Show BAIT G A by IS Y JL arh 91 COM E L L copyright COPY D appleton CENTURY CO INC SERVICE CHAPTER PTER XVI con continued linued 16 fd cd dana and his sons came home and it was a merry meal dinner once ance to the doorbell door bell rang and gim mysteriously missie ring said jung you comel come and mrs dana dana hurried to the reception hall her heart slipping in her breast to find high school youth in in a soiled a cheat eat shirt as asking king for young bill lie he was embarrassed by the warmth greeting after their always formal coffee in the drawing room the family separated the older sons off on their own occasions the youngest reluctantly luct antly to his books the husband to a directors meeting at the san chamber of commerce and jose ose the mother went upstairs with duncan and sarah lynn duncan read a solid biography aloud in his pleasantly modulated cultured voice and sarah lynn leaned back in her chair her hands loosely clasped in her lap her eyes half closed the pretty room was quiet and warmly and softly lit the canaries cages were covered with gay chintz and the persian kittens were alseen in their basket in endearing attitudes framed photographs to of plump babies looked down from the walls in dewy innocence and mrs dana began to have a sense of safety of sanctuary so complete that she started in on her ber rhythmic breathing again then the door opened without a preliminary knock and miss pen hington walked in the harsh color had bad drained out of her hard round cheeks and her pale eyes appeared to protrude farther than ever she stood still in the middle of the room sarah lynn she said abruptly gunnar thorwald is here sarah lynn gave a muffled cry her clenched hands at her mouth hush miss pennington ll 11 her r employer said sharply 1 I forbid you to the governess went vent steadily on sarah lynn he has come back for you duncan was on his teet feet miss miss pennington this makes no difference to sarah lynn now listen to me sarah lynn lyna n he came back thinking you were still helpless that you would never walk again he came to take you away etith ith him or to stay with you forever this means less than nothing to you at this late date darling the mother said remember ll 11 he went away at the moment when your condition seemed most hopeless 41 because you turned from him in horror miss pennington said quickly you know that you deliberately libera tely sent him away sarah lynn was out of her chair wide eyed shaking yes because I 1 knew how he despised weakness because I 1 want to spoil his life because I 1 wanted him to be freel free duncan stepped close and put a protecting arm about her all over sarah lynn nothing matters now except ourselves and were going to be married in three bayst I 1 oh I 1 penny sarah lynn turned to her she nodded we had to tell him we e told him you were well again and id that you were to marry mr duncan if you could have seen his look yH hush ush mrs dana said v violent v her beautiful face darkly crim son n the gentle walls so lately a sanctuary now looked down on a battlefield leave the room do you hear me miss pennington the e first bitter and truculent tones the we pretty place had ever heard leave eave the room and leave my housep the governess turned a stricken look to her 1 11 I hear mrs dana and I 1 understand if f in that in she boned the inconvenient rn cottage the ot of her brother the curate the sharp arp rp sister in law it sister in failed ned to give her 1 pause I will go 90 at otonce once but first firof she addressed ats herself to sarah lynn 1 I must tell YOU this 1 light ht Is he ls is going ee away to tie he is forever going away the ahe face blood came into sarah lynns leel fet and ito into he her r heart she could the ahva exquisite squi site e agony of coming ve again she heard her own tance panr ice vaguely va euely as if from a dis th thiap saying stupid and futile brigs to van n her other mother and duncan she ehe boren about being S sorry then the hall h was 11 s running g she ran down and ad down dow the stairs and ut of the it as I 1 de I 1 house and someone ran herI er breathing hard holding I 1 ner hand she knew it must be the old governess but she did not turn her head to look there were dim shapes in the dark garden figures converging upon her figures without faces familiar voices in unfamiliar words lightning the greyhound leaping and bounding in beautiful joy come the cars waiting someone said ive packed a bag for you hurry said another there was the drumming of wings in the sky sarah lynn flung her head back until it hung between her shoulder blades to watch one star detach itself from its fellows and move steadily away oil oh gunnar wait for me she gave a desolate cry that gunnar goose sally ann said raggedly but well take you to him core cor e along sarah lynn said ny penny come I 1 say goodby good by to penny about penny dont you worry take robustly ill her cousin said care of kennyl bring her over to you by ill i ann and by if you like sally promised and ill III i bring lightning too all promising things they were mother they her would see they would father they would see her would take they talk to duncan abao was there old penny of if care her to wo worry rry for cutely nothing about but the numbness was going out of sarah lynns head and heart and she knew how silly she was requiting long devotion behind her was shock and grief and wounded pride and she was wrung with remorse but before her was gunnar and she had no choice gunnar she said again a g a i n when almost there sarah lynal then they were at the field and vance le roy was handing her out of the car grinning and the mechanics were crowding cro up and old pete was gulping and blowing his noise well god love you ladybug youre a sight for sore eyes where is gunnar not here yet miss nor mr jordan but the ships warmed up for em well now will you be stowing away again sarah lynn laughed aloud yes ill stow away pete help me that was the perfect way then she would not have to see him first before them all their first moment would be their own the drama of it caught their fancy they were all laughing crying about bringing robes from the car carrying the bag shaking her hand patting her shoulder wishing her luck then there were the good bys too hurried to be heard the women kissed her and mary dana webster wept happily sally ann said im sailing soon too sarah lynn write me paris sarah lynn tried to say something to her uncle lynn who had made this hour who sitting still in his chair for more than half his lifetime was the one to give her wings uncle lynn oh uncle lynn vance le roy took her elbow in a hard grip and walked her to jordans plane lifting his voice over the din to say s ay this was a great break to wish heri her Happy landi landings on the gr ground aund it was all noise and confusion and haste but above it would be cold and clear and calm and it was there she was going with gunnar they helped her into the cabin and hall handed ded in her bag and arranged the robes so she could pull them over her I 1 hil hi make it snappy snap py here they come colef a mechanic called old pete said sniffing loudly well god love you ladybug sarah lynn flattened herself and covered her head hea d and it was a comfort to hide to be still after the hubbub of the last hour she was dizzy and faint and confused with the breathless excitement the high emotional strain after long months with blooming houseplants house plants and t trilling rill canaries and purring kittens with com coming ing to life again she could see nothing but sounds and smells reached tier her and she could imagine the progress of the of the conspirators plan sor someone neone catching conrad jordans eye and drawing him aside conrad conra d jordan making an excuse to gunnar for not flying south with him and gunnar climbing into the ship alone she could feel the faint jar when he took his seat and she cuddled closer under her stifling covers then they were taxiing down the field the familiar feel of it bumping along the earth they were about rising and rising turning circling climbing banking climbing high and higher the moment had arrived now to lift the poisoning prison ing robes and look at gunnar but she delayed it had been too much the suddenness the lightning transition from the lassitude of patience and submission and tolerance to this blaze of joy panic overwhelmed her she was afraid to look gunnar would not be there it would be conrad jordan or vance le roy she had lived so long with renunciation that happiness seemed an impossible phantom L 1 I 1 want to keep on going up and up and up said they were hurrying her down the driveway one on each side of her another pattering behind miss penningtons Penning tons voice said bless you and then there were no footsteps following sarah lynn heard her saying oh mr duncan im so truly sorry but its no use sir I 1 tell you its no use mary dana webster flung words back over her shoulder kind words but final breathless with her haste and there was duncans voice bitter and proud and hurt and then silence I 1 here we are uncle lynns lynn Is car hes here get in sarah lynn her uncle lynns hand his arm about her excited voices kind concerned triumphant a cloak wrapped d round her a hat pulled down on her head things of no importance whatever gunnar she said as she had said isaid that day in the meadow after 1 coming down in the parachute I want gunnar at the field lamble lambie hes with conrad jordan now and hes flying to los angeles tonight he thinks conra conrads ds going with him but he you are sarah lynn mary dana webster was crying you are arel yes she said contentedly when will I 1 see him I 1 at the field but we well III be there first I 1 told conrad to ta give us a good margin of time lynn 13 ann dan told her suddenly ien i pen en but at last she had courage enough to drop the corner of the robe she was holding and she saw him very cautiously and lightly she lifted herself to a seat her eyes still on him assured and comforted and fears fell away forever toward the dark earth far below she she thought of her mother with an of remorseful tenderness of poor defeated duncan of old penny fighting like a lioness for her cub she remembered her great grandmothers flight 1 I dont want to go down sairy lynal I 1 want to keep on going up and up and up cupl now she would stand and take the br brief cef steps which separated her from her lover she would put her hand on his shoulder and speak to him just as she had done all those ages ago on the night of ardines prank hatched in the stewed prune but this time he would not scorn her he would make a place for her beside him and she would be always beside him and their cold cheeks would touch and he would turn his head and kiss her the queer dark dana girl the ladybug flying away in the nighal As she had delayed to look at him through terror that he might not be there so now she dallied with the rapture of the impending moment her heart hammering until her gaze which had not left him for an instant began to evaluate the change she saw it was gunnar thorwald Thor waid norwegian ace who W held the stick but it might well have been another for the proud carriage of the head was miss missing ng the stern set of the squared shoulders the hard certainty the harsh young arrogance were gone his chin was on his breast and he sat slumped in his seat and in every lean I 1 line ine was a hurt so deep so lonely so intolerable that there were quick tears of tenderness in her e yes eyes as she rose and went forward to comfort him THE END |