Show to awe ove MARTHA by 0 MARTHA servia CHAPTER I 1 1 IF for 0 r one of those minutes that are not ot reckoned as time but rather as a curious vessel to hold experience she shei i had llad stood still on the station platform rapt and breathless and unmindful of the inquisitive glances that rested on her taut figure the desire had been acute to fling out her arms to the circle of the mountains that rose from the valley like a prodigiously wrought gold and purple bowl filled with the wine of sundown in may she had stood aware of the cool star on the southern lern crests crest and of the silver shallop of ahe the new new moon asail a sail with its veiled and mystical cargo then the words had shaped themselves in silence u upon pon her lips words she knew now had paused far back in her childhood waiting for her return f you beautifully full oh you beautiful only a few moments before she had checked her luggage without giving gand her name and the slight narrowing of the old clerks eyes had brought brough ta a twitch of amusement to her mouth she remembered him well wel enough lenough and although it was nine years since he had seen her she had been but fourteen then it teas was evident that some recollection stirred behind the old mans eyes perhaps after all she might have told him she was autumn dian dean so that he might be the first to know that the lairds valras daughter had ome come home he was one of the th a relics of barkerville as her father used to call them affectionately those old men who had become as legendary as that long dimmed field of gold it would have been fitting to tell him first this old man who was the essence of everything to which she was returning this fabulous romantic northland of her girlhood but it amused her to keep her secret a little longer to be to herself alone the daughter of old jarvis dean the laird of the castle of the borns 11 that phrase brought an almost unbearable ennui for what had been I 1 when she herself had so named her fathers house the murmur of the valley town like the warm sound of a human heart within the cool heart of the hills lay below her now as she made her way quickly up the steep dark street to the house she remembered in the mountains cleft A tew few new dwellings had appeared the shade trees had bad grown there was a denser thicket of shrubbery flanking the street but the curious upward climb of the way was unmistakable there where the gravel road took a prankish turn as though seeking greater seclusion under the brow of 0 the hill old hector cardigans Card igans cottage peered through half suspiciously as she had remembered it as though it had made its way from the inner secrecy of the mountain and were of half a mind to return there her heart gave a little leap of delight as she saw the monkey puzzle tree on the tiny front lawn and the twp somber meticulously clipped yews bews on either side of the shell lined walk the ancient celeni wrought iron italian lamp hung as of old in the narrow crypt of them the porch but instead of the wanly flickering oil wick a dim electric bulb glowed steadily behind the parchment old hector had had his house wired then her impulse was to go bounding up the steep little steps two at a time as she had been wont to do but she reflected quickly that hector grown older and more than ever gi given givenco vento to solitude from her fathers reports of him might be a startled at such an intrusion instead she ran lightly up thi the right flight to the carved narrow oak door and clutched her handbag to still the excitement of her heart as she lifted the heavy brass knocker she remembered that the knocker had been level w with ith her eyes when she was a reedy kid of fourteen that was hectors hectora Hec tors step now quick and ad military still in its precision 11 she could remember that long pol dished panel of hardwood flood of the hall within polished to mirror luster by hector himself as no servant could do it had the old man ever been able to afford a servant the door opened quickly boldly in its old manner of brusque inquiry and there stood hector erect and fiery fastidiously groomed as of old severely dinner jacketed his gray hair grayer n now ow but combed as aa ever with sculptured nicety he stood very little above her own height so that it seemed to her that she was smiling on a level with his eyes As she waited tor for his bis recognition a curious thing was happening she had snatched off her but bat and stood with her head flung back her hair shaken vividly about her cheeks Hec hectora tors eyes were fastened upon her face with a look that hat grew from strange incredulous to something verging merging upon pa pain in his hand band reached uncertainly out toward her as though he be expected her to v vanish before his bejes ejes eyes then his fingers grasped the door knob until the knuckles gleamed white his face had become drained of all color and although she che saw that his bis hand lean leaned lec d heavily on the door knob tor for support autumn laughed gayly stepped ovir over the threshold and flung her arms about his neck hector hectorl dont you know me vu u old goose she demanded rl shaking his shoulders as she smiled up at him forgive me child he said you you startled me I 1 expected but here come inside my manners are abominable they proceeded into the low shadowed living room autumn pausing just within the door to let her eyes sweep over the place she wanted to make sure that the character of this extraordinary room had not changed no except tor for an added piece or two it was the same as when she had last seen it a haunting medley of the centuries the oak walls dim and secret with their tapestries es tries the louis XIV Gobel ln the fragile and priceless renaissance grotesque with its quaint assembly vanishing irretrievably into the weave vanishing back into the dead hands of the weaver and the bold francois of delft with its heraldry challenging time but when did you get back autumn hector asked his voice firm now with its old courtly inflection ive lust just come I 1 walked right up here from the station but your father tell me you were coming home autumn tossed her hat and purse on the low spanish settle ruffled ruffied her L your education Is complete isee 1 see fingers through her hair and came over and stood beside him her feet spread boyishly apart her hands clasped behind her back she looked at hector with grave amusement he expecting me she said lightly 1 I want to surprise him hector turned slowly away 1111 H m m yes he said thoughtfully it will be a surprise to him besides you old fraud I 1 wanted to surprise you think of it rector hector its nine years since you saw me last nine it seems impossible well were getting older im approaching pro aching my dotage child but you you are eternal youth itself you have the heritage of your mother autumns laugh pealed out dell piously cious ly but not her beauty hector I 1 that was what startled me when I 1 saw you at the door you are her image he moved to the couch that faced the fireplace seated himself if and clasped clasper his hands between his knees autumn turned and looked down upon him and a wave of swift pity for him swept over her obliterating for a moment the bewilderment and dismay that were growing upon her at the strangeness af pf of his reception time the merciless invader was storming the fine citadel of that gallant old soldier end and already had comi come an intimation of the ruin that was to be autumn went quickly and seated herself beside him taking his brown hand in her own Is this all the welcome you give me she asked you look as if I 1 had bad brought you the plague wrong hector he looked at her thong thoughtfully then got to his bis feet theres There 1 nothing wrong my dear its just the surprise I 1 suppose it has knocked me quite silly how are you going out autumn patted one of his brown hands affectionately im going to ride one of your hunters she told him it look right tor for the daughter of jarvis dean to go home in an automobile would it hector smiled one ot of my hunters I 1 have only one left my dear but you are welcome are you going to ride in those clothes no ill telephone tor for my luggage I 1 have a riding habit handy in a bag you see I 1 had it all planned where Is the telephone hector that frightfully stupidly its the only thing about the house I 1 have forgotten hector pointed to a low japanese gilt and black lacquer screen that stood below a seventeenth century brass lantern clock with single hand back there he said when she had arranged tor for the immediate transfer of her luggage to hector cardigans Card igans house she returned to the fireplace hector had laid another log on the fire and the pitch was snapping spiritedly he had also brought out a remarkably cut old english decanter with a ruby glass snake wound about the neck two fragile wine glasses stood on the tray beside it and the liquid id within them glowed with fixed and inviolate coruscation on a meissen porcelain plate were tiny frosted cakes and shortbreads short breads oh hectorl hector I 1 you autumn cried kneeling before the wine to look at the light flamin flaming g through it 1 I take back all I 1 said about my welcome she seated herself up upon on a battered hassock and took the glass he offered her she sipped the wine and reached for one of the tempting little cakes chablis it she remarked hector smiled at her over his glass and it seemed to her that he was as more his old self again the surprising and eternally enigmatic old self that she had known puck and pan and cc centaur all in on one e and sometimes arlel ariel and sometimes caliban all the naive and grotesque and impish legendary beings she knew I 1 your education is complete I 1 see he laughed autumn laughed too and ate another cake in one mouthful oh when I 1 went over she said they were teaching children to drink so that they would stops stop begging for another war her mood changed then anil and she frowned down at the last drop that lay in the crystal hollow of the glass seriously though why I 1 wanted to come home hector I 1 had to get away from the constant reliving of a nightmare that my generation missed 1 I know I 1 know hector remarked the only real thing anthe in the pampered life of aunt flo was the loss of her son my cousin frederick you know I 1 dont know whether there is such a word or not there ought to be but aunt flo simply in her loss I 1 live with it any longer it the same back home as oh I 1 dont mean rn ean they are all like aunt flo she hastened to add but there Is something smothery about england now with all those hungry eyed women stepping on each others toes do you know what I 1 rn mean e an yes hector admitted 1 I think I 1 do you wanted room to breathe in well you are right too only your father the same man elther either you ww will find him very difficult t at times he rarely comes to see me any more and you know how devoted I 1 have been to him father has always been difficult hector but iv ive e always loved him nevertheless and he ie has always loved me certainly he loves the ground you walk on I 1 think perhaps that was one of the reasons he want you to corpe back listen hector autumn said shaking a finger at him 1 I know father wanted me to stay in eng land he wanted me to mar marryann settle down over there why rector hector coughed lightly and took another sip from his glass if jarvis has auy any reason for or not wanting you lack back here hee he said finally hell probably tell you what it is better than I 1 could my dear though for that matter I 1 am inclined 10 to lo agree with him in this I 1 think what do you mean by that hector 1 I mean you should not have come home hector said abruptly autumn got impatiently to her feet and stood before him her hands on her hips now see here heie hector she exclaimed are you going to be e as unreasonable as father has been about my coming back where I 1 belong he has been perfectly ridiculous about it all this time ive been fed up with europe tor for two years old hector rubbed his palms nervously together 1 I know autumn I 1 know but your father is not a happy man my dear he he I 1 Is given to moods of melancholy of of brooding moreover he has n never e V considered the ranch a prop proper er environment tor for you im afraid it will distress him very much that you have come back autumn flung her head impetuously upward that is simple non she declared Is monte carlo my proper environment Is mayfair Mayfa lr she reached tor for a cigarette on the low lacquered table beside the couch lit it and waved it triumphantly ive put up with erudition and polishing and attempts to marry me off to anemic noblemen until im sick of it and now im home im home because I 1 belong here here in british columbia here in the upper country here between the and the cascades that sound dramatic and here im going to stick probably stick as you say hector commented youve got enough of 61 jarvis dean in you tor for that and it if you theres still the blood of millicent odell it if you dont get what you want from sheer stubbornness get it because no one will have the heart to refuse you A very dangerous combination eh hector autumn observed she refused a second glass of wine although hector filled bis hil s own once more she moved to the mantel and examined one or two of the curios upon it amulets ancient dice an italian dagger with a jeweled hilt a string of ica beads hanging down over the dutch tiles some of the things she could recall others 0 had been acquired by hector in his travels since she had last seen him presently her eyes fell upon a strange brass object with a strap attached to its top she picked it up instantly a sound of unutterable purity pierced the room with a thin thrilling resonance that seemed to drift on and on beyond the confines of the be decked walls startled and entranced with the beauty of the sound autumn turned to hector and saw that he had risen and was coming toward her 1 I picked that up in spain on a walking trip I 1 took one year through the mountains he told her it is a basque bell a basque sheep bell ive never heard anything so love lovely lyl 1 autumn exclaimed turning the bell up to examine it more carefully hector looked down at it and whimsical wistfulness came into his face 1 I should like you to have it it autumn he said when you come in again take it out with you there Is no one else I 1 would give it to my dear not even your father she looked up at him in quick pleased surprise holding the bell so BO that it chimed again light and clear as the echo of a lay fay song in some unearthly place do you really mean that hector she said softly 1 I know how you hate to part with your treasures and this one its very old hector murmured and his eyes narrowed with a strange absent dimness as thou though g h he were looking into the remote past where his spirit abode in a brilliant reality some shepherd in the pyrenees Pyre nees perhaps heard that bell fifty years ago when your grandmother was a girl here in these hills just over from ireland when your grandmother was breaking hearts up and down the okanagan Ok anagan my dear some shepherd boy was listening to that plaintive note on some mountainside mountain side on the other side of the world TO BE CONTINUED |