Part 43 (2/2)

”He told h thenita at The Dials, hasn't she, and her husband at last found her there?”

Bulstrode acknowledged that she had read the drahed

”Yes, evidently the duchess has a strong dramatic sense; she's very romantic, isn't she?”

And the man absently exclai to her with unusual vehemence: ”Do, for Heaven's sake leave theet them all”

He threw up his hand with a sort of supplication He had seated himself on a tapestried stool close beside the chair she had taken again Using her Christian name for one of the rare times in his life, he pleaded: ”Can't we leave all other people, Mary, can't we?”

She looked at him startled and said that their host see fro the roo s, drew back the curtain

The cold glass against which she pressed her cheek sent a shock through her, but she stayed for a second close to the pane as if she would implore the newer transport, the stiller transport, of the icy cold to transfuse her veins

The changed teht spread its serene beauty over the park, where thethe terrace like snow Far down the slope rose the outlines of the bare trees, and the wide landscape shone and shone until it finally was lost in the mists

Bulstrode had followed over and stood by Mary Falconer's side, and the scene before hiesse

The orna, shot a million fine sparkles, and below it the spray of mistletoe rose and fell, rose and fell

He put his hand out and took the spray and fastened it in his buttonhole, saying that the mistletoe was above her head

His voice, one she had never heard, made her unwisely turn to meet his eyes, to shake with the ee of the precipice; just to hang over which, and to shudder, he has cli hiram fro over to hiran for breaking spells as far as Jiave him only a more violent revelation of his cruel hope She went on:

”It's not alarht happen It's only when I'm with him that he keeps up any sort of shape”

The fact of his holding in his the hand that she had put out to keep him from her, did not serve to aid in a serene continuation of her plans, and the silence became a burden which if she did not herself lift would crush her

She said hurriedly: ”And you will help o”

And then Bulstrode spoke: ”No,” he said, ”Oh, no”

For the briefest space she yielded to what he h to pro--for it had so been--co down all the ith hile word In supremest happiness, however, at what he said and how he said it, she gave a little soft laugh, and although she was under thehirown small and dear

”Oh, Jio back on ten years in one week You can't, you know! You've thrown ht on up”

Still looking at her he shook his head as she repeated: ”You'll help o back,” he said deeply, ”_on everything and everybody in the world_”

At the frank simple words, and the sense of what they meant, at the sound of his new voice, it was as if all the dykes at last were down; and strong, bright, butin As she saw hi toward her and knew that in a moment more she would be in his aro, she found one word to say and it proved only to be his name:

”Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy!”