Part 41 (1/2)

”One can, of course, be syhed ”But one need not go too far?” She paused and gave heris a fine old house, I don't suppose Jiht et some more”

”Bernard is capricious He has a bitter humor and may disappoint us all You have coant and could not live with an i you not to be obstinate and rash”

”Ah,” said Evelyn, ”I soh I do not know if I have ot up Perhaps she had said enough and after all one could trust Evelyn when she was cool It looked as if the girl's disappointment had been sharp, and the wise plan was to leave her alone Yet she was puzzled; Evelyn had given signs of a recklessness her ht new

When Mrs Halliday went out Evelyn tried to for caution repelled her; it had ranted Jim had, perhaps, had bad luck, but this did not mean that he was is one could go without She was not as greedy as soht Indeed, it would be rather fine to o and play a romantic part

She hness, but he had dignity He gave one pleasant thrills--there was the scene on the dyke when she was half-shocked and yet strangely ure was like an old Greek athlete's, his face was sharply cut and soross His was a clean virility

Evelyn thought she loved him, as much as she could love anybody, for she had not been touched by passion, and it counted for soht he used was, of course, ridiculous Evelyn resolved she would go to Langrigg and sympathize with Jiet stronger and she would see her way She would not adet over his difficulties had so, without Mrs Halliday, who made an excuse Jim called for her with his car, and, for the most part, she was quiet and he did not talk much There were steep hills and aard corners as they ran down fro was calm and the noise of the sea came softly out of the distance Now and then plover and curlew cried, a half- in the west, and the black hills rose out of fleecy inative and liked the drive across the flat holround, rich with traditions of the old Border raids, and now as she watched Ji, absorbed, with his hands on the wheel, she felt he, so to speak, dated back He drove the powerful ined hiy pony Perhaps it was the picture in a hall she knew that haunted her One saw the shadowy horseht

Meanwhile, she gave herself to irresolute thought Jies and some drawbacks; Evelyn saw the drawbacks plainly He attracted her; it would be exciting to let him carry her away and embark with him on a romantic adventure She knew he had recently used a stern control, but he was hot-blooded and his reserve ive up much She was drawn in different ways by romance and worldly caution and it looked as if caution would win

Soon after she reached Langrigg Mordaunt arrived with dick The latter declared that Ji was sincere, but she iined dick liked Carrie and was sometimes disturbed For all that, she had been relieved to note that Carrie liked dick

Dinner was a cheerful function, but when they went back to the hall Evelyn was quiet Joseph Dearham and others had made some renovations in the hall, but they harmonized with the crooked roof-beams and dark oak There were one or two tall laenerally used candles in old silver stands Evelyn wondered how Jie that he often, unconsciously, she thought, struck the proper note

She studied him and Jake while she talked to Mrs Winter Ji clothes, but he had put on an Aile; their ht, like a cat's, and she noted how they lifted their feet She did not know the prospector gets the habit by walking through tangled bush and across rough stones They had a suppleness that caiven them a fine-drawn look In soed to the past, when the fortress peels were built and the ht the Scots

Jian to talk to Carrie, Evelyn felt a jealous pang The girl had been in the woods with Jith Ji as he talked to her; they talked confidentially, like tried coer and went to the old grand piano Ji-rootime airs Evelyn had a talent for music and ht, he would respond

”If so,” she said

The candles had pale-yellow shades and when Jiht touched her face and dress Except for this, the corner was somewhat dark Amber was Evelyn's color She struck a few chords that seean a prelude with a measured beat His face was intent; he see in thenearer

She wondered whether he heard the call of truht he did

Perhaps she was debasing her talent; this kind of thing was rather a theatrical trick than , and she knew the old Border ballads and their al, for her voice and the ly The air ild, the rude words rang with so one felt when one battled with floods and snowslides They told how the o; but hue and hard-bittenshovels and axes instead of spears But how did Evelyn, surrounded by luxurious refinements, understand?

”It's fine!” he exclaiht; horses' feet, and harness jingling But you go back of that to the feeling one has when one braces up and sets one's hed and looked at Mordaunt, who frowned ”Perhaps you are easily satisfied, Jim, but music, critical folks contemptuously call descriptive, needs so a horse's gallop ”It really does go back of this”

”Neverof Flodden”

”I' you mean has really much to do with Flodden, but I know one that has It's old and rude, like the Borderers You know a band would not fight, but were too proud to run away They stood fast, by themselves, and were shot down by the archers while the loyal Scots fell round their wounded king This, however, is shocking art; it's like writing what you are meant to see at the top of a picture I know it annoys Lance”

”I can endure much from you,” Mordaunt rejoined

Evelyn struck the keys and began to sing Words and air had a strange barbaric force, and Ji round their fallen monarch and their hate for the stubborn mutineers The blood cairl's voice flung out a dying soldier's curse The curse was strangely modern; one heard it often in the West

”Thank you! You have not sung like this before,” he said, and turned to Jake ”How does it strike you, partner?”

”It hits me where I feel it, and hits ht that old battle ood I don't kno Miss Halliday knohat ahard job, but she does know”