maid weve been airing your room and putting in fresh linen jenks spoke so quickly that renshaw who in his abstraction would have passed the pair almost without noticing them looked at them with closer attention it then occurred to him that the enterprise of changing the linen in his file room hardly called for the efforts of two servants but he did not dwell on the thought also annie was contributing her modest share to the verbal report you will always find extra towels on the shelf of this closet sir air she said primly 1 I leave the extra for the floor there them because theres no place in the bathroom but the rne one rack mck and and excuse me sir air but theres another thing jenks was speaking again and annie with fitting filling humility in the presence of her superior perlor BU moved a little to one side might alight I 1 speak frankly jenks was almost humble of course renshaw waited with his detached air the man wet his lips theres tb eres th eres some queer things going on in the old house sir air it you hear odd noises during the night its best beat to pay no attention to them renshaw kenshaw frowned odd noises he be repented repeated what kind of noises all I 1 can say eay sir and rm im exceeding my duty sir air in saying that much but its well meant renshaw nodded his halt half formed interest relaxing under a memory of certain sentences in tits his interview with campbell to which ho he had find attached no great importance at the time all right s thank you he said and passed on As lie ho closed life his door lie glanced back roth both jenks tind annie were standing where he had loft left tl alietti ietti staring after III lilu caught in the net act they started down the corridor tind parted at its end jenks descending sc ac the staircase the woman disappearing around a distant corner comer the flutter of tier ber skirt shirt ns its silo sho went stirred Ilen Ren shaws nier memory nory surely twice before today lie he had seen the final whisk of that skirt he entered his fits room still slightly frowning everything was in order it was all reassuringly natural and yet what the deuce was there about jenks manner that got on ones imagination and made one the importance of the simplest trifles ile he undressed slowly but instead of going to bed he slipped on his dressing gown and after turning on off tho lights sat down in tile the chair before the fire chere clasping hla his benda behind hla his head he leaned back end and grimaced at himself the simple truth was that he did not quite dare to go to bed under the surface atmosphere of comfort and normality unit that lay over the house something had been injected something intangible of course his imagination was playing tricks with him at the back of tits ills hend head wits was the thought of a mystery mastery at witch which both stanley and camphell campbell had hinted and which of course lind had to do with the warning just received from jenks jenka renshaw sees verity Is a beauty but womans comans beauty has ha no message for him will that last TO BE CONTINUED |