Part 9 (1/2)
”For what?” She ca if you--Ha! ha!” Mr Heatherbloom stopped; in his confusion, his endeavor to turn the conversation fro into deep waters
”You wondered what?” In a low tone
Since he now felt obliged to speak, he did, coolly enough ”If you had some ulterior motive!” he said with a quiet smile
She it ho now started back, and her face paled slightly
”Why?--what ulterior motive? What do you mean?”
He told her in plain words She breathed e face sometimes ”Thank you,” she said ”You are very frank, _h you did so injure ht
”Well, Ito be so fond of er on them
”You see I, too, have a little Russian blood in me” Mr Heatherbloom looked down ”And I think she loves to hear hts of St Petersburg--the splendid steppes--the grandeur of our Venice of the north Of course, she is inificantly ”Its ostentation, its splendor, its barbaric picturesqueness! But tell me, what is her prince like? He is very handsome, naturally! Or she would not so dote on him!”
Mr Heatherbloom's features had hardened; he did not answer directly
”She likes to talk about Russia?” he said, half to hied ”Is it not to be her country some day?”
”No, it isn't!” The words seemed forced from his lips; he spoke almost fiercely ”She may live there with him, but it will never be her country This is her country She is its product; an Arand dukes and princes of the Winter Palace can't change her She belongs to old California; she grew up ae trees and the flowers, and her heart will ever yearn for them in your frozen land of tyranny!”
”Oh! oh! oh!” said Mademoiselle Marie ”How eloquent monsieur can be!
Quite an orator! One would say he, too, has known this land of orange trees and flowers!”
”I?” Mr Heatherblooer ”Oh! oh!” Altogether like a different person froazed at her closer; how quickly the marks of trouble, anxiety, had faded from her face; as if they had never existed
”What do youinto eyes now full of a new and peculiar understanding
”Nothing,” she said and vanished
He gazed where she had been; he could not account for a sudden strange emotion, as if some one had trailed a shadow over hi to happen; that could not be foreseen, or averted!
Soone before! What nonsense! He pressed his lips tightly and went about his duties like an autoht days--seven days--six days more!--only six--
CHAPTER VIII
THE UNEXPECTED
The blow fell, a thunderbolt from the clear sky It dazed certain people at first; it was difficult to realize what had happened, or if anything _had_ really happened For ht not what see so verywould then be ”cleared up” and those h at their apprehensions But the hours went by, and the affair re Miss Dalrymple's whereabouts; she seemed to have disappeared as coic carpet What could it mean? The circumstances briefly were: