CI
ANCE
W JMJT JIM
corrpoar 109 tor
J?CWr-ftfULL CO.
1
8YNOP8IS.
At a private, view of the Chatworth
personal estate, to be sold at auction, the
Chatworth ring, known aa the Crew Idol,
mysteriously disappears. Harry Cressy,
who was present, describes the ring to
Ms fiancee, Flora (illsey, and her chap
eron, Mrs. Clara Brltton, as being like a
heathen god, with a beautiful sapphire
et In the head. Flora meets Mr. Kerr,
an Englishman, at the club. In dis
cussing the disappearance of the ring, the
exploits of an Kngllsh thief, Farrell
Wand, are recalled. Flora has a fancy
that Harry and Kerr know something
bout the mystery. Kerr tells Klora that
he has met Hurry somewhere, but cannot
rlace him. IO.ODO reward Is offered for
he return of the ring. Harry admits to
Flora that he dislikes Kerr. Harry takes
Flora to a Chinese goldsmith's to buy an
engagement ring. An exquisite sapphire
et In a hoop of brass, is selected. Harry
urges her not to wear it until It Is reset.
Th possession of the ling seems to cast
spell over Flora. She becomes uneasy
and apprehensive. Flora meets Kerr at a
box party. She Is startled by the effect
on him when he gets a glimpse of the
sapphire. The possibility that the atone
la part of the Crew Idol causes Flora
much anxloty.
CHAPTER X. Continued.
"Then Isn't It for us to show them
that we are more than usually civl
Ized? I can't run away from him like
a frightened little native."
"Of course; but that Is where I
come In; It's what I'm for to get rid
of such things for you."
Clara had risen, and. stood consid
ering a moment with that same sweet,
Impersonal eye which Flora found It
hardest to comprehend.
"What I mean," she explicitly
Stated, "Is that If he should undertake
to carry out his preposterous sugges
tion, and call this afternoon, I am
quite ready, if you wish, to. take him
off your, hands."
This last took Flora's breath away.
It had not occurred to her that Clara
had overheard. It shocked her, fright
ened her; and yet Clara's way of
stating the fact, as If It were the
most natural thing In the world, made
Flora feel that she herself was In the
wrong to feel this.
"You're very kind," she managed to
ret out; and that seemed to leave her
committed to hand Kerr over, tied
hand and foot, when she wasn't sure
at all she wanted to.
"Then shall I tell Mrs. Herrlck that
you will consider the house?" said
Clara, already In the act of departure.
"She Is to call to-day to go nto It
with me more thoroughly. Thus far
we've only played about the edges."
. Her eyes strayed toward the dress
ing table as she passed It, and as she
reached the door she glanced over the
chiffonier. It was on the tip of Flora's
tongue to ask If she had mislaid some
thing, when Clara turned and smiled
ber small, tight-curled smile, as If she
were offering It as a symbol of mutual
understanding. Curiously enough, it
checked Flora's query about the stray
ing glances, and made her wonder
that this was the first time In their
relation that she had thought Clara
weet.
. But there was another quality In
Clara she did not lose sight of, and
be waited for the closing of a door
further down the hall before she drew
the sapphire from under her pillow.
With the knocking at the door her
first act had been to thrust It there.
The feeling that It was going to be
bard to hide was still her strongest In
stinct about it; but the morning had
dissipated the element of the super
natural and the horrid that It had
shown her the night before. It seemed
to have a clearer and a simpler beau
ty; and the hope revived In her that
Its beauty, after all, was the only re
markable thing about It.
Her convlotlon of the night before
bad sunk to a shadowy hypothesis.
She knew nothing nothing that would
Justify her In taking any step; and
ber only chance of knowing more lay
In what she would get out of Kerr;
for that he knew more about her ring
than she, she was convinced. She was
afraid of htm, yet, In spite of her fear,
she had no Intention of banding htm
over to Clara. For on reflection she
knew that Clara's offer must have a
deeper motive than mere kindness,
and she had a most unreasonable feel
ing that It would not be safe.
Tet Clara would do a kindness If it
did not Inconvenience her, and surely
this morning she bad been kind. Still
Flora felt she' didn't' want to reveal
anything until she was a little surer
of her own position. When she knew
better where she stood she would
know what she could confide to Clara.
Meanwhile, If there was any one to
whom she could turn now It would
surely be Harry.
Tet, If she did, what a lot of awk
ward explanations! She could not re
turn the sapphire without giving a
reason, and what a thing to explain
that she had not only worn It, but, in
a freak, shown it to the one of all
people he most objected to.
Nevertheless the most sensible thing
clearly was to go through with it and
confess to Harry. Then she must
communicate with him at once. No
he would wait until after breakfast
There was plenty of time. Kerr would
lot come until the afternoon. But
after breakfast, she wondered If It
wouldn't be as well to ring him up at
luncheon tlmeT Then she would be
are of finding him at the club.
Meanwhile she dared not let the
sapphire out of her grasp; and yet
she could not wear it on her hand.
She had thought of the pear-shaped
pouch of gold which it was her cus
tom to wear; but the slender Utfigth
of chain that linked It to her nec;i was
too frail for such a precious weight
At Inst she had fastened it around her
neck on the strongest chain she
owned, and thus she carried It all the
morning under her bodice with a
quieter mind than had been hers on
the first day she had worn It, when
there had been nothing to explain ber
uneasiness.
She was alone at luncheon, and in
a dream. She glanced now and then
at the clock. She rose only ten min
utes before the hour that Harry was
In the habit of leaving the club. She
went upstairs slowly and stopped In
front of th telephone. She touched
the receiver, drew her hand back and
turned away. She shut the door of
her own rooms smartly after her.
Hut when at last Kerr's card was
handed in to her it gave her a shock,
as if something which couldn't happen,
and yet which she had all along ex
pected, had come to pass.
In her Instant of indecision Marrlka
had got away from ber, but she called
the girl back from the door and told
her to say to Mrs. Brltton that Mr.
Kerr had called, but that Miss Gllsey
would see him herself.
She started with a rush. Half-way
down the stairs she stopped, horri
fied to find what her fingers were do
ing. They were closed around the lit
tle lump that the ring made la the
bosom of her gown, and she had not
known It. What If she had rushed in
to Kerr with this extraordinary mani
festation? What if, while she was
talking to him, her band should con
tinue to creep up again and yet again
to that place, and close around the
Jewel, and make It evident even in
its hiding-place? The time had come
when she must even hide It from her
self. And yet, to creep back up the
stair when she made sure Kerr must
have heard her; tumultuous downward
rush! It would never do to soundless
ly retreat. She must go back boldly,
as if she had forgotten nothing more
considerable than a pocket handker
chief. Yet before she reached the top again
she found herself going tiptoe, as if
she were on an expedition so secret
that her own ears should not hear
her footsteps. But she went direct
and unhesitating. It had come to her
all in a flash where she would put the
sapphire. The little buttoned pocket
of her bath-robe. There it hung in
the bathroom on one unvarying peg,
the moat Immovable of all her gar
ments, safe from the excursions of
Marrika'B needle or brushes, not to be
disturbed for hours to come.
She passed through her bedroom,
through her dresBlng-room Into the
bathroom. The robe was hanging be
hind the door. It took her a moment
to .draw out the ring and disentangle
its chain, and while she was doing
this she became aware of movlngs to
and fro in her bedroom. She drew
the door half open, the better to con
ceal herself behind it, and at the
same time, through the widened crack
of the Jamb, to keep an eye on the
dressing room, and hurried lest Mar
rlka should surprise her. But never
theless she had barely slipped the
ring Into the little pocket and re
fastened the flap, when Clara opened
the bedroom door and stood looking
into the dressing-room.
Her lifted veil made a fine mist
above the luster of her eyes. She
was perfect to the tips of her im
maculate white gloves, and she wore
the simple, sober look of a person
who thinks himself alone. Then it
wasn't Flora, Clara was looking for!
She was looking all around over the
surface of every object in the room.
Presently she went up to the dressing-table.
She laid her gloved hands
upon it, and looked at the small ob
jects strewn over Its top. She took a
step backward and opened the top
drawer. She reached Into It and deli
cately explored.
Flora could see the white gloves
going to and fro among her white
handkerchiefs, could see them find,
open and examine the contents of her
Jewel-box. And the only thing that
kept her from shrieking out was the
feeling that this abominable thing
which was being enacted before her
eyes couldn't be a fact at all.
Clara took out an old pocket-book,
shiny with years, shook from it a
shower of receipts, newspaper clip
pings, verses. She let them lie. She
took out a long violet box with a per
fumer's seal upon it It held a bunch
of dried violets. She took out a
bonbonnlere of gold filigree. It was
empty. A powder box, a glove box, a
froth of lace, a handful of Jewelers'
boxes, a jewel flung loose Into the
drawer. This the pounced upon. It
was a brooch! She let it fall turned
to the chiffonier; upended the two
vases of Venetian glass, lifted the
lids of jars and boxes, finally came to
the drawers. One by one she took them
out turned the contents of each rap
idly over, and lert.thera standing,
gaping white ruffles and lace upon the
floor.
Her eye fell upon the waste basket
She turned it upside down, and
stooped over the litter. She gathered
It up in her white gloves and droDnert
it' back. Then, for the first time, she
glanced at the bathroom door; stood
looking at It, aa if it bad occurred to
her to look in the loan dish. Then
he turned again to the room, to the
dressing-table. She put back the
pasteboard jewelers' boxes, the Jaw
eled pin, the laces, which she shook
out and folded daintily, the glove and
powder boxes, the gold bonbonnlere.
the long violet box, the leather pocket
book each deftly and unhesitatingly
in the place from which she had taken
It, and all the heaps of white hand
kerchiefs. One by one she laid back in the
chiffonier drawers the garments, prop
erly and neatly folded, that she bad so
hastily snatched out of them. She
slid back the last drawer Into the chif
fonier, and rose from her knees,
lightly dusting off the front of ber
gown; went to the closet door and
closed it She stood before it a mo
ment with a face perplexed and
thoughtful, then turned alertly toward
the outer door.
Flora stood as if she were afraid to
move, while Clara crossed her bed
room, stopped, went on and closed the
outer door behind her. And even
after that soft little concussion she
stood still, burning, choking, strug
gling with the overwhelming force of
an affront whose Import she did not
yet realize.
Why, sbe bad thought that such
things couldn't , happen! She bad
thought that people's private belong
ings, like their persons, were inviol
able. In the shame of It she could no
more have faced Clara than If she
bad surprised Clara naked.
She snatched the ring out of the
pocket of her gown and clutched it in
her hand. Was there no place in the
world where she could be sure of
safety for this?
out, what have you to say to me?"
"Now you've come out," he repeat
ed, and looked at her this time with
full gravity, as If he realized finally
how far she'd come.
She had taken the chair In the light
of the eastern windows. She lay back
In the cushions, her head a little bent
her hands Interlaced with a perfect
Imitation of quietude.
He looked down upon ber from bis
height.
"You know what I've come for," he
said, "but now I'm here, now that I
see you, I wonder If there's something
I haven't reckoned on." He looked at
her earnestly. "If you think I've taken
advantage of you If you say so I'll
go awoy, and give you a chance to
think It over."
It would have been so easy to have
nodded blm out, but Instead she half
put out ber band toward blm. "No;
stay."
He gave her a quick look surprise
and approbation at her courage. He
dropped into a chair. "Then tell me
about It" .
Flora's heart went quick and little.
She held herself very still, afraid in
her tense consciousness lest her
slightest movement might betray her,
She only moved her eyes to look up at
him questionlngly, suspending ac
knowledgment of what he meant until
he should further commit himself.
"I mean the sapphire," he said. He
waited.
"Yes," she answered coolly. "I saw
that It Interested you last night, but
' l
"You Can't Get It Away from Me, and I Shan't Give It to You.'
With trembling fingers she fastened
It again to the chain about her neck.
She thought of Kerr downstairs wait
ing for her. Well, she would rather
keep It with ber. Then, at least she
would know when it was taken from
her.' Still in the fury of her outraged
faith, she passed through ber violated
rooms, and slowly along the ball and
down the stairs.
CHAPTER XI.
The Mystery Takes Human Form.
He turned from the window where
he had presented a long, drooping,
patient back, and his warm, Ironic
mirth the same that had played with
her the first night flashed out at
sight of her. But after a moment an
other .expression - mixed with it
sharpened it, and fastened upon her
with an Incredulous lntentness.
She stood on the threshold, pale,
and brilliant still In her blaze of an
ger, equal, at last to anything. Kerr,
as he signaled to her with every line
ament of his enlivened face, his Inter
est, his defiance, his uncontrollablllty,
was not the man of her imaginary
conversations. He was not here to be
used and disposed of; but as he came
toward her, the new admiration in his
face was bringing her reassurance
that neither was she. The thought
that her moment of bitter Incredulity
bad . made her formidable gave her
courage even to smile, though she
grew hot at the first words he spoke.
"You should not be brave and then
run away, you know."
She thought of her rush 'up the
stairs again. "I had to go back to
see Mrs. Brltton." (Ob, how she had
seen her!), ,
"Ah, I thought you only ran back to
hide in your doll's house."
She laughed. Such a picture of her!
"Well, at aa rate, now m corns
I couldn't think especially why. It's
a beautiful stone."
He laughed without a sound shook
noiselessly for' a minute. "Meaning
that a gentleman shouldn't pounce
upon any beautiful stone be may hap
pen to see?" He got up and moved
about restlessly In the little space
between their two chairs. "Quite so;
lay it to my being more than a gentle
man; lay It to my being a crack
brained enthusiast a confounded
beauty worshiper, a vicious curio deal
er, an ill-mannered ass! But" and
he flashed around at her with a snap
of his nervous Angers "where did
you get it?"
For the life of her she couldn't help
her wave of color, but through it all
she clung to her festal smile. Sheer
nervousness made it easy.
"Well, suppose It was begged, bor
rowed, or given to me? Suppose it
came from here or far away yonder?
What's that to do with its beauty?"
She gave him question for question.
"Did you ever see it before?"
He never left off looking at her,
looking at her with a hard Inquiry, as
if she were some simple puzzle that
he unaccountably failed to solve.
"That's rather neat the way you
dodge me," he said, dodging in his
turn. "But I don't see it now. You're
not wearing it?"
She played Indifference with what
a beating heart! "Oh, I only wear it
off and on."
"Off and on!" His voice suddenly
rang at her. "Off and on! Why, my
good woman, it's Just two days you
could have worn it at all!"
She stood up stood facing him. For
a moment she knew nothing except
that her horrible idea was a fact She
had the eye of the Crew Idol, and this
man knew HI Yet the fact declared
gave her courage.
(Dm watched him with Increasing
doub'. After saying so much, was he
going to say nothing more? She had
a feeling that sbe had not heard the
worst yet, and when he turned back
to her from the other end of the room
there was something so haggard, so
Harassed, so fairly guilty about him
that If she had ever thought of tell
ing blm the truth of how she came by
the ring she put it away from her
now.
But beneath his distress she recog
nized a desperate earnestness. There
was something he wanted at any cost,
but he was going to be gentle with
her. She had felt before the poten
tiality of his gentleness, and she
doubted her power to resist It. She
fanned up all the flame of anger that
had owept her Into the room. She re
minded herself that the greatest gen
tleness might only be a blind; that
there was nothing stronger than want
ing something very much, and that
the protection of the Jewel was very
thin. But when he stood beside her
she realized he held a stronger
weapon against ber than his gentle
ness, something apart from bis inten
tion. He was speaking, almost coaxlngly,
as If to a child. "I understand," he
was saying. "I know all about it. It's
a mistake. But surely you don't ex
pect to keep It now. It will only be
an annoyance to you."
She turned on him. "What could It
be to you?"
Kerr, planted before her, with bis
head dropped, looked, looked, looked,
as If he gave silence leave to answer
for htm what It would. It answered
with a hundred echoes ringing up to
her from long corridors of conjecture,
half-artlculnted words breathing of
how extraordinary the answer must
be that he did not dare to make.
"What will you take for It?" he said
at last
She was silent. With a sick, dis
trust it came to her that It was the
very worst thing he could have said
after that speaking silence.
She stepped away from him. "This
thing Is not for sale."
He stared at her with amazement;
then threw back his head and laughed
as If something had amused him
above all tragedy.
"You are an extraordinary crea
ture," be said, "but really I must
have It I can't explain the why of It;
only give the sapphire to me, and
you'll never be sorry for having done
that for me. Whatever happens, you
may be sure I won't talk. Even if
the thing comes out, you shan't be
mixed up in it" He had come near
her again, and the point of his long
forefinger rested on her arm. She
was motionless, overwhelmed with
pure terror, with despair.
"Why not give It to me now," he
urged, "since, of course, you can't
keep It? I could have It now in spite
of you."
Everything In her sprang up In
antagonism to meet him. "I know
what you are," she cried, "but you
shan't have It. You have no more
right to it than I. You can't get It
away from me, and I shan't give It to
you."
He had grown suddenly paler; bis
eyes were dancing, fastened upon ber
breast. His long bands closed and
opened. She looked down, arrested
at the sight of her band clenched Just
where her breath was shortest over
the sapphire's hiding-place.
He smiled. How easily she had be
trayed herself! But sbe abated not a
jot of her defiance, challenging him,
now he knew Its bidding-place, to
take the sapphire If he could. But he
did not move. And it came to ber
then that she bad been ridiculous to
think for an Instant that this man
would take anything from her by
force. What she bad to fear was his
will at work upon hers, his persuasion,
his Ingenuity. She thought of the pur
ple Irises, and how he had drawn
them toward him In the crook of his
caue and her dread was lest he
meant to overcome her with some
subtlety Bhe could not combat
The click of a moving latch brought
his eyes from hers to the door.
"Some one Is coming In," he said In
a guarded voice. It warned her that
her face showed too much, but she
could not hope to recover her com
posure. She hardly wanted to. She
was in a state to fancy that a secret
could be kept by main force; and she
turned without abatement of her reck
less mood and took her hand from
where she had held It clenched upon
her breast and stretched it out to
Mrs. Herrick.
The lady had stood in the doorway
a moment a long-featured, whitish,
modeled face, draped In a dull green
veil, a tall figure whose flowing skirts
of black melted away into the back
ground of the hall before she came
forward and met her hostess' hand
with a clasp firm and ready.
"I'm so glad to find you here," she
said. She looked directly into Flora's
eyes. Into the very center of her agi:
tation. She held her tremulous hand
aa if neither of these manifestations
surprised her; as it a young woman
and a young man in colloquy might
often be found in such a state of mind.
Flora's first emotion was a guilty
relief that after all, her face had not
betrayed Kerr. But sbe had no sooner
murmured his name to Mrs. Herrlck, no
sooner bad that lady's gray eyes light
ed upon him, than they altered their
clear confidence. The situation as
reflected In Flora looked naive
enough, but there was nothing naive
about Kerr. The very perfection of
his coolness, there in the face of her
burning agitation, was appalling.
Mrs. Herrick's face was taking on
an expression no less than wary.
What he was, Mrs. Herrlck could not
dream. She could not even suspect
what Flora believed. But In the light
of her terrible discovery Flora dared
not have him suspected at all.
Now, if she bad ever In her life,
she talked over the top of her feel
ings; and though at first to her ears
her voice rang out horribly alone,
presently Mrs. Herrlck was helping
her, adding words to w.ords. It was
the house they spoke of, the San Ms-
teo house, the subject about whlchf"
Flora knew Mrs. Herrlck had come
to talk; but to Flora It was no longer
a subject It was a barrier, a shield.
In this emergency It was the only
subject large enough to All the gap,
and much as Flora had liked the idea
of it, sbe had never built the house
so large, so vivid, so wonderfully tow
ering to please ber fancy as she was
doing now to covet Kerr. With ques- ,
tlons she led Mrs. Herrlck on to spin
out the subject, to play it over with
lights and shades, to beat all around
It. And all the while she knew that
Kerr was watching her.
The lady's clear gray eyes traveled
between Flora's face and bis. Under
their steady light there was a strange
alertness, as If she sat there ready
enough to avert whatever threatened,
but anxious to draw her skirts aside
from it, distrusting the quality, hating
to have come In upon anything so du
b ona. When the hall door opened
and closed she listened as If for a de
liverer; and when Clara appeared be
tween the portieres she turned to her
nnd met her with a flash of relief, as
If here at last was a safe quantity.
Clara was still wearing her hat, with
the veil pushed up in a little mist
above her eyes, and still had her
white gloves on. The sibut of Mrs.
Herrick's hand soliciting the clasp of
those gave Flora a curious sensation.
She looked from one face to an
other, and last at Kerr's. She shut
her eyes an Instant Here was a thief.
He was standing in her drawing-room
now. She had been talking with him-
She opened her eyes. The fact ac
knowledged bad not altered the colos
of daylight It was strange tha
things furniture and walls and land
scape should remain so stolidly the
same when such a thing bad happened
to her! For she had not only spoken
with a thief, but she bad shielded
him.
CHAPTER XII.
Disenchantment.
Then this was the end of all ro
mance? She must turn her back on
the charm, the power, the spell that
had been wrought around ber, and,
horror-struck, pry Into her own mind
to discover what lawless thing could
be In her to have drawn her to such
a person, and to keep her, even now
that she knew the worst, unwilling to
relinquish the thought of him. His
depravity loomed to her enormous;
but was that all there was to be said
of him? Did his delicacy, his Insight
his tempered fineness, count for noth
ing beside It?
She couldn't believe that this one
spot could make him rotten through
out. Her mind ran back into the past
She could not recall a word, an ac
tion, or a glance of his that bad
shown the color of decay. He had not
even been Insincere with her. He bad
come out with his convictions so flat
ly that when she thought of it hlsJ
1 I 1 , J I Tl. 1 . 1
noncaaiBD.ce uppauuu uer. no nau
been the same then that he was now.
But the thing that was natural ''for
him was impossible for her, and she
bad found it out that was all.
Yet the mere consideration of him
and his obsession as one thing was
intolerable. She curiously separated
bis act from himself. She thought of
it, not as a part of him, but as soma
thing that bad Invaded him a dis
ease something inimical to himself
and others, that mixed the thought da
him with terrors, and filled her' wayV
with difficulties. Now it was no long
er a question of how to meet him, but
of how sbe was not to. It was not his
strength she feared, but her own
weakness where he was concerned.
Her tendency to shield him she must
guard against that and that disturb
ing influence be exercised over her,
too evidently witbout intention. But
he would be hard' to avoid. This way
and that she looked for a way out of
her danger, yet all the while she was
conscious that there was but one plain
way of escape open to her. She
could give the sapphire back to Harry
within the 24 hours.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
The Boy's Ignorance.
Son Pa, I don't want to wear those
old pants of yours; they're too big and
the kids give me the laugh.
Father Niver mind th" kids. YH
grow into thlm pants.
Son But why can't I wear my old
ones till I do grow Into yours?
Father Is that th' ixtint It y"r Iddy
catlon! How kin ye ixpect f grow Into
mine without wearln' thlm? Illustrat
ed Sunday lfagaslna.