The San Francisco call. [volume], July 01, 1900, Image 4

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
. (To be- continued^
It. 80 were the two little ones, Carnla
snd Ida— Caroia rather thickly ect and
not so pretty a? Ida. who began a con
versation In a low tone, of which Lea
was evidently the subject. There was also
present a man with a kindly, Teutonic
face, a fair beard, bald head, and gold
rimmed spectacles. Tinka presented him
to Lea:
"This Is Professor Justus Hoedel, my
husband."
In the middle of the room the round
table, covered with a cloth, displayed the
crystal, silver plate, serviette* and the
thousand and one-little articles. (hat deco
rate the table In Knglar.d. The twilight,
through the three tall arched windows,
enhanced with a magical gleam the walls
covered with pictures, arms, porcelain and
Asiatic objects-: of all sorts. Like the sea.
the sky had hcccmi; paler Jn color and
was divested of its southern splendor. Th>»
girl went toward the closed windows. Th«
delicate, ashen light of the evening was
creeping over the landscape and a faint
mist clouded everything.
Georg, who had drawn near Lea. divined
her disillusioned melancholy.
"The fog will cWar aw.iy shortly." he
said, "when night fall?. There is no moon
Just now. but the evenings are warm 'find
magnificent."
She thanked him with a smile. A young
girl with an expressionless face, dressed
in a black gown, with nplnk apron. cam«
In quietly. She climbed upon a chnir and
lit the three-branched gaselier suspended
above the table. The Bky.and Eea; disap
peared. The windows were transformed
into mirrors, reflecting the big yellow
room In which shone the white tablecloth;
the crystal,, the silver plate,. cutlery and
other little articles, and where the beloved
faces of Tinka. Georg and Edith, the
friendly faces of Caroia, Ida. the professor
and even of the young servant smiled at
tho Etranser. Lea, turning - suddenly as
them indefinitely, and their hearts throb
bed with fraternal Joy,
The professor 1 * deep voice broke the sil
ence. His scrutinizing eyes, fixed upon
Lea behind tho glasses of his gold-rimmed
spectacles, had been watching her for a
few moments, and for his simple' mind the
result of his observation was that Lea ap
peared to have a keen appetite.
"Tinka!" he cried, "call Lizzie Morley
and tell her to serve the soup. Mile. Lea
has eaten nothing slnco her arrival. She
Is dying with hunger, that Is plain."
"You are quite right, papa," said Tinka.
chasing her dreaminess away with a lit
tle wayward gesture. "Ah! Lizzie! Sit
down, all of you!"
Lizzie Morley, the young, fair haired. In
sipid looking girl with the pink apron.
Just then brought In the hors d'oeuvre.
They all sat down. The warmth of the
room and the eatables unloosed the lit
tle girls' tongues. While the others, ac
customed v to a. cold supper, were eating
caviar and smoked meats. Lea took a
plate of warm consomme with a poached
egg In it. Ida confided to her elder sister
Caroia a secret desire to taste It, and se
rious little Caroia could not keep, the se-.
cret, but told it to all those around, the
table.' Lea smilingly called Ida to her and
before tasting anything herself she made
her drink a little of the steaming 'con
somme. -The child's grave air as she. held
out her pretty lips for the spoon amused
everybody, Professor Hoedel in particu
lar." ,' ;' .--'¦ '. '.;,¦ ,¦¦;¦ ..,.; -. •. "
"Are they not both charming, made
moiselle ?"-^!^iesSiS=i«S»*5i9?£«'$B<|«teMWi**
•¦ "They are ! ravishing." said Lea, capti
vated by Ida'a graceful ways. , .•
The professor stopped eating for a mo
ment and, knife and fork in' hand; gave
way to a flt-of -sentimentalism which- his
attitude and countenance of- a spectacled
Gambrinus rendered rather comic. -. " --
"Ah, .those little ; ones, : mademoiselle!
appearance. "With eyes fixed, her youth
ful countenance rigid with thought, she
forgot to carve the grouse before her. Lea
recognized this ecstatic expression with
secret joy. . . "
"You are., forgetting to carvo the- grouse,
dearest!" remarked Professor Hoedel.
"Oh! carve them for me. papa, I. pray
you." she replied. • ¦ .
. "She is in tho clouds," said the entomol
ogist, l.'iughing. •¦
He began to do as she- asked. -Tinka,
.without moving her head, her. hands
clapped, on the edge of the table, mur
mured: •?-¦••'¦
"Our house in Larmsoe! ; I think it
would have been Impossible for me to re
turn there when Georg came back .from
Italy and persuaded me to resume life
with Professor . Hoedel and our daugh
ters." . : ' 'v-..
Hoedel, who was arranging the carved
grouse upon u dish, Interrupted his wife:
"Tinka!!'
And with a glance he called her atten
tion -to the two girls, who ¦ had stopped
whispering and were listening gravely to
their mother. y
• "Whv should T keep silent before them,
father?" replied the young woman, put
ting her tiny hand ;upnn the : red, hairy
one of her husband. "Will you always be
afraid of the. truth? The truth never did
harm. 'and the younger the child is the
more we owe It the verity!" -
The professor, shook hts head like a man
who was ready to submit to uny thing.
"Of .course,' . Of course! Forgive me. I
know you aro always right." ''¦ .
' Tinka ¦ again ¦.-.' caressed .. Hoedel's red.
hairy hand, and without touching the food
inher,.plate. she continued: ¦ r .
, ' VEvcn. now I am 'not sure that I. could
go'home.tO Flnland'and take up our: life
as -before. ,'It is for-that that! have pro
longed 'our. stay, here; month; after -month
in spite of the professor, who. would, like
to be with his books again, his studio' and
%0h! Jinkd. 3 am so happy hare'*
made me leave the house and my work
end collections that very day without giv
ing me time to reflect. He ordered me
about like a kins." n
Ida broke Into a peal of ringing laugh
ter.
"Thev packed our trunks quick, and we
took the liont in the evening- to go tn
n?nmma. I forgot my blue dress. I hope
the rats will not eat it."
"Aline Is upstairs." said Caroia. "I did
not forpet it. But I don't want to wear it,
l>pcfiuse 1 always want to be ures5ed like
Ida."
"Oil." resumed Georg. "how Ftrong 1
was at that moment. The despair of hav
ing failed to win Leu from her compan
ions tn Paris doubled my energy and for
tified my conviction. I hated the past.
The. roore 1 suffered the Etirer 1 felt cf
the truth."
Lea could not help asking:
"And now, Oeorg?"
"Now, months have elapy»d and nat
urally tar from the country of light 1
have become again a little of the barbar
ian of former times. The truth no longer
appears as imperious and vioj^jit as of
old.- If it ' had not already been accom
plished I doubt whether I should have
will pov.-cr to reunite Tinka and Hoedel as
I did then. Like Tinka. I look back wL* w
• sympathy upon the phantom of our fur
mer consciences which inspired us to the
flight regarded by people In general as
an act of madness."
Professor Hoedel let -his fork, with
which he- was struggling with the carcass
cf a grouse, fall into hi» plate and cried:
"You are surely not going to begin again
and leave m»? alone a second time with
the children?" . _
He said it with an -flfhdtSEruised terror
that set.' everybody around the tab'e
shrieking with laughter, the children
louder than the others with that Instinct
ive laughteivof childhood In which domi
nates their desire for .movement anil
noise. ¦ ¦
"No. ¦ Justus," sakl Tinka, looking nt
Hoedel with affectionate kindliness. "I
will never leave you again. Did I not tell
you n few momenta ago thaj; my present
conscience is in perfect accordance with
my life?"
"That may he," said the professor, rath
er ruefully, "but suppose you find your
other conscience, as you call, it, at
Larmsoe when we return.'and; It- acquires
control of you again? God onlj - knows
what will happen then. I would prefer
never to' see: Finland again!"
This time it was Georg who replied: .
"Don't he afraid, Justus. Precisely be
cause our faith is less overbearing, wfl
are Incapable of taking such a violent and
unexpected decision as our flight, or even
as our return. ,The troth now appears.
' to me as a changeable communication be
tween the worlo and my mind." .
Hoedel. a little reassured, poured out a
glass of beer and. to prove his desire to
be agreeable.- said:
•?You mean probably that there exists
an objective, and a; subjective truth. We
learn that at the university."
Georg did not reply, but Edith, who up
to that point had said nothing, protested:
"You talk like Gentiles." she cried se
verely. "The truth is unchangeable, -For
he never changes/ he who sakl. 'I: am the
way , the truth and the life.* Apart from
¦him- there Is -only confusion, terror- and
death.'.' ¦ ¦ ¦ : . .-v
' .: Ida .and Caroia looked -at each other.'
suppressing a giggle. Aunt'Edith's blbll-
ham. salad, poached egss anfl tiro flJshes
of the- Devonshire fruit, which Is equal
to the most magnllicent gathered in
southern countries. Lea ate of all with
keen appetite, no longer as a sort of duty,
as when she was in the Commercial road
hospital. In obedience to "Little. Tom's"
prescriptions. A . little champagne was
poured out into the Rlassea. and the chll
'Iren having tasted it. their noisy chatter
peon put a stop to any continuous con
versation.
"I'ncle Georg," cried Ida. clambering on.
the knee of the young man. "are you go
ing to stop at home a little. now tna * the
French lady Is here?"
"^hall you take her nut to sea with
you?" asked Caroia. more timidly, watch
ing her .-«istor'3 antics without daring to
Imitate them.
. Tinka was just then telling Lea of the
strange life led by Gtorg since his re
turn irom Paris.
"When he came back to London from
Larrosoe. bringing the children wit!) him,"
ahe said, "his nervous prostration alarm
ed me. lie seem* tl to have exhausted all
his energy in thla act of atonement. He
became much f«cbled In London, remained
shut up all day long in Apple Tree Yard,
refused to go cut or to see any one, ex
cept us and clear Kdith. As far a.s re
gards her, he never tired of hearing her
talk of the days you had passed together
in Clurlfs &. Sons factory. What trouble
we had to make him agree to leave Lon
don! At Hrsst we went to Pcr.zanre, In
Cornwall. And there lie suddenly appear
ed to be hypnotized by the ora and made
several voyages with the fishermen. He
would disappear for weeks at a time. I
was very uneasy about him. But the sea
hf" isaved him. has restored his strength
".rfrid his desire for life almoHt in spite of
himself. During one of his cruises he dis
covered Torquay and %vas immediately
fascinated by Its resemblance to Italy. So
he dragged ua here."
"What does he do here?" asked Lea.
Georff. continued to play wtth the two
gjrls, but his eyes at each moment sought
and caressed Lea's affectionate gaze.
"lie continues to lead a solitary exist
ence away from us." continued Tinka.
"But he seems to ha\"e become tired of
long voyages. It is very rare th<U he
goes, outside this favored bay. There is a
rock t-allod Gilder Rock not far from Tor
quay, near St. Mary'* Church, about two
miles from the coast. It belongs to a
certain Mr. Saville. whose father seems
to have been an origina! sort of Individ
ual, for he built a little church, which
his death prevented htm.frqm completing
upon a little plateau half way up the
rock. The present Saville or. rather, his
steward, agreed to let the rock and the
church, already in ruins, to Georg and
he has had It furnished after a fashion
and has made a sort of studio of the
church. He spends his days there far
from everything. He has even slept there
on one or«two very 'warm -nights in Au
gust. As for me, I have never se*n
- iillder Rock, except from afar: in' faJt.
from the to war of St. Mary's Church.
Georg has never consented to take m* or
the children >wlth him. although they im
plore him to do so every day."
»" "He will take me.", thought -Lea.-V
* And the thought increased her df*ire to
be alone with him, face to face vlth tbe
sea upon the rock where no other human
being had ever accompanied hlr«
-. They .were rising from the. taole when
.a- young man with a black beaT*l..an im
mense forehead, regular featur*" and fine
brown eyes, was shown in by Uzzle.
'> "Ah .'Doctor!" cried ' . Georp." going to
meet him. He presented him to Lea: *'My
friend. Dr. Robert Bryce." ¦-?'
Lea bowed slightly, somewhat troubled
by the scrutinizing glance t5e doctor gave
her. "Lizzie wished to take the children
awav. but . Ida. dancing F* ee fully around
the -young man.- erie<i: :iMmawaRE
"Doctor!. Doctor! Tell 'Jier-that it's not
time for me to so' to bfid."
BEYOND this point were gardens in
which young men with smooth, red
faces and boylike girls In white
dresses with yellow leather belts
•wore playing lawn tennis. Georg told her
that these points, were Princess Pier anJ
I'rincers Garden. '"; '¦>
"The port begins there." he said. . It
is shut in by Princess Pier on one side
and on the other by Haldon Pier, a small
tr one. which you will see is Just under
neath your window. All the big yachts
fc.nd mercbaQt vessels anchor in the port.
As a matter of fact, several graceful
ships and a few big eargo boats were an
chored in the water* of the basin, but
Lea was no longir looking toward that
Eidfc the was tollowtng with her, gaze
two little carriages like armchairs -upon
Wheels; drawn by ponies and led by cmia
:<n. in the rtrst m a woman of about
thirty years of act, «n the other a man
tomewhat younger. They resembled each
other a::d were both stamped so visibly ,
v.ith consumption that Georg, as much
shocked as Lta. dared not speak another
The landau, after making the tour of the
¦port enteied the town for a moment, or
ratfc. r. went round the corner of it. so to
£!»fcak just sumrit-nt to enable them to
perceive the crowded, bustling streets
built u;> tl.e hillside. Again they return
v<i 10 the esplanade, climbed up a slope
T! ,h several little houses on the left all
alike lb' ir balconies hidden by canvas
await'*?, and stopped before one of them.
biUnaj-' upon its door a plate with the
Lame. "J>arimore House," in black let-
At the pame moment the door opened
"aiu they saw a £irl of about seven years
of age, with fair, curly hair, bright light
, \ i s ilressed in a short skirt of white and
;¦) i-'inoik cambric. She sprang on the
buji < : the carriage, clambered over the
low <1 or. with a display of little white
strrstched drawer* and black stocklngeQ
• ¦ ... r and cracefully molded lees, she
ini'iiiled between Lea, cieorg ana Editn
eij-J l"i-';in to ki?s the latter with dlvert-
A-ji-.r Edith!" Fhe cried. "Here is
Aunt K'inh naefc again!"
L'aith t^iruKPit-d under the kisses, over
jpyed to hear herself called by the af
fectionate r.ame of aunt, which the chlld
i. ¦ ..; the north give to the familiar
lrn nae • t tli<> house.
"ida! lua: You ritar little thing!" she
cried. "Be qutel! Be quiet, I beg!"
],• .< smiled. Georg asked:
••\\ h> re is your mamma?"
¦•i;; the flrattJiiK-room waiting for you.
F:.. saia she was too nervous and couid
:iM <-on»e down stairs. She's with Caroia.
i;<!i!a ::> :r./ FiMcr. " fhe added, looking at
Ixa with a i-oneentrated attention that
:;:;!¦!. i;«-r become tilent suddenly.
Id the meaotJme the luggage of the two
travelers had l»e*-n handed down by the
cabman to a-*>h<jrt. baldheaded man In
:^ h rt sleeve*, with a red face, bloodshot
f>cs and white beard, very businesslike
ui.ti r-rvtt in appearance, who carried in
t!:<- trunks upon his shoulders.
Ida iuxnpen <iown. Edith got out in her
ti ...u then ccorg. who held out his
hand t«> Lea- ' - •' ¦
Goers ;ii:«i I.ea followed H'iith and Ida
. : - ibe iiail on the ground floor and up
: ..• wooden staircase leading to the first
iiuor, where, opening upon a landing of
tjr.y dimtiii-:!nni?. wk two doors, one to
in." rism and iho other in front of the
Fiairca*>e. l.t.i v.:th Georg went through
the .«.t«r, crbicb v.a* open, into a room
; : ; . :.u Uj hgut ratio* wan a big friezeat
:•:< ¦ < iUiitr. the walls covered with pict
uns. «-»);.;ra vines ami Chinese, Japanese
BX.il l:-.il.zi> kr.U K-kt;acks.
Y!.r.e ia.1 Windowa. < ne of which was
] ;>;:-o; < i,« ¦>, luok< d out upon the sea. In
ti:- m.tidl./ of tile room, standing motion
j, ,^ — wit.ii ji. Up faroia uy iier stand
i..n ;.s mciioxuees a* sne—was a young
v.n.au lircfistd ::i a tkirt of white plquo
bo£ a lm:eiti ot th.- Fame material over a
t , •:•£ < hiuiit-cttfc. Tho starched dress was
bt -M'«i.at too short to hio»:- these siender
£.r:U:CH and lir.y icet in the:r tanned shoes.
i t \»i:s a.itnua to <letine the age of this
}oung v.. tr:;m. Her early hair, rusy com
;>tcx-.<.ii and red Up* gavo her a childlike
sri'v.-ir.-i^ce. in striking ccntraft with tne
jt»j: nudity, iixity and imaginative dream
imu3 r.i ti;e regard u bet gray-green eyes,
L&e'tltdu of Oicrg. It was Tinka.
:%..•• .-< • med nui *.o »ee oeurg or Edith,
•or <itn lua who was dancing around her
lutie t»stcr. Her gaze was nxed upon Lea
anu :t.:2.-d nuily UJ drink her in. Lea
tUoppca a lev.- paces av.ay. overwhelmed
;¦• ., :..•>! «• powerful emotion than she had
Jell \m< n ijtoig hau appeand a short
t :-..' ;«i^r«-' ht-r. Her nnotion then had
ltvi: distracted by tne desire to piease. to
I . ... i uuful by me curiosity to look once
pior« tijwa iht fiaiures of her betrothed
utu i U«e 2«T.g separation. Hut now she
U'aa face Uj tace with a soul. Tinka was
Ma- u\uig symbol *t the doctrines that
had 0 .<<j her with exaltation In Apyie
Mite iihe was the pure spirit, the
i- lAvCiM-Jt a:.k« I of tier m.>stSc betrothal.
¦i-,;,i.i."s tmuiion euqaled lier own. for at
the run ot her nij>tenous eyes two big
•• .• ¦ ;• uttered. At that moment only did
L« .. u.V.i !>tand, feel and live this reaiity—
it ..: >'..' l:a«j as^in found the source of
}:t r it-.-ir.er sensitiveness, led astray and
lust for a p'.iort time.
The litU« lairy with flaxen curls, in the
Bt!fl drees of white pique, stood before her
In the m:ii<ii«: of the yeiiow drawing-room,
crow, in tl l.v a nimbus of sunlight reflected
ji>i:n the tea, an aureole of rays that quiv
«!.-3 arour.d her like a spiritual flame.
],•< who until that moment had been so
¦itent that »ieorg: was not sure, of having
levogx.izt-d the t>uuiiw of her voice, uttered
i. prtat cry.
' 'Ah, Tir.Ka! At last! At last:"
Sue fell u,to the young woman's arms,
th. 'i suddenly supped to the ground uk«
a tulip, and was carried in
ci'-'iTs'^ arms and laid upon the bed in th<
,j;.::t rooxa,
Twilight was already invading the room,
•nhicii tli<i not !<>ok out upon tne sea. but
Upon a ratlier narrow and Kloomy court
jan). when l>ea reco\'ered complete cou
tciousiicss of herself. Her fainting fit.
v.iiti'ut l-eins painful or suffocating, had
Lasted: only a t>ruf instant. As soon as
d-o!ir K.-iii laid her upon the bed the
¦nomeoiuy oppression had melted into a.
proft uncl slumner of fatigue. Then this
ui5O fedtd away, was dissipated, leaving
only a vague somnolence in which she
heard gentle whispers and perceived vis
ions of living creatures and object*. The
<¦ ;•.: ruoan of a fog eignal reached her
«;;:s. Her heart beat more rapidly, then
(n'xrn.A down again, filled with a confused
ioy. ' "Tlif sea: The sea Is' qult<v close.'"
bhe fell asleep again. Jn her slumber nbe
ejrain looked upon the turquoise bay. with
its golden gleams, the verdure-covered red
capc.% the boats, the graceful yachts ar.d
the steamers decorated with flags. Then
few *^yos opened suddenly, and she saw at
lire opposite side of the room the half
open Juldinp door leading into the yellow
disown p-ro'.m. Little Ida. dressed In her
Cfctcfc print frock, was sitting in the cor
ner i>erched on a chair, her tiny feet hook
«•<! en th«i bars. With an open book upon
r< r knees she was pretending to read
quietly, her forehead bowed over the book
swept by her curls. But Lea taw that
l.«-r beautiful eyes were fixed upon her
cuiinufcJy. And J>*»a again fell asleep.
Oti>«r "shadows came and went near her
whii« - she hovered between reality and
dream: an unknown face with a lair
b^ard. laid licad and gold-rimmed spec
t:uc:«fc: tli« f.-Litiiliar face of Kdith: a vague
ten. a.ie liRure in pink, bibbed apron.
>'<hIm r Georgvpor Tinka came in, and lil
tli by little thefcnxlety of not seeing them
dihlurbcd l^a's repose and drove awjy
the lat*t vestige of >leep. She raised her
f(\X .jp<>«i her «>lbow, «nd little Ida, who
was still watching her from her chair,
cri<d:
"Mamma, she is moving!"
Tink3 was immediately by the young
plrr* side. She had not left her, but vrasi
pitting behind the bed. bidden by the cur
tains. Sf;* 1 stooped over her.
••Jlov/ are you, my dear?"
"I :>m much better. 1 liave rested very
••We r.;i'A- thnt you needed a little Bleep,
end e\H rything was made quiet in the
bouse eo ilint you might rest."
•*1 \rr>iild like to get up now."
•'Notlii^K is "asier. Kverything I? ready
for roOT toilet. Shall I help you?"
"Oh. r.o. thank you. Tinka! Edith will
help :r>«'. She is accustomed to It."
A stranjre sentiment of modesty »ei red
I.ra J>r-for« G*'org's lifter. She. dreaded to
be *e*n so frail, so different from her for*
mer robust beauty.
"Co for Aunt Edith, Ida, to come and
dr'-ss O;e French lady."
J>!ith helped I^ea to make a careful
toilet- Al'Jjo'JSh she was the enemy gf
' ¦¦¦¦Mllilimii ¦IJIMIIMfl IT B^atfiflHMIiMTlBWIM iTfciall
C^yTight-CIIAPTER V-Continued.
BOOK THE THIKD.
the. light flashed upon them, saw In one
glance the narrow space that inclosed the
entire world for her in the future. It was
one of those movements in which the du
ration of time Is abolished. In which all
Iho past, all the future, are contained in
the swing of a pendulum. Paris. France,
the school— PirnitJV, Frederique, Duyvecke
—all this surged up before her. She could
distinguish the absent objects and beings
as in the night an entire landscape comes
to view prodigiously distinct In a sudden
Hash of lightning, and then it suddenly
enaced. She saw her two existences, her
two countries, simultaneously, that of to
day and that of yesterday. Something
seemed to snap invher heart— a link that
she had believed broken a long time ago —
aifd the rupture was painful. The exiled
girl by a formal act of her will had re
nounced country, family and all the past.
; "This Is my family and country," she
thought.
She loved all the objects that welcomed
ber. that rejoiced In her presence. Tinka
and Georg, whose eyes never left L»a's
visage, realized that she gave herself to
all vain coquetry, for herself or others,
the nurse's rigorous principles weakened
in favor of Lea. so thankful was she that
she had nursed her back to health by her
care and iufluepce. Besides, she longed
passionately for Lea to be found attrac
tive by Georg, and for the marriage to be
accomplished. She dressed the girl llko
a mother dresses a daughter whom she is
going to present to her betrothed. Lea
put on one of the dresses that she had
made in her lodging In Gower street with
the.help of the Cockington girls, a light
costume of red velvet, dotted with orange,
which dissimulated the thinness of hor
body and added a little color to her pal
lid face. .When she entered the drawing
room, followed by Edith, smiling with
happiness, she read admiration upon all
their faces.
"Oh, Lea. dearest: how beautiful you
are, and how well you look!"
It was Tinka. dancing with joy. who
spoke, frivolous again, now that she was
reassured; by the sight of Lea standing
before her living and beautiful. .
Georg was there also, and came and
?ook one hand of his beloved and kissed
They kept up my courage to live at a
time when I was really wretched, all
alone with them at .home in Larmsoe.
That was when your mother was travel
ing with Uncle Georg," he added, turning
to the two girls, who were not even lis
tening to him. "Yes, thanks to laughter
and playing in our empty houses-much
more than to my work— I am an entomolo
gist and love my science— the methods of
solitude merely resulted In giving me gray
hairs."
The active young girl with the pink
apron came in again, cleared the table
and put a brace of grouse cooked In bacon
upon the table.
"Lizzie." said Ida. in her clear voice,
stopping her as she passed. "I have taken
a little of the French lady's soup. I think
there was too much salt in it. I don't
like salt."
"For shame, Ida!" said Lizzie, In a low
tone.
She disappeared, quick and silent, bear
in? away the plates.
"Is that your servant?" asked Lea.
"No," replied Georg. "She Is the daugh
ter of Captain Morley, the little red-faced
man who carried In your luggage. In his
youth the captain traded for years, prin
cipally between England, and India, China
and Japan, and picked up most of the ob
jects that decorate this house' during his
voyages. He lives here with his wife and
daughter and lets the house during the
season." •
"And Madame Morley?"
"Oh! we never see her. She Is asthmatic
and can only go upstairs with difficulty.
She usually stops in her room, on the
second floor."
Tinka had raid no attention to Lizzie
Morley or to the remarks provoked by her
his Hbrarv, smoking his pipe with his old
friends. I am sure that another Tinka is
there, waiting and watching for me in
that wooden building, near the big porce
lain stove. And that other Tinka make3
me afraid."
Looking at her brother, she continued:
"That other Tinka. Georg,- has retained
all our old ideas. We should recognize
our old conscience in her. She may per
haps be hostile to the Tinka of to-day
who no longer thinks exactly as she doe3.
The Tinka of to-day is right; but was the
ether one wrong?- Was sha mistaken?
I am afraid of discovering that there are
several progressive truths, different and
yet each true in turn. Oh, Georg. when
you returned to Larm3oe to bring my hus
band and my daughter back to me, when
you recognized afar off oup house, nest
ling in the snow, and the somber trees
In the garden., which seemed to mount
guard over it, were you not also afraid of
finding your old conscience standing- upon
the threshold— the one that had com
manded you to do the exact contrary of
that which you were going to do?"
Georg, like Tinka, had ceased eating.
Leaning back in his chair, with downcast
eyes and with the meditative beauty of a
young sage, he replied: : . .
. "No. I returned there impelled by a
strength that knew neither hesitation nor
obstacle. If I had found the phantom of
which you speak I should have driven it
brutally from the threshold. The new in
flux of light and life had penetrated and
transformed the barbarian that I used to
be. I believed I held the absolute truth.
My conviction and confidence were bound
less. Hoedel was subjugated by it imme
diately."
"Yes," murmured the scientist; "Georg
cal quotations were an endless source of
amusement for them. .
"Happy Kdith:" murmured Tinka in a
low tone. "A few sentences are sufficient
to solidify her faith. Just as Caroia ana
Ida are satisfied with little stones which
they pretend are pieces of gold. *£""*
and Ida Imagine they can buy the whoie
world with their stones." .
Edith blushed, Lea had listened viith
gladness to this conversation, in whicn
she had only taken part by asking a ques
tion. She was not accustomed, as uniw
and Georg were, to abstract discussion,
nor had she. any particular taste for it.
But the simple, tranquil conversation or
the brother and sister charmed .her ears
like a once beloved but l:mg silent music
which imperiously awakened old mem
ories and took her back into the cherished
time of her sentimental initiation. And
even the sense of Georg and Tinka a
words added to her happiness. It would
have saddened her to hear them renounce
the past and the moral faith that hacl
made them so attractive, so exceptional
In Lea's eyes when she first knew them
in London. The Georg that she had seen
in Paris, destroying his idols, had not ap
pealed so closely to her heart. To-day,
in meeting a Georg and Tlnjca resembling
the Georg and Tinkn of old in face, she
rejoiced to discover that their minds were
unchanged. She felt a sentiment of ten
derness for the beings and objects around
her. As she was sitting between Tinka
and Georg she bent over Tinka kissed
her at the nape of the neck: and Georg
was thrilled by the kiss. ;
In the meantime the Indefatigable lit
tle Lizzie had entered and gone out sev
eral times with dishes and plates. She
tad successively laid upon the table cold
As hnmbl«* and touching a? poor Chris
tine mlrht have been formerly when sh<»
still had couraw to resist Henri rt'Abznc'a
appeals. Lea replied r
"No. I beseech you. nrv beloved! Not
row. T^t me . become beautiful again.
Beautiful a." *t old. for you, so that you
may love me!"
-She calls him her doctor/' said Jink.
fmnT wh d en h fhe a {la d a'a;phtherU
with dos« attention. •"<! »J« "510 did n"t
peremptory. .«" j££to?3 knew no more
iS^ertlilSi 1 w«!fA P knew bow
to be cured, got better. _ atlMlt be
••For example. Ida * * f^J^o^ has
BSgggSSS
"Well. I will come »«. all V
And In reply to Georg's mute interruga
'^l^wnl leave Miss Surfer In peag
for to-night. 1 am sure a lie *"} £{«£
WCIL I will come again. If you
me, to-morrow about 11 o ciock, ««
¦^Se^Si he added half seriously:
¦HH8
one of her helpless arms hanging over
l Th^e?«S'rtW«Sir. There was no
¦sel b?e« P e and the air was motionless and
warm. Just as Georg had itaid. the e\en
ing mist had become rarefied, had mewa
and left the sky clear. Kdith w * n * .'il""
cape and threw it over Leas
••Come out on the balcony, she said
Lea looked around for Justus Hoedel.
"Whew Is your husband, A^J* ¦_„_«
"He is gone up to his room. He usually
enores a little after meals, and pe.baps
he dared not before you. ~hnn
They all left the yellow parlor, whllo
Lizzie Morley was clearing away tne
table, and went on the balcony. The
cloudless night was very n^oomi. "Tn»
stars in/ the somber sky seemed oxidized
with rust. Out toward the open sea no
other lights were to be seen save the stara
and the evanescent silvery P °£Pl™re<j- h
cent gleams on the surface of the water.
At the foot of the rising road, w hicft
passed Dartmoor House, the black mass
of the bathing establishment stood \Tp
dark and gloomy. Still further on. in tne
middle of a sort of dock In the port, a
Bteam crane was hoisting the cargo into
e big boat surrounded by a halo of llgnt.
Tall electric globes, like a necklace of
tnauve pearls, outlined the curve of the
ouav, between the port and the station.
Beyond the most distant of these lamps
the obscurity began again ami all the
scenery disappeared In the night.
But Just in front of the Morley s dwell
ing', upon the horizon at the other sine or
the bay— far. far, extremely far away—
scintillated the low lights of Paington.
stretching along in a sort of straight line.
A gulf of gloom separated Palngton ami
Torquay — a gulf broken here and th«-<««
by the ruby and emerald signals hanging
Bt the masts of ships and yachts, like a
flower on an invisible stalk, buried in the
tea In a Ions red and green root, with a.
quivering outline.
And that sea, faintly revealed by a few
phosphorescent gleams; that sky, with Ira
reddish stars; those scattered lights; the
balmy air of that fortunately situated
bay, the vast silence in which every sound ¦
could be counted— all united to form a
landscape of mystery and enchantment.
Lea, standing leaning on the iron balus
trade, between Georg and Tinka. felt th;it
this scenery equaled her vision. In the
feverish nights spent in the hospital she
had already looked upon this night. Its
southern warmth, impregnated with Fait
and iodine, had already soothed her limbs
and cicatrized her throat ami lun?s. She
nestled closer to Tinka's supple figure.
"Oh, Tinka!" sho .murmured. "I am so
happy here. Keep me near you. I want
to live. I want to be happy."
"Yea." replied the young woman. "It is
very beautiful. "We- ought to love this mo
ment. It Is a halt for repose In our des
tiny after a hard Journey up the Hill of
Calvary. Like you, I fee! the approach of
happiness." • -
Some moments passed and no one spoke. *
A little space still separatf d Georg ami
.Lea upon the balcony. And yet they hail
not been cleJser together, even at the me
; ment wh«n;Lea left the train and flew
Into .the arms of her betrothed. Th>»y
were thinking of the same thing, of the
same hour in the past, when they hmi
also leaned side by side on the balustrade
of a terrace overlooking the Thames and
had looked into the night top-ether. Then. '
as now. they had felt a violent desire to
embrace one another, to become one, the
desire that torments and enfevern the
blood of young creatures who love each
other. But a law of their conscience, al
though they had not formulated it clear
ly, had restrained them then. They would
not yield to their desire; they hardly ad
mitted this desire. To-day their eon
sciences were free. Through a. hundred
trials they had succeeded in rejoining
each other. They were near one another
— were free to belong to one another.
"I am going upstairs to see the little
ones." said Tinka suddenly.
She slipped away quietly through one of
the open windows leading Into the yellow
drawing room. Lea and Georg. turning
around to look after the neat, white sil
houette then perceived that Edith was no
longer there, although they had believed
her to be sitting In the dark at the other
end of the bak-nny.
They were alone.
Lea. realizing: this, was seized with a fit
of indecision. She turned toward tho
house, then made up her mind and moved
away as though to go after Tinka. Georjj
retained her by the arm and murmured:
"Stop here. I implore you."
She obeyed at once, overjoyed by words
which guided her wavering will. She
threw Edith's cap? on a chair in tho
drawing room and followed Georg to tho
" corner of the balcony, where he led her
and where he was leaning against the
iron bar. Their hands trembled when they
met. seeking each other. They looked In
each other's face by the light in the room,
which lit up the hak-ony. Then Genre"*
hands abandoned Lea's, which fell limply
by her side. He caressed her arms, her
shoulders, quivering at the thrilling con
tact of her velvet dress. He Joined his
hands behind the young girl's neck among
the soft curls that had slipped from th«'ir
confines. Lea, vanquished, vie.Med up her
head to this loving clasp. She immolated
herself to the beloved victor, whom she
had found at last, unheedful of the inde
structible modesty which protested,
against that immolation. With her head
bent backward she only saw the immense
orb of the sky. in, which the red stars
seemed dying A delirious giddiness made
all things seem to turn beneath her feet.
She felt no other support in the vast,
dark blue ether than that provided by
the two beloved hands elapsed under her
hair, holding her suspended among tho
worlds. Her vertigo became so Intense
that she had to close her eyes, and then
she seemed to see her soul from within.
She felt the Impression that something
was drowning, was falling Into an abyss.
She saw Hhe Indtftnant face* of Pirnltz
and Frederique, her own former Image,
the Image of the mystic Lea who had ex
changed her troth • with Ceurg on the
moors of Hampstead Heath.
"Oh. I want all that to disappear! T
want to think ot it no longer, to think or
it never agaJn."'
She wished to be an ordinary woman, to
abtllcate'her great enthusiasms. And <>ha
was happy In her defeat. She nestled
r*g-iinst Gf"f?. though sh? still resisted
the slow delicate attraction of the fingers
that irres'stlbly drew her toward h!s face.
She thought of the klra he had given her
i»t Richmond, a kiss that had r^maine.l
the on* souvenir of her senses, but. one
that va* so dear, so living, that it had
been sufficient to overwhelm inaensiblv
her entire conscience. She felt Oeorg'a
face close to her own. felt his breath u;x>n
her cheek, and sighed.
•No. dearest! I pray you: Not yet'
But their lips had met. and then Lea
thought no longer. It was not the Inex
plicable. Incomplete- emotion aroused by
the kiss at Richmond, the apprenticeship
In Happiness of Ignorant 11ns. This time
Gecrg conquered her veritably, sealed tho
lips of Ms betrothed with a conscious vio
lence. 'She was a sl.ive. and her emotion,
less pure r.nd more voluptuous, was tinr^l
with bitterness. When, t^rnueh larsltudo
and powerlessncs to support the excels cf
the sensation, their lips released each
other, she pressed her forehead against
Georg's bosom. She bruised her forehead,
with ecstasy against the round frem la
one of the young nun's studs. Thev re
mained silent for a few moments. Then
Georg. puttlrg his lips to Lea's ear. h'a
voiee" changed and trembling. murm»ired:
"I want to remn'n with. you to-night, t
cannot leave you."
THE SUNDAY CALL.
4
LEA