diff options
Diffstat (limited to '48337.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 48337.txt | 9146 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 9146 deletions
diff --git a/48337.txt b/48337.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 94773d4..0000000 --- a/48337.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9146 +0,0 @@ - HER LORD AND MASTER - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Her Lord and Master -Author: Martha Morton -Release Date: February 21, 2015 [EBook #48337] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HER LORD AND MASTER *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - - - *[Frontispiece: "You locked me out!" she said, hysterically. - (missing from book)]* - - - - - _*HER LORD - AND MASTER*_ - - - _By MARTHA MORTON_ - - - - _Illustrated by_ - - _HOWARD CHANDLER CHRISTY - and ESTHER MAC NAMARA_ - - - - _R. F. FENNO & COMPANY - 18 East Seventeenth Street, NEW YORK_ - - - - - Copyright, 1902 - By - ANTHONY J. DREXEL BIDDLE - - Entered at Stationers' Hall, London - - All Rights Reserved - - - - - *Contents* - -CHAPTER - -I.--A Reunion -II.--Birds of Passage -III.--On a Model Farm -IV.--Springtime -V.--Camp Indiana -VI.--Guests -VII.--The Weaver -VIII.--The World's Rest -IX.--In an Orchard of the Memory -X.--The Might of the Falls -XI.--A Moonlight Picnic -XII.--Leading to the Altar -XIII.--England -XIV.--Transplantation -XV.--"I Shall Keep My Promise" -XVI.--An Escapade -XVII.--Late Visitors -XVIII.--Awakening -XIX.--"And as He Wove, He Heard Singing" - - - - - *Illustrations* - - -"You locked me out!" she said, hysterically. _Frontispiece_ - -"I'd call the picture, 'Indiana.'" - -Catching Pollywogs - -"I--I--what have I said? I didn't mean it." - -"I will have love to help me." - - - - - *Foreword* - - -"Her Lord and Master," by Martha Morton, was first produced in New York, -during the Spring of 1902. The play met with great success, and ran for -over one hundred nights at the Manhattan Theatre. - -Miss Victoria Morton, the sister of the playwright, now presents "Her -Lord and Master" as a novel. - -The play is being produced in the principal cities during this season. - - - - - *CHAPTER I.* - - *A Reunion.* - - -"Did the ladies arrive, Mr. Stillwater?" inquired the clerk at the -Waldorf Hotel, New York, as a tall, broad-shouldered man, unmistakably -Western in appearance, walked smilingly up to the desk. - -"Bag and baggage, bless their hearts!" - -A dark, distinguished looking man, who was looking over the register, -glanced at the speaker, then moved slightly to one side as the latter -took up the pen. Stillwater registered in a quick, bold hand, and -walked away. The dark gentleman turned again to the register and read: - -"Horatio Stillwater, Stillwater, Indiana." - -"Horatio Stillwater, Stillwater!" he remarked to the clerk with a -cultured English accent. "A coincidence, I presume?" - -"Not at all," answered the clerk laughing. "That often happens out -West. You see, Stillwater founded the town. He owned most of the land, -besides the largest interests in wheat and oil. It's a great wheat and -oil centre. Naturally the town is named after him." - -"Naturally," acquiesced the Englishman, staring blankly at the clerk. -He lit a cigar and puffed it thoughtfully for about five minutes, then -he exclaimed, "Extraordinary!" - -"Beg pardon?" said the clerk. - -"I find it most extraordinary." - -"What are you referring to, Lord Canning?" - -"I was referring to what you were telling me about this gentleman, of -course!" Lord Canning pointed to Stillwater on the register. - -"Oh!" laughed the clerk, amused that the facts he had given were still a -matter for reflection. "Yes, he's one of our biggest capitalists out -West. The family are generally here at this time of the year. The -ladies have just arrived from Palm Beach." - -"Palm Beach?" - -"That's south, you know." - -"Oh, a winter resort?" - -"Exactly." - -Lord Canning recommenced his study of the register. - -"Mrs. Horatio Stillwater," he read. "Stillwater, Indiana. Miss Indiana -Stillwater." He reflected a moment. "Miss Indiana Stillwater, -Stillwater, Indiana. Here too, is a similarity of names. Probably a -coincidence and probably not." He read on, "Mrs. Chazy Bunker, -Stillwater, Indiana. Bunker, Bunker!" He pressed his hand to his -forehead. "Oh, Bunker Hill," he thought, with sudden inspiration. - -"Miss Indiana Stillwater, Stillwater, Indiana. If the town was named -after the father, why should not the State--no, that could not be. But -the reverse might be possible." He addressed the clerk. - -"Would you mind telling me--oh, I beg your pardon," seeing that the -clerk was very much occupied at that moment--"It doesn't matter--some -other time." He turned and lounged easily against the desk, surveying -the people walking about, with the intentness of a person new to his -surroundings, and still pondering the question. - - * * * * * - -"Now," said Stillwater, after his family had been duly installed, "let -me look at you. I'm mighty glad to see you all again." He swung his -daughter Indiana up in his arms and kissed her, then set her on his knee -and looked at her with open admiration. - -Mr. Horatio Stillwater had never seen any reason why he should be -ashamed of his great pride in his only child. Indiana herself had often -been heard to remark, "Pa has never really recovered from the shock of -my birth. It was a case of too much joy. He thinks I'm the greatest -thing on record." - -"Well, folks," he said, "I expect you're all dead tired." - -"Not I," said Mrs. Bunker, his mother-in-law. She was a well-formed -woman, with dark, vivacious eyes and a crown of white hair dressed in -the latest mode. "I could take the trip all over again." - -"Did you miss us, father?" asked Mrs. Stillwater, a gentle-looking, -pretty woman, with soft, brown hair and dark blue eyes like her child's, -only Indiana's were more alert and restless. "Ma has lovely eyes," -Indiana was in the habit of remarking. "She takes them from me." - -Mr. Stillwater put Indiana off his knees and sat by his wife. - -"Did I miss you? Not a little bit." - -"Your color's pretty bad, father," she said, "and you look dead tired. -Perhaps," she rose impulsively, "perhaps you've been laid up." - -"No, ma, no," he placed his big hands on her shoulders, forcing her down -in her chair. "I haven't been laid up. But I've been feeling mighty -queer." - -He was immediately overwhelmed by a torrent of exclamations and -questions from Mrs. Bunker and Indiana, while his wife sat pale and -quiet, with heaving breast. - -"No, I don't know what's the matter with me," he answered. "No, I can't -describe how I feel. No, I have not been to a doctor, and I'm not -going. There, you have it straight. I don't believe in them." - -"Pa!" said Indiana, taking a stand in the centre of the room, "I want to -say a few words to you." - -"Oh, Lord!" thought Stillwater, "When Indiana shakes her pompadour and -folds her arms, there's no telling where she'll end." - -"I want to ask you if the sentiments which you have just expressed are -befitting ones for a man with a family?" - -"Mother," said Mrs. Stillwater, "he always takes your advice, tell him -he should consult a doctor." - -"Indiana has the floor!" said Mrs. Bunker. - -"Is it right that you should make it necessary for me to remind you of a -common duty; that of paying proper attention to your health, in order -that we should have peace of mind?" - -Indiana had been chosen to deliver the valedictory at the closing -exercises at her school. This gave her a reputation for eloquence which -she liked to sustain whenever an occasion presented itself. - -"I see your finish," she wound up, not as elegantly as one might have -expected. "You'll be a hopeless wreck and we'll all have insomnia from -lying awake nights, worrying. When we once get in that state--" she -turned to Mrs. Bunker. - -"No cure," said the lady. "Nothing but time." - -Stillwater sat with his hand in his pocket and his eyes closed, -apparently thinking deeply. - -"Well, I've said all I'm going to say." - -She looked at him expectantly. His eyes remained closed, however, and -he breathed deeply and regularly. - -"I have finished, pa. Have you any remarks to make?" - -No answer. - -"He's asleep, Indiana," said Mrs. Bunker, with a peal of laughter. - -"He is not," said Indiana indignantly. "He's only making believe--" She -bent down and looked in his face. "You're not asleep, are you, pa?" - -"No, of course not; who said I was?" He sat up rubbing his eyes. "Did -you get it all off your mind, Indy?" - -"You heard what I said, pa?" - -"Certainly; it was fine. You must write it down for me some day, Indy." - -"Would you close your ears and eyes to the still, small voice," said -Indiana, jumping upon a chair and declaiming in approved pulpit fashion. -"The voice which says, 'Go not in the by-ways. There are snares and -quick-sands. Follow in the open road, the path of truth and -righteousness.' I want to know if you're going to a doctor?" - -"Well, I suppose I must, if I want some peace in life." - -"No ordinary doctor, you must consult a specialist." She looked around -triumphantly. - -Her mother smiled on her in loving approval. - -"A specialist for what, Indy?" Stillwater asked drily. - -Indiana met his eyes bent enquiringly upon her, then burst into -laughter. - -"Well, you've phazed me this time," she said. Then she installed -herself on his knee. "Oh, I don't mean a specialist at all. I mean a -consulting physician--an authority." - -"Now you're talking," answered Stillwater, with a beaming smile. - -Indiana jumped off his knee. "An ordinary doctor isn't good enough for -my father!" She gave a very good imitation of a cowboy's swagger. "I'm -hungry, pa." - -"Well, where are you going to have lunch?" - -"I'd like mine brought up," said Mrs. Stillwater. "Are the trunks -unlocked, Kitty?" as a young, bright-looking girl appeared at the door. - -"Yes ma'am. Come right in and I'll make you comfortable." - -"I'll have my lunch up here with ma," said Mr. Stillwater. "What's the -rest of you going to do?" - -"Oh, we'll go down and hear the band play," said Mrs. Bunker with -exuberant spirits. "Come along, Indiana!" - -Stillwater was one of the men who had risen rapidly in the West. He had -married at a boyish age, a very young, gentle girl, and had emigrated -from the East soon after marriage, with his wife and her mother, Mrs. -Chazy Bunker. He built a house on government land in Indiana. The first -seven years meant hard and incessant toil, but in that time he and the -two women saw some very happy days. His marriage had been a boy and -girl affair, dating from the village school. One of those lucky unions, -built neither upon calculation or judgment, which terminate happily for -all concerned. Stillwater was only aware that the eyes of Mary Bunker -were blue and sweet as the wild violets that he picked and presented to -her, and that she never spelt above him. His manliness won her respect, -and his gentleness her love. Their immature natures thus thoughtlessly -and happily united, like a pair of birds at nesting time, grew together -as the years went on until they became one. After seven years of -unremitting work, Stillwater could stand and look proudly as far as the -eye could reach, on acre after acre of golden wheat tossing blithely in -the breeze. He had been helped to this result by the women who had lived -with the greatest economy and thrift putting everything into the land. -His young and inexperienced wife acted under the direction of her -mother, a splendid manager and a woman of great shrewdness and sense. -He could look, also, on the low, red-painted house, which could boast -now of many additions, and realize that his marriage had been a success. -In that low red house Indiana first saw the light, and, simultaneously, -oil was struck on the land. The child became the prospective heiress of -millions. - -The birth of a daughter opened the source of the deepest joy Stillwater -had ever known. When Mrs. Bunker laid the infant swathed in new -flannels in his arms, he was assailed by indescribable feelings, -altogether new to him. She watched him curiously as he held the tiny -bundle with the greatest timidity in his big brawny hands. Feeling her -bright eyes on his face he flushed with embarrassment. Mrs. Bunker -pushed back the flannel and showed him a wee fist, like a crumpled -roseleaf, which she opened by force, clasping it again around -Stillwater's finger. As he felt that tiny and helpless clasp tears -welled into his honest brown eyes. - -"There isn't anything she shan't have," he said. And these words held -good through all the years that Indiana lived under his roof. In a -spirit of patriotism, Stillwater named his daughter Indiana. - -"She was born right here in Indiana," he declared. "She's a prairie -flower, so we named her after the State." - -The birth of a daughter appealed to Stillwater as a most beautiful and -wonderful thing. It awakened all the latent chivalry and tenderness of -his character. As he remarked to his friend Masters, "A girl kinder -brings out the soft spots in man's nature." - -This feeling is a foreign one to the European who always longs for a son -to perpetuate his name and possessions, and after all it is a natural -egotism when there is a long and honorable line of ancestry, but in all -ranks and conditions the cry is the same, "A son, oh Lord, give me a -son!" - -After the boom which followed the discovery of oil-gushers on the land, -and Stillwater looked steadily in the face, with that level head which -no amount of success could turn, the enormous prospects of the future, -he thought, "It's just come in time for Indiana." His imagination -pictured another Mary Bunker, another soft and clinging creature to -nestle against his heart, another image of his wife to wind her arms -about his neck and look up into his face with trusting love. Instead, -he had a little whirlwind of a creature, a combination of tempests and -sunshine, with eyes like the skies of Indiana, and hair the color of the -ripe wheat, upon which his wife used to gaze as she sat on her porch -sewing little garments, nothing as far as the eyes could strain but that -harmony of golden color, joining the blue of the sky at the rim of the -horizon. The peace and happiness of the Stillwater household fluctuated -according to the moods of Indiana. These conditions commenced when she -was a child, and grew as she developed. The family regarded her storms -as inevitable, and nothing could be more beautiful than her serenity -when they passed, nothing could equal the tenderness of her love for -them all. - -Stillwater, under high pressure from his family, went to consult a noted -New York medical authority; a gaunt, spare-looking man, who, after the -usual preliminaries, leaned back in his chair and regarded Stillwater -fixedly. - -"Your liver's torpid, your digestion is all wrong, and you are on the -verge of a nervous collapse." - -"Well, doctor, what do you advise?" - -"Complete change." - -"Well, don't send me too far. I have big interests on hand just now." - -"Cessation of all business." - -"Don't know how I can manage that." - -"Get on a sailing vessel. Stay on it for three months." - -"I should die for want of an interest in life." - -"Take my advice in time, Mr. Stillwater. It will save future trouble." - -"I wonder how Indiana would like a sailing trip," thought Stillwater. -"If the folks were along I guess we'd manage to whoop it up, all right. -Well, I'll think it over, Doctor. Of course, I couldn't do anything -without consulting the ladies." - -Stillwater smiled in a confidential way, as much as to say, "You know -how it is yourself." The noted authority answered by a look of -contemptuous pity. - -"See you again, Doctor." - -As he arrived at the hotel he was hailed by Indiana, driving up in a -hansom. - -"Been to see the doctor?" - -"Yes; I've got lots to tell." - -"Jump in and we'll drive around the park. The others won't be home -yet." - -Stillwater made a feint of hesitating. "Perhaps I'd better wait till -we're all together." - -"Well, you can jump in anyway, and come for a drive," said Indiana. -"I'll give him five minutes," she thought, "before he tells me all he -knows." - -"The air will do me a whole lot of good," remarked Stillwater, acting on -her advice. - -It was a clear cold day, in the latter part of February, and the wind -blew keenly in their faces as they bowled leisurely up Fifth Avenue. - -"Say, Indiana," after three minutes perusal of the promenaders. - -"Yes, pa--it's coming," she thought. - -"How would you like to go on a sailing trip for three months; the whole -kit and crew of us? We'd have everything our own way; I'd see to that. -We'd run the whole show. On the water for three months. What do you -think of it--eh?" - -"Bully!" shouted Indiana, throwing her muff up in the air, and catching -it deftly. - -"I thought you'd like it," said Stillwater, chuckling. - -"What did the doctor say, pa?" said Indiana breathlessly. "What did he -say was the matter with you? Tell me--you must tell me." - -"Now, Indiana, give me a chance. I'm going to tell you. Didn't I start -to give away the whole snap?" - -"But you're taking such a long time, pa," she said, tapping the floor of -the hansom nervously. - -"Well, when it comes down to it, there isn't much the matter with me," -answered Stillwater reassuringly. "He said something about a torpid -liver." - -"Torpid liver!" echoed Indiana, looking as if she were just brought face -to face with the great calamity of her life. - -"Now, that's what I was afraid of," said Stillwater. "Please don't go -on like that before your ma, Indiana. It's not serious." - -"No?" echoed Indiana helplessly. - -"Why, it's nothing at all," Stillwater laughed hilariously. "Torpid -livers--people have them every day." - -"Well, what else?" said Indiana. - -"Oh, lots," answered Stillwater confidentially. - -"Tell me this minute; I must know. Don't you try and keep anything from -me, pa." - -"Indiana, will you give me a chance? Sit down! You'll be out of this -hansom in a minute. Something about digestion. _That_ don't amount to -_anything_." - -Indiana sank back with a sigh of relief. - -"And something about nerves--says I must throw up business, that's all -it amounts to, for a few months." - -"Then you'll be cured?" - -"Positively." - -"Then you shall, pop--you shall; do you hear me?" - -"Now, Indiana, what's the use of your taking the reins and whipping up -like that? I've told you what I reckon to do. Didn't I broach the -subject of a sailing trip?" - -"Ma and I are good sailors," remarked Indiana meditatively, "but Grandma -Chazy don't like the water." - -"Oh, we'll jolly her along her all right," said Stillwater easily. -"Say, Indiana," he put his mouth to her ear, "Grandma Chazy wouldn't -miss a trick." - -Indiana laughed loudly. - -"Well, this is what I call a wild and exciting time, Indiana. If you -took me on many of these drives I think I'd get rid of that 'slight -nervous derangement' the doctor was talking about. Sort of a -rest-cure--eh?" - -"Oh, if I could only get on that horse's back!" cried Indiana, "I'd make -him go." - -"Not that horse, Indiana," said Stillwater chuckling. "All the sporting -spirit in you wouldn't make _that_ horse go. Suppose we think about -getting home?" - -"Back to the hotel," he shouted to the driver. - -"I can't help thinking of Circus," said Indiana sentimentally. "I -wonder if he misses me." - -"You think more of that horse than all your beaux, don't you, Indiana?" - -Indiana nodded and smiled. - -"I'll have my hands full for a few weeks before I go on that sailing -trip. I don't know how I'm going to manage it." - -"Well, you just _must_!" - -"Suppose we don't say anything to the others till I make sure I can go. -I've got some big things on now, Indiana--" - -"You won't go after you've worked me all up about it--you'll keep on -grinding until you're past curing, until one day you'll just drop down -and die. What do you care--and ma and Grandma Chazy and--and I'll be -left with no one to look after us." She buried her face in her muff, -making piteous little gulps. - -"I'm a fool," thought Stillwater, patting her on the back. "The idea of -that little thing takin' it so to heart. I didn't think she was old -enough to realize things like that. None of us know how much there is -in Indiana." His heart swelled with gratitude at this proof of devotion -from his only child. - -"Now, Indiana, don't lose your grip like this. I'm going, I tell you. -I'm going on this trip. There isn't anything on earth that'll stop me. -Hi! Driver! Just run through and stop at Thorley's!" - -As the hansom dashed up to Thorley's Indiana gave a clear jump to the -curb, disdaining the hand her father held out. - -"American beauties!" said Stillwater. - -The salesman showed them a gorgeous long-stemmed cluster. - -"That's the ticket," said Stillwater. "My, they're fresh, Indiana." She -selected one and fastened it in her furs. "I'll carry the rest for you. -Now what would the others like?" - -Indiana flitted about selecting flowers. - -"Would you like them sent?" inquired the salesman. - -"No," said Indiana, "we'll take them right along." - -"Why," exclaimed Stillwater as they were leaving the store, "I was just -about forgetting you were all going to the opera to-night. Now, what -flowers do you want to wear, Indiana?" - -"Well, my dress is white. Hyacinths, white hyacinths. Corsage bouquet, -Miss Stillwater." - -"And ma, she likes the sweet-smelling ones." - -"Well, violets for ma. Violets, Mrs. Stillwater." - -"Shall we say violets for Grandma Chazy?" - -"I think Grandma Chazy would like something brighter," said Indiana. - -"Carnations?" suggested the salesman. - -"Yes," said Indiana. "Pink carnations, Mrs. Chazy Bunker. Send to the -Waldorf Hotel for this evening. Don't make any mistake, please!" - -"Duplicate the order to-morrow, same time," added Stillwater. - -Indiana hummed gaily to herself as they drove off with their flowers. - -"She's forgotten all about it now," thought Stillwater, with a satisfied -glance at her happy face. - -Lord Canning noticed them when they entered the hotel. - -He was standing in the lobby through which they passed, lighting a cigar -preparatory to going out. He recognized Stillwater immediately, and -stared curiously at Indiana. - -"I suppose that is the daughter," he thought, "Indiana." He smiled as -he puffed his cigar. - - - - - *CHAPTER II.* - - *Birds of Passage.* - - -"Anything, if it's for your good," said Mrs. Stillwater, when the -subject of the sailing trip was broached. "Father, this is the finest -mignonette I've ever seen." - -"Well, I suppose I'll be sick," added Mrs. Bunker dolefully, as she -helped her daughter arrange the flowers, "but I'll get used to the -motion. As long as we get somewhere sometime, and see something that's -worth seeing. Isn't that vase a picture?" - -"Well, you must leave that to me, Grandma Chazy. What's the matter with -Japan?" - -There was a chorus of delight. Indiana jumped wildly up and down the -room. - -"I'll run in and see the old man to-morrow morning. He'll be glad to -hear I'm going to act on his advice. I told him I couldn't pledge -myself to do anything until I had first consulted the ladies." - -"Well, I guess," said Indiana. - -"Let's have lunch; then I must get right down town. You won't see me -till dinner." - -Their faces fell. - -"What are we going to do with ourselves?" said Indiana. - -"Go shopping." - -This seemed to be a happy idea, and Stillwater congratulating himself -that he had suggested an entertainment which appealed to them, kissed -his wife, remarking, "Now, don't you go and tire yourself, mother. You -can't travel with these other young things." - -When Stillwater, the following morning, confided to the noted medical -authority that he intended to take his whole family on a sailing voyage -to Japan, adding the clause, "We're going to have a real good time," he -sank back in his chair, and regarded Stillwater with an expression of -patient endurance. - -"I thought I had impressed on you, Mr. Stillwater, the necessity of -absolute rest and quiet. _Rest_ and _quiet_; do you understand me?" - -"Perfectly! Perfectly! That's what I'm laying my plans for. Three -months on a sailing vessel--" - -"_With your entire family_, which includes--?" - -"My wife, my daughter, and my mother-in-law." - -"A wife, a daughter, and a mother-in-law. None of them deaf or dumb, I -presume?" - -"Ha, ha, ha! Now you needn't be afraid I shan't have cheerful company. -They'll make things hum, I tell you!" - -"I don't doubt it for a minute. Mr. Stillwater, I strongly advise this -trip without your family. With your family I am as strongly against it. -To be confined for three months on a sailing vessel with a wife, a -daughter, and a mother-in-law, would be enough to derange any man's -nerves, allowing he is perfectly normal when he starts. Now, the -consequences in your condition--" - -"Now, doctor, you're not sure of your ground. You don't know my family. -They're devoted to me." - -"Of course," said the Noted Authority, smiling blandly. "That is the -trouble." - -"Say now. They're not going to do me any harm." - -"Intentionally, I hope not." - -"Of course they have their little squabbles, but I can manage them all -right." - -"We might effect a compromise. How old is your daughter?" - -"Eighteen. A perfect child. We can do whatever we like with her." -Stillwater smiled involuntarily as he uttered this unblushing falsehood, -thinking "I mean she can do whatever she likes with us. My words got -twisted, that's all." - -"Well, suppose we leave your mother-in-law behind, and take your wife -and daughter. The latter, I gather, is tractable and easily managed." - -"Leave my mother-in-law behind! Oh, I couldn't do that. She's making a -great sacrifice for my sake. She's awful seasick but I promised her a -good time, once we get to Japan, and I mean to keep my word." - -The Noted Authority sighed. "You're quite decided on that point?" - -"Quite. Couldn't leave _her_ behind. Wouldn't hurt her feelings for the -world." - -"There is no more to be said, Mr. Stillwater." - -"The sailing trip's off, then?" - -"Except you resolve to go alone. In case of nervous derangement I -always advise separation. No family." - -"Of course, I couldn't presume to argue with you, Doctor. But I'll talk -it over with the ladies. They'll never allow me to go alone, though, -I'm quite sure of it." - -"Is there any necessity to precipitate matters so far?" said the Noted -Authority. "Would it not be easier to announce at once quietly and -firmly your intention to go, avoiding all preliminary discussion?" - -"Oh, you don't know my family; they would not allow that sort of thing. -Doctor, are you married?" - -"I have been a widower for some years." - -"That explains--you've forgotten how it is. You see, my family are a -very touchy lot--but I know just how to handle them. We get along -swimmingly." - -"As these domestic conditions seem inevitable, further discussions seem -useless. _Talk it over with the ladies_. Perhaps with the assistance of -your wife, your daughter and your mother-in-law you may arrive at some -decision which will be agreeable to all concerned." - -"Certainly! Certainly! I'll do as you say--we'll talk it over and -we'll hit on something between the lot of us. See you again, Doctor. -Good-by." - -"He's pretty far gone already, I fear," thought the Noted Authority -after Stillwater had departed. "Absolutely afraid to act on his own -responsibility." - -"What do you think?" cried Stillwater, bursting in on his family about -dinner hour. "He won't allow you to go with me on that sailing trip. -He says I must go alone." - -"Well, pa, you go right back and tell him that we wouldn't think of -allowing you to do anything of the kind." - -"His office hours are over now, Indiana," said Stillwater, smiling -placidly. "Will to-morrow morning do?" - -"Oh, father, it would just break my heart to see you going off alone and -sick, too." - -"Not to be thought of for a minute," said Mrs. Bunker. - -"I told him you wouldn't hear of it." Stillwater leaned back in his -chair, watching with evident enjoyment the effect of his words. "He -said that to confine a perfectly normal person on a sailing vessel for -three months with his wife, his daughter, and his mother-in-law, would -make him a nervous wreck for life." - -"Did he say that, pa?" - -"Practically, Indiana." - -"Brute," said Mrs. Bunker. "If he once had the privilege of making my -acquaintance he might change his views on the matter." - -"He might fall all over himself to become one of the sailing party -himself then," remarked Stillwater chuckling. "Well, he said I should -talk it over with the ladies." - -"It's a wonder he gave us that much consideration," said Indiana -loftily. - -"I reckon he thought he was humoring me. I guess he thinks I'm a gone -case." Stillwater slapped his knee. "Well, I've been doing some tall -thinking on my own account and it's come to this." He rose and looked -at his wife. "In the old days when I was coaxing the ground, I never had -these feelings, mother." - -"Oh, no!" - -"I'm going back to nature. I'm going to buy a farm. I know just where -to lay my hands on one in Indiana. Spring is coming. I'm going to live -on it and work on it, till I'm a new man again." - -"I second that motion," said Mrs. Bunker, bringing her hand down on the -table. - -"And I," cried Indiana. "We'll all go farming." - -"Well, mother, you're not saying a word." - -She smiled up at him. Her eyes were full of tears. - -"It--it will be like the old days," she said. - -"Here are the hats!" cried Indiana, as Kitty, the maid, entered -staggering under the weight of a number of boxes. They all became -immediately interested in the absorbing question of spring headgear. - -"How do you like this?" inquired Mrs. Bunker, perching a black net -concoction on her carefully dressed head. - -"Very becoming!" answered Indiana, after a critical inspection. - -"Suits you fine, grandma!" said Stillwater. - -"Shows what you all know!" remarked Mrs. Bunker, looking in the glass. -"It's entirely too old for me." She placed it on her daughter's smooth -brown coils. - -"Ah!" cried Stillwater admiringly. His wife, sitting under inspection, -looked inquiringly at Indiana. A mirror held no significance for Mrs. -Stillwater. She was always supremely satisfied with whatever her family -approved of, for her, in the way of personal adornment. - -"I'll take that hat for ma," said Indiana. "It's all right." - -"Yes, Mary can afford to wear it," said Mrs. Bunker. "I'm not young -enough for a hat like that." - -"Ladies," exclaimed Mr. Stillwater, looking at his watch. "This is a -pretty interesting show, but excuse me for the liberty of reminding you -that there's another, starting at a quarter past eight, at which we've -made a solemn resolution to be present." - -"Hear! Hear!" cried Indiana. - -"It is now seven o'clock. Of course you don't take as long to dress as -I do." He made quickly for the door. - -"Not a bit longer than other women," cried Indiana. - -"Well, we'll leave that question open," said Mr. Stillwater, -disappearing. - -That evening, as they were stepping from the elevator in their wraps, -ready for the theatre, Mrs. Bunker uttered an exclamation of intense -surprise. - -"Lord Canning!" - -"Mrs. Bunker; I am delighted!" - -"And Lord Stafford, too!" She shook hands with an elderly gentleman, -slightly foppish in appearance. "Well, of all people in the world, to -meet you here to-night. I'm just ready to faint." - -"Don't! Don't! Mrs. Bunker," said Lord Stafford, with a laugh of -intense enjoyment. - -"Lord Stafford; Lord Canning; my son-in-law, Mr. Stillwater; my -daughter, Mrs. Stillwater, and my grand-daughter, Miss Stillwater." - -"Indiana," thought Lord Canning, as he bowed ceremoniously. - -"These gentlemen were my constant companions at Cannes last year," said -Mrs. Bunker. "We and the Jennings' were together most of the time." - -"I'm glad to know you, gentlemen! My mother-in-law's often talked about -your kind attention to her abroad." - -"Kind attention is no name for it," said Mrs. Bunker. "They gave me the -best time I ever had. And now that I've caught them on American ground, -I intend to repay it with interest." - -"I assure you, Mrs. Bunker, you need feel no sense of obligation," said -Lord Canning. "Your companionship was a source of unfailing pleasure." - -"What do you think of this big town, Lord Canning?" said Mr. Stillwater, -indicating his surroundings by a comprehensive wave of the hand. - -"Extraordinary!" answered Lord Canning. - -"How long are you going to be here?" inquired Mrs. Bunker of Lord -Stafford, while her son-in-law was probing Lord Canning's recently -acquired views of America. - -"Oh, we're only birds of passage, Mrs. Bunker." - -"So are we; but isn't it delightful to meet on the wing?" - -"On the wing; ha, ha! Delightful, Mrs. Bunker! Delightful!" - -"We start to-morrow for California," said Lord Canning. - -"And the day after we return to Indiana," added Mrs. Bunker. - -"In the summer we intend to investigate Colorado." - -"I have a ranch up in the Rockies," said Stillwater. "Why, this little -girl," he brought his hand down on Indiana's shoulders, "learned to -shoot up there." - -"Indeed!" said Lord Canning. - -"Well, you just ought to have seen her once cornering a grizzly. She -shot him, too--sure as I stand here." - -"Extraordinary!" exclaimed Lord Canning. - -"Oh, that's a small matter," remarked Indiana modestly. - -"Indeed!" said Lord Canning. - -"We shoot bears every day in America," she added airily. - -At these words Lord Canning looked about him as though he fully expected -one to appear that moment, for the purpose of allowing him to see Miss -Stillwater dispatch it with all possible speed, and just as she stood -there in her long white opera cloak, holding a bunch of hyacinths. - -"Not here!" exclaimed Indiana. - -"No?" answered Lord Canning, looking absently at her blonde pompadour, -every hair of which seemed to quiver with a distinct life and -individuality of its own. - -Indiana gave vent to a long peal of merriment. - -"No--of course not!" Lord Canning hastened to add. "Not _here_." - -"We used to spend most part of our summers in the Rockies," said -Stillwater, "but the last two or three years the ladies have preferred -the Adirondacks." - -"We thought of giving ourselves a month there in the autumn, before we -return to England," said Lord Canning. - -"Now's my chance," exclaimed Mrs. Bunker; "you must stay with us, and -we'll give you fine hunting." - -"Plenty of deer in the North Woods," added Stillwater. "You'll be -heartily welcome if you care to rough it with us. Camp life, you know." - -"I should be only too delighted," said Lord Canning. "What do you say, -Uncle?" - -"Charmed!" - -"I'm sure we'll make you feel at home," said Mrs. Stillwater. - -At these words, uttered with such heartfelt sincerity, the two -Englishmen felt at home that very moment. There was a soft domesticity -about Mrs. Stillwater, which made itself perceptible even in the -brilliant crowded corridor of the Waldorf. - -"Now, Lord Stafford," said Mrs. Bunker, "take out your note book; and -I'll give you all necessary instructions to reach us." - -"I generally manage to get up there in September," said Mr. Stillwater. -"But, if anything detains me for a short while--you'll be in good -hands." - -"Yes, we'll take care of you," said Indiana. - -Lord Canning smiled. Indiana immediately decided that his face, though -stern in repose, was not unattractive. - -"Well, good-bye till the fall," said Mrs. Bunker. "Lord Stafford, do -you remember that odd trick you had abroad, of turning up unexpectedly, -wherever I happened to be?" She tapped him playfully with a carnation -from her bouquet. - -"Ha, ha, ha! You see, I haven't lost that trick yet, Mrs. Bunker!" He -took the carnation and fastened it in his buttonhole. - -"Good-bye, Lord Canning," said Indiana. "Don't forget to look us up, -when you come to the woods. I'll show you the sights." - -Lord Canning bowed, blushing with embarrassment. No young lady, of the -tender age of Indiana, had ever before spoken to him with such freedom, -or looked at him with such unconscious, unabashed eyes. - -"Lively woman, Mrs. Bunker," remarked Lord Stafford, looking after the -party, and inhaling the fragrance of the carnation. - -He met with no response. - -"Lively woman, eh?" he repeated in a louder tone. - -"Yes," answered Lord Canning absently, "very, very young; little more -than a child, in spite of her self-assurance--and there's something -about her--something--quite--er--different!" - - - - - *CHAPTER III.* - - *On a Model Farm* - - -"The peas are sprouting pretty lively. The tomatoes are as perky as the -young generation. The strawberries--well, they're saying, 'To-day we're -here, to-morrow we're gone.' You shall have strawberries and cream for -supper this evening." - -After delivering this report in his own neat style, Stillwater rolled -down his shirt sleeves, threw aside his big straw wide awake, and sank -into a rocker. - -"What are you making, mother?" - -"A little dimity dress for Indiana to wear about the farm." - -"Well, history repeats itself on this place. Are you commencing to make -dresses for Indiana again? I suppose you're imagining she's a little -fat tot, and we've always been just here." - -"Not when I look at all this goods," said Mrs. Stillwater laughing, -"though she's small, compared to what I was at her age." - -"Why don't you send to town for some dresses," asked Stillwater. - -"Oh, because it's a pleasure to make it myself, father, and the child -loves to see me do it." - -"Bye the bye." Stillwater took a handkerchief from his pocket, and -unfolding it, carefully disclosed what to ignorant eyes was simply an -ordinary potato. "I'll have something to show at the next county fair, -that'll make neighbor Masters feel like very _small potatoes_." - -Mrs. Bunker, who was embroidering red roses on white linen, handled the -potato with the air of a connoisseur. - -"Father, you're working as hard on this farm as if your living depended -on it," said Mrs. Stillwater. - -"My living does depend on it; I'd have been under the ground before -long, if I hadn't taken to this. I consider every potato which costs me -ten dollars, is equivalent to a doctor's pill." - -Mrs. Bunker laughed. - -"My dear grandmother, a man who works as hard as I'm working on my farm, -makes a living and nothing more. I sat in my office and doubled my -capital without turning a hand, but that's the pace that kills. Halloa, -Glen," as a young, good-looking fellow in knickerbockers opened the -gate. "Leave your wheel right there." - -"Good morning, Mrs. Stillwater." - -"Good morning, Glen; how's your mother?" - -"Well, thanks. Sends her love, and father's quite his old self." - -"Who cured him?" said Stillwater. - -"He was getting to be a regular hypochondriac. We compared our -symptoms; they were about alike. I constitute myself my own doctor. I -buy a farm, and a pretty thing it is, too. I'll be wabashed, if he -don't go and do the same." - -"Ah, but father happened to have his farm, Mr. Stillwater," said the -young fellow, laughing. "It's been neglected for years. It's not a -model farm like this, but we're getting it into shape." He looked -around, as though he missed something or someone. - -"Say, Glen, what do you think of this?" Stillwater proudly exhibited -his potato. Glen examined it with professional interest. "You couldn't -do any better than that, could you?" - -"We don't try. You know what father says, 'Farmin' ain't no fad with my -neighbor, Stillwater.'--I'll just fetch a drink from the well." - -He went off with a long, swinging stride, and, returning in a moment -with a tin cup in his hand, seated himself at Mrs. Stillwater's feet, on -the step of the farm-house porch. - -"Fine tasting water, eh?" said Stillwater watching him. "Cold as ice; -it's a fine thing to have a spring like that, right on your ground." - -Glen nodded, drinking slowly, and fingering the dainty, pink and white, -flowered material on which Mrs. Stillwater was working. He finally -rose, restored the tin cup to the well, sauntered back and into the -kitchen, and out again, with a disappointed expression. - -"What's the matter, Glen? Lost anything?" inquired Mr. Stillwater, -winking at the others. - -Glen smiled. "Where's Indiana?" - -"Oh, Indiana. She went off on Circus nearly three hours ago." - -"Why didn't she stop for me?" - -"I suppose she thought one's company, two's a crowd," answered -Stillwater. - -"You never know when Circus is going to cut up his games," remarked -Glen, gloomily. - -"Tell me about Circus now," said Mr. Stillwater scornfully, "don't I -know Circus by this time?" - -"Do you think anything could have happened?" asked Mrs. Stillwater in -alarm. - -"I've yet to see the horse that Indiana couldn't manage. I never saw -two people understand each other better than she and Circus. He fretted -and fumed when she jumped on his back this morning, then he did his -great act. Stood right up on his hind legs, and looked around for -applause. But she sat him like a rock. The two of them made the -prettiest picture you ever saw. Well, she got him so, that he trotted -off with her like Mary's little lamb. Indiana has a way with a horse." - -"I think I hear her now," said Glen, walking down to the gate, and -flinging it open. - -"Look at that boy!" said Stillwater. "See, how his face lights up!" - -"It's only natural," answered Mrs. Stillwater. "They all feel like that -towards Indiana." - -"No," said Stillwater, watching Glen, "not just like that." - -"Yes," interpolated Mrs. Bunker, "he's the same as the rest." - -"No," persisted Mr. Stillwater. "Not quite the same. Look at him out -there! He's a fine lad." - -They glanced at him, standing bare-headed, holding the gate and -watching. His small, finely shaped head, with its well-modeled features, -showing in relief against the sycamore tree near the gate. - -"He fought well for his country," continued Stillwater. - -"There are others," said Mrs. Bunker tersely. - -"That's all right," responded Stillwater, while the clatter of horses -hoofs came nearer. "Not all of them went like him--willing to give -their heart's blood." - -"Hurrah!" cried Indiana, entering the gate at full gallop, riding -straddle, breathless, hatless, her yellow hair streaming behind her. -Sitting aloft Circus, who was a tall horse, she looked like a little -boy, a very young, tender, pretty boy, whose hair his mother could not -yet bring herself to cut. She circled the mound in the centre of the -garden, and pulled Circus up tightly at the steps. He reared at the -suddenness of the check. Indiana sank forward on his neck, spent with -her ride, and circled his head with her arms. - -"No more tricks, Circus," she murmured. "The show's over; we're just -beat out, Circus." Glen took her in his arms, and lifted her bodily off -the horse. A stable boy led him away. His shining black coat was -covered with flecks of foam. - -"Give me a drink, someone!" said Indiana. - -"Not now, Indiana," pleaded Mrs. Stillwater, "you're so warm." - -"I'm parched, I tell you," said Indiana, stamping her foot, and pressing -her hand to her throat. - -Glen ran quickly to the well, and returned with the tin cup, which he -held to Indiana's lips. - -"Slowly," he said, holding the cup. - -"It's warm," she said, snatching the cup, and spilling the remainder of -the water. - -"Why didn't you stop for me?" asked Glen. - -"I wanted to ride alone," answered Indiana, sinking down on the step. -"I wanted to think--" - -"Think," echoed Stillwater. - -"Think," repeated Mrs. Bunker. "Writing a book, Indiana?" - -"Think!" said Glen. "If Indiana's taking these notions, I guess I'd -better say good bye." He put on his cap. - -"Don't mind them, darling," said Mrs. Stillwater. She drew Indiana's -head down on her shoulder, feeling her hot cheeks and forehead -solicitously. - -"She's so warm--" - -"What's the use of riding yourself out like that, Indiana?" said Mrs. -Bunker. - -"Grandma Chazy," cried Indiana, starting up. "I'd rather have one mad -gallop like that if it were the death of me, than take a slow gait for -the rest of my life." - -"Indiana!" exclaimed Mrs. Stillwater. - -"That's only the sporting spirit in her, mother," said Stillwater. "She -comes by it honestly." He smiled as he recalled a few venturesome -dealings of his own within the last year, which had not culminated as he -would have wished. Stillwater was one of the men who could enjoy a -laugh at his own expense. - -"There was a devil in me, this morning," said Indiana, fiercely, "and I -just rode it down." - -"Indiana!" - -"That's only young blood, mother. You can't expect her to be the same as -we old-timers." He glanced slyly at Mrs. Bunker, who poked him with her -needle. - -"I was on the war path," said Indiana. "If I hadn't gone out with -Circus, I--I--well, you'd have just scattered, that's all." - -"Bet yer life," chuckled Stillwater. - -"Is my dress finished?" asked Indiana, burying her face in the pink and -white folds on Mrs. Stillwater's lap. - -"Just a stitch or two more, dear. I've been working on it all morning." - -"It looks so nice and cool. I want to put it on." - -"So you shall, dear," said Mrs. Stillwater, in the tone one uses to a -fractious baby. - -"Just leave my hair alone, Glen," exclaimed Indiana, turning suddenly -around on him, with flashing eyes. - -"All right, Indiana," he said, meekly. - -"Come now, darling; come up stairs and when you've had your bath, I'll -dress you up and brush your hair nicely. It's all tangled." - -"I didn't mean to be cross, Glen," said Indiana, with a sudden change of -mood, as Mrs. Stillwater took her hand and led her through the kitchen. - -"Oh, that's all right, Indiana!" - -Glen Masters had known Indiana all her life. When she was born, the -six-year old Glen came to see the baby, and stood by her cradle, sucking -his thumb in solemn-eyed wonder. Not having any brothers or sisters of -his own, he adopted her immediately; and he loved to be tyrannized over -by the petted baby girl, who kicked and scratched him one minute, and -the next caressed him with her little, soft, fat palms. His father had -risen in the world very much the same way as Stillwater. They had been -ranchmen together. - -Stillwater lit a meerschaum pipe and puffed it slowly. Glen followed -his example. - -"There's two birds building a nest up in that sycamore," said -Stillwater. "Hear them twitter? They're just as happy as can be." - -Glen lounged on the step, looking dreamily up at the sky. - -"Well, how are things going on over at the farm?" inquired Stillwater. - -"Oh, we'll show some livestock at the County Fair that can't be beat." -His eyes smiled a challenge at Stillwater. - -"No competition," chuckled Stillwater, "but just you come over to the -barn. I want to show you something. 'Farming ain't no fad with Friend -Masters,' but I'll meet him at Phillipi." - -"When you men once get with the livestock, that's the last we see of -you. Dinner's ready as soon as Indiana's dressed," said Mrs. Bunker, as -they sauntered off laughing. - -It was the custom of the family to partake of dinner farm style, in the -large kitchen. The first bell, which Kitty rang daily, was for the -family, the second summoned the farm hands. - -Glen and Stillwater, by chance, not by any intention of punctuality, -emerged from the farm, just as the first bell resounded from the house. -It was then that Glen thought fit to stop and utter a very vital -question. - -"Mr. Stillwater, I want to ask you what you think of my chances -with--with Indiana?" - -Glen was oblivious to the fact that he had not chosen a very propitious -time or spot, to broach such a subject. The dinner bell had just -sounded and Mr. Stillwater had been working since five o'clock that -morning, to gain an appetite. Then, the mid-day sun poured down on them -where they stood, and an Indiana sun is hot in May. - -"Your chances with Indiana?" The repetition was merely a subterfuge to -gain time, as Indiana's father had not the remotest idea how to answer -her young suitor. Glen's preference had been an open secret for a long -time; but he had never openly broached the subject, not even to Indiana. - -"Yes!" - -"Oh--oh, I think they're all right, my boy--why shouldn't they be?" -Stillwater looked about him as though challenging earth and heaven to -contradict. - -"That's exactly what I think," said Glen, grasping the other's hand. -"Why shouldn't they be?" - -Stillwater's heart sank as he looked into the young fellow's glowing, -hopeful eyes. He strongly suspected that Indiana would not accept her -old playmate in the character of a lover. But he could not bring -himself to tell Glen this. He felt deeply for the son of his oldest -friend. - -"I've known her all her life, Mr. Stillwater," said Glen, as though this -was a fact unknown to Stillwater. - -"Is that so, my boy?" said Stillwater, accepting the information -seriously. - -"And it is my conviction that I understand her better than anyone -living; better even than yourself!" - -"You do?" said Stillwater. "Well, that's wonderful!" - -"It is, and that's why I don't see how Indiana could marry anyone else." - -"Anyone else but you?" repeated Stillwater with deference. - -"Precisely; anyone else but me. Can't you see it yourself? A stranger -wouldn't understand her. He wouldn't have the remotest idea how to -treat her. I know all her faults." - -"Are you positive about that?" - -"Positive." - -"Well, it's a great thing to know the worst beforehand." - -"Then I can rely on your co-operation in this matter, Mr. Stillwater?" - -"You can," said Mr. Stillwater. "I'd like to see it. I've known you -from a little lad and you're the son of my oldest friend. I'm with -you--you can figure what that's worth." He himself knew how little his -wishes would weigh with his opiniative little daughter, in such a case. -Glen also realized that fact only too well. What they _said_ was merely -a matter of form. They both felt there was a certain etiquette -attendant on the subject. "Thank you, Mr. Stillwater. I'm glad to think -you consider me a proper husband for Indiana." - -"Don't mention it, my boy! and now, I want to give you a little advice. -Don't spring anything on Indiana!" - -Glen looked at him inquiringly. - -"Don't be too sudden--" - -"Indiana has already received several offers, but I don't believe anyone -of them was a shock to her," answered Glen dryly. He thought also, "How -can a fellow be sudden with a girl he's known ever since she had short, -yellow rings curling all over her head, and wasn't sure on her feet." - -"She expected those offers, but she never dreams of such a thing from -you." - -"No, I don't suppose she does," said Glen, gloomily. - -"Of course, we can't tell anything about _her_. One never knows what -sort of a notion Indiana's going to take. I don't want to discourage -you--but don't stake your whole life on this thing, my boy. It won't -do--it never does." - -Glen drew a deep breath, and turned his head away. - -"Put your cap on! The sun's hotter than July." - -"Oh, Manila has schooled me to this--and worse, if it comes." He -compressed his lips, and gazed ahead, past the farm, to the utmost line -of horizon, and beyond that. - -"You're a true soldier, my boy. Face the music--we've all got to, -sooner or later." - -The dinner bell rang again with menace in its brassy tones. - -"We'd better go back to the house. They'll give us Hail Columbia! Brace -up, Glen, and remember--I'm with you!" - -Over on the farm-house porch Mrs. Bunker was saying to Kitty: "It's the -last of those men, once they get with the live-stock." - -"Here they are," said Kitty. "Why, Mr. Stillwater! Dinner's ready long -ago." - -"Don't get excited, Kitty; keep cool. This is the hot part of the day. -Do you observe that the sun has approached its meridian, Kitty? No -occasion for rush here. Rest and quiet, Kitty--that's my cure. Say, -look at Indiana! Isn't she the sweetest thing that ever happened?" - -She peeped from behind her mother, dressed in the simple pink and white -dimity. Her hair had been smoothly brushed, and hung in one long braid. -She looked like a fair and happy child, of not more than fifteen; -laughing, refreshed from sleep. Glen gazed at her, but said nothing. -His recent confession to Indiana's father, had the effect of making him -conscious and tongue-tied. There was a large orchard on the farm, where -lay the afternoon shade. The family repaired there, according to the -daily custom, as soon as dinner was over. Hammocks hung in the trees and -Kitty spread shawls on the ground, and brought pillows galore. - -Glen sat in the midst of the group, tuning his mandolin, which he kept -at the farm. Glen and his mandolin were associated. All invitations -issued to him included the clause, "Bring your mandolin!" He seldom -made a social visit without it, except on doleful occasions, such as -funerals or visits of condolence. - -He was hailed with joy whenever he appeared with his frank smile and his -mandolin. In the West, there is a keen appreciation of impromptu -pleasure. - -In the orchard the fruit trees had fully blossomed, the grass was still -a young, tender green. Through the masses of delicate pink and white -color, shone here and there, glimpses of the exquisite blue sky. There -is little to admire, as far as scenery is concerned, in this flat -country, over which one can travel for miles without seeing a rolling -meadow, or a sign of a hill. But one can rave over the skies of -Indiana, sometimes brilliantly, sometimes softly tenderly blue. Their -peculiar azure is not reproduced in any other country of the world. The -color ran out when the skies of Indiana were painted, and never renewed, -in order that they should remain unique. The secret belongs to the -Universe. - - - - - *CHAPTER IV.* - - *Springtime.* - - -"The blossoms are commencing to fall," said Mrs. Stillwater, shaking -three or four petals off her work. Her hands were never idle, and they -were now manipulating some fleecy white wool. "What a pity it can't -always be like this--the trees look so beautiful. I could content -myself here all summer--" - -"Well, I won't say that," said Mrs. Bunker. "There's no place hotter on -earth, than Indiana in summer. But if it would always be as pleasant as -now--I like the seashore in July--" - -"You mean," interrupted Stillwater, lying under a low-spreading apple -tree, with a handkerchief spread over his face, "that you like the -'life' at the seashore. There's no affinity between you and the ocean -that I know of." - -"Well, have it that way, if you will. I like 'the life at the -seashore.'" - -Mrs. Bunker looked defiantly up from the red rose which she was -embroidering, with a little less energy perhaps, than in the morning. -"Particularly, as we are buried alive in the Adirondacks during August, -September and October." - -"Buried alive?" - -"Buried alive!" Mrs. Bunker looked around triumphantly, enjoying the -sensation her words had occasioned. Indiana had thrown down her book -which she was reading, lying on her back. Glen stopped thrumming -pensive snatches of melody. Mrs. Stillwater gave her mother a startled -glance and Stillwater threw the handkerchief from his face and raised -himself to a sitting posture. - -"Well, I never saw such a woman! Buried alive! Buried--why, you have -the camp filled with company. Didn't I have to put up tents for them -last year; the place looked as if there was an army bivouacing on it--" - -"Oh, yes; I can make a good time for myself wherever I am--but when -we're alone there--it's so still, I'm afraid of the sound of my own -voice, and jump for joy if I see a chipmunk peeping out of its hole. -There's something spry about them, at all attempts. The natives would -do well to imitate them. Such a slow lot--and those guides with their -drawling voices. The world just stops, when you get up to the -Adirondacks." - -"I'm never so happy," remarked Glen, "as when I'm in the forests and on -those lakes. It's the real thing. City life goes against my grain, -somehow." - -"I always feel quite natural in the woods," said Indiana. "Just as -though I belonged there, with the other wild things." - -"When did those English friends of yours say they were coming up, -grandma?" inquired Mr. Stillwater, in a muffled voice, having again -taken shelter under the handkerchief, after recovering from the last of -the many shocks he was in the habit of receiving from his mother-in-law. - -"They said September, but I have a shrewd idea they'll get tired of -travelling before then. They may arrive the latter part of August. -They'll be glad to see a little home life once more." - -"Friends of yours, Mrs. Bunker?" inquired Glen, with a slight frown. - -"Yes; Lord Canning and his uncle, Lord Nelson Stafford. They belong to -a representative noble English family. I met them at Cannes last year--" - -"Lord Canning is a very distinguished looking gentleman," said Mrs. -Stillwater. - -"His face inspires trust, if I'm not mistaken," remarked her husband. - -"I promised to show him the sights," said Indiana, with a mischievous -smile. - -"How kind and disinterested of you," remarked Glen, in a very sarcastic -voice. - -"What do you mean by that?" demanded Indiana. - -"I mean you intended to make an impression on him, by the time you were -through with the sights," answered Glen, with a pale face. - -"And supposing I did," said Indiana, provokingly. "It wouldn't be the -first time I have made an impression, nor will it be the last." - -"Oh, well, I suppose you must have someone to flirt with," said Glen, -resignedly. - -"Now, children, don't quarrel! You know what that New York oracle said: -'Rest and quiet.'" - -"I never flirted with you," said Indiana. - -"I should hope not," answered Glen, in a very dignified manner. - -"What do you mean by that?" - -"I mean that I intend to be taken seriously, or not at all." - -They all gasped at this temerity from such an unexpected quarter. -Stillwater peeped at Indiana from under the corner of his handkerchief. - -"No man has ever yet dictated to me," said Indiana, majestically. - -"It's more than I'd do," murmured Stillwater. - -"Men are generally only too glad if I will tolerate them on any terms," -continued Indiana. - -"Well, I'm not like others; but never mind, Indiana--that's true -enough--I ought to be glad to be tolerated on any terms." He smiled -resignedly around on the circle. He was afraid he had gone too far. At -all events, their little skirmishes generally ended this way. Indiana -felt a slight misgiving as she took up her book again. Glen, her slave -and comrade, was one person, but Glen, who wished to be taken seriously, -with a pale set face and glowing eyes, was another. - -"What are you making, ma?" inquired Stillwater. - -"A little woolen cape, with a darling hood attached, for Indiana. Just -to put on her when she's roaming after dinner in the mountains. It's so -chilly there, when the sun goes down." - -"You're always making something for her," said Stillwater. - -"She's the best mother I ever had," remarked Indiana, proudly fingering -her little dimity skirt. - -Mrs. Stillwater blushed with happiness, and looked with almost tearful -love on this child, who showed such unparalleled appreciation of her -mother's efforts. - -"Sing 'My Georgia Lady Love,' Glen!" said Mrs. Bunker. - -Glen struck a few notes on his mandolin and sang in a very pleasing -baritone. - - "My Georgia Lady Love, my Southern Queen, - How your brown eyes do shine like stars above, - There's not a girl can equal you, - My Georgia Lady Love--Love." - - -"Kitty, you were never so welcome in your life," said Stillwater, as -Kitty appeared with the tea-tray. She was followed by a farm-hand -carrying a table and a camp-stool. Mrs. Bunker seated herself, and -commenced pouring out the tea. - -"Go ahead with the second verse, Glen!" - - "One day I said, 'I love you, Sue, - Believe me, gal, I will be true.' - She slowly dropped her head, - And then she softly said: - 'Mister Johnson, 'deed I loves you too. - My Georgia Lady Love, my Southern Queen." - - -"There's a circus to-night," volunteered Kitty. - -"Circus!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. - -"Oh, I want to go," said Indiana. - -"Let's stuff the big hay wagon full of straw and pillows," cried Mrs. -Bunker. "It's full moon; we'll have a grand ride, eh, Ratio?" - -Ratio looked visibly delighted. - -"Well, you know what he said, 'Rest and quiet.'" - -"Pa, you're forever quoting that old mummy," said Indiana. "He's like -the ghost in Hamlet. It's settled; we'll go." - -"Well, what's the matter, Kitty? Got anything on your mind?" - -"No, sir; but Jim Tuttle's invited me to the circus, and I'd like to go, -if the ladies don't object." - -"Not at all, not at all," said Stillwater, with an amiable wave of his -hand. Kitty left the orchard in high glee. - -"She did well to ask you, instead of me, sly thing," said Mrs. Bunker. -"That girl's too fond of pleasure." - -"Now grandma--we were young ourselves, once." - -"Speak for yourself, Ratio. I'm going to the kitchen to make some -taffy. There's just enough time for it to cool. We'll take it along -and give it to all the youngsters." - -"Well, ma, there's a nice breeze blowing, the sun's going down. What do -you say to a short spin?" - -"Yes, father." - -"Well, get ready. I'll have the buckboard here in five minutes." He -rose, shaking off the blossoms which powdered his coat like snow. - -"There's some on your hair, ma; they're so pretty." - -Indiana rose lazily from the grass, also shaking off a shower of -blossoms, and leaned against a low-spreading apple tree, extending her -arms on the branches each side of her. - -Glen gazed at her, still thrumming his mandolin. - -"Do you think you'll come to Narragansett with us, this summer?" said -Indiana, looking idly up through the branches. - -"What for?" said Glen, gloomily. "To see you dance and flirt with a lot -of--of simpering idiots." - -Indiana laughed. Every time she moved, the blossoms fell upon her -shoulders, neck and hair. - -"Don't you like me to enjoy myself?" - -"Not with other men." - -"Oh, that's selfish!" - -"Maybe," said Glen. - -There was silence, broken only by the thrumming of the mandolin and the -twitter of birds from the recesses of the trees. - -"It's sad, the way those blossoms fall on you, Indiana." - -Indiana shook the branches, and peeped out laughing through the thick -shower which followed. - -"You look like a part of the tree," said Glen. "Like a wood-sprite, a -Dryad--or something." - -"Or something," said Indiana, "is very illustrative to the mind." - -"I like you best as you are here about the farm," continued Glen, -watching her steadily with his dark eyes, and continuing his eternal -thrumming. "Just as you are now, in that simple dress your mother made -for you, with your hair hanging like that--I always liked your hair -hanging--do you remember, Indiana?" - -"Yes, you always liked it, Glen." - -"It went rather hard with me, when you first put it up, and wore long -dresses. It seemed as though that were going to be the end of all our -good times." - -"But it wasn't, Glen?" - -"No; you were the same old Indiana, although you looked more--the woman. -Then you discovered your own power, and you took to breaking hearts. -You were very apt at that business, for one so young." - -"You forget," said Indiana, with a sly smile, "there was Grandma Chazy." - -"That's true. An old soldier in camp put you on to all the principal -maneuvers." - -They both laughed, looking around cautiously, like naughty children, as -though Mrs. Bunker might be hiding somewhere among the trees. - -"I fought shy of you for awhile, then--I was young and unworldly." From -Glen's seriously reminiscent expression, he might have been looking back -upon another self of twenty or thirty years ago. "And I could not -justify your practices at that time. I don't know whether you noticed -the difference in me?" - -"Only that you made yourself scarce when there was anyone else around." - -"I accepted the inevitable after a while; but when I see you in the -midst of a crowd of men, dealing out dances and smiles, you appear to me -like some stranger, with a marvellous resemblance to a girl I once -played with, called Indiana. Here, in the country, and up in the -Adirondacks you are the real Indiana." - -"That's nonsense! We can't be girl and boy forever. There's something -else in life--I suppose." - -"What?" said Glen. - -"I don't know," answered Indiana impatiently, "but it's individual. -People must discover it for themselves--" - -"Have you?" asked Glen. - -"No," answered Indiana. - -"I have," said Glen. - -"Tell me." - -"Not now." - -"This sort of life is all very well, but in order to develop, one must -see the world, must be of the world. I don't believe in a groove." - -"Your mother did," said Glen. - -"How can you compare me to ma? She's the old-fashioned type, bless her -heart!" - -"Look at this day," said Glen irrelevantly. "I believe in enjoying what -we have. This is one day out of life. There'll never be another like -this--not just like this. The blossoms are going--" - -"They'll come again, next year," said Indiana. - -"Yes, but we may be different, that's the trouble. I'd like to keep -this day--everything is so young and tender and spring-like--and you're -part of it all. The sun sinking over there; the rosy clouds above our -heads--there's a soft, pink light on the whole orchard--it's shining -down, through the branches, on your face. I wish there was an -artist--the best in the world--living hereabouts. I'd jump on my wheel, -and bring him in a trice, with his color-box and his canvas. But it -would be even too late--to catch this light. I'd have him paint the -whole thing with you in the foreground, among the blossoms--that glow on -your face. I'd call the picture, 'Indiana.'" - - - *[Illustration: "I'd call the picture, 'Indiana.'" - (missing from book)]* - - -"And you, Glen? You wouldn't be in it at all." - -"I'd own the picture," said Glen. - -A slight breeze swept through the orchard, bringing a snowy shower from -the trees. There was a tinkling of bells, not far away. - -"The cows have just come home," said Indiana. "Glen, what will you do -with yourself this summer, if you don't go with us to Narragansett?" - -"I'll stay with the folks, till you all go up to the camp. Then I'll -join you on our old hunting grounds--if you want me--" - -"Why!" exclaimed Indiana. "It wouldn't seem like the Adirondacks, if -you weren't there." - -Glen smiled gratefully. - -"How are the folks?" - -"Well, thanks. They were talking about you, to-day." - -"I'll ride over there to-morrow." - -"They'll be glad to see you. They love you just--just like a daughter." - -"I like people to love me," said Indiana. - -"So do I," answered Glen. He gazed around him. Nature so beautifully -revealed just then, inspired him to speak. "There are not many days like -this," he thought, "and now, it is measured by moments. Before it is -over I will tell her!" He leaned over his mandolin, watching a little -brown bug struggle through the grass, then he gazed upward. The rosy -light still lingered on the orchard. - -"Before it fades, I will ask her." Stillwater's caution recurred to -him. "'Don't spring anything on Indiana!' He didn't make allowances for -a moment like this," thought Glen. "He didn't think it was going to be -such a day." He was very pale, and his fingers shook slightly as they -laid the mandolin down on the grass. - -"Do you think you could love me, Indiana?" he said, simply. - -"Why, I've loved you all my life, Glen." - -"I don't mean that way, Indiana." He took up his mandolin again, -nervously. - -"I don't know any other way, Glen," she answered, pitifully. - -"Not now; but don't you think you could?" - -"No, Glen." - -"Try me; let's be engaged for a little while, then if you can't love -me--" - -"Glen, it's no use--I've known you too long." - -"Indiana, you don't know what you're saying--you're killing me, -Indiana!" - -"Glen! Glen!" She threw herself down beside him, and smoothed and -patted his hair, soothing him as though he had fallen and hurt himself. -He seized her hands, and held them tightly. - -"Life means nothing to me, without you, Indiana--you're the key to it. -Look here; suppose I was given a beautiful book to read, in a foreign -language--the greatest ever written--it would be mere print, wouldn't -it? But suppose someone translated it for me, and all its beauty became -suddenly revealed. You translate life for me that way, Indiana; _don't -you understand_?" - -"Yes, yes, Glen. But if I marry you, that will be the end. You're too -much a part of the old life--" - -"The old life, Indiana? Isn't that the best life?" - -"Not for me." - -"You don't know what you're saying. If I live to be a hundred, I want to -live true to the old life, to the old ideals and the old truths, even -the simple ones I learned at home, when I was a little lad." - -"You're a good fellow, Glen; shake hands with me!" - -"Won't you think about it, Indiana?" - -"No, dear! I hate to say it--but I want to be straight with you. -Something tells me it's not the right thing for us to marry. Don't say -any more--don't try to persuade me--it's no use." - -"All right, Indiana." - -"Don't look like that, Glen! you'll break my heart. Life isn't over for -you, because--of this. It's a beautiful world still--look at the -blossoms, look at the day!" - -"It's not the same," said Glen, holding his hand to his eyes. "It'll -never be the same." - -"Oh, yes, it will, dear; after a while. I don't want to lose you, Glen; -you'll be my dear old friend still. Say you will!" - -"Do you remember when I went to the war, Indiana? You gave me a lock of -your hair, and I carried it over my heart. It was a charm, a little -yellow lock--it brought me back to you alive. You cried when you gave it -to me, and said, 'God keep you, Glen!'" - -"And I say it now! Wherever we both happen to be, until I die, 'God -keep you, Glen!'" She broke down, and sobbed on his breast. - -He smoothed her hair mechanically, murmuring, "A little yellow lock--I -carried it over my heart, always. They might have found it if I hadn't -come back. I wish that I hadn't, now--I wish that I hadn't!" - -"Glen! What are you saying?" She held her hand over his mouth. "We'll -go on just the same; you mustn't say anything to the others. We'll keep -our own secret, and you'll come to the camp this August?" - -"It'll never be the same," repeated Glen, monotonously. - -Suddenly they heard the sound of wheels, and Stillwater's voice shouting -to Jim Tuttle. - -"I must be getting home," said Glen stupidly, like a person just -awakened from sleep. - -"Why, aren't you going to the circus, Glen?" - -"Circus?" - -"Don't break up the party!" - -"All right, Indiana." - -It was not a merry circus party, as far as the younger members were -concerned, but the others were lively, and failed to see anything -strange in their behaviour. Indiana asked someone to dare her to jump -down in the ring, and ride better than the lady equestrian, but they all -wisely refrained from doing so. Glen sat in the center of the wagon and -tinkled his mandolin faithfully, for the amusement of the party. They -dropped him at his own gate, to which they drove, singing hilariously, -Kitty bringing up the rear in a buggy with Jim Tuttle. - -"Hello, neighbor Stillwater!" called a voice from one of the farm-house -windows. - -"It's father," said Glen. - -"Hello, Masters!" - -"Is this what you call 'rest and quiet?'" - -"Well, I don't believe in too much of a good thing; good-night." - -"Good-night; good luck to you all." - -"Merrily we roll along," sang Mrs. Bunker. - -Glen leaned against the gate after they had gone, listening to their -voices in the distance. - -"Have a good time, Glen?" - -"Yes, father!" - -The window closed. Glen laughed bitterly, leaning against the gate; -then the laugh changed to a sob. - -"I don't want much, I ask so little, dear God; _only Indiana_." - - - - - *CHAPTER V.* - - *Camp Indiana.* - - -"I'm tired of the model farm. I wouldn't care to spend another spring -here." - -"Indiana, your love of change will bode you no good, some day." - -"I come by it honestly, Grandma Chazy--you're always on the go." - -"Don't compare yourself to me, Indiana. I'm an old woman." - -"You'd be hopping mad, if anyone else called you that." - -"I can take a privilege which I wouldn't allow to others," said Mrs. -Bunker, sweetly. "I mean I'm an old woman compared to you, Indiana; I -have experience and discretion, to back up my roving spirit." - -"Em--n!" said Indiana. - -She was lying on a nest of pillows, reading, surrounded by dormer -windows, in one of the upper rooms of the farm-house. - -"Look at pa out there in the rain with his rubber coat and hat. He's a -sight! Wonder if Glen will be over to-day." - -"Appears to me, you're always looking for Glen." - -"There's no one else to look for, here, is there?" - -"Girls your age generally do attach themselves to the man who's around." - -"I'm no more attached to Glen than I ever was. Everybody likes him. -He's a good fellow." - -"That's true. Do you think you'll marry him?" - -"What's your opinion on that matter, Grandma Chazy?" - -"I think you'd regret it all your life; he's only a boy." - -"Yes, but he's a good fellow." - -"You said that before." - -Glen had kept away for a week or so after the moonlight circus party, -and in that time became morbid and melancholy. Indiana dominated him -completely. He racked his brain, hour after hour, trying to remember -the exact words in which she had uttered such and such a remark, with -her exact tone of voice and the exact expression of her eyes at the -time. Sometimes in his sleep he heard her calling "Glen dear! Glen -dear! Glen dear!" her childish name for him, in a helpless, frightened -voice. He would awaken with a terrible fear that she might be ill or in -trouble. Compared with this awful anxiety oppressing him in the night, -his past misery seemed nothing. He resolved that if Indiana only kept -well and happy he would ask nothing more of life. Again, he heard her -laughing in his dreams, mockingly, tantalizingly; laughing, laughing, -laughing, until his brain reeled, and he thought, "This is the laugh -that drives men mad." Then, when taking bicycle rides on the moonlight -nights of his week's absence, her face seemed to flash upon him suddenly -in dark places, like that of a sweet ghost. Haunted like this, the idea -of seeing her in reality once more was like the conventional promise of -Heaven. He resolved to resume their old footing. "Indiana wishes it, -and anything is better than not to see her." He appeared again at the -model farm, humble and deferential to Indiana's slightest wish, grateful -for her every look and word. With her tender heart and warm sympathies -she pitied him intensely. She tried to establish their old comradeship. -The loyal little soul hated to lose a friend. - -Glen felt life was worth living once more. There is a magic flower, -tiny, and blue as the sky. This is the forget-me-not bloom of hope. It -sheds a sweet and subtle fragrance which enchants the soul, and charms -the eyes, so that they see a wonderful light on all things. But when -the flower perishes, there is an end to the spell. The glamour fades -before the eyes, the soul is seized with an aching grief. But the -witch-flower of hope will bloom again, if it is not plucked by the root. - -"I'm getting a little bit tired of it myself, here," remarked Mrs. -Bunker. "Well, it'll be time to pack up soon; I expect to enjoy myself -this summer." - -Indiana, watching the rain, forebore to answer. There were times when -Mrs. Bunker's constant desire for pleasure rather palled on her. - -Mid-summer at a fashionable seaside resort proved to be merely a -repetition of other summers. Indiana enjoyed herself, after the manner -of the young and thoughtless; dancing, bathing, flirting, and laughing. -But after the glare of the sea and the kaleidoscope of life on the -shore, after falling asleep every night to the echoes of the very latest -dance music, mingled with the eternal dash of the waves, the woods -beckoned her invitingly. - -It was the middle of August before the Stillwater's were installed in -the mountains. They arrived at the primitive station early in the -morning, and were met by one of the two guides yearly engaged for the -season. There was a large mountain wagon, without a cover, awaiting -them, and a pair of fresh-looking ponies. Indiana jumped up nimbly, and -took the reins, while Haller, the guide, packed in the rest of the -family and Kitty, all looking rather sleepy, from their all-night -travel. The other servants had preceded them by some days. - -"All right!" shouted Indiana, starting at a brisk trot. It was only -twenty minutes' drive from the station to a landing, where they were met -by a trim little naptha launch with "The Indiana" painted newly, in -bright letters, upon the prow. She puffed slowly up one of the largest -lakes in the Adirondacks, buried in the very heart of the mountains. -The latter are higher in this particular region, the scenery wilder than -elsewhere. Nature had designed a beautiful color scheme from the lake; -the rich, vivid green of the banks, fretted with enormous rocks and -crags, the darker background of the immediate mountains, in their -funereal dress of pine and balsam, and beyond the pale tracery of the -distant ranges. It was a dull morning, and the grey atmosphere gave a -touch of desolation to the wild environment of the lake. - -"It's lonesome as the grave," said Mrs. Bunker. "Throw me that cape, -please, Mr. Haller. I'm chilly." - -"Yer be?" said Haller, with a certain contortion of his serious face, -which was intended for a smile. "Waal, 'tis cool, mornin's." - -"How are the evenings? Cold, I suppose?" - -Haller cogitated for the space of five minutes. No one answers a -question thoughtlessly in these regions; and after sojourning there some -time, one learns not to interrogate at random. "Waal," he said at -length, "'tis cool evenin's." - -"None of the leaves have changed yet," said Indiana, after closely -inspecting the banks on either side. - -"No; they ain't changin'. Waal, thar's bin no frost, ter speak -of--thar's bin no frost, ter speak of." - -"Is it going to storm?" inquired Mrs. Stillwater, shivering, with a -heavy plaid shawl wrapped about her. - -Haller looked at the sky. "Waal, not yet awhile." - -"Indiana, your hat!" cried Mrs. Bunker. A gust of wind had torn it off -her head. Haller deftly rescued it from the lake and restored it to -Indiana in a dripping condition. She sat bare-headed, enjoying the -outlook, the moist wind blowing her hair in large rings around her face. - -"We're in for it," said Mrs. Bunker. When they started, the lake had -been grey and calm. Now, it was gradually darkening, and dotted here -and there with white-caps. - -"Are yer skeert?" said Haller, looking at Mrs. Bunker with one of his -contortions. - -"No," retorted Mrs. Bunker, sharply, "but I want to get to the camp." - -"Waal, we're goin' there," said Haller, calmly. - -In a little while they came in sight of the boat-house, elaborately -rustic, and pretty in design. Near it was planted an enormous -flag-staff, from which waved a white flag bearing the name "Camp -Indiana" in red letters. - -Camp Indiana, christened after the only daughter of the owner, was the -usual log structure, but capacious in dimensions, with a luxurious -interior. There were many adjuncts in the way of out-buildings and -summer-houses, glimpses of which could be caught between the trees. The -camp owed much to art, but rejoiced in one supreme, natural beauty. -This was a giant balsam tree which Stillwater could not bring himself to -cut, and, therefore, had been used in the construction of the camp -itself. The huge trunk supported the balcony, and the lower branches -were entwined in the rustic railing. Thence it rose, screening the -front windows up to the very roof, above which it towered paternally. -Birds innumerable made their homes in the branches, and chipmunks in the -moss-covered trunk. Every summer the little creatures ran nimbly along -the lower limbs, peeping curiously at the sharers of their home; and -young birds, essaying to fly, met with mishaps and fell into the camp -with broken wings and legs. The latter were a great solicitude to -Indiana. She nursed them carefully, with a knowledge founded on similar -cases in the Rocky Mountains. There, she had gained much experience -with birds and animals. - -Though it was blowing strongly on the lake, there was no wind at the -camp. No matter how the elements rage, there is quiet among the trees, -except for a sighing whisper, to which one could fall asleep. - -"Em--n!" said Mrs. Bunker, taking a survey when she reached the balcony. -"Enough to give one the blues." - -There was a huge deer-head over the entrance, a trophy of Stillwater's -first year in the Adirondacks. The large hall was decorated with many -other trophies from the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere. Wild skins of -every description strewed the polished floors throughout the camp. Logs -crackled brightly in the great, deep fire-place of the hall, as they -entered, emitting an odor of pine. The large, brown eyes of an elk -gazed beneath the branching antlers mildly down on the fire. A short, -wide flight of stairs was broken by a balcony over the hall. From the -railing hung an antique, Persian silk rug, upon which the fire played -richly. Beneath the stair-case and each side of the fire-place were -deep niches, comfortably furnished with pillows, of which red was the -prevailing tone. Graceful jars of old pottery decorated the shelves -above, with here and there a brilliant cluster of peacock's feathers, or -the rich plumage of a stuffed bird, to relieve the dullness of the clay. -This decoration was repeated in all the lower rooms, of which there were -many, one opening into the other, giving a vista of fire-lit interiors, -the flames catching an occasional flash of color from a red pillow or an -Oriental scarf hanging carelessly from a shelf. The camp resounded to -the crackling of logs with the accompanying, healthy perfume of the -burning pine. Indiana ran through all the rooms, looking out of every -window upon the lake. Those of her own room opened directly into the -balsam tree which ornamented the front of the camp. This room had been -built entirely of white maple. There was simple furniture of the same -wood. The gleaming white walls and ceiling served as a background for a -continuous Bacchanalian dance of shadows, cast by the branches of the -giant balsam screening the windows. Here, also, logs crackled cheerily -in a deep, wide fireplace, tiled with white onyx, which reflected the -flames in fitful opaline gleams. White bear rugs strewed the floor. -Indiana, as she looked around her, had visions of frosty, October -mornings, when she had put her feet unwillingly out of bed into the warm -fur, and hopped over the intervening space of cold floor to the fire. -She remembered awakings, when a breath of balsam air swept like a cool -hand across her forehead. Open windows and fires were Mr. Stillwater's -strict injunctions at the camp. Indiana, for one, obeyed him. She had -often opened her eyes to see a chipmunk sitting on its haunches, -regarding her curiously. And birds were in the habit of flying around -her little nest and out again to their own nest in the tree. She stood -for a moment by the fire with a sense of glad content to be once more in -this white, balsam-scented room. Then she ran into her mother's room, -and into that reserved for Glen. On the mantel were portraits of his -mother and father. They had insisted on his leaving some of his -belongings there last year, saying that if he did so, he would be sure -to come again. Indiana inspected the portraits. "I'm glad they're -here," she thought. "It'll be a welcome for him." - -Mrs. Bunker stood warming her hands by the hall fire. "The dampness -isn't off the rooms yet." - -"They've bin closed s'long, yer see," said Haller, lighting his pipe in -the doorway. "Waal, I opened up everything, lettin' in the sun, soon as -I knowed yer was comin'." - -"Now that he's lit his pipe," thought Mrs. Bunker, "it won't go out -while we're here." - -He stalked leisurely through the rooms, throwing a fresh log on every -fire, and looking about proudly, as though he could well be -congratulated upon his preparations. - -"Everything looks very nice, Henry," said Mrs. Stillwater, "just as if -we left yesterday." - -Another pipe saluted Mrs. Bunker at the entrance. It belonged to the -second guide, who was somewhat brisker in appearance than Haller. - -"Waal, haow d'ye find things lookin', ma'am?" he said, with a cheery -laugh. - -"They're looking all right, William," answered Mrs. Bunker, graciously. -She liked him better than Haller, who had an irritating effect on her. - -"Will it be a good season for deer?" said Indiana, running down the -stairs. - -William puffed slowly and seriously. - -"It's going ter be a good season for deer," he said. - -"Oh, I hope so," exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "I promised those Englishmen -good hunting." - -"If they come, there'll be good hunting, Grandma Chazy," said Indiana, -moving close to her, and looking significantly into her eyes. Mrs. -Bunker laughed vivaciously. - -"Ther' comin' down ter drink," volunteered William. - -"Already!" exclaimed Indiana, with a laughing glance at Mrs. Bunker. - -"Waal, thar' ain't bin no rain ter speak of--the springs is dryin' up on -the mauntings." - -"Y--es!" corroborated Haller, joining them with Mrs. Stillwater. "Ther -comin' down ter the lakes." - -"Poor things!" said Mrs. Stillwater. - -"Do you pity them, Grandma Chazy?" whispered Indiana, "I don't mean the -deer." - -"Not I," said Mrs. Bunker. "Wholesale slaughter isn't the word." - -Glen joined them soon after their arrival, but not before Indiana had -written him a special letter inviting him to come. He had a certain -pride where she was concerned. They roamed the woods together, renewing -acquaintance with all their old haunts, or rowed and fished on the lake -for hours with Haller and William. Mrs. Bunker and her daughter did not -share their enthusiasm for these sports. They enjoyed the lake only in -pleasant weather, when they made trips in "The Indiana" with a guide. -Sometimes they were met at the landing by the comfortable and airy -mountain wagon and the fresh mountain ponies, to take them for one of -the beautiful drives in which that county abounded. Occasionally, -Indiana and Glen would join them, changing off with the reins. - -"I'd like to write to the Smiths," said Mrs. Bunker, one morning. "I -promised to invite them up here. But you're so half-hearted about it, -Indiana. All you care for is to roam about with Glen." She was standing -on the balcony of the boat-house, and did not see Glen below on the -dock. He smiled grimly. - -"I can't blame her for one, Mrs. Bunker," he called up, good humoredly. - -Indiana laughed. She was sitting in a boat. After having assumed -several positions in order to ship water, she was now very busy bailing -it out with a large sponge. - -"No offense, Glen," said Mrs. Bunker. - -"None whatever," returned Glen, emerging, and bowing elaborately. - -"The two of you are like a couple of Indians," she continued. - -"Here's Haller with the mail," cried Indiana. He rowed swiftly towards -them in a light, narrow guide-boat. Indiana took the letters. - -"I brought a letter for yer," shouted Haller to Mrs. Bunker. - -"Then why didn't you deliver it?" answered Mrs. Bunker sharply. - -"_She_ tuk it," he answered, chuckling. - -Indiana stood up in the boat, balancing herself admirably, and flung the -letter to Mrs. Bunker, then sat down examining the other letters and -papers in her lap. - -"Nothing for you, Glen." - -He overturned a boat and seated himself upon it, smoking a pipe. -Naturally dark, he was burnt several shades darker, from his hair to the -loose, open collar of his flannel shirt. - -"You're sitting right in the water, Indiana. Your feet must be soaking -wet. Your mother ought to see you." - -Indiana looked at him with a laugh. He remembered her blue eyes had -given him that same arch glance as a child, when he had discovered her -in some act of mischief. - -"You always liked to put your feet in the puddles," he said. - -"Yes, I always had a passion for puddles. As Grandma Chazy would say, -'it'll bode me no good, some day.'" - -"It's from Lord Stafford," cried Mrs. Bunker. - -"Indeed!" said Indiana, affecting an English accent. - -"They'll be with us in a few days, Indiana." - -"Charmed!" said Indiana, standing up in the boat, and screwing up her -face in imitation of Lord Stafford with his monocle. - -Glen laughed heartily at the expense of Mrs. Bunker's English friends. - -"That's great, Indiana." - -"You little rogue," cried Mrs. Bunker, "I won't have you ridicule my -friends. Oh, I'm so delighted. You'll find them lovely company." - -"Ya--a--as," drawled Indiana, with a bored expression, "delighted, -I'm--" the rest was finished in the water, the boat capsizing suddenly. -Indiana was near enough to the dock to throw out an arm to Glen, and he -drew her up laughing, but drenched. - -"I knew you'd do it, Indiana," cried Mrs. Bunker. - -Indiana, still clinging to Glen, as the dock was slippery, smiled -faintly, putting her hand to her side. - -"You didn't hurt yourself, did you, Indiana?" said Glen, anxiously. - -"I twisted my side a little--I wanted to save myself, as I fell--that's -all." - -"What did she do, Glen?" called Mrs. Bunker. - -Glen lifted her up in his arms, and carried her up to the camp. - -"It was a punishment for making fun of people, wasn't it, Glen?" she -said, lifting her little wet face from his breast. "Serves me right, -don't it, Glen?" - -"No, dear," he said, tenderly. - -She tightened her arms about his neck. "You always took care of me, -Glen," she said, childishly. His heart beat violently against the -little soaking bundle. It was on his lips to say, "I always will, if -you'll only let me, Indiana." But he refrained. Still, as he climbed, -he felt he was mounting the goal where his heart could rest. - -Mrs. Stillwater ran anxiously to meet them. - -"It's nothing, Mary," cried Mrs. Bunker, "she was cutting up some of her -pranks, and fell into the water." - -"Just rub her side," said Glen, delivering his burden, "she sprained it -a little, falling, and put some dry clothes on her. You feel all right, -don't you, Indiana?" - -"Yes, Glen; thank you," said Indiana, meekly. - -Mrs. Bunker often remarked, "Indiana's always good, when she's sick." - -"Now, Indiana," said that lady, after her granddaughter had been duly -dried and dressed. "Shall I read you the rest of the letter?" - -"Yes," said Indiana, lying on a couch before the fire. - -"'We have enjoyed our tour exceedingly. My nephew has accumulated much -information which will prove of scientific value--'" - -"Oh, he's that sort, is he?" said Glen, who was seated in a niche by the -fire. He rose, knocking the ashes from his pipe, and sauntered out on -the balcony. - -"Jealous already!" said Mrs. Bunker. Indiana laughed, looking into the -fire. - -"Go on with the letter, Grandma Chazy." - -Glen looked up into the giant balsam. A chipmunk sat on one of the -branches, watching him. It was one which he and Indiana had succeeded -in making quite tame. He searched in his pocket for a nut. "Chip, -chip, chip!" he called, holding out his hand. Indiana's words echoed in -his ears. "You always took care of me, Glen," with all the innocent -trust that they conveyed. "She's known me all her life," he thought, -"there's no going against that. Now these Englishmen will come and -spoil everything." He puffed savagely on his pipe, still holding out -the nut to the chipmunk, who approached nearer and nearer. "I'll have -to take a back seat, now, I suppose. I guess I'll get out of the way, -altogether, for a little while. That'll suit me better." He caught -sight of Haller, below, planting ferns. "Halloa!" he called. - -Haller regarded him interrogatively. - -"Any guides at liberty?" - -Haller pulled thoughtfully on his pipe. Meanwhile the chipmunk grabbed -the nut, and disappeared. - -"Little rascal," said Glen. - -"Thar's Burt." - -"Tell him I want him for a week or two." - -The morning of the day when Mrs. Bunker expected her guests, Glen -signified his intention of a temporary departure. - -"Why, you are not going to leave us, Glen?" asked Mrs. Stillwater, -innocently. - -"Oh, I'm just going off for a little sport." - -"And when will you be back, Glen?" - -"Oh, I'll be back in a week or so." - -"I think it's real mean of you, Glen," said Indiana, pouting, "just as -we're expecting company, and men, too--and Pa isn't here." - -"Oh, there won't be any deficiency. Mrs. Bunker will see to that." - -"You're right! There won't be any deficiency," and she added sweetly, -"though I don't like to see you go." - -"Thank you, Mrs. Bunker. Here's Burt for me, now." Burt was a blonde, -stalwart young fellow, about Glen's own age. He rowed swiftly toward -the boat-house, smoking the inevitable pipe. When he landed, he strapped -one of those deep baskets the guides carry for provisions, on his back, -and climbed up to the camp. Mrs. Stillwater hurried down to the -kitchen, to assure herself that Glen was well provided for on his trip. - -They all descended to the lake to see him go. When Indiana saw the -accoutrements for departure; the fishing tackle, guns, and tent rigging, -she commenced to envy the two young fellows going off together, and felt -rather ill used to be left behind, to do the tame work of entertaining. -Glen read her face, and was inwardly delighted. - -"We're going to have a rare, good time, Indiana." - -"I believe you," said Indiana, ruefully. - -"Do you think there'll be enough provisions, Glen?" inquired Mrs. -Stillwater, anxiously. - -Glen laughed. The laugh was echoed by Haller and William, who were -assisting in the ceremony of seeing the young men off. - -"We'll have plenty of game, and Burt's as fine as any French cook." - -Burt took his pipe from his mouth with a flattered smile and a blush. -He was as shy as some young girls. - -"We'll feed on the delicacies of the season. And there's the canned -stuff, which we'll reserve for emergencies." He grasped Mrs. -Stillwater's hand. - -"Don't you be afraid, Mrs. Stillwater. We won't starve." - -"Oh, he won't starve, ma'am. I'll see to that," said Burt. - -"When we're hungry, we'll come home." They both laughed heartily. - -"Do you think there'll be good sport, Burt?" said Indiana. - -Burt, sitting in the boat, arranging his paraphernalia, looked at her -admiringly. - -"There'll be sport," he replied. - -"Oh, Glen; are you going to take your mandolin?" - -"Why not? It'll cheer us up nights, by the fire." - -Burt grinned in visible delight. - -"Well, I won't say good-bye for such a short time." He shook them all -by the hand. "Take care of yourselves." - -"Good-bye, Glen--no, I won't say good-bye. I hope you'll have a good -time, and come home safe." - -"Thank you, Indiana." He waved his hat to all and jumped into the boat. -Haller pushed them off. - -Indiana ran down to the end of the dock and threw her arms out to Glen. -"Oh, take me along!" - -Burt stopped rowing. - -"All right," said Glen, "there's room for you; will you come?" - -"Yes," said Indiana. - -"We'll take care of her, Mrs. Stillwater; won't we, Burt?" - -"Why, of course," said Burt. "She won't starve--I'll see to that." - -"Be off, the pair of you!" cried Mrs. Bunker. Burt took the oars again, -laughing, while Glen flourished his cap, looking at Indiana, and Haller -and William shouted sportsman's jokes from the shore. - -"There they go," said Indiana, waving her handkerchief. She then sat -down on the dock, watching the boat grow smaller and smaller. The -strains of the mandolin floated to them over the water. - -"Indiana, you look as though you hadn't a friend left. If I thought as -much of a person as that, I wouldn't let him out of my sight." - -"Well, Grandma Chazy, Glen's my best friend." - -"And look at your mother! She's actually crying." - -"Well, I hated to see him going off like that--I--I'm so fond of him." - -"Ma's a good soul," cried Indiana, jumping up and throwing herself into -Mrs. Stillwater's arms. "Yes, she is." - -"Well, I am not disputing that, Indiana." - -"He was so set on going," said Mrs. Stillwater, holding Indiana to her. -"I think it was because of those Englishmen. He don't like strangers." - -"A pity about him," retorted Mrs. Bunker, sharply. "Does he want to -monopolize Indiana altogether? He went because he might be of some use -for once. He could have livened things up a little nights with his -mandolin, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of saying so. Well, -I'm just as well pleased. He might have been unmannerly or bearish." - -"Not Glen!" said Indiana. - -"Oh, _Glen_," repeated Mrs. Bunker, imitating her. Haller, who was -washing out "The Indiana" and observing at the same time, gave vent to a -long guffaw. Mrs. Bunker looked at him crossly. "I can't bear that -Haller," she said, as they climbed up to the camp. "He's always making -faces at me." - -"When you think he's making faces, he's only smiling, I tell you," said -Indiana. "He's a fine guide; what more do you want?" - -"Wear your red dress to-night, Indiana," said Mrs. Bunker, ignoring this -last remark. - -"I think white is so much prettier for a young girl," suggested Mrs. -Stillwater. - -"Yes, that's the conventional thing," said Mrs. Bunker. "Well, let her -look like a bread and butter miss--I have no objection." - -"I don't want to look like a bread and butter miss," interrupted -Indiana. - -"Wear what your mother wishes, Indiana." - -"Oh, I'm satisfied with anything," apologetically murmured Mrs. -Stillwater. "Let the child please herself." She looked questioningly at -her daughter. The latter, looking very self-important, declined to -commit herself just then. - -"Take your finger out of your mouth, Indiana," said Mrs. Bunker, -sharply. "It's time you stopped that baby habit." - -Indiana, whenever she was making a decision of any kind, still put her -finger in her mouth as a help to thought. - -Later, in her granddaughter's room, Mrs. Bunker said in the voice of an -oracle. "Take my advice and wear your red silk, Indiana." - -"He won't think it's loud?" asked Indiana. - -"You're too much of a child to look loud in anything. But it will be so -effective and a little audacious. That's what takes. He'll be sure to -_see_ you in that dress." And, as she went, she fired a last -injunction, "wear your red silk; it'll hit him right in the eye." - - - - - *CHAPTER VI.* - - *Guests* - - -Meanwhile the travellers were approaching their destination. They had -compared the Hudson River with the Thames and the Rhine, and were now -watching the forest tracts and the streams choked with logs awaiting the -elements. - -"Uncle Nelson," said Lord Canning, "this is the first time in my -rememberance that I have visited people I did not know well, in a -country I have never seen." - -Lord Stafford glanced sleepily at his nephew from under his tweed -travelling cap. They were in the smoking car. "There's a charm about -everything fresh and new," he murmured. "That's what you're always -saying, Thurston." - -"There certainly is," said the other, eagerly. "I realize it in this -fresh, young, healthy country. It has given me many new sensations. I -felt quite old when I first came here--" - -"Old!" repeated Lord Stafford. "You?" - -"Just turned forty, my hair commencing to grey." Lord Canning laughed, -and then sighed. "Yes," he continued, smoking thoughtfully, "there is -nothing like fresh scenes. They give new food for the mind--another -impetus to life--a man like myself needs such a stimulus--if I should -continue to rust in England, I would shortly become--antiquated. Do you -notice that the trees are for the most part conical in shape, Uncle -Nelson?" - -"You always were a restless character, Thurston." - -"Nature designed me for an explorer." - -"You'll never be satisfied until you undertake that expedition to the -pole--" - -"Never--unless--" - -"Unless what?" - -"A new interest should arise in my life--necessarily something very -absorbing." - -"I know of nothing, except--perhaps--a woman. And as for that, every -mamma in England has despaired of you." - -Lord Canning laughed heartily, and his uncle yawned and closed his eyes, -considering he had satisfactorily disposed of the subject. - -"We are strangers to our host," recommenced Lord Canning, after a short -survey of the vanishing prospect. "The invitation was necessarily -off-hand, but very hearty." - -"They do everything in an off-hand way, over here," said Lord Stafford, -"at least, so it seems to me." - -"We have been travelling too much to judge very correctly of manners and -customs," answered his nephew. "And have we met the entire family?" - -"I believe so." - -"Mrs. Bunker--" - -"Mrs. Bunker!" exclaimed Lord Stafford, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. -"Isn't she a lively woman?" - -"Mr. and Mrs. Stillwater and daughter." - -"The little girl," said Lord Stafford, sinking back on the cushions, -"the little, blonde girl, who had plenty to say for herself." - -"She did not really say so much," returned Lord Canning, taking out -another cigar. "It was how she said it." - -"Well, she conveyed the impression that she was not backward," remarked -Lord Stafford. - -"By the way, Uncle," the younger man lit his cigar, laughing amusedly. -"Did I ever tell you of a peculiar dream I once had?" - -"Dream?" - -"About Miss Stillwater." - -"Have you been dreaming about that little girl?" - -"Didn't I tell you? I thought I had." - -"Ha, ha, ha! You've been dreaming about little Miss Stillwater--that's -rich." - -"Well, wait until you hear it. Then you'll have good reason to laugh. -It was quite too absurd." - -"Well." - -"The night before we started for the West--the night we met Mrs. Bunker -at the Waldorf Hotel, in New York--" - -"Mrs. Bunker--one never knows what that woman is going to say next--she -is so--" - -"She introduced us to the family, and Miss Stillwater and I had some -conversation--not much, but quite enough, as you will see--about bears." - -"Bears?" - -"She had been used to shooting them, in the Rocky Mountains." - -"The little girl--the blonde one?" - -"The little blonde one," repeated Lord Canning, with a softer -intonation. "Well, I dreamt I saw her riding on the back of a grizzly, -over the highest peak of the Rocky Mountains. She was in full evening -dress, and on seeing me, she hilariously waved a bunch of hyacinths--she -carried those flowers the night I met her." - -"Mrs. Bunker had carnations--I took one--ha, ha, ha!" - -"I was on my knees examining strata. When I saw the lady riding towards -me, I rose and bowed profoundly. But she returned my polite salute by -throwing her bouquet directly in my face--I felt the blow, I smelt the -hyacinths--then I awoke--before the lady apologized, allowing that she -had that intention. It was all so absurd and incongruous, and yet so -distinct. Miss Stillwater looked as natural as life, and sat the bear -in such a graceful fashion--she might have been riding a finely bred -horse in Hyde Park." - -Lord Stafford, listening with closed eyes, made an articulate noise. -Whether it was expressive of wonder, disbelief, or ridicule, it was -difficult to say. - -"But what I consider most remarkable, is that I saw the Rockies very -much as I saw them in reality, later on. I explain this on the score -of--suggestion. Miss Stillwater has spent some time in the Rockies. -Naturally, our conversation recalled them to her mind, and she, of -course, unconsciously suggested them to me. It was quite--psychic." - -"Nightmare," murmured Lord Stafford, sleepily, "what did you eat for -supper?" - -"I don't know," said Lord Canning, disgustedly. "Don't attribute -everything to what one eats." - -"You will, when you're my age. Now it's 'suggestion', and 'quite -psychic.' If that little, dainty, yellow-haired Miss Assurance had been -an unattractive, elderly person, she wouldn't have suggested a pin's -worth to you--beyond the fact that she was ugly. I must say, I never -heard you go on like that before, Thurston." - -"Go on like _what_?" - -"Oh, about your dreams. Only old women tell their dreams. Ha, ha, ha!" - -"You are quite mistaken, Uncle Nelson, dreams have been made the subject -of scientific research." - -"Oh, poppycock! You'll be telling fortunes in a tea cup next, ha, ha, -ha!" - -"I am glad you are amused, Uncle Nelson." - -"I am--it's rich--ha, ha, ha, ha!--Ha, ha, ha, ha! Thurston, will you -oblige me, and tell when there's anything to look at beside these -interminable forests? I'm going to nap a little." - -Lord Canning resumed his watch at the window. "Beautiful forests," he -thought, "for the most part untouched and untrammelled. We seem to be -plunging deeper and deeper into a virgin region. I feel strangely -expectant, as though something were awaiting me there. Something that I -have hitherto missed in my life--my sober, colorless life--awaiting me -there. If I should tell Uncle Nelson this, he would ask me what I had -eaten for lunch." - -In a little while he became conscious that the train was slackening -speed and felt the exhilaration, of most people, at the idea of being -transported higher than the ordinary level. - -"Uncle Nelson!" - -"Yes." - -"There is something else." - -"What?" - -"Clouds--ha, ha, ha, ha!" - -Lord Stafford looked disgustedly out at the scurrying white masses. - -"Do you want h'anything, your Lordship?" - -"It's about time you showed up, Flash. Unstrap that plaid--it's beastly -cold." - -"It h'is, your Lordship--compared to the 'eat in New York," carefully -tucking Lord Stafford into the plaid. Flash was a young fellow, of the -ordinary English cockney type. - -The train labored on painfully up into the heart of the mountains. Lord -Stafford slept while his nephew smoked and mused, watching the clouds, -barely perceptible now in the fading light. - -They felt a jerk, the train stopped suddenly. Flash put his head in, -"We're a h'our and a 'alf late, your Lordship. We won't h'arrive until -h'eight o'clock." - -"What an infernal nuisance." - -"H'any h'orders, your Lordship?" - -"Get out!" - -When they finally arrived it was pitch black night, no moon nor stars. -The rude little station was lit by torches flaming in the mist and wind. -Beyond, impenetrable darkness. A storm was brewing over the mountains. -Haller's face, as he greeted the travellers with one of his contortions, -looked weird in the torchlight. They followed him out to the wagon, in -which they sank with a sigh of relief. The trip, with the delay, had -been tedious. Haller whipped the ponies up briskly. The wagon careered -recklessly from side to side as they drove, and the wind drove the mist -into their faces. - -"I suppose you know your road, my good man?" said Lord Stafford. - -"There's no risk of falling over a precipice or anything of that kind, -is there? It's so confoundedly black." - -Haller chuckled. "Them ponies know the're way--the've been bred up in -these parts. I'd trust them sooner'n myself." - -"Indeed!" said Lord Canning. - -"Is this our destination?" asked Lord Stafford, as they stopped at the -landing. - -"Oh, we ain't no ways near thar yet," said Haller, with another chuckle. -He raised a lantern and showed them "The Indiana" waiting at the dock, -the lake lapping against her sides. - -"Must we get in that?" said Stafford, peering out into the darkness of -the lake. - -"Waal, yes; if you want ter go to Camp Indiana. It's at the far end of -the lake." - -"Camp Indiana!" repeated Lord Canning to himself. "After _her_, of -course. They have a curious faculty over here, of naming people after -places and _vice versa_." - -"What sort of a boat is this 'ere, my man?" asked Flash, after they were -installed and on their way. - -"Naptha launch." - -"No danger of explosion?" he asked, cheerily. - -"Waal, yer never can tell--yer never can tell." - -Lord Canning laughed heartily. As they puffed along, the wind commenced -to wail dismally, echoed by the mountains, until it seemed as though a -pack of wild beasts were howling in the night. At intervals a camp fire -enlivened the prospect, blazing cheerily down on the shore. The -shadow-dance of the flames on the water, together with the outlines of -human forms feeding the fire, produced a fantastic effect on the -travellers. At Camp Indiana an enormous fire had been kindled to welcome -the guests. The boat-house was lit up with different colored lanterns. -Haller shouted as they passed in the dock, and was answered by William, -who hurried down and assisted the disembarking. Haller, holding the -lantern, lit them up to the camp. A flood of light streamed from the -open door, in which Mrs. Bunker stood. - -"Well, here you are at last--so glad to see you." - -She shook hands with them vigorously. - -"My man Flash," said Lord Stafford. - -"Kitty, show Mr. Flash the gentlemen's rooms. What a nuisance the train -was late. The world stops when one comes up here." - -Mrs. Stillwater met them in the hall. "I'm so pleased you have come," -she said in her soft gracious voice. - -"Thank you, Mrs. Stillwater." - -"How do you do, Lord Canning?" said Indiana with a hearty shake of the -hand. "Too bad the train was late. It's what you must expect in these -primitive parts." - -Lord Canning looked about him, receiving the impression of warmth, light -and luxury, but no sign of primitiveness. Coming out of the darkness and -the wind, into the brilliant hall, he was a little dazzled, and for the -moment was at a loss for something to say to Indiana. He stared at the -brilliant little figure standing near the fire, the flames reflecting -red lights from her dress on her laughing face and her yellow hair, with -the Persian rug for a background. "An Arabian night's vision," he -thought. - -"It's a tedious trip," said Indiana. "You must be starved to death." - -"I am so interested in my surroundings, that I can plead no sense of -fatigue," answered Lord Canning. - -"This is a jolly fire," said Lord Stafford. "It's like a glimpse of -heaven here, after that awful black night." - -Mrs. Bunker shortly led the way to the dining room, where a shaded red -drop-light threw a rosy glow on the well-equipped table, upon which -reposed a centrepiece of wild ferns. The easy, natural manner of the -hostesses soon made their guests feel perfectly at home. - -"Don't hesitate to smoke, gentlemen!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker, after -dinner. "This is Liberty Hall." - -"We didn't expect this, Mrs. Bunker," said Lord Stafford, as they walked -through the rooms, "when you invited us to 'rough it' with you in the -woods." - -"I assure you, Lord Stafford, that we consider this camping out," -laughed Mrs. Bunker. "Now which chair are you going to take? This one -is comfortable. Place it near the fire." - -"Very artistic and most original," said Lord Canning, surveying his -surroundings. "I have never seen anything like it." - -There was a note of simplicity in all this luxury, even to the dress of -the ladies, which struck him agreeably. Indiana sat in the midst of the -group, talking and laughing unreservedly. Lord Canning, leaning back in -a large armchair smoking his cigar, listened attentively, trying to find -some clue to her character in the careless words. He finally realized -this was foolish. She was evidently little more than a child, with no -deep realization of life, as yet; a child with her own charm. There was -no doubt of that. He gazed deeper and deeper into the fire. - -"Lord Canning, you are so absorbed in the fire the rest of us might be -jealous," said Indiana. - -"There is no occasion for jealousy," he answered, looking directly at -her. "But the fire is certainly fascinating--and productive of thought. -I have a recollection of another, outside, which welcomed us very -cheerfully, when we arrived. Is it still burning?" - -"Oh yes," said Indiana, "our camp fire is still burning." - -"I should like to see it, may I?" - -"Certainly," said Indiana rising, "Lord Stafford, are you also curious?" - -"Oh Miss Stillwater, I'm so comfortable, don't ask me to go out again! -this is such a charming fire. Now Mrs. Bunker, let me poke it. This is -the way we do it in England." - -"Run along, Indiana," said Mrs. Bunker, sweetly. - -Without, the night was still black, but the storm had not yet broken. -The fire down on the shore lit up the lake and the boat-house. Haller -and William were throwing on logs, and in the red glare Kitty could be -seen standing, talking volubly to Flash, who listened with deferential -interest. - -"The boat-house looks very pretty in this light," said Lord Canning. - -"There's such a cozy room in it with a fire," asserted Indiana. "We've -had rare, old times there. We go down nights, and make things in -chafing dishes." - -"What a novel idea! And is there a fire burning there now?" - -"Oh, yes! The guides keep the fires always going--when it's cold." - -"I should like to see this cozy room, where you make things in chafing -dishes. May I?" - -"Certainly. Be careful, Lord Canning! It's pitch dark, and you don't -know the way! There! I knew you'd stumble--you'd better take my hand." - -"I--I really think I had better," said Lord Canning, helplessly. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII.* - - *The Weaver* - - -The storm spent its full force in the night. The wind raged in the -clearings and upon the lakes. But Camp Indiana, sheltered by the woods, -heard nothing of the angry elements beyond the continuous sighing of the -trees, which, when the wind was most fierce, grew into a painful sobbing -whisper. The pines of the North Woods sing varied harmonies, always in -a minor key; sometimes, it is a sacred anthem, sometimes a tragic -prophecy, sometimes a death chant and sometimes a sad lullaby, such as a -bereaved wife might croon to her child. - -When the guests emerged upon the balcony in the morning the clouds still -shrouded the mountains and the lake. There was nothing to be seen but a -white mist. - -"We are literally in the clouds," said Lord Canning pacing the balcony. -"But what a soft rare air, and that strong odor of pine; it is most -exhilarating." He drew a deep breath. - -"What a magnificent tree," said Lord Stafford. "They've built it into -the balcony. Look, Thurston! Isn't that a unique idea?" He bent over -until his body was half in the tree. "By George, there's a chipmunk!" - -"Balsam!" exclaimed Lord Canning, examining a branch. He ascended the -steps looking up at the tree. "Magnificent! A natural ornament! What a -novel thought to make it a part of the house. I am reminded of the -roof-tree of olden times, Uncle Nelson." - -"Quite so!" said Lord Stafford. - -"Look!" continued his nephew. "The clouds are rising--slowly. There is -the lake! How blue, and what beautiful slopes--how rich in foliage. -Such a contrast in greens; the vivid emerald of the maple trees, with -the dark shade of the hemlock and other pine varieties--there is no -green like theirs--and that faint, very faint touch of red, here and -there--a foretaste of Autumn. Look at those wild crags, with the trees -rooted in their clefts! This is a panorama of clouds. How -systematically they rise, one veil after the other. The mountains are -just becoming perceptible--do you see their shadowy outline behind that -last thin veil? It is rising--slowly--slowly. Little fragments of mist -are floating everywhere. Upon my word, it is quite unreal--like a dream -scene." - -"Ha, ha, ha! I'd advise you not to broach the subject of dreams again." - -"Charming! The dark, rich blue of those mountains, with the little -mists curling upon them, here and there. That low cloud on the lake -here, has remained stationary. Ah, now it is rising. Uncle Nelson, do -you see anything?" - -Lord Canning had suddenly discerned in the mist, the phantom outline of -a female figure kneeling in a canoe. - -"Yes, by George! Do you think it could be a peculiar form taken by the -mist?" - -"Either that--or--it might be the spirit of some unhappy Indian maiden, -a heroine of one of the legends of this region. Ah, the sun is coming -out--now we shall see her disappear!" - -On the contrary, the sun striking through the mist revealed Indiana -paddling a red canoe. Bareheaded, the sleeves of her red blouse rolled -above the elbow, the sun caught her in a sudden flash of scarlet and -gold, so that she seemed an apotheosis in the cloud, of Lord Canning's -Indian maiden. - -"It's Miss Stillwater!" cried his uncle. "Ha, ha, ha--you with your -dreams and your Indian maidens." - -Lord Canning rubbed his eyes, watching Indiana paddle toward the -boathouse with swift, unerring strokes. "Let us go down and meet her!" -he said. - -"Good morning, gentlemen!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker, joining them, as they -descended. "How did you sleep last night?" - -"Extremely well, thank you, my dear lady," answered Lord Stafford. "I -cannot speak for my nephew, he is addicted to dreams. Ha, ha, ha. That -sort of sleeper is always rather restless. Don't you think so, Mrs. -Bunker?" - -"This," said Lord Canning, indicating the prospect, "is very charming, -quite unique in its way. I really cannot remember seeing anything like -it." - -Lord Stafford slipped. "Be careful, Lord Stafford. It's the pine -needles. They fall year after year. You see how soft and yielding they -make the ground. But it's slippery on an incline." - -They reached the boat-house in time to see Indiana jump from her canoe. - -"An extremely picturesque little craft," said Lord Canning, after they -had exchanged the morning greetings. - -"Birch bark," said Indiana. "There's another here." - -"Ah, a white one. But this red canoe is very effective on the lake. We -were quite startled, when you first appeared. Were we not, Uncle?" - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha. My nephew thought you were the spirit of some Indian -maiden, who had died a tragic death." - -"You glided out of the mist in such a wraith-like fashion," said Lord -Canning. - -"There was an Indian maiden"-- - -"Oh, keep those ghost stories for the camp fire, Indiana! Before -breakfast is no time for them." - -"Don't forget, please, Miss Stillwater!" said Lord Canning. "Positively -at the camp fire to-night." - -"At the camp fire to-night," repeated Indiana, in a tragic voice. - -"Oh, Indiana can tell you any number of legends about these parts. She -picks them up from the guides," said Mrs. Bunker. - -"I am always interested in the legends of a country. There is so much -to be gleaned from them." - -"Exactly, Lord Canning," said Mrs. Bunker. "That's what I think." - -"I shall look forward to hearing them all, Miss Stillwater," said Lord -Canning, "by the camp fire of course. Every night a story." - -"Like Scheherezade in the Arabian Nights," said Indiana, "amusing the -sultan to save her head." - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha. Quite so, Miss Stillwater," laughed Lord Canning. - -"But I don't think my stories would last a hundred and one nights, Lord -Canning," replied Indiana, putting her hands behind her back, and -meeting his persistent gaze mischievously. - -"Too bad," he answered, contemplatively. "I should hate to cut off that -head. Don't you know anything else appropriate for a camp fire, which -might serve to amuse me, and prolong your life. Can you tell fortunes?" - -"Oh, Indiana's great at that!" said Mrs. Bunker. - -"Good--by cards or consulting the palm?" - -"Both!" said Indiana promptly. "Learned it from the girls at school. I -can also tell your fortune in a tea cup." - -"Indeed, you must initiate me." - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha--I prophesied you'd come to it--telling fortunes in a -tea cup. That's rich. Mrs. Bunker, I'll explain to you--later!" - -"What does he mean?" asked Indiana. - -"I'll tell you by the camp fire, Miss Stillwater. Can you interpret -dreams?" - -Lord Stafford laughed with intense enjoyment. - -"I have a dream book, I'll study it up." - -"Well, in view of your many accomplishments, your head will be quite -safe." - -"How about yours?" she said, shyly, bending down to take her jacket from -the canoe. - -"Ha, ha, ha! Quite so, Miss Stillwater." - -"I'm not sure about mine," he answered, smiling. - -"And if you lose it?" - -"The Sultan will meet his fate philosophically, repeating, 'Kismet, and -Allah is wise, saith the Prophet.'" - -"Breakfast is served," exclaimed Kitty, running breathlessly into the -boat-house. - -"You must be hungry," said Mrs. Bunker. "You were up so early. Indiana -rises at an unearthly hour, here. She's on the lake at six, sometimes." - -"Do not be surprised if you should see me also at that unearthly hour, -Miss Stillwater. I, too, have a passion for early rising, in a place -like this! There are some beautiful boats here!" - -"Yes, this is a St. Lawrence. I always take ma out in that. She likes -it, because it's steady. But it don't run like this one--this is my -pet. A real Adirondack cedar wood." - -"Indiana," read Lord Canning. "Everything here is named after you. -You're the prevailing spirit of the place. Will you take me out on the -lake after breakfast, and teach me how to manage an Adirondack boat?" - -"This is a dangerous lake, Lord Canning," said Mrs. Bunker. "You -wouldn't think so, to look at it now." - -Lord Canning turned and glanced at the beautiful vista of the lake, -sparkling, blue and serene, between the mountains. - -"A squall can come up, any minute--a regular tornado--and blow you and -your shell of a boat to Jericho." - -"And what would you do, Miss Stillwater," asked Lord Canning, in visible -alarm, "if you were out in your little canoe, and were caught in one of -these sudden squalls?" - -"Head for the shore. Besides, I'm a swimmer." - -"Are you?" She looked very young to him, standing there in her little, -short skirt and loose blouse, her hair blowing about in the breeze, -which came freshly over the lake. Younger, even, than when he had first -seen her. - -"Now, Lord Stafford," said Mrs. Bunker, after breakfast. "You, my -daughter, and myself, will take a trip in 'The Indiana.' The horses -will be waiting at the landing, and after we have explored the lake, I -think we'll have time for a short drive. Will that program suit you?" - -"Ha, ha, ha! Everything that you arrange is bound to be delightful, -Mrs. Bunker." - -"We'll leave the young people to their own devices. Lord Canning is so -bent on learning to row an Adirondack boat." - -"Ha, ha, ha! Yes, Mrs. Bunker." - -"It's a dangerous lake, Lord Stafford--I warned him." - -"You did, Mrs. Bunker--your conscience can rest easily." - -"I feel I'm taking an advantage, Miss Stillwater," said Lord Canning, -lounging comfortably in the bow of Indiana's pet boat, "to sit here and -let you do all the work. Let me take the oars. I have been watching -you closely--I think you can trust me." - -"Sit down!" commanded Indiana. - -"Dear me, what have I done?" - -"You can't change places in an Adirondack boat, in the middle of the -lake. It would tip over, and we'd both flop in." She laughed merrily. - -"Her laugh has the vital ring of youth," thought Lord Canning. "I might -learn to laugh like that again, if she would teach me--" - -"Glen and I have often tried it, just for devilment, but then Glen is -more used to these boats than you, Lord Canning--" - -"Glen!" - -"Oh, I forgot. I think everyone knows Glen--everyone does in America, -who happens to know us. He's one of the family." - -"A relative?" - -"No!" - -"Not a relative, and one of the family," thought Lord Canning. "Young, -old or middle aged?" - -"Glen's only twenty-four and handsome as a picture." - -"Only twenty-four, and handsome as a picture," thought Lord Canning. - -"Wouldn't you like to smoke, Lord Canning?" - -"There's something of the witch about you, Miss Stillwater. That's just -what I'm longing to do. You are sure you don't mind?" - -Indiana shook her head. Her cheeks were glowing, her eyes sparkling -from the exercise. - -"That's very good of you, Miss Stillwater." He lit his cigar leisurely, -then leaned back with a long sigh of content. "You're a splendid -oarswoman, Miss Stillwater; such long, graceful strokes. That splash of -color here and there in the woods--it's most effective--especially, when -it's reflected in the lake--like this branch--look--we are just nearing -it--how gracefully it droops over the water. It's most delightful -here--near the shore--let us linger a little while--do you mind? -There's no occasion for this terrific speed, is there? That's -better--now we are merely gliding. Lean back, Miss Stillwater! Won't -you have this pillow? Are you quite comfortable? Are you sure you are -quite comfortable? These Adirondack oars are very convenient--just let -them swing--I see--and take them up when you are ready. A stroke or -two, now and then, will be quite sufficient to send us along--not -yet--don't disturb yourself. No, we will not run into anything--I'll see -to that--you look very nice lying there. The water is like a perfect -mirror here, under the trees--every leaf and twig is -reflected--beautiful--so restful--I could drift like this--" - -"I thought so," cried Indiana jumping up. - -"Dear me, what is the matter?" - -"We're caught in a tree!" - -"Why so we are--be careful--that branch will strike your face--I think I -can reach it--a most obstinate branch--it persists in bending your way. -Well, I can't blame it--there--how ever did this occur?" - -"Why--you insisted on my leaving everything to you--I yielded from pure -amiability--but I foresaw what would happen, because you hadn't the -slightest idea where you were drifting." - -"But I know quite well, where I'm drifting--" - -"Then how were we caught in this tree?" - -"Ah, that's another story--" - -"You were certainly not looking ahead." - -"Then where was I looking? You ought to know." - -"You were lying back with your hands clasped behind your head, saying, -'I could go on like this forever,' or something to that effect, and we -went plump into the tree." - -"Poor Miss Stillwater--I'm a great trial--you'll never take me out -again, will you?" - -"Well, I won't say that--" - -"I'm so glad you didn't. I think it's rather a novel sensation to be -caught in a tree." - -"Everything is a sensation to you, Lord Canning." - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha. When you are my age, Miss Stillwater, you will also -appreciate a new sensation. May I ask the object of those violent -efforts?" - -"Lord Canning--do you realize you're on the tree as well as in it. -There's an immense branch extending under the water, and with our -combined weight we won't get off in a hurry." - -"Where is the hurry--there are no trains to be caught, I believe." - -"Yes, but I wanted to show you the lake this morning--that would be -something. There is so much for you to do and see." - -"Restless little American spirit," said Lord Canning. "Now if you will -hand me that oar--although I appreciate your anxiety to show me -everything without delay--I, with my slow English methods--prefer to -take things by degrees--if you have no objection, Miss Stillwater; I am -enjoying this immensely." - -"Really," said Indiana doubtfully. - -"I give you my word. Now let me have things my own way. There's no -necessity to show me the whole lake at once. I would rather prolong the -pleasure--" - -"We're off!" - -"Slowly, Miss Stillwater! we're drifting once more. Ah, look at this -giant rock looming above us; how dark and grim--" - -"That's called the 'Devil's Pulpit.' The water right here is five -hundred feet deep." - -"And a moment ago it was quite shallow. How black and -impenetrable--'The Devil's Pulpit.' I think I can sniff an odor of -sulphur. Five hundred feet deep. How quickly the shallows change to -the depths--how quickly--don't hurry--what a gruesome spot. Just the -place for a ghost story--that Indian maiden we were talking of this -morning--will she do?" - -"Well, there was a certain tribe--" - -"Pardon me, Miss Stillwater. I forgot that story had already been -reserved for the camp fire. Everything in its place." - -"How systematic--" - -"I don't believe in taking all the good things at once, like a greedy -child--besides, poor Scheherezade's head is at stake! I would not -deprive her of one night's respite--" - -"Suppose you tell me a story, Lord Canning--one of your adventures. You -have travelled so much, you must have had a very interesting life." - -"Interesting in one way--barren in another. Don't lean over like that, -please." - -"Your uncle says you have a passion for exploring." - -"Yes. I suppose it has never occurred to you, Miss Stillwater, that -this passion for exploring, in a man of my settled years--Miss -Stillwater, I beg of you to be careful, remember it is five hundred -feet. This passion for exploring might exist only for want of another -interest--a dear and sacred interest--most men of my age possess. Life -has withheld from me, so far--it's most precious gift. I shall hold it -the sweeter when bestowed. Do you find it interesting to peer into the -depths, Miss Stillwater?" - -"Very! They say--" - -"Yes, what do they say?" - -"That if you look into them long enough, here at the Devil's Pulpit, you -are seized with an impulse to throw yourself in." - -"Dear me; well, I have no fear for you at present. But I shall take -care you do not come here unaccompanied. What you have told me, however, -is a fact which has been often proved. Whether it is a rocky precipice, -five hundred feet of water, or a human soul--the depths have a dangerous -fascination. Are you afraid, Miss Stillwater? Don't you wish to leave -this dangerous spot?" - -"I want my story, first." - -"You will persist in peering into the depths--beware of them!" - -"I'm not afraid." - -"No, I don't think you are." - -"Well, the story." - -"Ah, yes--the story--you're in the mood to listen?" - -"Yes, yes. Is it to be one of your adventures?" - -"Not exactly. I'm not in the mood to relate an adventure. That will -keep for another time. This is a charmed spot, you see--as its name -would denote--a spell has been laid on me, in the shadow of this rock, -and I am obliged to speak the words that come into my head." - -"Then I won't consider you responsible." - -"No--not here." Lord Canning folded his arms and gazed down into the -impenetrable depths. "There was once a weaver. He wove a dull, gray -woof--always the same gray woof. Sometimes, he would look up at the rich -blue of the morning sky, then go on weaving his gray web. Sometimes, he -would glance at the sunset, and marvel at the gorgeous hues of the -clouds--but there was never a gleam of color in the web, that he -wove--it was always the same, dull gray. Sometimes, the laughing face -of a child would peep into his--and he would gaze longingly -back--yearning to snatch the blue of the eyes, the gold of the hair--for -that colorless web which Fate had set him to weave. Once he dreamed -that a sudden burst of sunlight streamed upon him, as he sat at his -loom. He put up his hand and drew down the rays one after the other, -weaving them into his work. And as he wove, he heard singing--a choir of -beautiful, jubilant voices. The web, transformed into a gleaming fabric -of light, gladdened the soul of the weaver. Then he awoke, and saw the -dull, gray woof in the loom. He went on, patiently weaving the web -which Fate had given him. But his soul cherishes the hope--that some -day, perhaps, his dream will come true." - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII.* - - *The World's Rest* - - -Indiana lay back with closed eyes. Lord Canning's deep, well-modulated -voice, soothing her alert faculties into a dream of consciousness. He -looked at her as he concluded. The innocence of her face, with its -closed eyelids, appealed to him. She looked very childish, lying at the -foot of the giant rock. Without any comment, she looked out on the -lake. He lit a cigar and smoked it in silence. Both were thinking of -the weaver. - -"Did you feel that icy breath from the rock, Miss Stillwater?" - -Indiana laughed. "We come for that on hot days, and lie in the shade -and read. It's always cool here." - -"Who is 'we'--may I ask?" - -"Glen and I." - -"Glen again," thought Lord Canning. "I have an absurd feeling against -another having been here with her--another, who is only twenty-four and -handsome as a picture--" - -Indiana commenced to row. - -"Going? Perhaps you are right--this is a dangerous spot." - -"People are not so carried away with the Adirondacks at first," ventured -Indiana. "But they grow on them after a while." - -"Yes," said Lord Canning, studying her attentively. "I find a great -many things grow on me in this part of the world. Why do you laugh, -Miss Stillwater? Have I said anything amusing? I should like to learn -how to laugh like that. Will you teach me?" - -Indiana laughed again. - -"May I have the first lesson now?" - -"Oh, I can't give you any lessons--you must just listen, that's all." - -"I see--just listen. It is shallow again--what a beautiful white, sandy -bed--how restlessly the minnows dart--here and there--backwards and -forwards. They symbolize the activity of your nation, Miss Stillwater. -Oh, what a cunning little stair-case cut in the rock--it looks so -inviting--I should like to get off and climb it, and sit up there in the -trees--may I?" - -"No," said Indiana, "there are so many other pretty places, I want to -show you." - -"But I have a fancy for this--obduracy itself. Well, will you promise -to take me here again another day--do promise!" - -"I promise," said Indiana. - -The sun was long past its meridian, when they reached home. Mrs. -Bunker, her daughter and Lord Stafford, were watching from the -boat-house balcony. Lord Canning was rowing, without a coat, bareheaded. -Indiana, comfortably ensconced in pillows opposite, was employed in -spattering water over his face, regardless of his laughing -remonstrances. Their voices--Indiana's high-pitched but sweet, mingled -with Lord Canning's deep tones--were carried by the clear air over the -water. - -"Allow me to thank you for a delightful morning, Miss Stillwater," said -Lord Canning, ceremoniously, as he helped her from the boat. He stood -looking looking back on the lake. - -"Are you coming, Lord Canning?" asked Indiana, her foot on the little -rustic staircase leading from the dock up into the boat-house. - -"One moment, if you please," said Lord Canning, still looking at the -lake. "I want to fix firmly in my mind all the details of this -delightful morning." - -"How slow these Englishmen are," thought Indiana, "and yet--" - -"You naughty child," said Mrs. Bunker, beaming on Indiana. "Do you know -it's almost two o'clock! Lord Stafford is starving." - -"And your mamma is 'worried to death about you,'" said Lord Stafford. -"Ha, ha, ha, ha! How am I getting on, Mrs. Bunker?" - -"Bravo, Lord Stafford, you are an apt pupil." - -"Blame Lord Canning," said Indiana. "He does not like to hurry." - -"No, indeed," added Lord Canning in an injured tone. - -"He would insist on going in and out all the nooks along the shore." - -"Yes, indeed," asserted Lord Canning. - -"He persisted in exploring everything. He has such a thirst for -information--" - -"Naturally," interrupted Lord Canning. - -"And of course, when he took the oars, I was powerless. I'm thankful -we're home this early." - -They all climbed slowly up to the camp. - -"Won't you take my arm, Mrs. Stillwater? Your daughter has forbidden me -to wear a hat, and has been throwing water on me in the sun, as she -wishes me to acquire a certain reddish shade of tan, which prevails -here, and which your two guides possess to an enviable degree. She was -quite impervious to all my scolding." - -"Oh, Indiana always has her own way, Lord Canning." - -"Evidently. I was almost obliged to take the oars by force. She wished -to row the entire morning, and I thought that was entirely too much." - -"Indiana will never give in that she's tired. When she was a child she -was the same. She'd play until she dropped asleep on the ground from -sheer exhaustion." - -"Indeed," said Lord Canning. "Then I was quite right. But we had a very -exciting argument--it almost caused a quarrel--and I rather -congratulated myself we were in such an isolated spot. I don't wish to -convey that Miss Stillwater actually lost her temper--" - -"Indiana," interrupted Mrs. Stillwater, reprovingly. - -"What do you young folks propose to do this afternoon?" inquired Mrs. -Bunker. - -"Lord Canning is very anxious to see the Notch," said Indiana. "I -thought I'd drive you all over there." - -"Your daughter has been describing certain falls, Mrs. Stillwater, whose -tremendous power have worn a gorge in the rock, and which supply -water-power for this entire region. Most interesting--" - -"Oh, a very picturesque spot." said Mrs. Bunker. "Lord Stafford, I'm -sure you'll be charmed with it. We must start immediately after -lunch--it's a long drive." - -"And if Miss Stillwater is to drive, I'm afraid she will be taxing -herself too much, after rowing the greater part of the morning." - -"Oh, Indiana likes to be always on the go," said Mrs. Stillwater. "I'm -afraid she'll wear herself out some day." - -"Nonsense, Mary," exclaimed Mrs. Bunker, sharply, "she's as strong as a -horse." - -"Your granddaughter is athletic," said Lord Canning, "but of a very -slender build. It is her nervous activity that keeps her up, rather -than strength. On the whole, I prescribe rest this afternoon." - -"Then, Indiana," said Mrs. Bunker mildly, "you could show Lord Canning -that cunning little brook in the woods, back there--" - -"I dearly love little brooks in the woods," said Lord Canning. - -"Oh, I can show him that any time," said Indiana, "before breakfast." - -"Shall we say to-morrow, before breakfast--can I depend on that?" - -"Yes. And this afternoon we'll drive to the High Falls," replied -Indiana. - -They were still at the table when Haller presented himself. "Be yer -goin' ter drive ter the Notch this afternoon? If ye be, it's nigh on -ter three o'clock. Yer can't get back fore dark. William's waitin' at -the landin'." Mrs. Bunker rose precipitately. - -"Get ready, Indiana!" - -"I insist on Miss Stillwater resting for ten minutes at least. Don't -you agree with me, Mrs. Stillwater?" - -"Yes, indeed, Lord Canning. But I can never force Indiana to lie down." - -"Well, I will endeavor to see what I can do." - -"You will be accomplishing wonders if you can persuade Indiana to do any -thing against her will." - -"Come, Miss Stillwater. There's a hammock out on the balcony--waiting -for you." - -"But I must get ready for the drive, Lord Canning." - -"Now let me have my way, Miss Stillwater. Ten minutes, more or less, -does not count. I don't approve of this rush after meals. This is a -wonderful hammock--so comfortable--different from most hammocks. I -tried it this morning--simply a piece of canvas stretched flat. I shall -take it in my head to sleep out here one fine night. Are you -comfortable? Now, Miss Stillwater, you have been very good to take this -rest, and I am deeply indebted to you. I shall be still more so if you -will try to forget the fact that you are going anywhere. Simply make -your mind blank; now, don't raise your head and look at me like that. I -mean it--make your mind a blank. Is it impossible for you to keep your -eyes shut, Miss Stillwater? Not even for ten minutes--in truth, only -eight now. I have a pocket Tennyson--I will read you a few extracts; I -always carry some literature about me. In travelling among so many -shifting scenes, a thought now and then from a great mind goes largely -toward establishing one's equilibrium. By the way, I had this Tennyson -with me this morning. I might have read to you on the lake. Still, we -did not feel the want of it, did we? Time passed so quickly--almost too -quickly. Dear me! 'In Memoriam' is my favorite poem--which is yours, -Miss Stillwater?" - -"Mine," said Indiana, dreamily. "Let me see--'Evangeline' is very -beautiful." - -"A charming pastoral--I suppose it would be the favorite poem of a young -girl who knows nothing of life--" - -Indiana sat up suddenly in the hammock. - -"You make a great mistake, Lord Canning. I have travelled all over the -United States. I have come in contact with the world. I have a very -shrewd idea of life--" - -"Lie down, Miss Stillwater, please. That was a very unhappy remark of -mine. So you have a very shrewd idea of life. I'm obliged to take your -word for it--but, pardon me, you look very young for a person who has -such a profound knowledge of the world. Now, don't talk back at -me--remember, you are resting. Please shut your eyes--shut them--it's -only three minutes now. I forbid you to open them again. Returning to -our original subject--'In Memoriam' embodies a philosophy which appeals -to me. We must read it together. I suppose you have not given it -especial study?" - -"No." - -"I think such a poem should be read with someone else. I am very -familiar with it. I may be able to throw a light on passages that may -appear obscure to you, and, perhaps, ultimately succeed in imbuing you -with my own love for it. This-- - - 'Oh, yet we trust that somehow good, - Will be the final goal of all--'" - - -"Indiana," called Mrs. Bunker. - -She sprung from the hammock. - -"Dear me! it isn't--yes, it is--eleven minutes and a half." -"Provoking," thought Lord Canning, as Indiana disappeared. "I don't -seem to have any time alone with her." - -He very soon found himself in the little naptha launch, 'Indiana,' with -the rest of the party. - -"Isn't this jolly?" said Lord Stafford. "We seem to be always on the go, -here." - -"Indeed, I'm not going to let you stagnate," replied Mrs. Bunker. -"There's a different place to see every day, and when you've seen -everything the hunting will commence." - -"We couldn't have a nicer day for a drive," remarked Mrs. Stillwater. -"It has rained all night, and there won't be any dust." - -"Oh, if a storm don't come up while we're out," said Mrs. Bunker. "You -never can tell what's behind these mountains. They're always brewing -something. Don't you ever let Indiana get you out in that -sail-boat--while I think of it, Lord Canning." - -"No, Mrs. Bunker, I will not let her get me out in that sail-boat. -There, I put my foot down." - -"Yes, you will," said Indiana, propping her chin on her hand, "won't -you?" - -Lord Canning smiled back into her eyes. "Well, perhaps," he said. - -"There!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "Indiana makes everyone do as she -wishes." - -"Have you your Tennyson here, Lord Canning? I should like to look -through it." - -He gave it to her, and then two heads were soon bent, in a discussion, -over the book. Lord Canning started, when they reached their -destination, and Haller gave a spring to the dock. - -"Already," closing the book, "this has been most interesting, Miss -Stillwater. You have a very clear and fresh conception. It's a great -pleasure to read with you." - -"Oh, Indiana has always distinguished herself in her studies," said Mrs. -Stillwater. - -"I can believe that," said Lord Canning. - -As the ponies sped along with their swift, firm trot, Indiana explained -to him the different points of interest in the country. - -"Why, Indiana, you're taking the old road--that's the longest," as she -made a sudden turn from the highway. - -"And the prettiest, Grandma Chazy." - -"Well, do as you like. We'll never get home." - -"Thinking of home already, Mrs. Bunker. We're just started. This is -awfully jolly." - -"Well, we'll see how jolly you'll think it, Lord Stafford, when you're -kept till nearly nine for your dinner." - -"Dear me, is it so serious as that?" - -"We follow this all the way," said Indiana, pointing to the narrow -stream on whose banks they were driving. - -"Charming to hear, that delightful gurgle. I am so fond of the sound of -water!" - -"A very narrow path," said Lord Stafford, peering over the banks. "One -lurch to the right, and we're over." - -"The banks are propped with logs," explained Mrs. Bunker. "That is done -every spring. The force of the water in winter breaks them down. -They're none too safe now, I believe. But Indiana would take this old -road!" - -"I am so glad you did," murmured Lord Canning. "The continuous -perspective of this winding stream is charming." - -As they drove on they were surprised now and then by little green -islands, very small, sometimes merely clumps of trees. - -"Mysterious little islands," said Lord Canning. "So lonely, set here -and there in the stream, like little green shrines, for those who wish -to pray." - -"You have more imagination than many would credit you with, Lord -Canning." - -"I am not understood by many--I would not care to be--" - -"Do be careful, Indiana," said Mrs. Stillwater, as they bounded over a -frail bridge built on logs. - -"Have no fear, Mrs. Stillwater. Your daughter is managing these ponies -admirably--" he added to Indiana--"with those small hands. May I -relieve you presently?" - -"Thank you--I am not tired. I should fear to trust you. One must know -the roads." - -Gradually the low musical gurgle of the stream deepened into a more -significant undertone. Indiana made a sudden cut to the left and turned -out, after crossing a bridge, on another narrow road overlooking a deep -ravine. From its depths they still heard the voice of the stream, -growing into an angry murmur. After a while, on the right, rose a high, -craggy mountain-wall, with sparse foliage growing in its crannies. - -Lord Stafford peered down into the ravine. "What a wicked looking -place. We're quite on the edge, Miss Stillwater. Our lives are in your -hands--and that terrible mountain on the right." - -"It shadows us like fate," said Lord Canning. - -"There is a mysterious voice warning us from the ravine. Remember, that -was once the low cooing murmur of a placid stream." - -"There's a lesson in that," said Mrs. Bunker. "Never trust a woman with -a soft cooing voice." - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Quite so, Mrs. Bunker." - -"What a sudden change," remarked Lord Canning, "from a fairy pastoral to -this mysterious wilderness. Are these sudden changes common to the -country?" - -"Common to the country--and the women," replied Indiana, laughing. - -"Quite so, Miss Stillwater," said Lord Stafford. "You know Pope's -familiar couplet-- - - Women like variegated tulips show, - 'Tis to their changes, half their charms they owe.'" - - -"Do you echo that sentiment, Lord Stafford," asked Mrs. Bunker, archly. - -"Well, really, that's a difficult question, Mrs. Bunker. One is bored -by monotony, of course--but sometimes these sudden changes can be -deucedly unpleasant--ha, ha, ha, ha!" - -"There is the river," explained Indiana, pointing to a black rushing -current, murmuring angrily below them. They watched it for a mile, -sometimes writhing slowly in its rocky bed, like a long black snake, -while the angry murmur grew faint and then rose again as the water -rushed on with renewed power, frothing madly over the holders and rocks -which barred its progress. Suddenly before them rose the blue, distant -peak of one of the giant mountains. - -"You wish to climb all the mountains?" inquired Indiana. "This will be -the first--it is the nearest. I have climbed it." Lord Canning -surveyed it with interest. - -"And will you climb it with me again?" - -"I suppose so. I climb it every year. It's only four miles from our -camp to the trail." - -"Always driving with this blue peak before us," remarked Lord Canning, -after a while, "reminds me of the high aims we set for ourselves, and -which we never seem to reach--the ideal of the true artist which he -despairs of ever attaining--but, still, his eyes fixed on that pale blue -peak of perfection in the sky, he forgets the bitter materialisms of -life." - -Indiana bent down and gazed at the dark current. - -"Do not look down, Miss Stillwater. That is the river of Biting Reality. -Close your ears to its threatening murmur--gaze with me before us. I am -under the delusion that I have discovered this region. Naturally, I -wish to christen everything myself. I would make that distant peak--" - -"It is called--" - -"Now, Miss Stillwater, I do not wish to know--I will christen it--humor -me--I am one of those harmlessly insane people with one delusion. I -name that peak the Mount of Perfection. You said you would climb it -with me. It is a very arduous ascent, and you are young and 'frail.'" -He looked down into the laughing eyes. "But when two climb together the -stronger helps the weaker. All I ask--" - -"Yes," said Indiana. - -"Is that once in awhile you will smile up at me--as we climb--in order -that I shall know you are not tired." - -"I will smile," said Indiana. "That is not much to ask--" - -"Ah, but will you smile brightly, so that I may know you have not lost -courage; will you smile trustfully, so that I may feel you have implicit -faith in any way I choose to lead--will you? Ah, well, I won't say any -more--" - -"Listen," interrupted Indiana. Far away he heard a faint roar. "The -Falls." - -"I will christen them later. That distant sound is very fascinating. I -really cannot say yet what it conveys to me. But these falls are the -culmination of the river--they typify some crisis in life--some great -emotion into which all others are submerged." - -He leaned back, with folded arms, watching the dense woods which had -replaced the craggy mountain-wall, and listening to the growing roar of -the falls. The air here was laden with balsam. Sometimes an icy breath -from the deep woods, into which no sun could penetrate, fanned their -faces. - -"I have not yet named the lake on which we spent this forenoon. I -hereby christen it Lake Dangerous, as a warning to those who might be -deceived by its apparent harmlessness. All ye unwary ones, take heed of -sudden storms, deceiving shallows, unfathomable depths, and certain -rocky places, where supernatural powers are at work to steal the -precious secret of the soul!" - -At this dramatic proclamation Indiana gave vent to a ringing peal of -laughter. - -"What's the joke, Indiana?" called Mrs. Bunker. - -"Oh, Lord Canning is talking the greatest amount of nonsense." - -"Your nephew isn't near as serious as when I met him at Cannes," -observed Mrs. Bunker. "Indiana brightens everybody up." - -"Quite so, Mrs. Bunker. Now hadn't you better use your arts to brighten -me up?" - -"What have I been doing all this time? Wasting my sweetness, I see." - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha! yes, Mrs. Bunker. You had better commence all over -again." - -As they drove on the sound of the falls grew into a loud roar. -Miniature rapids could be seen, now and then, as the river emptied -itself into small rocky basins, then plunged onward. Finally, Indiana -slackened pace at a rustic bridge, where they alighted. This bridge led -by short flights of steps to other ascending bridges spanning the falls. - -"I'll sit down by the water," said Mrs. Stillwater. "I don't like to -cross the falls. They make me giddy." - -They saw her comfortably installed on a large boulder beneath a tree, -near a spot where the river wandered off in a placid mood. Then they -climbed the frail stairs leading to the different bridges, pausing at -each to gaze closer at the fierce rush of the waters. - -"What a wild, dark glen!" exclaimed Lord Canning, looking about him, as -they reached the last bridge. "Those majestic pines stand like -sentinels watching the falls." He gazed down into the enormous gorge -called The Notch, into which the falls dashed, with a deafening sound, -sending up a blinding shower of spray. "How the water seethes and boils -and bubbles! It is like a gigantic cauldron. Magnificent for witches! -What poisons, what love-potions and charms they could brew down there! -Just the place for a conjuration!" - -"You'd say that if you saw the place by moonlight. It looks simply -unearthly." - -"I should love to see it by moonlight. May I?" He looked pleadingly at -Indiana. - -"Well," she said, meditatively. - -"Certainly," interrupted Mrs. Bunker. "We'll have a moonlight picnic, -just as soon as there is a moon. Probably my son will be here then." - -"My handkerchief is quite wet," said Lord Stafford, wiping the spray -from his face. - -"Take mine," offered Mrs. Bunker, holding up a wet morsel. - -"Oh, my dear lady, of what use would that be?" - -"I love the spray," remarked Indiana, taking off her hat and leaning -over. - -"Indiana, stop that! Lord Canning, will you hold her?" - -"Allow me," said Lord Canning, putting his arms about her and bending -himself to gaze down into the falls. - -Their tremendous rush and power awoke a responsive chord in his own -breast. He was conscious that what had been first an impulse with him -was rapidly becoming a force, as wildly impetuous in its way as that -upon which he was gazing. - -In one part of the glen some logs had been stacked under the trees. -Lord Canning secured one. "I wish to test the force of the water," he -said. It took all the strength he possessed to raise the log high in -the air and fling it down into the falls. There, it was lifted and -tossed by the eddying current, then whirled onward, out of sight, as -though it had been a leaf. "Tremendous power! Miss Stillwater, you have -gazed long enough into the witches' cauldron." - -They ascended slowly, behind Mrs. Bunker and Lord Stafford. - -"Let us rest a little while," said Lord Canning. "I should like to sit -in this mysterious glen and listen to the falls as we hear them now--on -the bridge they were too deafening." - -They sat down beneath one of the immense pines, which looked down on the -falls. Lord Canning closed his eyes and leaned back on the deep green -moss. It was a spot where the sun seldom penetrated. "I christen these -the Magic Falls," he said, after a few moments, in which Indiana idly -plucked the moss. "Listening to them one loses all sense of past or -future. Here, just before we reach the falls--but in view of them, -within sound of them, before we are carried away by their impetuous -rush, rendered dizzy and blinded by their thunder and spray--one can -rest. This is one of life's lulls. We all deserve to rest one day in a -spot like this, deeply shaded and carpeted with moss, within sound of -the Magic Falls. Here the world stops, for once,--the world, with all -its pros and cons, its clear and valuable logic, of which one grows very -weary. The world itself must tire sometime of its plentiful stock of -common sense. Then, I christen this The World's Rest." - - - - - *CHAPTER IX.* - - *In an Orchard of the Memory* - - -When Lord Canning and Indiana finally rejoined the others, they were -made the subject of much reproval and interrogation. - -"Blame me, Mrs. Bunker!" said Lord Canning. "Dinner is a fact that I -had forgotten." - -"Apparently," answered Mrs. Bunker, who looked wonderfully well pleased -considering her impatience. - -"That is something new for you, Thurston. You always used to be quite -punctilious in the matter of meals." - -"Indeed, Uncle Nelson!" - -"Lord Canning has lost his memory for the time being," explained -Indiana. "He is just a trifle demented--by his own confession." - -"Don't be alarmed, good people!" said Lord Canning, with a far-away -look. "I belong to the harmless variety. Miss Stillwater, who is my -keeper for the present, can testify to that." - -"Oh yes, quite harmless! He has only one delusion. He believes that he -has discovered the Adirondacks, and he christens everything that he -sees, with a name of his own." - -As they made their way to the wagon, Lord Canning read an indescribable -expression on his uncle's face, which amused him greatly. - -"Thurston never went on like this at the country houses we visited in -England," reflected Lord Stafford, on the homeward drive. "It seems -that people act differently abroad from their manner at home." - -"Don't take the old road home, Indiana!" cried Mrs. Bunker as they -started. "It's too long." - -"The sun is sinking," observed Lord Canning, "but all we know of it here -in the woods is this soft, golden haze. This is the most beautiful time -to drive. The others may be hungry, but I think we have arranged it -very well, to suit ourselves. How still the woods are at sundown! Look -at their deep, rich green in the golden light! Do you hear that musical -murmur? It's one of those tiny brooks--we have just passed it. You are -to show me one to-morrow near the camp. What time before breakfast? -Eight? Half-past seven? Say seven. Now do not be late." - -As the light gradually faded, they felt a touch of frost in the air. -Its exhilarating effect was heightened by the rapid speed the ponies had -taken on the homeward road. - -"Grandma Chazy wants me to take the new road back. It's a short-cut," -whispered Indiana. - -"I don't like short-cuts," murmured Lord Canning, crossly. - -"Indiana, you're not--well, what do you think of that girl, Lord -Stafford?" As Indiana took the forbidden road, both she and Lord -Canning laughing with intense enjoyment. "Just like naughty children, -aren't they, Lord Stafford?" - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha! yes, Mrs. Bunker," laughed Lord Stafford, edified -beyond description at hearing his serious nephew, with a scientific -bent, classed in the category of naughty children. - -"I hope cook won't mind," ventured Mrs. Stillwater, with a worried -expression. - -"Ten to one she will, Mary. But don't get worried over that yet. You -can have an hour's peace of mind before she gives you notice." - -"It's so hard to get another up here, or I wouldn't care," added Mrs. -Stillwater, apologetically. "You see I should have to telegraph Mr. -Stillwater--and he would have all the bother of getting us one, putting -her on the train, you see--and then, Lord Stafford, she mightn't suit." - -"Quite so, Mrs. Stillwater." - -"Don't allow a small matter of cooks to annoy you, Mrs. Stillwater," -said Lord Canning. "In case of emergency call on me. There are certain -dishes which I pride myself upon. If cook has the bad taste to leave -us, we will camp out in earnest." - -"You're very good, Lord Canning," replied Mrs. Stillwater, laughing. - -"Have you ever tried these special dishes, Lord Stafford?" inquired Mrs. -Bunker. - -"Ha, ha, ha, ha! no, Mrs. Bunker, My nephew is developing -accomplishments which surprise me, to say the least, Mrs. Bunker." - -"Isn't this fascinating! Look at the soft, dim perspective of the -stream winding off there! The little islands, mysterious and -fairy-like, in the deepening light! Those low clouds floating in the -glassy surface--the picture fading imperceptibly, as we gaze! That -gentle, continuous ripple with it all! There is no poetry to equal this. -None which could convey such a sense of infinite peace and calm," -enthused Lord Canning. - -"I love this old road," said Indiana. - -"I, too, love this old road," echoed Lord Canning, fervently. - -When they finally emerged upon the open country there was still a dull, -fiery streak in the western sky. In this fiery streak the evening star, -rising slowly above the dark-blue outline of the mountains, glimmered -faintly, a pearl in a ruby setting. As they drove on in the growing -night, lights gleamed from scattered homesteads; the clear cold air blew -keenly in their faces. - -"I'm thinking longingly of that glorious fire in the hall," said Lord -Stafford, rubbing his hands. - -"There'll be a heavy frost to-night," remarked Indiana. "I can feel it. -You'll see a great change in the foliage to-morrow." - -"This is most exhilarating. I have been watching that long twilight in -the west. How clear and bright it is there! This is a purely Northern -sky," exclaimed Lord Canning. - -A week later they received word from Mr. Stillwater that he was coming -for the remainder of the season. Lord Stafford was present when the -letter arrived, and notified his nephew in this wise. - -"Pa's coming!" he exclaimed, bursting into Lord Canning's room. - -"What!" - -"Pa's coming!" he repeated, in a feminine falsetto. - -"What do you mean, Uncle Nelson?" interrogated Lord Canning, in an -irritated voice. - -"I'm repeating Miss Stillwater's words, 'Pa's coming!'" - -"Oh!" Lord Canning gazed out of his window at the lake, thinking. "So -papa is coming. Well, all the better!" - -"He arrives to-morrow, the fifteenth. They're arranging a deer-hunt for -the day after. The guides are jubilant that the real business of the -season is to commence. They've been idling so long. Haven't you opened -your letters yet, Thurston?" noticing the pile of letters on the table. - -"I have read my mother's--here it is. She is well, thank God!" - -"And you're going off without opening the rest of your mail--part of it -arrived two days ago. There might be something important." - -"I have an appointment with Miss Stillwater. That is the most important -thing at present." - -"Why--what--where are you going?" - -"Well, if you must know, Uncle Nelson, I am invited to help her catch -pollywogs down here by the lake. She does not like to be kept waiting. -I'm in a great hurry, Uncle Nelson. Ha, ha, ha, ha!" He rushed out of -the room. - -Lord Stafford sank into a chair, holding his sister's letter. - -"Well, I don't know what to make of Thurston. It really looks as though -that little thing has bewitched him--that little blonde thing--it's too -absurd!--ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!--she's clever, though!--she -runs the entire tribe of them--mother, father and grandmother. She can -turn Thurston round her little finger--em--en! Perhaps I ought to devise -some means of getting him away from here. I promised his mother to look -after him. But then the hunting is just about to commence, and I've -been looking forward to it--so long--besides, what would Mrs. Bunker -say?" - -Catching pollywogs was one of Indiana's favorite recreations. She kept -them in bottles for the pleasure of seeing them turn into frogs. - -[Illustration: Catching Pollywogs] - -"Look at this little one! How beautifully green and speckled!" She -held the little squirming, slippery thing fondly in her hand. - -"I wish I were a pollywog!" said Lord Canning. - -This remark, coming from such a source, appealed to Indiana's sense of -humor. She laughed until the tears rose to her eyes, while Lord Canning -surveyed her with a deeply injured expression. - -"It's most unkind of you to ridicule my ambitions in this way, Miss -Stillwater." - -"And such lofty ambitions, too." - -"They were--once, but they have gradually diminished, until now I am -quite satisfied to be a pollywog--but that one in your hand, you -understand." - -Indiana put it into the bottle, then leaned back on the soft ground -clasping her hands behind her head. - -"Tired--so soon? But you weary of most things like this, I have -perceived--a truly feminine trait." He lit a cigar. - -It was one of those fair, bright autumn days, when one could imagine it -was June instead of September, were it not for the glorious splashes of -color that enlivened the lake. - -"Do you notice," said Indiana, gazing upward through the pines, "how -near the sky seems to us here?" - -"Yes," said Lord Canning, "heaven seems very near to me here"--he bent -down, looking into her eyes--"very near, and sometimes very far--" - -The sound of a mandolin floated to them over the water. - -"Glen!" cried Indiana, starting up. Lord Canning rose also, -self-contained and somewhat pale. They watched the boat growing larger. -Burt was rowing and Glen playing, "My Georgia Lady-love." Indiana stood -up and waved her handkerchief. - -"Why does he play that now?" she thought. "He played it that day in the -orchard--when he told me--and I was sorry for him. It was such a -beautiful day! He said there would never be another--maybe there won't. - - "'Way down in dear old Georgia State, - We parted--but she said she would wait--'" - -sang Indiana, to the familiar strains. "There were so many -apple-blossoms, and they were falling--falling over my face, my neck, my -hair. The sky was so blue when I looked up through the blossoms--a -different blue from this-- - - 'She slowly dropped her head, - And then she softly said: - 'Mister Johnson, 'deed I loves you too.'' - -We cried and made ourselves miserable--I wanted to kiss and comfort him, -I wanted to whisper what he wished to hear--but something held me back. -I was sorry for myself as well as for him. I wanted to please -everyone--his folks and mine--but I couldn't. I didn't know then--I was -waiting for this. But I'm sorry for Glen--so sorry!" She saw the boat -through a mist of tears and the mandolin sounded far, very far away, as -though Glen were still playing it in the orchard of her memory, where -the blossoms fell, in a last rosy glow of the sun. - -Lord Canning watched her, jealous of the new expression on her face. He -realized she was carried away by some recollection in which Glen held a -part. "A boy-and-girl affair, probably," he thought. "There is always a -boy-and-girl affair, but it seldom amounts to anything--very seldom." - -Glen joyfully recognized Indiana waving from the shore. "Looks as -though she'd been standing watching for me ever so long, but that's too -much to expect." Burt rowed slowly in, while Glen waved his cap, gaily. -Indiana ran down to the dock to meet him, slowly followed by Lord -Canning. - -"Well, Glen, here you are at last!" - -"Glad to see me back, Indiana?" he asked, holding her hand, while Lord -Canning stood discreetly in the background. - -"Cause--Lord Canning, this is Glen Masters, my old friend and -playmate--the Right Honourable Thurston Ralph Canning, Viscount. -Right?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Glen's a character," continued Indiana, "he hates cities." - -"I do, sir," said Glen, rather aggressively. "But I'm not out of the -swim. I keep myself thoroughly posted upon politics and literature of -the world." - -"He fought in the Spanish-American war," said Indiana, putting her hand -proudly on his shoulder. - -"And when it was over," laughed Glen, "I came, like Cincinnatus, back to -the plow. My father's been working a farm this spring for his health, -and I've been helping him." - -"Character, brain, muscle," observed Lord Canning. "That is the stuff -which has made the American nation what it is to-day." He extended his -hand to Glen, who grasped it without enthusiasm. - -"Mail for me, Indiana?" - -"Yes, it's all up in your room." He took his coat and several other -things from the boat. - -"Did you have a nice time?" asked Indiana. - -"Oh, I'll tell you all about it later. We had a fine time, lots of -sport. I must go and shake hands with the folks now, and read my mail. -See you later, sir." He swung his coat over his shoulder and saluted -them, military fashion. - -"Will you take me for a walk, Miss Stillwater?" - -Indiana looked hesitatingly up at the camp. - -"Oh, perhaps you would prefer to stay and talk with your old playmate. -Do as you feel inclined, Miss Stillwater." But he looked distinctively -aggrieved. - -"Oh, no," said Indiana, carelessly. "There is plenty of time for that. -He will tell us his experiences around the fire to-night. Where would -you like to go?" - -"Oh, let us simply follow one of those little 'trails' through the -woods--one of those charming little trails, which one loses, and finds -again, like a broken thread of thought, in the forest. There is always -the murmur of some distant stream, which one vaguely hopes to reach--and -sometimes a glimpse of blue sky through the dark pines." - - - - - *CHAPTER X.* - - *The Might of the Falls* - - -"She doesn't look a day over thirty! Remarkable!" said Lord Stafford. - -"She grasps the ideas I present to her with astonishing quickness," -answered his nephew, absently. "A very bright, eager mind. She has -innate refinement and tact--for all her unconventional freedom of -manner, which is only the outcome of her unconsciousness--and that is, -after all, her particular charm, her unconsciousness. I catch a -glimpse, now and then, of a certain wildness of spirit. I fear she -would beat her wings against--certain fetters--unless--unless--well, it -is most interesting to watch the phases of this young, tender -nature--the product of a new civilization." - -"Thurston, who in the world are you talking about?" - -"Miss Stillwater, of course!" - -"I thought so. You were talking about the young one and I was talking -about the old one. It's very irritating--you've done that before." - -"When did I do it before? And be kind enough to explain who you mean by -'the old one'?" - -"Mrs. Bunker, of course." - -"Oh, Mrs. Bunker!" repeated Lord Canning, with a sarcastic intonation. -"I presume I have the same right to talk about Miss Stillwater as you -have to talk--about Mrs. Bunker, Uncle Nelson!" - -"No one's disputing your right, but you're continually talking about -her!" - -"I wasn't aware I monopolized the conversation to that degree." - -"Well, you do. You're continually 'studying' her and relating the -results of your observations. I should think you would know her by -heart before you left her." - -"Unfortunately, so far, I have not been allowed an opportunity for such -extended knowledge. I'm rarely left alone with her long enough for a -proper interchange of ideas. There are always so many plans and -excursions on foot." - -"By George, you're off with her all the time, somewhere!" - -"Not for long," said Lord Canning, gloomily. "Before one is aware, it's -lunch or dinner--meals are so interfering! What's that?" Lord Stafford -peered out of the window. They were sitting in his room, which was -flooded with moonlight. - -"It's that Masters fellow. He's playing his mandolin on the lake. -Fancy, at this hour!" - -They smoked for awhile in silence, listening. It was long after twelve. - -"We're going on a moonlight picnic to the Falls to-morrow night." - -"Are we?" - -"So Mrs. Bunker told me. We drove there our first day here--don't you -remember?" - -Lord Canning looked at his uncle in utter contempt. - -"Do I remember? What a delightful day it was, that first day! And how -many delightful days we have had since! Let me see. We have been here -going on four weeks--is it possible?" - -"That poor chap," with an inclination of his head toward the lake, -"seems awfully cut up about Miss Stillwater!" Lord Stafford watched his -nephew closely. "Why don't you retire and leave him the field? You may -as well, you know, first as last." - -"I have no intention of doing it--first or last!" - -"The devil you haven't!" - -"Uncle Nelson, I have made up my mind to marry Miss Stillwater!" - -"Good God! Your mother!" - -"My mother will be satisfied with whatever is to result in my happiness. -This is the only thing in my life I have ever intensely desired." - -"Think it over--well over. You may change your mind." - -"I have thought it over. You remember when I climbed Mt. Marsy with -Haller. The night we spent on the summit--I never closed my eyes. In -the morning I watched the sun rise over the forests, mountains and -lakes. Such a young, rejoicing world! And I stood above it all, -sleepless, miserable, old! The questions I had asked all night seemed -vain and trivial. I was simply answered. 'Be happy!' said the new-born -world, bathed in dew and light." - -"I promised your mother to look after you," insisted Lord Stafford, -weakly. - -His nephew put up his hand in laughing remonstrance, then grew instantly -grave. "Do you remember that log I threw in the Notch? How it was -tossed and whirled onward, like a leaf, by the might of the falls? I am -as helpless in the force that has now taken possession of me. I have -ceased to reason. I am going--wherever the falls will send me." He -drank deeply from the glass which stood at his elbow, Lord Stafford -regarding him helplessly. They talked into the small hours of the -morning. - -Late in the afternoon Stillwater sat in a sunny corner of the balcony, -reading the Herald. One hand held a nut, which a chipmunk was -speculatively watching in the shadow of the big balsam tree. Whenever -he ventured near, a rustle of the paper sent him scampering back to the -branches, It was the first week of October and they were having Indian -summer. The evergreens on the borders of the lake were a sombre -background to the gorgeous autumn color of the beech and maple trees. -The mountains were covered with an Oriental carpet of blended browns, -greens, and reds. Mrs. Bunker came out on the balcony, shading her eyes -to look on the lake. - -"No sign of them yet." - -"How long are your English friends going to stay?" - -Mrs. Bunker leaned carelessly against the rustic railing. "I'm sure I -don't know. Lord Stafford is a devoted sportsman, and his nephew is -accumulating information about the country. They're both taken with the -place, and--the people in it," she smiled, in a self-conscious way at -her son-in-law. He looked at her closely. She wore a tailor-made gown, -showing the fine lines of her tall figure. A scarlet cape dropped -carelessly off her shoulders. Masses of silvery hair, piled -artistically on top of her head, presented a striking contrast to her -dark, youthful eyes. - -"Grandma Chazy! You don't think of marrying again?" - -Mrs. Bunker laughed as though her sense of humor had been irresistably -touched. "I can't help guying Lord Stafford. He looks at me with those -owl eyes, and takes all my jokes for solemn earnest." - -"You will flirt, Grandma." - -"I will, while there's a breath left in my body--but I'm not the only -marriageable candidate in the house." - -"Now, keep your match-making hands off Indiana," he said, rising and -throwing down the paper. "I won't have it. If she marries away from -us, it will break her mother's heart. If I thought you had any such -schemes in your head--" - -"Wouldn't you like to see Indiana Lady Canning?" she asked sweetly. - -"No!" exclaimed Stillwater decidedly. "My girl's a good, little Yankee -and she shan't emigrate." He passed up and down the balcony, talking -excitedly. "Yes, there's rich emigrants and poor emigrants--and it's -leaving your country, bag and baggage. England's got the flower of our -women already, and of course, now the men are following suit." - -"You talk like a backwood's man," said Mrs. Bunker, contemptuously. -"You've never been abroad." - -"No. You can do the globe-trotting for the family. Is there anything -better than this--in Europe?" He gave a comprehensive sweep of his head -toward the lake and the woods. "Those Englishmen are wild over the -place." Mrs. Bunker folded her arms patiently, while he continued his -restless promenade. "Hit me between the eyes with the Jungfrau--what's -the matter with the Rockies? All the snow I want--there. Where can you -see another Niagara or a Yellowstone Park--or a stretch of balsam woods, -like we have here in the Adirondacks--or a--" - -"My dear Horatio," interrupted Mrs. Bunker, "your spread-eagleism is -wasted on me. You can be sure of one thing--when Indiana marries, we -won't be consulted. She'll please herself--" - -Mr. Stillwater brought his hand down on the railing. "She can have -anything the world affords--but I won't buy her a title!" - -Mrs. Bunker swept inside, laughing good humoredly. Seating herself by -the fire in the hall, she took up a square of chamois upon which she was -embroidering the head of an Indian chief, in full war-paint. - -"The others not back yet?" asked Glen, entering presently. "They're -making a day of it." He placed the gun he carried in a corner of the -hall and threw himself into a chair by the fire. "Those Englishmen are -having the time of their lives. Lord Canning monopolizes Indiana, -without considering whether it's agreeable to her--" - -"She's not the kind to sacrifice herself, Glen," said Mrs. Bunker, -smiling, and setting colored stones among the feathers on the forehead -of the Indian chief. - -Glen stared into the fire. - -"I think they've been here quite long enough." - -"You're jealous," said Mrs. Bunker, laughing. - -He looked at her with kindled eyes. "I am," he answered. "I confess -it--horribly jealous!" - -Again Mrs. Bunker laughed. - -"You don't take me seriously, Mrs. Bunker." - -"That's the trouble. I'm trying to laugh you out of this thing for your -own good." She laid down her work and looked at him sympathizingly. - -"Yes, I know you mean all right by me," he said with a sigh which was -almost a sob. "But you needn't try to laugh me out of it--you can't do -that." - -"My dear Glen, you're making it very hard for your yourself! Take my -advice for once." - -"You can't laugh me out of it," he repeated, burying his face in his -hands. - -"I'll talk to you just as if you were my own--I've often wished I had a -son. I could have done so much for him--I could have made something of a -son of mine. You are a young fellow, with every advantage that money -can give--handsome, and healthy, and clever. The world's before you. -Rise up and be a man! Crush this thing under your feet! Don't consider -your life is over before it's begun--because you can't have the first -thing you happened to wish for. Love isn't the only thing in -life--especially for a man. Look at the sphere a man has for his -activity! I sometimes feel like shaking some of you!" - -"You don't understand--you don't know--what a hold it has taken of me!" - -"Nonsense! Make an effort! It's in you. You're a soldier--there are -other battles to be fought beside those on the battlefield." - -"I know. And I'll fight--when I must. It hasn't come to that yet. I -haven't given up hope. Don't talk to me as if I were a coward. I went -off to Manila, and I loved her then. I didn't know when I wished her -good-bye but that it might be the last time I should ever see her. But -it wasn't so bad as this man walking in here, a perfect stranger, and -trying to steal her under my very eyes--when I've known her all my life. -And what does it all mean? Fine talk--a little extra polish!" - -"Lord Canning's a very interesting man--a man who holds a high position -in England. Indiana also has her future to make. You mustn't expect -because you've played with her as a child--well, what is the use of -talking sense to you!" - -"You mean well by me, Mrs. Bunker, and I thank you for it--you may be -even right in what you say. You've travelled a great deal and met hosts -of people, and you're very experienced, but you don't understand. This -has been growing in me before I knew--growing with my growth--and -growing after I knew--it's tearing a flower from the roots!" He rose -abruptly and leaned against the door. - -"Come out," called Stillwater. "What are you sitting over the fire for? -The sun feels fine to-day! This is great weather! I'm half sorry that -I didn't join the rest and bring down a few birds. Here's a boat coming -in now. Lord Stafford's man with Haller." - -"I don't see anything of Indiana nowadays, since those Englishmen have -been here." - -Mr. Stillwater looked at him significantly. "Well, they'll be gone -soon--then we'll have her all to ourselves again, my boy!" - -"Mr. Stillwater, you--you don't think Indiana cares for that man, do -you?" - -"No!" replied Mr. Stillwater, scornfully. - -"He's a man of position," said Glen, "and she's flattered--that's all." - -"That's all," repeated Stillwater, putting his feet up on the rustic -railing. - -"And another thing," Glen lowered his voice, "I suppose Mrs. Bunker's -been getting in some of her fine work." - -Stillwater winked. "You can depend on that. Hi, Flash!" Flash ran up, -the bottles in the lunch-basket he carried rattling loudly. He bowed -obsequiously, out of breath, as he neared the camp. "What sport?" - -"Magnificent, sir! Partridges as thick as rabbits! Their lordships and -the young lady h'is a coming, sir." - -"That'll do," as Flash stood bowing and scraping. "I can't stand the -crawling ways of these English servants," remarked Stillwater. - -"Neither can I," said Glen. - -"Well, Mr. Flash, look where you're going!" exclaimed Kitty, as Flash -ran precipitately against her. - -"Miss Kitty!"--he bowed exaggeratedly--"ten thousand pardons!" - -"Give an account of yourself! Where are the folks?" - -"They're h'on the lake. We 'ad a fine day's sport! I've never seen 'is -lordship in good temper for twelve consecutive hours before. And their -h'appetites, bless 'em!"--Flash whirled the basket in the air--"the -h'eatables 'ave vanished and they've drained the bottles!" - -"That's good!" said Kitty, relieving him of the basket. Flash sank down -on a rustic bench with a sigh of fatigue. - -"So the lordships are enjoying themselves?" Kitty seated herself beside -him and looked meditatively at her shoes. "A lucky day for them when -they fell in with the Stillwaters! We are celebrated for being -magnificent entertainers." - -"Are you?" said Flash, with a stare that comprehended every detail of -her trim personality. Kitty was a source of much entertainment to him, -besides being an unending study and a continuous novelty. Kitty, -conscious of the stare, rose with a toss of her chestnut head. "I'm -going down to the lake to watch for the folks." - -"Stay 'ere, Miss Kitty!" pleaded Flash. "Don't compel me to mount this -'ill again!" - -"There's really no necessity that you should accompany me, Mr. Flash." -She deposited the basket within, and strolled down through the trees. -Flash surveyed her from where he was sitting. Her smooth, shining hair -was mounted by a modish black bow. She wore a little dainty, ruffled -apron. - -"Very neat!" he murmured, then rose with an effort and caught up with -her. - -"It's a big thing, as you say in h'America, to be 'unting and 'unting -for miles and miles, and still be 'unting on your own 'unting grounds." - -"I should say so! Mr. Stillwater bought up all that land you're talking -about, years ago. It's worth ten times more now than what he paid for -it. It's for that model farm." - -"H'if all you've been telling me h'is true, I'm glad. I'm an h'expert -on farming. I 'ave never seen h'anything like you describe, h'even in -Devonshire." - -"The farm's only a fad of Mr. Stillwater's. You should see our home in -Indiana!" - -"I say, Kitty," he looked confidentially in her face, "'ow much is 'e -estimated at? Say two 'undred thousand pounds?" - -Kitty laughed contemptuously. - -"Three? Five?" - -"Mr. Flash, you're quite a nice young man, but you're very -unexperienced. A man who knows how rich he is, is not a rich man in -America. He's only well off. Mr. Stillwater has reached that stage -where money is never even mentioned!" - -"H'is it possible!" exclaimed Flash. - -"I think I see the folks. So in future, Mr. Flash, when they say a -man's rich in America you will understand he is not limited to figures." - -William was rowing them all in. They were talking and laughing in the -highest spirits. Mrs. Bunker came down through the trees in her scarlet -cape, still holding her work. - -"A most enjoyable day's sport, Mrs. Bunker," said Lord Stafford. - -"You did bravely to-day, Miss Stillwater," praised Lord Canning. - -"Not _Still*water," said Indiana, in a drawling voice. "Still*water_." - -"I'm afraid I shall never conquer your proper names. As for your -wonderful charms--" - -"I'll give you a lesson," interrupted Indiana. "Suppose you saw a -chubby little partridge over there in the scrub fern and wanted to bag -him--what would you say?" - -Lord Canning took his gun and levelled it in the direction indicated. - -"I should say, I'm afraid the little fellow's out of gunshot, but I'll -try." - -"That's not American--to be afraid!" - -"No, you'd guess." - -"I--guess--when there's game to bring down! Never!" She seized her gun -and levelled it at him. "I'd just bag him! Aren't you afraid?" - -"No," looking at her meaningly, "ready and eager to be sacrificed!" - -Indiana dropped her gun, laughing rather coquettishly. - -"Good hunting, Indiana?" asked Mrs. Bunker. - -"Good hunting, Grandma Chazy," answered Indiana, with a comprehensive -look at Lord Stafford. "You see we know our Kipling, Lord Canning." - -"I've ordered tea in the boat-house," said Mrs. Bunker. - -"I'm glad you did. It would be a pity to leave the lake to-day." - -Up in the cozy little room of the boat-house the logs were crackling. -Gay sporting prints adorned the green walls. - -"Will you have this chair, Miss Stillwater? Right this time? So glad! -It was quite an effort, I assure you." He thought as he drew her chair -near the fire--"Perhaps I shall not be obliged to make the effort long. -What an endless source of pleasure it will be to call her--Indiana!" - -"I suppose you're all dying for a cup of tea," said Mrs. Bunker, seating -herself at the tea-table, while Lord Stafford sank into an arm-chair -near the fire, warming his hands at the blaze. - -"Where are the rest?" inquired Indiana. - -"Your father and mother are having their tea together on the balcony. -They're perfectly happy. I believe, Glen's there too." - -"The devotion of your father and mother is very touching to me," -remarked Lord Canning. - -"They've always been like that--ever since I can remember," said -Indiana. - -"It's very beautiful to see, in these days of marital indifference and -incompatibility." - -"They'll be lovers to the end of the chapter," declared Mrs. Bunker. -"And there's Lord Stafford enjoying his single blessedness. Think what -you're missing!" - -"Ha, ha, ha! Yes, Mrs. Bunker, but at present this delightful cup of -tea is a great consolation." - -"What have you found most interesting in the States, Lord Canning?" -asked Mrs. Bunker. - -"Well, I should say--" he hesitated, holding his cup and gazing -contemplatively out at the lake. - -"Don't be afraid to commit yourself," added Mrs. Bunker, quickly. "You -English hate to make a positive assertion." - -"Quite so, Mrs. Bunker," returned Lord Canning amusedly. "We think more -slowly than you do--and you have asked me a very difficult question." - -"I'll answer it for you," volunteered Indiana. "Your uncle has come to -America to shoot things, and you for scientific purposes--ostensibly. -But you spend night after night over your brandy and soda, discussing -the American woman." - -"Remarkable!" ejaculated Lord Stafford, adjusting his monocle and -staring at Indiana. - -"How did you find us out, Miss Stillwater?" Lord Canning laughed -heartily. - -Lord Stafford drew his chair closer to the tea-table. - -"Are you not a very remarkable woman, Mrs. Bunker, even in this country -of remarkable women?" - -"You'll find women like me all over the States. You see we don't become -old before our time--to make way for the girls. I had my daughter to -rear, and I did it as well as I knew how. Then I superintended my -granddaughter's training. Now she's a woman, I'm commencing all over -again on my account." She laughed heartily at the serious countenance -with which Lord Stafford heard her explanation. - -"Remarkable, Lord Stafford, or bewildering--which?" She smiled archly -into his face. - -"Charming, this time, charming, I assure you!" - -"The lake looks so blue and enticing from here! Shall we drink our -second cup on the balcony, Miss Stillwater?" - -Indiana assenting, Lord Canning brought her empty cup to Mrs. Bunker. -"Make yourself comfortable in the hammock, Miss Stillwater. I will be -out directly, with a fresh supply." - -"Don't spill it, Lord Canning! Really your hand is very steady--a good -sign! Another--with me, Lord Stafford?" - -"I will take another with you, Mrs. Bunker." - -He returned the cup and leaned comfortably back in his chair, enjoying -the cosiness of his surroundings--the proximity of the fire, the blue -lake shining in the distance, and the domestic picture afforded by Mrs. -Bunker at the tea-table. - -"How is it that a good catch like you has escaped the matrimonial -anglers so long?" she asked confidentially, as she sipped her tea. - -Lord Stafford stirred his cup in amused embarrassment, quite at a loss -for an answer. - -"Now, why don't you marry?" continued Mrs. Bunker. - -"Er--er--I'm rather sensitive about being asked such personal -questions," gasped Lord Stafford. "My own sister never asked me that!" -He resumed a reminiscent expression. "She asked me if I should marry, -but never why--never why!" - -"You'll tell me, won't you?" urged Mrs. Bunker, sweetly. - -"Oh, by George, I declare I've never even asked myself that question!" - -"Well, I should be quick! Start an investigation committee and find out -something about yourself. You don't know how long you are going to -live." - -"Mrs. Bunker, one never knows what you are going to say next." - -"The lake has a ruby necklace," remarked Lord Canning, looking up from -his note-book, in which he had been writing while Indiana rested in the -hammock. The deep red coloring of the bank mirrored along the shore as -far as one could see. "Ah, there is Mr. Masters going out in a canoe!" -He watched Glen's well-knit figure as he paddled with swift, unerring -strokes, clearing a perfectly straight line down the centre of the lake. -"A very fine specimen of young manhood," he thought. - -Later there was a tinge of rose on the mountains, gradually fading into -purple. Glen remained on the lake watching the sunset. His solitary -canoe rested in a spot commanding a view of White Face Mountain--that -which Lord Canning had called the Mount of Perfection. Its giant shadow -lay on the lake, with the purple glow on its towering peak. He was -discouraged and depressed. The transient purple glow on the water -reflected itself in his spirit for the moment. Then it faded, leaving -the dark shadow of the mountain on the lake and a chill in the air. He -paddled slowly homeward. He had isolated himself from the rest lately -and spent his time restlessly roaming the woods with his gun, which lay -for the most part neglected beside him, while he asked constantly of a -blue patch in the pines why he should be robbed of his birthright of -happiness. The pines, bending and sighing over him, whispered always -the same consolation, as a sad nun, weeping with the stricken, will -speak the lesson of submission she has learned, and, knowing nothing -else, repeat it many times again. - - - - - *CHAPTER XI.* - - *A Moonlight Picnic.* - - -They were all jubilant during dinner at the prospect of the moonlight -picnic. When they emerged 'The Indiana' waited at the dock, illuminated -with colored lanterns. The camp-fire burned brightly as usual. Haller -sat on the steps with a lantern, ready to light them down to the lake. - -"Just eight," said Stillwater, looking at his watch. - -"No hurry," assured Mrs. Bunker. "This is to be an all-night affair." - -Haller chuckled. - -"Dissipation in the woods--fancy!" remarked Lord Stafford. - -The electric lights on the balcony were arranged to give only a subdued -glow. Glen played his mandolin softly while coffee was served, his eyes -fixed on Lord Canning and Indiana, who were talking in a very gay, -lively strain. - -"The Pacific coast is a great hunting ground, Lord Stafford," began -Stillwater. "I've heard stories about bands of elk that once roamed the -San Joaquin Valley in California, living on plains same as the -buffaloes--miles away from anything like cover." - -"Remarkable!" said Lord Stafford, while Haller listened with -open-mouthed surprise. - -"You see there was no demand for them before the discovery of gold, but -when the miners came they wanted meat. And then there were travelling -bands of bloodthirsty explorers. They and the miners murdered -everything in sight--the white man generally does. I was told that the -great novelist Dumas landed there in 1849, and one of his first -performances was to kill an elk in Sacramento Valley." - -"Indeed, an interesting fact! These vast herds of elk -retreated--where?" - -"To the Great Red Woods." - -"Haller," called Glen, "I'd like to climb White Face to-morrow; it's -such clear weather." - -"'Tis clear," replied Haller. "Liable to have snow on White Face." - -"Are you going to put me in your book?" asked Indiana. "Am I the type -of American woman you will describe?" - -"I am not going to put you in my book," answered Lord Canning. "I am -going to put you--well, never mind. You are not the type--you are a -type." - -"That's so," assented Indiana. "The states are too large for any one -distinctive type of woman. We all have that 'must-be-up-and-doing' kind -of spirit. You call it 'nervous activity.' The Southern girl is -neutrally active; the Eastern girl aggressively active." - -"The Western girl--" suggested Lord Canning. - -"Judge for yourself." She stood before him, her hands clasped behind -her. "Physically light weight, but strong. I can climb a tree, vault a -fence, ride a horse bareback, straddle and side-saddle. Mentally -light-weight, but bright, with an enormous faculty for devouring -literature, good, bad and indifferent. I love good music, and the -impressionist school of painting. Character undeveloped; politically, -an expansionist. I believe in the imperialistic policy, in -annexation--stretching out and grabbing everything I can get." - -"Bravo! Charming!" exclaimed Lord Canning, clapping his hands. "You are -most interesting." - -"As a study--or--or--a woman." - -"Both," said Lord Canning. "When I cease to study your imperfections, I -commence to love them." He bent over her, looking into her eyes. Glen -struck a discord on the mandolin. - -"I suggest that we start," interrupted Mrs. Bunker. - -Lord Canning stood seriously gazing into the fire in the hall, while the -ladies donned their wraps. His face brightened when he saw Indiana on -the little balcony behind the Persian rug. She had put on a long white -circular. The hood, edged with swansdown, made a pretty frame for her -little flushed face. Her eyes, with their dilating pupils, looked dark -under the yellow hair. - -"Come down, little snow maiden! Or, are you afraid you will melt away in -the heat of the fire?" - -He met her at the foot of the stairs, and took her hand in a tender -pressure. Mrs. Bunker coughed slightly behind them, and Indiana ran -quickly out on the balcony, leaving Lord Canning under the amused fire -of Mrs. Bunker's bright eyes. She shook her finger at him, and would -have followed Indiana, but Lord Canning did not wish to be taken so -lightly. - -"Mrs. Bunker," he said in a low, intense voice, grasping the balustrade, -"one moment, if you please. It may not be considered anything in -America when a man of my age is seen holding the hand of such a very -young girl, but, I am not a believer in light sentiment--flirting, -perhaps, would be the term. I love your granddaughter!" - -"It's easy enough to see that," laughed Mrs. Bunker. It was always -amusing to her when people took themselves so seriously. "You have my -good wishes. I have always thought very highly of you." - -She held out her hand, which he pressed gratefully in his. "Thank you, -Mrs. Bunker. Have you any idea if--if she cares for me?" - -"The little minx is too smart for me," answered Mrs. Bunker. - -"She is so non-committal," said Lord Canning. "I know she esteems me -and all that; at times, I have fancied that I even interest her. But as -to--" he gazed gloomily into the fire. "Well, it will be necessary for -me to clinch things very soon, time is passing with dangerous -rapidity--but still passing. Mrs. Bunker, when I met you in Cannes over -a year ago, I did not know what a great influence you were fated to -throw on my life. If she loves me, I will never forget that it is -through you--" - -"Don't thank me--yet," said Mrs. Bunker, shrewdly. "Wait until you're -married a year." - -"Oh, I have no fears on that score," asserted Lord Canning, with a very -self-confident air. - -"You don't know Indiana. If you attempted to cross her, she'd tear your -hair out!" - -"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Lord Canning, laughing heartily. "Don't -think you can frighten me by a little thing like that!" - -"If I thought so," reflected Mrs. Bunker, "I wouldn't have told you, no -matter how true it might be. Oh, nothing would stop you now, Lord -Canning!" - -"Nothing! I have lived a very matter-of-fact life--never very -miserable, or the other extreme. I have had great satisfaction in my -work. Now it's time I snatched a little happiness." - -"Indeed it is," said Mrs. Bunker, in a soothing voice. Men, to her, -were like big children--to be humored. - -They had moved gradually toward the fire. "These logs," continued Lord -Canning, "are a magnet towards which my eyes have been drawn every night -since I came. If you knew what I see in them--such a sweet domestic -picture, a vision of true happiness!" - -"Well, don't depend too much on Indiana's domesticity," said Mrs. -Bunker. - -"We generally gauge a daughter by her mother, in England," stated Lord -Canning. - -"Well, it's different over here. The young generation are so -precocious--so far ahead of the mothers." - -"I do not call it an advance. The daughters would do well to copy their -mothers in their allegiance to the home. I hope, if Indiana does me the -honor to consent--" - -"Well, you can have that out with her. She may be a model of -domesticity, but you never know how a girl's going to develop. You -can't be sure of everything"--she laughed mockingly--"that's the risk of -marriage." - -"I am staking everything on this one card--marriage," said Lord Canning. - -"Why will you men play so high?" queried Mrs. Bunker, laughing again, as -she swept out on the balcony. - -"Why?" echoed Lord Canning, looking into the fire. His dark eyes smiled -at what he saw there--the picture he had described in the glowing logs, -had been his answer. "Yes, it is time I snatched a little -happiness--how little, after all! The rest of my natural life seems -short enough to love her in." - -"We're going, Lord Canning," called Mrs. Bunker. - -He hurried out, offering his arm to Indiana, as the procession followed -Haller down to the boat-house. The lake by moonlight was a scene of -such mysterious beauty that no one felt inclined to talk. Lord Canning -was somewhat disposed to question the reality of his surroundings. He -was drifting down a silvery sea of enchantment, Indiana's white-robed -form at his side. Oblivious of criticism, he scarcely took his eyes -from her young face, etherealized in the moonlight. Glen watched his -loverlike attitude, with growing anger. To the various camps along the -lake, the illuminated launch, passing with the faint strains of the -mandolin, presented quite a fairy-like spectacle. Later, driving -through the country, they were all talkative and lively, regaling the -night with choruses, Glen playing and singing with a gayety he was far -from feeling. Stillwater, who drove, complied, unhesitatingly, to a -request for the old road. Lord Canning sat silent and spellbound the -entire way, watching the stream winding before him--touched with -tremulous waves of silver; the little islands dreaming in a moonlit -haze. - -William had been sent over to prepare, early in the afternoon. When the -party arrived, the falls were illuminated by colored lanterns, -decorating the rustic bridges, and hanging from the trees. They added a -fantastic beauty to the natural wildness of the spot. - -"I'm sure I am dreaming," said Lord Canning, as he stood alone with -Indiana on one of the rustic bridges, listening to the roar of the -waters and watching the many-colored lights trembling on the moonlit -falls. "Studying late into the night, I fell asleep in my library at -home. Jennings will come in soon and poke the fire, and I shall -awake--in England!" - -At twelve they sat down to a large supper-table. Kitty, Flash, and the -two guides were in attendance. Lord Canning related some interesting -adventures, and Stillwater taxed his memory for humorous experiences, -which met with the hearty appreciation of his guests, who were very -susceptible to the dry wit of the American. Glen complied whenever he -was asked to sing, between the stories, but otherwise he was distinctly -out of tune with the prevailing high spirits. He had been wrought up to -the highest pitch of jealousy, by the absence of Lord Canning and -Indiana from the rest, before supper. The entire evening appealed to -him more as a nightmare than a festivity. - -"Friends," began Stillwater, in response to a toast from Lord Canning, -"I'm in the best of health and spirits. My family are all around me"--he -rested his hand on his wife's head--"I hope to keep them so, for many a -long day. We can't reckon on the future, but to-night I'm a happy man!" -He kissed his wife, whose eyes had filled with a quick rush of tears. - -Indiana jumped up and threw herself upon his breast, with a very sure -premonition that she would soon leave him. - -"Our host again!" proposed Lord Stafford. - -His nephew drank the toast, feeling a sense of guilt that he was -destined so shortly to ruffle the calm sea of Stillwater's domestic -horizon. - -"My distinguished guests have announced their intention of returning to -England"--holding Indiana against his breast. "May they find their dear -ones well and happy, and Godspeed to them!" - -"Godspeed to them!" echoed Glen. "And a quick leave-taking!" he thought -grimly. - -Mrs. Bunker's happy philosophy was colored for the moment with a tinge -of pessimism. "What a blind game it is," she whispered to Lord Canning. -"He may be wishing 'Godspeed' to the baby I laid in his arms. Look at -Indiana, she hasn't raised her head." - -"Well, Indiana," said Stillwater, "aren't you going to drink 'Godspeed' -to them?" He held the glass to her lips, raising her head from his -breast. Their eyes were all upon her,--Lord Canning's tenderly anxious, -his uncle's laughing, Mrs. Bunker's significant, and Glen's suspicious -and jealous. - -"Godspeed to them!" she repeated, gaily raising her glass. - -When they finally arose from supper, Glen immediately disappeared. "I -must get away from that awful white light," he thought, walking -restlessly through the dark woods. "It's beating on my brain and -driving me mad." His soul foreboded very truly that Indiana was lost to -him. The soul is our Cassandra. It mourns and prophecies, while the -heart is forever holding a carnival. A young girl decking herself with -flowers for a fete. There is a shrouded form behind her in the mirror. -It whispers, "Those flowers are blossoms of death. The fete for which -you are robing, is a funeral." But, unhearing, unseeing, thinking of -lovers and dancing, she decks herself in the mirror, a song on her lips. - -Scarcely knowing where his feet were leading him, he found himself on -the bridge directly over the falls. "She never notices me--I don't exist -for her!" He looked down into the falls. "Living's only a fever after -all--a mad fever of longing and jealousy. I'd gladly end it, down -there--if it wasn't for the folks. Ambition! glory! I'd fling them all -to the winds for the choice of pressing her little yellow head to my -heart, just once, to still this horrible throbbing! If I had been -brought home wounded and dying, she'd have sobbed beside me, and I'd -have comforted her in my weak arms. Then she might have said, 'I love -you, Glen dear!' just to make me happy--before the end. I would have -fallen peacefully asleep then, blessing her. A happy death, to have died -for my country, holding her to my breast, as my life bled away. Better -than this--this fever called 'living'." - -A hand was laid on his shoulder. "We're going home, my boy." - -"Oh, I'm sorry"--he pressed his hand to his forehead--"I'm sorry that -you were obliged to look for me." - -Stillwater scrutinized Glen's set, white face. "The Englishmen are -going. Things will come your way--soon." - -"They'll never come my way," sighed Glen, "except, perhaps, when I've -ceased to care." - -"Nonsense!" - -"It seems to me that nothing is worth what I've been suffering--not even -Indiana." - -"She isn't," assured Stillwater, unhesitatingly, delighted at this -conclusion. "Turn over a new leaf. Show her you're indifferent. She'll -think all the more of you." - -Lord Stafford was patting the ponies, while Haller arranged the harness. - -"If you'll be kind enough to jump in, Lord Stafford," cried Mrs. Bunker, -"we may reach home in time for breakfast! Come now, Haller, you've been -fumbling long enough with that harness!" - -Haller grinned at Lord Stafford. "That woman's full of life," he -remarked, "I admire her." - -"The devil you do!" exclaimed Lord Stafford. - -As they started they all sung "On the Banks of the Wabash." - -The moon was fading when they embarked on 'The Indiana.' - -"The lake presents an unearthly appearance in this silver twilight," -remarked Lord Canning. "It is vanishing quickly. There's still a -parting gleam touching the dark pines here and there--lingering like the -last caress of a dying hand. Everything is becoming vague. The world -is fading away from us. How fascinating--these last few moments before -the dawn. Ah, it is breaking! That suggestion of dark shore--this pale -light on the black lake. Why, we are on the River Styx. Haller doesn't -look unlike Charon. I can see you dimly, Miss Stillwater--a little -ghost in your white cloak. We are all ghosts." He lowered his voice. -"I am positive that Mr. Masters sitting there, with his mandolin, could -not present a more tragic figure if his eternal punishment were to play -for the amusement of all the shades crossing to Hades!" - -Indiana laughed. Glen bit his lips savagely. It sounded to him like -the mocking laugh he had heard in his dreams, on the farm in the West, -that miserable week when he had exiled himself. - -The morning mists floated above them, growing denser. The clouds -reflecting in the glassy lake, exposed only a fringe of red foliage. -Gradually the mists were tinged with a faint opaline glow, deepening -gradually. The sun rose as they neared Camp Indiana. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII.* - - *Leading to the Altar.* - - -Glen did not renounce his original intention of climbing White Face -mountains. He slept for two hours, breakfasted, and started for White -Face trail at ten o'clock. There was no one stirring at the camp. When -he returned it was four in the afternoon. He found Indiana lying in the -hammock on the balcony, Lord Canning, seated beside her, reading poetry -aloud. - -Glen threw himself into a chair. "I'm pretty well used up!" - -"I should think so," said Indiana, "climbing White Face after being up -all night! I'll order some tea for you, and then you'd better go to -bed." - -She sprang from the hammock and disappeared, returning again in a -moment. - -"Thank you, Indiana. I'm glad I went. It was magnificent! The view as -clear as possible, and snow on the summit!" - -"I thought we might see you and Haller from the lake, but I couldn't get -Lord Canning away from the camp to-day. He was so lazy." - -Lord Canning smiled. He had his own reasons for staying home, having -resolved not to let the day pass without speaking to his host of the -subject of Indiana. So far there had been no opportunity. The family -did not appear until lunch-time, and ever since, Stillwater had been -closeted, writing business letters. - -Though excessively fatigued, Glen felt immeasurably better for climbing -White Face. The physical tax had cleared his brain. He had been -exhilarated by the cold, rare air on the summit. He drank his tea with -a pleasurable sense of lassitude, and, his eyes fixed on Indiana -swinging in the hammock, replied rather absently to Lord Canning's -questions regarding the ascent. - -Lord Canning rose, closing his Tennyson. "I think I'll stroll down to -the lake, Miss Stillwater, if you don't mind." He smiled at Glen, with -a feeling of generosity. - -Indiana looked after him thoughtfully as he strolled down through the -trees. - -"He's a thorough gentleman--so unobtrusive. He never asks prying -questions--and he's never in the way." - -"Too slow for me," replied Glen, watching her narrowly. "But I suppose -you must have someone to flirt with." - -Indiana swung slowly. "Perhaps--I'm in earnest--this time!" - -Glen rose and grasped her wrist tightly. "Don't say that, Indy! While -you're single I shall never give up hope. Now, what's in the way? I'm -not your inferior in education. Do you know any handsomer fellow than -I?"--with a grim affectation of humor. "If it's for money--I have all -you'll ever want." - -"I must marry a man of the world. I want to live in the world. We're -both undeveloped--I'm not a woman yet, nor you a man." - -"I don't consider I'm not a man," said Glen scornfully, "until I have -conquered no end of women, and have their broken hearts for trophies, -like an Indian with a string of scalps. I love one woman, and if she -won't have me--well, I'll not give up until I see her tied pretty -tightly to another man." - -"I'm not worth it, Glen." She caught his arm, gazing earnestly up into -his face, "I'm not worth all your devotion." - -"I know you have faults enough, but, God help me, I love you all the -better for them." - -"Everybody loves my faults," said Indiana, impatiently. "That's the -trouble with me. If I could only find some one who would hate them and -try to cure them." - -"I couldn't be harsh to you, Indy. If you killed me, I'd die blessing -you. You nearly did for me once--" - -"What!" - -"Oh, it wasn't your fault--you were too young to know better." - -Indiana sprang from the hammock. "Glen, what wasn't my fault?" she -demanded, fiercely. "What did I do? You shall tell me!" - -"All right. But don't get in a temper. I swore I'd never throw it up -to you." - -"Don't tease me, Glen," said Indiana, imploringly, "tell me--quickly." - -Glen pushed his hair back from his right temple. "Do you see that?" - -"Yes," uttered Indiana, in a frightened voice, "a deep, white scar." - -"You did that." She recoiled, looking at it in horror. "You threw a -pair of scissors at me--in one of your tantrums." - -"Oh, no, no, no!" - -"You were too young to remember, and they took you away so that the -sight of the blood shouldn't frighten you." - -"Oh, Glen!" cried Indiana, "how could I? And you're always so good--you -never even hated me for it. Oh, Glen!" She took his head in her hands -and kissed the scar impulsively. "Forgive me--forgive me!" - -"Indiana, is there a chance for me?" - -"No." - -"You're not going to marry that Englishman?" he said, fiercely. - -"He hasn't asked me." - -"Would you?" - -"I don't know, Glen. Promise me you won't say anything to him about -that," pointing to the scar. - -"I've never thought of it myself," said Glen, sadly, "since then. I'm -sorry I told you if--" - -"Thank you for telling me. I'm glad I know. It hurts me, though--right -here." She put her hand to her heart. - -"Indiana!" - -"Now I'm blue, but I'll get over it. To think I could hurt you, or -anybody, like that." - -"Oh, Indy, don't think about it. This scar is healed--long ago. You've -hurt me here, far worse than that." He took her hand and pressed it to -his heart. "There's a wound here it'll take many a long day to heal." - -"Oh, Glen! Oh, Glen!" she moaned, piteously, trying to wrest her hand -away. But he held it tightly over his heart. - -"I don't know what you want--I don't believe you know yourself--I don't -believe you realize what you're doing--you're too young to know. You're -throwing away a rare, pure love, Indiana, as though it were a soiled -ribbon. I'm not a man of the world, but I know what that means in -life--you don't. It's all that counts in the long run. I don't say -another man couldn't love you, but no one will ever love you -better--remember that, won't you? And that mine is not a love which has -sprung up suddenly--it has taken deep roots in my life." - -"It's horrible to think I could hurt anyone like that," repeated -Indiana, mechanically, looking at the scar on his forehead. - -"That's the least. Think of the wound here," he repeated. "You could -heal it, Indiana." He opened his arms. He might have won her by his -very insistence, if it were not that the idea of another--a different -life from what she had known--had shed its glamour upon her, the glamour -of the new and strange. She would not trust herself to look at his -dark, quivering face, but turned away and mounted the stairs, slowly, to -her room, seeing him very clearly as she went, standing with his arms -extended. - -Later, Mrs. Stillwater found Glen sitting alone on the balcony, looking -vacantly on the lake. He did not notice her, until she went up to him, -putting her arm about his neck. - -"What's the matter, Glen?" - -"Indy won't have me--" - -"You've asked her, then?" - -Glen nodded. - -"I'm so sorry, so sorry." She smoothed his hair gently. "I've always -hoped it would be--some day." - -"I haven't given--up--hope--yet," he said, doggedly. - -She kept smoothing his hair, until Lord Canning joined them. Then Glen -rose abruptly and went up to his room. - -"Our young hero seems depressed," said Lord Canning, quietly. - -"It's about Indiana," replied Mrs. Stillwater, very much distressed. - -"He's a fine fellow, but, if you'll pardon me for saying so, Mrs. -Stillwater, he's not the right husband for your daughter." - -"He understands her better than a stranger would. He'd get along with -her, I'm sure." - -"Is it so difficult to get along with her?" enquired Lord Canning. - -"Oh, I didn't mean that," replied Mrs. Stillwater, quickly. "There's no -one more lovable and easy, if she's studied." - -"What do you think of me as a husband for your daughter?" said Lord -Canning, quietly. - -"Lord Canning, you're not in earnest?" - -"Why not? I should like to take my place in the matrimonial -competition, if you have no objection." - -She looked at him, standing there with such apparent composure. "What -objection could I have to a man like you? But, I'm not the one to be -consulted. Whatever Indy decides, I must be satisfied with. Oh, dear! -Oh, dear!" - -"Mrs. Stillwater, the idea is evidently disagreeable to you?" - -"Oh no, not at all. But Indiana's so young, and you live so far -away--and she is so unfit to be alone--without us. But don't consider -me--I have nothing whatever to say." - -"I had a pressing correspondence to-day, Lord Canning," said Stillwater, -emerging upon the balcony. His wife put her hand on his shoulder. - -"Father! Father!" - -"Well, mother, what is it?" - -"Lord Canning wants to marry Indy?" - -"Does he?" asked Stillwater, composedly. "Too bad--too bad." - -His wife sighed heavily, and was on the point of leaving them, when Lord -Canning took her hand, looking sympathetically into her eyes. "Why not -stay and help me out?" - -"Oh, I really must go--Indy's waiting for me. I never let anyone do -anything for her. I always lay out her dresses, and brush her hair, and -wait on her. She gets cross if I don't--and I love to do it." - -"You don't approve of me, Mrs. Stillwater?" - -"I do," she answered, tremulously. "I like you very much--you're such a -nice, modest man for your position. Will you--" she hesitated, he still -held her hand, looking inquiringly into her eyes, "will you wait a while -and think it over before you ask Indy?" - -"I have waited and thought it over well," replied Lord Canning, in a -very decided tone. "I know this is very unusual, but, for the life of -me, I couldn't ask a young woman to marry me until I was sure I would be -acceptable to her parents." - -"You are, you are," assured Mrs. Stillwater, quickly, "but it will be a -great trial to lose her--that's what I was thinking of--only that." The -tears rushed to her eyes. She turned and mounted the stairs, hastily. - -"Mother is naturally upset when she thinks of Indy getting married," -said Stillwater, who had been gravely listening. - -"Naturally," agreed Lord Canning. "Suppose we walk down to the lake," he -added, with an Englishman's dislike of being overheard. - -"Marrying young runs in our family," remarked Stillwater, as they -descended the steps. "My wife was sixteen, when she married, and -grandma only fifteen. There's always somebody turning up, wanting to -marry Indiana. But she's never been serious about anyone, I'm happy to -say." - -Lord Canning looked meditatively upon the ground, pushing, with the tip -of his shoe, the thick layer of pine needles. Finally he looked up, -smiling. "If I could make her serious about me, would you object?" - -"Why should I?" asked Stillwater, dryly. "I don't have to live with -you." - -"Oh, no," replied Lord Canning, accepting the remark in a serious sense, -"there's no possible necessity for it." Stillwater gave an involuntary -chuckle, and, seating himself on a rustic bench built between two trees, -offered his would-be son-in-law a cigar. "I ought to feel very much -honored, Lord Canning, but I haven't reached that stage of imperialism, -although my mother-in-law is a fiend on that subject. American women -generally are. They're natural imperialists. They head a despotic -monarchy at home." He laughed heartily, while his guest surveyed him -gravely, lighting his cigar. - -"Mr. Stillwater, I hope you do not consider my title against me?" - -"Oh, not at all, not at all," smoking, in a very comfortable position. -"It might help you with Indiana. It would be a new fad for her. You -know we all have our fads. It's a good thing for us, too. Personally I -like you. I like you very much. But--er--" he hesitated, studying the -lake. There was plainly something on his mind which he considered should -be said. Finally he rose, placing his hand kindly on Lord Canning's -shoulder. "I want to give you a quiet piece of advice, and if you don't -take it I want you to consider it as never having been said--will you?" - -"I will, sir," said Lord Canning, gravely. - -"Don't marry my daughter!" - -"Why?" - -"It'll never pan out. Your ways are not her ways; her thoughts and your -thoughts are as far apart as--as if she spoke Chinese and you -Pennsylvania Dutch." - -"Mr. Stillwater, I am not easily frightened. The more difficulties I -encounter, the more determined I am to win." - -"Now, don't misunderstand me," added Stillwater, quickly. "My -daughter's no worse than any other man's daughter--women, as women, are -all all alike. But we understand and know how to get along with them. -I married very young, and I continued to live with my wife, my -mother-in-law, and my daughter, all different dispositions, without -quarrelling." - -"Yes, I have observed and admired the equilibrium of your household. It -would be very valuable to me to know how you manage it. Will you let me -into the secret, Mr. Stillwater?" - -"Ha, ha, ha! Easy enough--I give in!" - -"You give in?" Lord Canning asked, incredulously. - -"Every time," replied his host, proudly. "I never stand out against -them, so they can't quarrel with me--and when they quarrel between -themselves, I agree with them all--separately." He looked at his guest -with a self-congratulatory expression. - -"I'm afraid I could not adopt that method," he said quietly, flicking -the ashes from his cigar. - -"There," Stillwater exclaimed, triumphantly, "I told you it wouldn't -do!" They heard Mrs. Bunker laughing in the woods with Lord Stafford, -and presently she came through the trees, in her scarlet cape, -bare-headed, followed by her guest carrying a wicker basket, brimful of -balsam sprigs. - -"We've been balsaming," she said. - -"I beg pardon," remarked Lord Canning. - -"Balsaming," she repeated. "That's what they call it here--picking -balsam." She knocked his forehead lightly with her forefinger. "See it -now--or shall I get a hammer?" - -He laughed. "My stupidity must try your patience at times, Mrs. -Bunker." - -"I wanted some to fill the pillow I am making for Lord Stafford to take -to England--when he goes." Lord Stafford offered her his arm, and, -laughing, they continued their way to the camp. - -"Then you haven't much faith in our speedy departure--although you drank -the toast last night, Mrs. Bunker?" - -"Not in yours--your nephew's, yes. But I don't imagine you'll go with -him." - -"Probably not, Mrs. Bunker. Under certain circumstances, I might -consider it advisable to prolong my trip. And I must say the prospect of -remaining in America is delightful to me--most delightful." - -"The fact is, Lord Canning," continued Stillwater, "we spoil our -children. We know it, but we can't help it. The girls, mind you--the -boys are easy enough thrown on the world--but the girls," he smiled -fondly, "the pretty, little, delicate girls--how can you help spoiling -them? You should have seen Indy--" Lord Canning's face assumed an -expression of deep interest. "A doll--you could have put her in a quart -pitcher. She'd roll up her little sleeves, and fight and sass me--we'd -roar at her. As she grew up, it grew with her, and now when she gets in -a temper, we all scatter till she's over it. And then she creeps under -your coat, like a little, white mouse, and loves you so, with her pretty -hands and her soft face. Now, what can a man do?" - -Lord Canning regarded his host reflectively. "You begin early to make a -rough road for the girl's future husband, don't you?" - -"Oh, no! Our people understand that every man is under the thumb of his -wife, and is proud of it." - -This assertion sounded astounding to the listener. Before, however, he -could grasp its full value, he caught sight of Indiana's white dress -among the pines. As he watched her coming toward them, her head making -a light advancing spot among the dark trees, Stillwater's friendly -warning faded from his mind as completely as though it had never been -given. - -"It all rests with her now," he thought. - -"Why so serious?" said Indiana. "Let me into this secret discussion. If -it's not snow and ice, and the North Pole, I know more about it than -Lord Canning--and if it's not farming, I know more about it than pa." - -"I guess I'll let you fight it out with Indiana," remarked Stillwater, -dryly. He looked at her, with a sigh, then climbed slowly up to the -camp. - -"We were discussing many things," said Lord Canning, bashfully. -"Marriage; the training of children--" - -"Marriage--with pa?" replied Indiana, with a laugh. "He's absolutely -ignorant on the subject." - -"Remarkable," said Lord Canning, "considering he's seventeen years -married." - -"Oh, that was only a boy-and-girl affair. In those days it was a farm, -a wife to do the housework--and they always lived happily." - -"I wish it were as simple a matter with you as with your mother," -ventured Lord Canning. - -"I'm different from mother. If I were not, you would not--" - -"What?" asked Lord Canning. - -"Oh, nothing," stooping to pick up a sprig of balsam, which had fallen -from Lord Stafford's basket. - -"Let us follow that little trail down there beside the lake," suggested -Lord Canning, "do you mind?" - -The day had been sunless. The evening was still and gray, the air soft -and balmy, without a tinge of frost. Through the trees that fringed the -trail, they caught glimpses of the glassy lake mirroring the gray -floating clouds, and great masses of autumn color, with sometimes the -intervening dark shadow of a group of pines. - -"Men to you are like a large correspondence, which is read carelessly, -'answered' scribbled on the envelopes, then piled into pigeon -holes--forgotten." - -"I always throw old letters away," said Indiana, sweetly. "I never -accumulate rubbish." - -"Oh!" said Lord Canning. He walked beside her for a little while, -thinking deeply. "How silent it is here," he remarked, finally. "This -soft carpet of pine needles muffles every footstep. It seems sacrilege -almost, to speak. This trail seems to me like a dim, narrow aisle of a -church, leading to the altar." He looked upward at the glimpse of gray -sky. "Indiana, I am a very serious man. I accept life as worth living -only with serious aims." They emerged upon a small open space in the -woods, dimly lit, with a Turkish carpet of many-colored leaves. He drew -Indiana down upon a fallen tree, covered with silvery patches of -gray-green moss. "My ideal of a wife has been an intellectual woman of -my own world and standing. But your little hands have bowled over, like -a set of ninepins, all my long cherished traditions and ideas. You have -taken possession of me, in a way which terrifies me. I am miserable -away from you. I am miserable with you. I am restless, sleepless--you -flit before me like a tantalizing will-o'-the-wisp, whose light draws, -maddens me. My pen is idle, my mail lies upon the table--unanswered. -Tell me, have I a chance with you--or let me go. Let me put the ocean -between us, for self-preservation." - -"I don't wish you to think I trifle with marriage because I have refused -several offers," said Indiana, seriously. "It's not waywardness or -frivolity." - -"Indiana!" - -"You admit, in your feeling for me, reason has no place. And that your -ideal of a wife is something entirely different from myself." - -"Yes," said Lord Canning. "Reason has no place. It is love--love -alone." - -"I want you to know me as I really am, then--if you are willing to take -the chances--" - -"Willing!" He raised her hand to his lips. - -"I am very much spoiled," Indiana continued. - -"You have all the imperfections which make you charming to a lover, you -will have all the virtues which will make you--divine to your husband." - -"I must have my own way--even when I'm wrong. I'm fond of change, -nothing pleases me long. I'm quick tempered, spiteful--but I'm always -sorry for it, after--always." - -"Sweetheart, I have watched you closely. I have seen glimpses of -splendid feeling and heart in you, that have become choked by -indulgence. Other conditions will develop the good that is in you--I am -quite confident of it." - -She looked through the trees at the gray lake. "I could be -different--it is in me--but--somehow--" - -He watched her face, caressing her hand. "You will love my mother, -dear. She is a type of English womanhood. She is not strong, and has -lived a retired life for many years. Our house may be quiet for you--at -first." - -"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll make it lively enough." - -"Darling!" He tried to draw her into his arms, but she resisted him. - -"Wait." - -"What more, pretty penitent?" - -"Yes. I want you to promise me that when I'm mad and want to do -inconsistent things, and have my own way--when it's not good for me--I -want you to promise me, no matter how much you love me--that you won't -give in." - -He laughed at her earnest little face. "I'm afraid I shall--I feel now -as if I shall let you do anything, I love you so." - -"Then I won't marry you. I've tried to control myself, but I can't, -because everybody's so afraid of me. It makes me much worse. You're -the first man I've ever taken seriously." - -"Do you love me, Indiana?" - -"No. I'm tired of the model farm--I'm tired of Grandma Chazy--I'm tired -of Washington and New York, and I want to go to England." His -expression sank at this frank avowal, only to change again at her next -words. "I--I feel that marriage to me must mean the changing of every -condition--or--" she looked imploringly into his anxious eyes, "I won't -make a success of my life--and I want to be something more than I -am--something better." She added quickly, "And, I wouldn't marry you, -if I did not think I could love you--some day." - -"I believe in the love which comes after marriage," he said firmly. -"Given a fairly matched pair, the man the stronger, and there's no -danger. I'm sure I shall make you love me." - -"And you promise--" - -"I promise, no matter how much I suffer, I won't give in." He clasped -her into his arms, and kissed her passionately. A sudden wave of color -surged over her face, and she drew herself away, with downcast eyes. He -watched her anxiously, holding her hand. Then he persuaded her to sit -down beside him on the moss-grown trunk. "A little sleeping soul has -been given my into my care," he thought, smoothing her hair gently. "I -must cherish it until it wakes. After waiting--after infinite -patience--her love, when given, will be all the sweeter. I shall prize -it more than if it had been easily won. We must wait for the most -precious things in life. That is the supreme lesson to learn--how to -wait--so we shall be worthy of life's golden gift, when it comes. It -must come--the very power of my own love for her--the very force of my -will, must bring it. Life owes it to me--her love." He touched his lips -to her hair. - -"Now, let's go and tell the folks," said Indiana. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII.* - - *England.* - - -"Jennings!" - -"Yes, yer leddyship!" - -"I thought I heard carriage wheels." - -"Not yet, yer leddyship." - -Lady Canning sighed, and Jennings sank stiffly on his knees and poked -the fire, as he had done innumerable times within the hour. - -"Her leddyship will be ill," he mumbled to himself over the fire. "It's -a terrible strain for her leddyship." - -"Jennings!" - -"Yes, yer leddyship." - -"Look again! I thought I heard them--this time." - -Jennings rose with difficulty, pushed aside the heavy draperies that -screened the library windows, and peered through the fog. - -"Not yet--yer leddyship." He adjusted the curtains carefully with his -shaking fingers. "Will I bring the tea, yer leddyship?" - -"No, Jennings, I will have tea with my son and his young wife." - -"His lordship may not arrive for sometime--yer leddyship may be faint." - -"Yes, but nevertheless, I am firmly resolved to wait, Jennings." She -closed her eyes with an expression of resignation. - -"Very well, yer leddyship," said Jennings, in a heart-broken voice. He -left the room noiselessly. - -Lady Canning sat motionless in her large arm-chair near the fire. -Approaching seventy years of age, there were still remnants of beauty in -those fine, delicately cut features, slightly pinched through illness. -Her calm, impassive face seemed to have outlived every stage of emotion, -or lived through the emotional stage, without having experienced the -emotions. For twenty years since the death of her husband she had -maintained the strictest seclusion. A cobweb of ivory-tinted lace -rested on her white, carefully dressed hair, and a fichu of the same was -drawn over her attenuated shoulders. - -The room in which she sat was a proper frame for her personality. It -was filled with objects, some of rare value, that had mellowed with age. -The years had taken from everything its element of aggressiveness. The -tapestries, the paintings, the books, the furniture, blended into -harmony of soft and faded hues. - -Lady Canning suffered considerable excitement at the prospect of seeing -her only son once more, after an absence of ten months, not to speak of -a certain anxiety regarding her daughter-in-law. Thurston had written, -"I will not describe Indiana. I wish you to form your own impressions." - -"My dear son had no idea I would suffer any suspense regarding his -wife," she reflected, "otherwise he would have written me every -particular. He doubtless thought I would have every confidence in his -judgment. And my fears have probably not the slightest foundation. It -seems impossible that my son should select a woman for his wife who -would be unfitted for the position. And yet, it appears strange he -should have gone so far away from home to choose a daughter for me. It -is quite natural I should have preferred him to marry a woman in his own -sphere, from another old, conservative English family. I should have -felt surer, then, that there would have been no after-complications. -There are so few left of the real conservative families. The watchword -of the others is 'Progress.' They grasp, all too quickly, every new -idea that claims to be an improvement on the old. But we are more -careful--we cling to our traditions--our old ideals of life. There are -none better. There is Lady Isabel Waring--still unmarried, not a -beauty--but great caste--great caste. She would have been devoted to -me." Lady Canning sighed and opened her eyes. - -Jennings was lighting the candles in the tall, many-branching -candelabras on the mantel. The Canning mansion, in common with other -old London homes, had been fitted up with every modern improvement, -including electric lights; but Lady Canning, when she was alone, still -clung to the old-fashioned candle-light, claiming it was softer, more -agreeable for her eyes. Jennings was still allowed to perform the -function of many years, much to his delight. He had a deep-rooted -hatred of all innovations. - -"This suspense is quite natural," thought Lady Canning, "in spite of my -confidence in Thurston. I am a mother. A mother fears everything--and -hopes everything." - -Jennings suddenly paused in his occupation and inclined his head, -listening. Then he blew out his taper, and hurried to the window. -"They're here, yer leddyship! Yer leddyship!" His voice quivered with -excitement, and he looked apprehensively at his mistress, as though he -feared she might faint or give way in some respect. She rose, -supporting herself upon a cane. - -"Jennings," she said in a strong voice, "you had better join the other -servants in the hall. You will be the first for whom your master will -look." - -"Ye--es, yer leddyship." - -"I am prepared for anything," thought Lady Canning. "But no matter how -unfavorably I may be impressed at first sight, I must control my -feelings for Thurston's sake. He will naturally be sensitive regarding -her." - -Thurston presented a beaming face to the servants, lining the hall, as -he entered with his bride. Before he greeted them, he took Indiana in -his arms and pressed a kiss on her lips. - -"Welcome to your new home, my dearest wife! I'm glad to see you all," -he added, in heartfelt tones. "Jennings, you're looking well!" He -pressed both the old man's hands in his. - -"Welcome home, yer lordship, yer lordship!" - -"Indiana, this is Jennings. You've heard me speak of him. He's been in -the family since I was a child." - -Indiana's blue eyes smiled into those of the old Scotchman. "How do you -do, Jennings?" she said, with a friendly handshake. Jennings carried -her hand, with a shaking motion, to his lips. - -"His lordship's young wife," he murmured, looking with ecstatic delight -into her face. - -"My mother, Jennings?" - -"Her leddyship's well, yer lordship. Her leddyship's in the library." - -He hurried before them, but Thurston rushed past him, carrying Indiana -on his arm, his hand clasped on hers. They laughed back at the old man, -and he echoed the laugh childishly, with tears in his eyes. "You can't -announce us, Jennings!" cried Thurston. - -Lady Canning was still standing, with stately repose, by the fire. -There was no trace, on her calm face, of the agitation she had been -suffering, beyond an expression of pleasurable anticipation--the only -visible sign of feeling in which she would allow herself to indulge. - -"Mother!" - -"My dear son!" - -He held her in a prolonged embrace. When he finally released her, she -applied a morsel of lace to her eyes. - -"My wife, mother," he said in a voice of immeasurable content and pride, -placing Indiana in her arms. "Your daughter, Indiana." - -Lady Canning was conscious of holding a morsel of humanity in her arms -and of pressing her lips to a childish cheek. Then, as she surveyed -her, she received an impression of something very young and small, with -the coloring of an apple-blossom, whose deep-blue eyes met hers, -struggling between consciousness, laughter and tears. - -Realizing that her vague fears had no worse foundation than this -childish creature, daintily costumed, her relief was so great that she -took her in her arms again and pressed another kiss on her forehead. - -Though Thurston had been perfectly confident of the effect Indiana would -produce, he was none the less delighted at this mark of favorable -impression. - -"My dear child," said Lady Canning, "you must look upon me as a -mother--you are still too young to be without one." - -In order to control her tears, Indiana bit her handkerchief, which she -was nervously rolling in her hands. The difference between her mother's -last despairing kiss and the touch of Lady Canning's calm lips, was too -strong. - -"You no doubt wish to go to your apartments now, my dear," said Lady -Canning, kindly. - -"Yes, I should," agreed Indiana with a little, nervous laugh. She was -quite indifferent about going to her apartments just then, but there was -such a sure assumption of her acquiescence in Lady Canning's tone it was -almost equivalent to an order. - -"Thurston, ring for Watson. We will have tea presently. You are -longing for some tea, my dear, are you not?" - -"Yes," said Indiana, feeling that it was expected of her to say so. - -"Watson, show Lady Canning her apartment. They have been newly -furnished for you, my dear child, and I have not only followed -Thurston's written injunctions, but, in addition, carried out some of my -own." Thurston raised her hand, which he was holding, to his lips. She -smiled on him fondly. "I hope you will like your rooms, Indiana." - -"I am sure I shall, Lady Canning," said Indiana, with a bright smile and -a mental resolve to like them very much. She had recovered from the -tearful stage and felt now quite equal to her surroundings. - -"And you will find your maid a very competent person--she brought the -highest references," added Lady Canning. - -Thurston led her to the door, pressing a kiss on her forehead. - -"Is everyone old here?" thought Indiana, as Watson, a very elderly woman -with snow-white hair, led the way, mounting the stairs with difficulty. -"I don't like old people to wait on me. I shall feel more like waiting -on them." However, she found the maid Lady Canning had selected, a very -young, cheerful person. The gloomy impression she had received below -was counteracted by her own suite of rooms, which were cheerfully and -lightly furnished, in the daintiest of coloring. The boudoir was hung in -shades varying from rose to palest pink; the ceiling hollowed and tinted -to imitate a sea-shell; fairy-like crystal fixtures gleamed from the -walls. There were a few treasures of art here and there amidst the -draperies. A Greuze, hung in the best light, attracted Indiana -immediately. Pink roses filled every available spot, in fragile vases -of Venetian glass of the dolphin design. Indiana felt an impulse of -gratitude toward Lady Canning for these preparations, in which loving -care and the most exquisite taste were apparent. Minute attention had -been paid to detail--no possible contrivance for her comfort overlooked. -The maid told her that Lady Canning, herself, had arranged the flowers -in the boudoir and upon the dressing-table. - -"I must have acted like a fool at first," thought Indiana, fastening a -pink rose, from one of the vases, in the breast of her travelling-dress, -before going down. "When she said something about being a mother to -me--that set me off. Poor ma! I hope she isn't fretting. I can't -forget dad yet, as he looked when he wished me good-bye." Stillwater -had not allowed his wife to go down to the steamer--he thought she had -suffered enough. Mrs. Bunker remained with her daughter. When Indiana -waved her handkerchief as the steamer left the dock, he thought of the -day when she was laid in his arms. - -"She is very young, Thurston," remarked Lady Canning, after Indiana had -left the library, "a mere child." - -"A mere child," echoed Thurston, with a very tender intonation. "You -are right, mother." He sat down close beside her, taking her hand in -his. "Yet I was instantly attracted to her. You, too, will soon feel the -charm that she exercises, all unconsciously. I have no words to tell -you how I love her." His face grew very serious. - -"That is quite enough to recommend her. She must certainly have -exceptional qualities. A very fortunate girl to have inspired such a -love in you--I daresay she fully realizes that." - -Thurston smiled involuntarily. Indiana took his devotion as a matter of -course. - -"She has a winning smile," said Lady Canning. "I could see she was -quite effected by the warmth of my reception--I no doubt remind her of -her own mother. She is very young to marry and leave home. But perhaps -after all her youth is in her favor. She is such a child it will be -easy to mould her--don't you think so, Thurston?" - -"Er--yes, of course, mother," answered Thurston, pulling his mustache in -some perplexity. He foresaw an endless vista of trouble in case of any -perceptible effort to mould Indiana. - -"We must not expect too much of the child," continued Lady Canning. "Be -sure you do not make such a mistake in the beginning, Thurston. Coming -from a place where there is no idea of caste, she will naturally make -many mistakes. It will take time before she can fit into her position -as she should. You see, Thurston, I am ready to make every allowance for -your wife." - -He bent down and kissed her frail white hands. There was a large -measure of reverence in his love for her. "I have given Indiana my -Greuze, Thurston." - -"Your Greuze, of which you've always been so fond?" - -"Yes. I believe in the influence of fine arts upon the young. Your -wife's mind is now budding out, drinking every new impression as eagerly -as a flower drinks the dew. It is for us to see that those impressions -are of the highest nature." - -Indiana entered, very bright and smiling. She went immediately up to -Lady Canning and kissed her. - -"I don't know how to thank you for all the trouble you have taken, Lady -Canning." - -Lady Canning smiled in a gratified manner. "I am amply repaid, if you -are pleased, my dear child." - -Jennings then brought in the tea. He looked so aged, Indiana felt like -jumping up and taking the tray from him, at the same time pushing him -gently into an arm-chair. He was a little, thin old man with sharp -features and blue eyes, his snow-white hair plastered smoothly on each -side of his head. He had been in the family since a boy, and, as is -generally so in such cases, his individuality, his interests, or, -properly speaking, his entire life, had become absorbed in those whom he -had served. His position now was purely nominal, consisting principally -of light duties, which kept him in near proximity to the family. - -Lady Canning, talking in her low, distinct tones, dispensed the tea from -a very old massive tea-service. Indiana noticed that she never raised -her voice, and she dropped her own insensibly. She was, wisely, not too -profuse in her praises of her apartments, quick to see that Lady Canning -was not of a nature to appreciate much demonstration. But she continued -to show her gratitude delicately by an opportune remark now and then. - -"I have not heard much from your Uncle Nelson," remarked Lady Canning. -"Oh, don't worry about him," laughed Indiana. "He's enjoying himself -immensely--isn't he, Thurston?" - -"Yes, my darling. He has really quite assimilated himself with the -American life, mother." - -"Indeed! You surprise me. One would have thought at his age, that that -would have been very difficult--" - -"Oh, not at all," interrupted Indiana. "You see, my grandmother has -taken him in charge. They go out together, everywhere." - -"Your grandmother," repeated Lady Canning, raising her eyebrows. "And -she is able to go out--everywhere?" - -Indiana gave vent to a burst of merriment, then checked herself, -suddenly. Her laughter had sounded very loud in those quiet -surroundings. "Grandma Chazy enjoys life more than any of us. She's -full of health and spirits." - -"Remarkable, is it not, Thurston?" - -"Women don't grow old in the States, mother." - -"They take all they can, out of life, to the last gasp," explained -Indiana. - -"I should not like to censure women of another environment to my own," -said Lady Canning. "But at a certain age, I think it better fitting to -prepare oneself for the next life, than to still seek enjoyment from -this. How does it appear to you, my dear child?" - -Indiana hesitated, then met Thurston's eyes fixed anxiously upon her. -"As you say, Lady Canning, I think it would be better fitting," she -answered, seriously. - -"I'm glad you agree with me," said Lady Canning, well pleased. "From -this one example, Thurston, I am inclined to think that my ideas and -Indiana's run very much in the same groove." - -"So it seems," he answered, stroking her hand, and watchful of Indiana, -whose face, however, maintained its serious expression. From this -conversation, Lady Canning was artfully led by her daughter-in-law into -delivering a homily on the seriousness of life, and the necessity of -control, where the pleasure-loving instincts of the young were -concerned. Indiana took every opportunity of agreeing with her, sitting -up stiffly, like a flaxen-haired doll, in the high backed chair, nodding -at intervals, and with an expression of grave self-importance, that -contrasted oddly with her rosebud prettiness. Meeting Thurston's eyes, -which were fixed upon her in open surprise, she frowned reprovingly, and -drew herself up a little more stiffly. "This is a very happy moment for -me," said Lady Canning, with a gentle sigh, "to have you with me again, -Thurston--with your wife--I can hardly realize it yet. I think Indiana -and I are going to be very congenial, Thurston. Come here, and sit down -by me, my dear child." - -Indiana obeyed, and Lady Canning took her hand and patted it gently. - -"Now I have a son and a daughter. I hope you will be happy in your new -home, my dear." - -"Thank you, Lady Canning," said Indiana, "I intend to be happy." - -"That's right. Now, though we have much to say, I think it advisable to -reserve it for this evening. It is best that I should rest until -dinner." - -"I hope this has not been too much excitement for you, mother," said -Thurston, solicitously, giving her his arm. - -"Pleasant excitement will not harm me, but I must be careful. I will -see you at dinner, Indiana." She kissed her on the forehead. Thurston -led her to the door, Indiana accompanying them. - -"I did not know you were such an artist in dissimulation, Indiana," said -Thurston, taking her head in his hands and gazing into her mischievous -eyes. - -"To what are you referring, may I ask?" she inquired, in a dignified -tone. - -"Why, the tactics you have begun with my mother. She thinks you are a -perfect paragon." - -"And, am I not?" drawing herself up. - -"Yes," answered Thurston, laughing and kissing her hands. - -Indiana found dinner a slow and tedious ceremony. It was noiselessly -served, without the clatter of a dish or the sound of a footfall. At -intervals, Jennings' old face peered into hers, consulting her wishes in -a whisper. Their places were set very far apart at the large, round -table, handsomely equipped with heavy silver and crystal, as though for -a formal banquet, and decorated with white roses and maidenhair fern, in -honor of the bride. She had selected from her trousseau a French gown -of white satin, showing her childish neck. The maid had dressed her -yellow hair in puffs in the correct English style. She was very quiet -during dinner. Her head still felt a little unsteady from the steamer, -and when Thurston or Lady Canning spoke, their voices sounded very far -away. - -Her impressions that first night in her new home were most indistinct. -She had a floating conception during dinner of old mahogany, silver, and -armor. Later, in the library, as she listened to Thurston entertaining -his mother with details of his American trip, she was the victim of a -feeling of unreality, inspired by surroundings altogether new and so -entirely old. The candle-light seemed to point, with long, mysterious -fingers, to the books which lined the walls, indicating dark and magic -secrets locked between their ancient covers, and to waver upon the faded -figures in the Gobelin tapestries until they appeared to move, endowed -with life. Lady Canning, leaning back near the fire, with her fine, -pinched features, her white, fragile hands resting motionless upon the -arms of her chair, seemed like a figure moulded in wax. - -When his mother retired, Thurston took Indiana through the house. -Jennings solemnly preceded them, lighting up the rooms. Standing in the -background, he nodded his head from time to time in corroboration, as -Thurston explained the family portraits and related the histories of -various heirlooms. - -As the first months in England slowly passed, Indiana's single life -seemed like a dream to her. Her marriage proved the changing of every -condition, as she had wished. And she preferred to think she had acted -for the best. One fact gave her a great and unselfish pleasure. She -had won Lady Canning's love, completely, by pursuing the artful policy -with which she had started, based on a very shrewd idea of the elder -woman's character. - -Thurston missed her old spontaneity, and watched her closely, unknown to -her. His loving solicitude, which often tried to discover delicately if -she missed her old life, or if there was anything lacking in the new -which he could supply, only made her impatient. She professed to be -perfectly happy, yet he sometimes felt as though he had caged a bird, -who refused to sing. Still the bird had flown willingly into his hand. -His tender worship had won nothing from her, so far, but an amiable -tolerance. They were in the position of queen and vassal. His pride -suffered bitterly at times. His hope that she would learn to love him -had grown into a great and secret longing. He felt it to be the only -solution of them both. His very existence was now based on this -consummation. The best of life is given to building a beautiful fabric -of spider's webs, colored with the passing tints of the rainbow--because -there is an everlasting charm in that which fades before the eyes, and -can be demolished by a touch. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV.* - - *Transplantation.* - - -Lord Stafford arrived in England some months later. He drove up to the -house one Sunday morning an hour earlier than he was expected. Lady -Canning and Indiana had not yet come home from church. After welcoming -him, with tears of joy, Jennings tottered upstairs to tell Thurston. -Lord Stafford went into the library and, with a sense of happiness to be -again in his old surroundings, toasted himself once more before an -English fire. - -"Uncle Nelson!" exclaimed Thurston, rushing into the room. - -"Thurston, my boy!" - -Relinquishing his hand, Lord Stafford subjected his nephew to a critical -survey. - -"Well," said Thurston, laughing, "is the examination satisfactory?" - -"You've changed--for the better," answered his uncle with a puzzled -expression. "More vivacity. In fact, you've grown younger." - -"I'll explain. I was an old bachelor. Now, I am a young married man." -They both laughed heartily. - -"So the international combination has panned out, as we say in the -States?" - -"Worked like a charm from the start," said Thurston. - -"Remarkable. And with your mother?" - -"Mother has completely succumbed to Indiana, and spoils her shockingly." - -"I'm very glad of that, I'm sure. I've been homesick ever since I saw -you off with your bride, but I was really afraid to come home until the -new wife had fitted into the new conditions." - -"You don't know my Indiana. Wait until you see how well she fits into -the new conditions." They heard the sound of carriage-wheels. Thurston -hurried to the window, his face lighting up. "Here they are--here's my -wife!" - -Lord Stafford met them at the door of the library. "My dear sister!" -folding her in his arms. - -"Nelson, I'm very glad to have you at home, you wanderer! You look -marvellously well, and tanned by the sun. Have you seen our dear little -daughter? Where are you, Indiana?" Thurston had drawn her to the fire -and was taking off her gloves. - -"Here, dear Lady Canning," said Indiana demurely, with a strong effort -at an English accent. "How do you do, Uncle Nelson?" She offered her -cheek, which he kissed, then surveyed her with great curiosity. She -looked the personification of English maidenhood, dressed in a plain, -gray gown, without any pretension to style of cut. A little bonnet, tied -under her chin, rested on her yellow puffs. She stood there, very -demure and quiet, still holding her prayer-book. - -"And how do you find our sweet child looking, Nelson?" inquired Lady -Canning, sinking into an arm-chair. - -"By George, I should say I found her very much changed!" - -"For the better, dear Uncle Nelson?" said Indiana, sweetly. - -"When we transplant a flower," remarked Lady Canning, "we must watch it -very carefully for a time, lest it wither in the process. Indiana is a -most flexible little person. She appears to have taken root in our soil -so easily. She had not been here a week when she was perfectly at -home." - -"Thanks to your good advice, Lady Canning. You have taken so much -trouble with me." - -"To be frank, Nelson, Indiana was a most agreeable surprise. When -Thurston wrote me that he had selected a wife in the wilds of America, I -felt ill with fright. I couldn't find out anything about the place, and -the name suggested horrible visions of half-breeds and wild girls who -climb trees and ride horses bareback." - -"America is a very large country, dear Lady Canning," said Indiana. -"There are tree-climbers and bareback riders in the uncivilized parts, I -believe." Thurston turned away to conceal a laugh. "In fact, I myself -must have appeared--er--strange to you at first, did I not, dear Lady -Canning?" - -"Oh, no! Only a little rasping quality in the voice, which has since -greatly modified." - -"That is our climate, dear Lady Canning. The sharp winds have a -tendency to pitch our voices in a high key." - -"And your gowns, dear, were a little too modern--too expensive for a -young wife. You don't mind my saying it, Indiana?" - -Indiana gave her an angelic smile. "I am so grateful to you. Lady -Canning has given me the real English taste in the selection of a gown," -parading before Lord Stafford, who, inserting his monocle, inspected her -seriously. "Dowdy, isn't it?" she whispered, as Lady Canning bent over -the fire, warming her hands. "I adore Irish poplins, Scotch plaids, -English cheviots--and seed-cake. My first bonnet! Isn't it a love?" -She tossed her head waggishly in Lord Stafford's face, so that a bunch -of Prince-of-Wales feathers tickled his nose. "So unbecoming!" she -added in his ear. Lady Canning turned, with an expression of smiling -satisfaction. - -"In my time, dear, as soon as a girl married, she wore a bonnet with -strings. That's always the sign of a matron in England. You know there -must be something to distinguish the married from the single woman." - -"Yes, certainly, I approve of it," said Indiana. "Then there can be no -fear of any mistakes being made by strangers." She heaved a deep sigh -of conscious virtue. Lord Stafford dropped his monocle and fell into a -chair, laughing unrestrainedly. - -"You've caught on, Indiana! Ha, ha, ha, ha! As they say in the -States--you've mashed them cold all 'round! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" - -"Dear Nelson," said Lady Canning, severely, "what do you mean by such -expressions? They appear to me very vulgar. Is it really American, -Indiana?" - -"Not at all, dear Lady Canning," said Indiana, reassuringly. "Those -expressions you have just heard," she shivered slightly, "are mere -barbarisms. They are used only by the natives of the uncultivated -wastes." - -"The natives. A sort of dialect, I suppose, my darling. Go and lay off -your bonnet and smooth your hair." - -Indiana pouted rebelliously at Thurston. "May I go?" Sweetly, "Thank -you very much." - -She kissed Lady Canning and walked demurely to the door. - -"Remarkable!" murmured Lord Stafford. - -"The child has perfect manners," commented Lady Canning, with a sigh of -content, as Thurston followed Indiana from the room. "One would think -she had been born and bred in England, thanks to my policy, from the -very beginning. I don't allow her to call me mother--the child's too -young. It's a better moral effect--and, with a little tender firmness, -combined with just a spark of dignity that awes, I have accomplished -wonders. I shudder to think what would have been the results if I had -not been here. Thurston spoils her shockingly." - -"Ah, does he? Very wrong of him, very unwise, I'm sure." - -"Yes, is it not? But it's turned out very gratifyingly. You know how -averse I've always been to Thurston marrying a modern woman--one of -those editing magazines, forming clubs and racing women?" She -shuddered. "When Thurston broke it to me, I was very doubtful of the -results--very. But his heart carried him away. I don't wonder at it. -She's so bright, so clever, so amusing, so lovable. She must have come -from very fine stock." - -"Very," answered Lord Stafford, seriously. "You should see Grandma -Chazy Bunker. She 'beats the band'--as they say in the States." He -regarded the ceiling with an expression of delightful reminiscence, -which broadened gradually into a laugh. He rose suddenly and approached -his sister. "Helena, I am going to let you into a little secret." He -looked around mysteriously, then added, in a loud whisper, "Indiana's -people are in London. They came over with me from America." - -"Who?" - -"Her father, mother, and grandmother, and, as they say in the -States"--Lady Canning braced herself from the shock which inevitably -followed this remark--"'they're going to make Indiana's hair curl!'" - -"Speak English, if you please." - -"They're going to give her a surprise party." - -Lady Canning looked at him incredulously. "Do you mean to say they're -going to drop down on that poor child without sending her word?" - -"You can bet your sweet life on it! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" He sank into -an arm-chair, overcome with mirth. The entire affair was a huge joke to -him, irrespective of the fact that his sister failed to perceive the -humor of his communication. - -"What an undignified proceeding!" said Lady Canning, in shocked tones. -"Her grandmother, too!" Lord Stafford went off into another paroxysm of -mirth. "Why, the highest respect is due to their age in the way of -preparation." - -"In America there's nothing gives so much pleasure as springing things -on a person. The surprise party is a national institution." - -Lady Canning rose to her feet, perceptibly agitated. "My dear brother, -think of the shock to Indiana. It might be serious." - -"'She won't turn a hair'--as we say in the States. She's a -thoroughbred! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" - -"I'm very glad you told me. I must go and make some kind of a toilette -to receive them, and the housekeeper must be apprised." - -"My dear sister, 'don't put yourself out'--as we say in the States." - -"Poor Indiana! Most unheard-of proceedings!" - -During dinner Indiana plied Lord Stafford with questions about her -family, all of which he answered seriously, with a knowing twinkle in -his eyes. Lady Canning regarded her unconscious face with growing -sympathy. She went to her rooms immediately after dinner. "I shall not -make my appearance," she thought, "until all the excitement is over. I -am upset enough as it is. I can scarcely look at that poor child--I -feel so badly for her." - -Indiana, entering the library demurely, and seeing that Thurston and -Lord Stafford were alone, rushed toward them with a shrill little cry. -She laughed as they both started to their feet. - -"I'm only giving vent to my repressed exuberance. I can be natural with -Uncle Nelson, can't I, Thurston?" - -"Why not be natural with my mother? It pains me to see you playing a -part with her. She's not such a dreadful person." - -Indiana smiled comically at Lord Stafford, sinking down upon the -hearth-rug at his feet. "The ingratitude of men! He asked me to make -his mother love him, and to succeed it was necessary to adapt myself to -her ways. If I had argued with her, he would have disagreed so -radically it would have been impossible to live under the same roof. I -know that it is a necessity at present, so I agree with her in -everything. Consequently, I'm the best, the most lovable girl in the -world. All the same, I own her, body and soul--that's my method of -subjugation. Of course, he's not satisfied. Nothing I do pleases him." - -"Indiana!" - -"Uncle Nelson, I'm frightfully good," continued Indiana, ignoring -Thurston, whose eyes were fastened upon her in mute and tender reproach. -"I've never been so good in my life"--she clasped her hands, raising her -eyes to the ceiling--"I feel like an angel--so sweet, so obedient, so -ordinary. Thurston doesn't appreciate it. He doesn't love me as much as -he did before we were married." - -"Indiana!" exclaimed Thurston, seriously, "how can you say that?" - -"I thought he was a gentleman of leisure, and he works harder than a -farm hand. He sits up half the night, reading and studying. If I had -known he was such a great scholar I wouldn't have married him." - -"Indiana, do you mean that?" - -"No,"--serious face--"I was only joking. Uncle Nelson, do you think he -will ever be a great man?" - -Lord Stafford glanced amusedly at Thurston. "I hope so." - -"Oh, as great as Thomas Carlyle? Don't say yes, because I'll run away. -You know what Jane Carlyle said about the wives of men of genius? -They're more miserable even--than--than doctors' wives. Thurston has -symptoms. He sits up all night and writes like Carlyle. Between times -the old crank used to go out in the back yard, and sit on the fence and -smoke a pipe--in his night-shirt. That's the next thing I'll get." - -The two men laughed heartily. "You little witch," exclaimed Thurston, -catching her up in his arms and kissing her, "you are simply -irresistible!" - -"Now, I'll give you an imitation of a chipmunk," cried Indiana, in high -spirits, jumping up on a lounge, and imitating to perfection a chipmunk -sitting on its haunches and nibbling a nut. Lord Stafford applauded, -while Thurston watched the door, his mind divided between admiration for -his little wife's clever imitation, and fear that his mother might enter -during the performance. - -"Do you remember the night we all went on a moonlight picnic to the -Falls--and Glen was so jealous--poor Glen!--and we sang 'On the Banks of -the Wabash'?-- - - 'Oh, the moonlight's fair to-night along the Wabash, - From the field there comes the breath of new-mown hay, - Through the sycamores the candle-lights are gleaming, - On the banks of the Wabash, far away.'" - - -Her voice quivered and she sank upon the ground, sobbing like a child, -with her head against the table. - -Thurston made one quick step toward her and gathered her up in his arms. -"My darling, don't cry! You break my heart." He pressed her to his -breast, smoothing her hair mechanically. A hopeless expression had -settled in his eyes. Lord Stafford looked at them miserably, then -considered the best thing to do, under the circumstances, was to make -his escape in the quietest manner possible. - -Thurston sank into a chair, holding his wife closely to his heart. "I -know you're homesick--unhappy," he whispered. "I feel it, and I'm -helpless against it. What can I do?" - -"Nothing of the kind," she said, lifting her head suddenly. "There--I -frightened Uncle Nelson away!" She slipped from his arms to the floor. -"I'm not homesick. I mean--not all the time." She gave a piteous -little gulp. "That song upset me, and I had a terrible longing just to -get a look at dad and mother and Grandma Chazy, and then pack them all -home again." Thurston heaved a sigh from his heart. "I wish you -wouldn't take me so seriously, Thurston," she continued, in an aggrieved -voice. "Don't watch every quiver of my eyes, and think it's a tragedy. -Discipline's a very good thing for me--I like it. But I wish you -wouldn't believe every word I say. It's aggravating enough when your -mother does it." - -"I'll try not to. But I want to follow your thoughts--I want to be one -with my wife." He drew her to him, gazing with yearning tenderness into -her eyes. "It's difficult to--to adjust my slow emotions to your -rapidly changing ones. You force my sympathy--and repel it--in a -breath. Your moods change with the minutes. But all that wouldn't matter -if I were sure you were learning to love me--to give only a little, in -return for my deep affection. That would set my heart at rest and -smooth away all difficulties." He looked beseechingly into her eyes. -But she silently evaded his glance. Her face had grown suddenly very -serious. "Indiana!" - -"I--I was thinking--perhaps it was wrong to marry you--but I did not -love anybody else--and I will try." - -"Indiana, if you knew how your words stab me. You have a terrible -capacity for torturing." - -"Now you're sorry you married me." - -"Sorry!" he repeated, intensely. "I'd give up my life sooner than you--I -try to control my love, but I can't keep it always smothered. I don't -want to frighten you, child--for you are only a child yet--but I shall -keep my word when I said I will make you love me." He pressed her -passionately in his arms. "Indiana!" - -"Thurston!" she murmured, for the moment yielding to his embrace. - -A discreet cough sounded in the room. Thurston released his wife -instantly. Jennings came toward them, holding a salver out with a hand -which shook more than usual. There was also a certain rigidity in his -face, from the effort to conceal emotion of some kind. Thurston took -the card from the salver, with a vague impression that there was -something strange in Jennings' behavior. Then his own expression -changed into incredulous surprise. He read, with a rising inflection of -the voice which ended in a shout: - -"Mr. and Mrs. Stillwater--Mrs. Chazy Bunker, Indiana, U.S.A." - - - - - *CHAPTER XV.* - - *"I Shall Keep My Promise."* - - -Indiana, with a scream of joy, flung herself into her father's arms. He -had followed Jennings closely. Also Mrs. Stillwater and Mrs. Bunker. -The latter embraced Thurston exuberantly, then Mrs. Stillwater threw her -arms about his neck, and immediately tore herself away from him, crying. - -"That'll do, father. Let me have one kiss--oh!" She was almost -hysterical with excitement. "That'll do, father." He finally gave -Indiana over to her mother, who pressed her to her breast, with -inarticulate expressions of love. Stillwater then shook hands with -Thurston, who had met the onslaught calm and smiling, though inwardly -rejoiced for his wife's sake. - -"Come," said Mrs. Bunker, with a beaming face, "pass her round." - -"You dear old things," cried Indiana, "this is what I call a surprise! -Now sit down, all of you." She pulled her father and mother down on the -lounge, sitting between them. Mrs. Stillwater gazed at her, speechless -with happiness. Stillwater smoothed her hair tenderly, pressing her -head against his breast. "Tell me all the news. How's everybody at -home? Anybody engaged--or married? How did you happen to come? What -put it in your heads? How long are you going to stay? How--?" - -"Good gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker, "one at a time, Indy." - -Thurston stood aside, watching Indiana's radiant face, with an unselfish -joy and an impulse of gratitude to the kindly chance which had brought -her loved ones at the very moment when they were so urgently needed. -Then he withdrew quietly, thinking she would like to be alone with them. -He also wished to acquaint his mother with the surprise. - -"I've come over only for one thing," said Mrs. Stillwater. "That's to -see you, Indiana. After you left, and the excitement was over, I -couldn't settle down again. My body was there, but my heart and soul -were following you over the water. I don't know how we ever let you -go," her eyes filled, "and I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to -come over to see for myself if you were happy." She looked yearningly -into Indiana's face. - -"My dear mother," said Indiana, tenderly, pressing her cheek to hers, -"my dear, kind, loving mother!" - -"Mary," said Stillwater, severely. "It's done now, and we must make the -best of it." The spectacle of his wife and child clasped in each -other's arms, affected him to an intense degree. During the term of -Indiana's engagement and marriage, he had found it necessary to be stern -with his gentle wife--without stringent measures--from pure fear that -she would collapse utterly. His severity served also as a moral brace, -when he himself was concerned. - -Jennings entered in his usual noiseless fashion. "Would yer little -leddyship like tea served?" - -"Yes, if you please, Jennings," answered Indiana, assuming her English -accent. "Father, Jennings has been a butler in our family all his -life." Every eye was centred upon Jennings, who bowed with a most -self-congratulatory expression, and walked proudly from the room. - -"Em--em--lack of ambition," said Stillwater, "that's the trouble with -this country. I could see it before I was two hours landed. The -Britishers are too well-satisfied with themselves. Life's too easy. -They haven't had to grow up with a new town--they ought to have been in -my shoes, eh, mother?" - -Mrs. Bunker walked about, surveying the room. - -"Father--mother--grandmother!" exclaimed Indiana, taking the centre of -the room. "I have married into a great family. None of your new -nobility. We are one of the few unadulterated families in England, which -has never married out of its sphere--except in my case. And I shall -assimilate, not diverge. No one speaks of progression here. All are -sublimely content. New ideas are shunned, as modern depravity, by her -ladyship. Look about you, at these old family relics--" - -"I expect to see a ghost every moment," interrupted Mrs. Bunker, -affecting to shiver. - -"It's like a nasty old vault," whispered Mrs. Stillwater, -confidentially, to her husband. - -"There's nothing better than us," remarked Indiana, with a toss of her -head. "Nothing, from an ancestral point of view." - -"Indiana, drop that English accent," said Mrs. Bunker, sharply, "it's -too affected." - -"Hush!" answered Indiana, looking toward the door. Thurston entered, -with Lady Canning on his arm. - -Indiana approached her with a very marked change of manner, speaking in -soft, low English tones. "My dear Lady Canning, I have had such a -delightful surprise. This is my father and mother." - -"My dear Mrs. Stillwater, I am really delighted. And Mr. Stillwater." - -"And this is my grandmother," continued Indiana. - -"Your grandmother!" exclaimed Lady Canning, staring in surprise at the -vivacious and essentially modern woman before her. Mrs. Bunker, on this -occasion, wore a very becoming, extremely youthful hat. - -"It's difficult to realize, isn't it?" remarked Mrs. Bunker, laughing -and flattered at Lady Canning's astonishment. "We consider it criminal -in the States for a woman not to look at least ten years younger than -she really is. I've always been regarded as a remarkable woman for my -age." - -"The costume is deceiving," answered Lady Canning, regarding Mrs. -Bunker's fashionable attire with disapproving eyes. "At first glance I -thought you were a young woman, Mrs.--er--" - -"Bunker," smiling graciously. - -"Mrs. Bunker. However, on close inspection, I see you are not." - -Having thus summarily thrown cold water on Mrs. Bunker's enthusiasm, -Lady Canning proceeded on Thurston's arm to her usual chair by the fire, -Lord Stafford, entering shortly after, exchanged laughing greetings with -his fellow-travellers. - -"Lady Canning, I wouldn't harbor any old bachelors," remarked Mrs. -Bunker, her irrepressible spirits rising to the surface again. "If he -were my brother, I'd just turn him out, and he would be obliged to marry -for a shelter." - -"Mrs. Bunker," said Lord Stafford, "I once heard a Yankee farmer say, -'An old hoss that's been jogging along a good many years alone, is -always good to jog along a few years more, but if you yoke him with -another hoss, he's winded at once, and goes to the wall.' Ha, ha, ha, -ha!" - -Indiana, who was sitting at the tea-table, strained her eyes and ears, -trying to hear everything that was said. At one time she became so -absorbed, making anxious and involuntary comparisons between her -relatives and Thurston's, that she forgot to pour out the tea, while -Jennings stood anxiously watching her, waiting for the cups. - -"And how do you find your daughter looking, Mrs. Stillwater?" inquired -Lady Canning. - -Mrs. Stillwater, sitting near the elder lady by the fire, shook her head -dolefully. "Her color's not as high as it used to be. I suppose it's -living in these dark, musty rooms. And she's used to flying about in -the open air." - -"Mother!" exclaimed Indiana. - -"What is it, Indiana?" answered Mrs. Stillwater, starting. - -Indiana gave her a warning glance. "You don't take sugar, do you?" - -"No, dear," answered Mrs. Stillwater, quite oblivious to the glance, -"Don't wait on me. Shall I pour the tea?" - -"Sit down, dear Mrs. Stillwater," said Lady Canning. "Indiana always -does her duty as mistress of the house. No doubt you miss her very much. -I can understand that." - -"I'll tell you frankly, I was very much against it, she's the only one -we have. I begged her not to do it. I even warned Thurston against -her. One must give in to Indiana in order to get along with her, and, -living with a mother-in-law, I was afraid of it." - -Lady Canning laughed quietly. - -"Mother!" exclaimed Indiana. - -"Yes, dear," answered Mrs. Stillwater. She went over to Indiana and bent -over her. - -"Stop that," whispered Indiana. - -Mrs. Stillwater looked at her with a piteous expression, then sank down -into a chair near the tea-table. - -"This cup is for Lady Canning. No, Jennings, I'll take it to her -myself." - -Mrs. Stillwater watched her jealously as she waited on Lady Canning, and -drank her tea with a vague feeling of disappointment in her reunion with -Indiana. Mr. Stillwater inspected, with interest, various objects in -the room, walking about with Thurston, their cups in their hands. - -"There's a solidity about all this, which speaks for itself," said Mr. -Stillwater. "It's no use talking, a man can't buy it." Thurston called -his attention to a tapestry. "Yes, I know--Gobelin--very fine. I -admire it right here, because it belongs here. But when our -millionaires import other people's old furniture, even that of princes -and cardinals, and put it in their brand-new American homes--it seems to -me snobbery. The only value of an antique is when it belongs to a -nation." - -"I agree with you, Mr. Stillwater." - -After some further conversation, Lady Canning said, gently, to Indiana, -"My darling, will you excuse me now? I know you have much to say to your -people." She shook hands graciously with them all. "Now, when will you -come and dine with us?" - -"Oh, we'll run in any old time," said Mrs. Bunker. - -"We won't wait for invitations," added Mr. Stillwater. "We'll run over -to breakfast or supper, just as the spirit moves us. We'll take -possession while we're here." - -"You will always be very welcome whenever you care to come," answered -Lady Canning. "But we are not used to being taken unawares." She bowed -with a set smile, as she left the room leaning on her brother's arm. -But her presence was still felt by a perceptible chill in the -atmosphere. Thurston, however, soon dispelled the restraint. He took -them through the house, entertaining them with histories of different -family relics, to which they listened with interest. Then they -adjourned to his own particular den, where all the trophies of his -travels were collected. Finally Indiana carried them off to her -apartments, leaving Thurston in his den. When they were all comfortably -installed in the boudoir, Indiana, leaning on her mother's breast, -looked thoughtfully up in her face and then at the others. She could -scarcely realize that they were substantial creations. - -"Indiana Stillwater," said Mrs. Bunker, "the way you crawl to that woman -is very un-American." - -"In England it's the custom for people to pay great respect to their -elders." - -"That's a nice slap in the face for us," remarked Mrs. Bunker. - -"Grandma Chazy, you don't want the deference due to age," answered -Indiana, propitiatingly. "You won't for many years, I hope. Think of -treating ma and pa like that. They wouldn't like it a bit." - -"No," said Mrs. Stillwater, "we're satisfied as long as you love us. -But don't let anyone else take our place." She pressed her lips to -Indiana's soft hair, crying silently. Indiana tightened her arms about -her mother's waist, unaware of the tears that were falling on her yellow -puffs. - -"Well, then," said Mrs. Bunker, "just put on your things and come and -have supper with us at the hotel. All the Americans in town will be -there, beside the English celebrities. Come along. I'll show you the -whole push." - -"I'd love to go." - -"We'll have a good time, if it is Sunday night. Well, what are you -sitting there for? Get your things on." - -"I must ask my husband," said Indiana, slowly, the eager sparkle -suddenly dying in her eyes. - -Mrs. Bunker sank down in the chair, from which she had sprung in her -enthusiasm. "Indiana Stillwater, I never thought you would turn out -such a spiritless kind of a woman. Of course it's none of my business, -but if you start in this way, you'll lose your entire individuality." - -"It's not so, Grandma Chazy. I do just as I like. I allow no one to -compel me." - -"You're quite right to ask your husband, and, if it's against his -religious views, you stay home and read the Bible to his mother." Mrs. -Bunker went to the mirror, arranging her hat, as if the question had -been settled. - -"It's not so!" exclaimed Indiana, rising and stamping her foot. "You -don't understand the conditions of life over here." - -"It's the thing in London now, to dine out on Sunday nights. You can't -tell me, Indiana Stillwater." - -"It may be the thing, but we don't do it. Must I tell you again I have -married into a very conservative family?" - -"We're not good enough for you, now," replied Mrs. Bunker, -sarcastically. - -"I'll always love my own people, but I won't be blind to their faults. -We lack culture and repose." - -"You may be right, Indy," said Mr. Stillwater, hitherto a silent -listener. "But if you keep cultivating a field of wheat right along, -you'll cultivate it till it doesn't produce anything. They're running to -seed fast here--and we're still bearing strong. Repose! Let them have -it. Thank heaven, we youngsters are always on our feet. Now, mother!" -Mrs. Stillwater was crying. At the sight of her tears Indiana -capitulated. - -"I'll come, mother," she said, despairingly, throwing herself on her -knees beside her. - -"Darling!" cried Mrs. Stillwater. "Don't you think we ought to ask -Thurston?" - -"I'll ask him, of course," said Indiana, "but I'm sure he won't come." - -"We'll manage without him," said Mrs. Bunker. "On second thoughts, I -think we'll send for you, Indiana." She looked significantly at the -others. "We'll send for her at eight o'clock." They nodded. "That'll -just give you time to dress. We've another surprise in store for you." -They all laughed. - -"Ah, don't tell me. It's so nice to look forward to something one don't -expect." - -"Take off that dowdy thing," directed Mrs. Bunker. "Go back to your -trousseau." - -"We turned you out better than that," commented Stillwater, looking her -over. Indiana pouted like a child, teased. Thurston emerged from his -den as they descended the stairs. Lord Stafford also joined them below -in the library. - -"Thurston," asked Stillwater, taking him aside, "has she broken out -yet?" Thurston shook his head, laughing. - -Stillwater took Indiana in his arms. - -"Goodbye. God bless you!" - -Mrs. Bunker kissed her vehemently. - -"I couldn't let you go," whispered Mrs. Stillwater. "If I wasn't sure -I'd see you to-night." - -Indiana sank into a chair as they all left the room, Thurston and Lord -Stafford accompanying them to the door. Her thoughts were in a whirl. -Her pride had been hurt at the idea her family should think she was not -utterly a free agent, and that was one of the main reasons why she had -consented to join them that night. Then they brought her old life back -so forcibly. If her relatives had suffered in comparison with -Thurston's, her present life now suffered in comparison with the -old--its freedom, and lack of obligation. She realized now that she had -been truly queen of her own territory. She heard them all laughing and -talking below. Gradually their voices died away, the voices of her old -life. She felt a sense of loneliness. - -It was early spring, when Jennings made it a rule to light the candles -later. Everything in the room had faded into the growing dusk. The old -objects so easily blended with a waning light. Indiana heard Thurston -laughing heartily with Lord Stafford, as they ascended the stairs. - -"All in the dark, sweetheart!" He touched the electric button of the -lamp on the table, revealing Indiana, buried in one of the big chairs, -gazing dismally before her. The smile died on his face. - -"Oh, go on! Don't mind me!" exclaimed Indiana. "Laugh at them! -Ridicule them! Tell me you don't want them to darken your doors again. -I'm ready for anything." - -"Indiana!" exclaimed Thurston, justly hurt at this unreasonable -outburst. "How can you? I wasn't laughing in that way. I find your -people very witty and amusing. As for separating you from them, I hope -we shall see as much of them as we possibly can. Grandma Chazy is a new -creation for us. We simply revel in her. She'll make a sensation -wherever she goes. I shouldn't wonder if she would marry well and -settle down in England. There now, the storm's over." He smoothed the -hair back from her forehead with a soothing touch. "Poor little thing, -she's had a shock. I hate surprises myself. Lie down for an hour and -rest. Come," lifting her up from the chair, "I'll put you on the sofa." - -"No, no!" protested Indiana, "there's no time. I--I have promised to go -out." He looked at her in astonishment. "The folks wouldn't take 'no' -for an answer," affecting not to notice his surprise, "and naturally, -they want me with them as much as possible." - -"Naturally!" said Thurston, coldly. If she wished to go out with her -family, why had she not consulted him first, he thought, instead of -considering it sufficient to merely apprise him of her intention. - -"I won't ask you to waste your night," she said, carelessly, endeavoring -to make it apparent that she was quite innocent of any departure from -the conventional order of things. He looked at her again, in -astonishment. Why should she assume a night spent with her was wasted? -It was an evident fact he was not wanted. "But, you can call for me," -she wound up, airily. - -"Where?" - -"Oh, they've mapped out a programme," she answered, irrelevantly. -"Grandma Chazy knows what's to be seen." She turned to leave the room, -as though summarily dismissing the subject. - -"I am only your husband, it is true, but I think I have a right to know, -if my wife goes out, where she is going." - -Indiana paused half way to the door. "I'm going to dine with them at the -Cecil, where they are stopping." He was silent. She waited, in some -suspense, for a remark, her hand on the door. - -"I am sorry to disappoint you--but I cannot permit you to go," he said, -at length, slowly. "It's not the place for Lady Canning. It may be all -very well for strangers--sight-seers--but London is our home. These -places are resorts for foreigners, professional women, men-about-town, -and others, who delight to bask in the public eye. I have another -reason. I do not wish you to be seen in public, until I have formally -presented you--as my wife." He approached her and removing her hand -gently from the handle of the door, led her back into the room. She -went unwillingly, her head drooping. "Indiana," he put his hand under -her chin and lifted her face, so that her eyes met his. "I don't wish -to force you, but to convince you. Admit it would be a very foolish and -inconsistent thing to do." - -"Yes, but that's just why I want to do it," she answered, wilfully deaf -to the note of appeal in his voice. - -"You child! Come now," he forced her gently to lie down on the sofa. -"Quiet that eager little mind of yours," tucking her carefully in a rug. -"Shut those restless American eyes and sleep for a while. Dream -yourself into good humor again." He closed her eyes, patting her cheek -tenderly. - -"Thurston, they've got a surprise for me," she said, piteously. - -"What, another!" he exclaimed. "Your nerves won't stand any more -surprises to-night. Now, in one hour, I shall come in and awaken my -sleeping beauty with a kiss." Indiana made a little grimace and shut -her eyes tightly. He watched her for a moment. - -"Asleep already," bending over her, "or sulking--which?" - -She flung the rug from her, suddenly sitting up. "Thurston, I want to -go. Thurston, why can't I go?" - -"Because you yourself have acknowledged it would not be right," he -answered, coldly. Her small, red lips drooped plaintively, she coiled -herself up on the sofa in a disconsolate attitude. Thurston stood -watching her. The sad, little face staring at the fire, stirred his -sympathy. This was the first request he had ever refused. He felt an -impulse to press her against his heart and beg her not to grieve--to -tell her that he felt her disappointment far deeper than she herself -could have any idea of. But pride prevented him. He had lately been -chary in his demonstrations. His nature, which at first had sung a paean -over the mere fact that she was his, rejoicing in the lavish display of -its love, gradually conscious of no hint of response, only a tacit -acceptance, had crept back into its cloak of reserve. He suffered from -the repression, becoming at times the victim of a terrible -discouragement--that sinking of the heart, inevitable to the thought -that one has given one's very best in vain. He realized what a frail -structure he had builded--that beautiful fairy fabric of spider's webs, -illuminated with the tints of the rainbow. Standing, watching Indiana, -Thurston remembered the day when she had promised to marry him--that -gray, soft, still evening in autumn. It had been like a tender poem. -He had likened the little path between the trees upon which they walked, -to the dim, narrow aisle of a church, leading to the altar. It had led -them to the altar, but he had failed yet to realize the dream, the -infinite suggestion beyond. He felt they were still kneeling there. He -and the church had done their part. It needed Indiana only to make the -bond complete. He suffered in a great measure for her sake alone. -Could she respect her own womanhood as his wife when she failed to love -him, he asked himself. She, too, might be suffering, without his -knowledge. The little figure maintained its disconsolate position. It -was only a trivial matter, after all, but he did not want her to harbor -the least resentment against him. - -"Indiana," he said, tenderly, placing his hand on her head, "do you -remember the day I asked you to be my wife? Do you forget already the -condition upon which you accepted me?" - -"What condition?" asked Indiana, innocently. - -"That I should not give in." - -"Oh!" exclaimed Indiana, falling back on the sofa. If he brought up -that justification, there was no longer any ground to argue upon. - -"I have never in my life broken my word once given. This is our first -difference. I must keep my promise to you. No matter how much I -suffer, I will not give in." He tucked her in the rug again, -extinguished the lamp, and left the room. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI.* - - *An Escapade* - - -Indiana, lying in the dark, tossed restlessly. Scattered scenes and -personages of her old life and the new, floated through her mind, -jumbled in a rare confusion. She counted and multiplied to induce -sleep. Finally she thought of the formula children repeat when they -play hide-and-seek-- - - "'Ena, mino, mina, mo, - Catch a nigger by the toe. - If he hollers let him go. - Ena, mino, mina, mo. - You're it--I'm out!'" - -"Out of everything," she added, with a sob. "Oh, I can't sleep!" She -tossed the pillows about desperately, feeling nervous and irritable, -angry with herself, angry with Thurston and her family. The room was -suddenly lit from the lamp on the centre-table. Indiana's dazzled eyes -saw a tall figure standing before her. "Glen!" - -Jennings retreated with a chuckle of delight. Indiana threw her arms -about her old playmate's neck, and was on the point of kissing him, but -drew suddenly back at the recollection that he had been her lover as -well as her comrade. - -"I'll bet you forgot, for the moment, you were married--now didn't you?" - -Indiana nodded. Tears were not very far from her eyes. He pressed her -hands, looking into her face. He felt both pain and joy--pain that she -was another's, and joy at beholding her in the flesh once more, no -matter under what circumstances. - -"So you were the surprise," said Indiana, a little shyly. He looked so -manly, so strikingly tall and handsome, as he stood there in his evening -clothes. His dark eyes gazed at her in an unmistakably tender fashion. -"Just as though I were not married at all," thought Indiana, with a -sudden uprising of wifely virtue. - -"I was the surprise," answered Glen, releasing her hands slowly. - -"I was just trying to sleep, and, thinking of the old days when we -played tag together and--" - -"Yes," said Glen, eagerly. - -"Oh, never mind," answered Indiana, brushing the tears from her eyes. - -"The old days," repeated Glen, staring into the fire. - -"They seem so far away, and it's only a few months, Glen. So much has -happened--I suppose that's the reason." - -He looked at her intently. There was a wistful expression in her eyes. -She was paler and thinner, more thoughtful. He gathered his own -conclusions from her appearance, aided by certain hints which the family -had let fall. He knit his brows in a fierce scowl. - -"What's the matter, Glen?" - -"My old thoughts are working on me again--that's what it is--your -mentioning the old days. They were the best after all, Indiana. Why, -people are always raving over sunsets. You should have heard them on -the steamer coming over. But once I saw a sunset far off in an orchard -in Indiana--there's never been anything to compare with it since--there -never will be--to the end of time." - -"Sit down, Glen. Tell me all about yourself. You've changed so much -for the better, I'm quite bewildered." - -"It's worth crossing the ocean to hear that--from you," said Glen, with -a superior air. "But I won't sit down here--the place chokes me. I've -brought a hansom, and we'll jump in and take a spin about, till it's -time to join the folks at dinner." - -"I'm not going," said Indiana, without meeting his eyes. "My husband -won't let me." - -"Your husband won't let you? Poor child--so it's come to this!" - -Indiana's pride rose in arms. "Don't waste any sympathy!" she -exclaimed, her eyes flashing. "I'm perfectly happy, I assure you." - -"Yes, you look it," said Glen, skeptically. "I understand it's a case -of jealousy. He's trying to wean you from your own people. I suppose I -won't be allowed to see anything of you either. I'm glad they let me in -this time, to get one glimpse of you. Next time it will be 'Not at home' -or 'Engaged.' I'm very sorry you couldn't come this one night. It'll -spoil the evening for all of us, and I had so much to tell you. But I -won't keep you. Good-bye." - -"Glen!" cried Indiana, clenching her hands and stamping her foot. "How -can you act like that? I'm no prisoner. I can go if I want to--but I -don't want to." - -"That makes it worse than ever," replied Glen, seriously. "We -sympathize with you, in the other case, but now we must have the pride -not to beg when you turn upon us. Good night!" - -This was more than Indiana could bear. "Glen, I'll go!" she exclaimed, -desperately. - -He came back slowly into the room, his eyes shining with joy. "Will -you, Indiana?" - -"Just sit down and I'll slip into a dress. I shan't be long, Glen." - -"Yes." - -"We'll have a good time, altogether, this one night." Her resolve, once -taken, she threw scruples to the wind. Glen, walking restlessly up and -down the room after she had gone to dress, spied her photograph on a -cabinet. First looking suspiciously around him, he took possession of it -and kissed it passionately. - -"Poor little thing," he murmured, gazing on the photograph, and seating -himself in a comfortable position, his feet on the table. "Now the -first blaze of glory is over, and you find--you're in for life--what are -you going to do, little western bobolink, with your wings clipped, and -your little eyes peering over the cruel ocean? Oh, you'll never -complain--you're too proud." He let the photograph fall, and buried his -face in his hands. - -Indiana rang for her maid, and dressed in feverish haste. She wished to -leave the house without coming in contact again with Thurston. Slipping -quietly down the stairs, she saw a light in his den. The door was not -quite closed, and she peeped through the crack. He was sitting at his -table, reading, in a patient attitude, his head propped on his hand. -She passed the door, then, moved by a sudden impulse, went back and -looked at him again. There was something which appealed to her in the -solitary figure sitting there, in a pose so passive as to almost suggest -hopelessness. She noticed the touch of gray in his hair, under the -lamplight--that, too, appealed to her. She felt vaguely that his was -not the face of a happy man, and also, in a vague sense, her conscience -reproached her for being responsible. She remembered they had always -been together since their marriage. Neither had taken any pleasure -apart. She would have liked to have kissed him good-night, and gone -with his sanction--but, she told herself, that would be impossible to -gain. With an involuntary sigh she sped down to the library. Glen was -still sitting, his face buried in his hands. The photograph had fallen -on the floor. - -"Here I am, Glen," throwing her white wrap in his lap. "It's not -necessary to ask you how I look. I've completely stunned you." He -looked at her with worshipping eyes. She had donned an airy, diaphanous -white gown, and her cheeks were glowing, her eyes sparkling with -excitement. "You've been looking at my new photo. Do you like it?" - -"Oh, so-so," he answered, indifferently. - -"Now I'm going to leave a message for Thurston." She sat down to the -table and drew some writing materials towards her. Then she gnawed the -end of the pen in some perplexity, looking a little grave. - -"You're afraid," said Glen. "You're sorry--you'd like to back out." - -"Not at all," answered Indiana, drawing herself up indignantly. "I know -just what my husband will do. He won't say a word to anyone--he'll jump -in a cab and follow me." - -"And then--a family row." - -"Not at all. My husband is too high-bred for any public display of -feeling. He'll look cold and proud, I'll quiver my eyelids--and--he'll -kiss me--that's all." She smiled triumphantly as she scribbled a hasty -note. - -"I know," agreed Glen, with a sigh. "You could soften anything--even -stone." - -"Do you know that my husband is an H.F.R.G.S.?" sealing the note. - -"Is he? You quite astonish me." - -"Now, what is it? Of course you don't know. Honorary Fellow Royal -Geographical Society. They want him to lead an expedition to the North -Pole. If I had said 'no,' he would have gone. It was a toss-up." - -"What a shame he didn't go," remarked Glen, shaking his head dolefully. -"What a loss to science! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" He laughed so heartily, -Indiana felt obliged to join him. "How jolly I am!" he thought, -bitterly. - -"Oh, I'm so excited!" exclaimed Indiana. "I love uncertainty of any -kind." - -"Women are born gamblers," observed Glen, fastening her wrap under her -chin. Jennings entered, in answer to the bell. - -"Jennings," said Indiana, with an indifferent air, "there's--there's a -note on the table for--your master." - -"Yes, yer little leddyship." - -"Er--I shall be--" - -"I hear someone coming downstairs," whispered Glen. "Quick, or -Bluebeard will cut off our heads!" - -"I feel like a bad boy, playing truant," laughed Indiana. "Scoot!" -They ran, giggling quietly, into the hall. Jennings, with a -horror-stricken face, tottered to the window, pushed aside the curtains -hastily, and pressed his face against the glass. - -Lord Stafford, entering the library then, saw him in this position and -heard the sound of wheels. "Who's driving off, Jennings?" - -Jennings started. "Her--her--little leddyship." - -Lord Stafford looked at him incredulously. He had just been talking with -Thurston, and Indiana was not likely to go out without him. They always -remained at home on Sunday nights. "Impossible!" - -"Her little leddyship's gone out with a gentleman from America," said -Jennings. - -A light broke on Lord Stafford. "Oh, evidently young Masters," he -thought. He sank into a chair by the fire, pulling his moustache -contemplatively. "Thurston was apparently unaware of the -fact--something's up." - -Thurston came into the library a moment later. "I thought you were -dining out to-night, Uncle Nelson." He rubbed his hands, holding them -over the fire. - -Lord Stafford lit a cigarette, trying to appear unconcerned. "I shall -be off in a minute." - -"I'm as hungry as a bear," said Thurston, cheerily. "I must go and find -Indiana. I left her asleep here. She is usually dressed and down by -this time." - -"Er--Thurston," commenced Lord Stafford. But Thurston had left the room -before he could speak. Jennings, still standing near the window, was a -little, old figure turned into stone. "By George," muttered Lord -Stafford. "A pretty mess, this." - -"Indiana's not upstairs!" exclaimed Thurston, when he entered again. -"She may be with my mother. I did not think of that." - -"Her little leddyship's gone out, sir," said Jennings, shrinking into -the shadow of the curtains. - -"Impossible!" exclaimed Thurston, loudly. "I left her asleep here." -Lord Stafford put his hand warningly on his shoulder. - -"Her little leddyship left a note," continued Jennings, peering over the -table. - -Thurston instantly saw the little white note lying among the books. He -seized and read it quickly. His first expression of incredulous -surprise faded away. His face became impassive. - -"Will I serve dinner at eight, sir?" - -"Certainly," answered Thurston, calmly crushing the note in his hand. - -Lord Stafford looked at him inquiringly, as Jennings left the room. - -"She has gone with Glen Masters to dine with her people--at the -Cecil--and asks me to fetch her," said Thurston, slowly. - -"Then it's all right." Lord Stafford felt, in a measure, relieved. - -"It's not all right, by any means, Uncle Nelson," answered Thurston, in -the same repressed voice. "My wife has gone against my express wishes." - -"Ah, by George! Too bad!" exclaimed Lord Stafford, sympathetically. -"You'll go and fetch her, of course?" Thurston failed to answer. An -ash dropped loudly on the hearth. - -"No," said Thurston, finally. - -"Shall I go and fetch her?" - -"No." The frozen monosyllable dropped from his lips like an icicle. - -"What are you going to do?" - -"I--I am going to wait up for my wife--like a good, obedient husband," -he said, bitterly, dropping into a chair. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII.* - - *Late Visitors* - - -The great bronze clock on the mantel struck eleven. Thurston paced the -library restlessly. His mother had retired, as usual, a little after -ten. He had thought it best to keep from her the fact of Indiana's -escapade; excusing her absence from dinner on the score of a nervous -headache, due to the surprise she had received that afternoon. He had -impressed upon his mother the necessity of perfect rest and quiet, for -that night, at least. Lady Canning had promised not to disturb her, -confiding to Thurston that she had anticipated his wife would suffer bad -effects from such a "cruel shock," as she expressed it. He wished to -save Indiana from the blame his mother would be sure to attach to her, -if she knew the truth. He could not brook the idea that his wife should -fall one iota from her esteem. And he also wished his mother's belief in -his happiness to remain undisturbed. She would have suffered intense -anxiety, on his account, if she had suspected there was any flaw in his -marital relations. He hoped that some blessed future period would see -his union, with Indiana, established on the solid rock of mutual love. -Until then his unhappiness was his own secret, one which he guarded -jealously. The inference his household might take from Indiana's -action, was a source of great mortification to him. He went to the -window and looked out. The thought rankled in him that if she had felt -the slightest respect or love, she could not have treated his wishes -with such contempt. When he turned back into the room, Jennings was -standing at the door, looking at him wistfully. - -"Well, what is it?" he asked, in a quick, sharp tone. - -"I'll keep up the fire, sir, it's a bit sharp out to-night," answered -Jennings, apologetically. Thurston continued to pace the floor, while -Jennings piled fresh logs on the fire, shaking his head and muttering, -as he was sometimes in the habit of doing. Suddenly there was an -imperative knock upon the front door. "Ah, here she is, now, sir!" -exclaimed Jennings, struggling to his feet. "Here's her little -leddyship." He hurried from the room, chuckling with delight. -Thurston's eyes were illumined with a sudden flash of joy and he rushed -to the door to meet his wife. But the movement was an involuntary one. -On second thought he sat down to the table, took up a book and -endeavored to appear disinterested. "Why," he thought, remembering anew -the facts of her absence, "should he act as though she had done nothing -wrong. That in itself would be a condonation of her offence." He -turned his head slowly, as Jennings came back to the room, followed -hurriedly by Stillwater, holding his overcoat and opera hat. Thurston -rose, his expression of cold and assumed indifference changing to one of -deep disappointment and anger. - -"Where's my wife--where is she?" he demanded, with an uncontrollable -burst of passion. - -"She's all right, my boy, she's all right," answered Stillwater, in a -conciliating tone, beneath which there was a trace of embarrassment. -"She's at the hotel, with mother and Grandma Chazy. And I came to bring -you back to finish up the evening with us." - -"Thank you, very much," said Thurston, sinking into his chair. - -"Now, you're mad. You won't be so foolish as to make a fuss about -nothing." Thurston looked at him, in incomprehending surprise. - -"Mr. Stillwater, do you know that my wife left the house against my -express wish and command? Drove away from my door on Sunday evening -with a gentleman not her husband." - -"Yes, I know all about it, my boy," answered Stillwater. "But it was -only Glen--just the same as her own brother." - -"My household does not know that. The appearance of such a proceeding is -not favorable." - -"I know--but it's Indiana's way of doing things," said Stillwater, -rather impatiently. "Just because you said she shouldn't, she would. -Now, if you handled her a little better--you'll excuse me, but I've -known her longer than you--" - -"You may have known her longer, but I doubt if you understand her -better. As to handling her, as you call it, I will never stoop to bribe -or cajole her into doing her duty." - -"That's all right," continued Stillwater. He was there on an errand of -conciliation, and, though his son-in-law's argument seemed absurdly -precise and conventional, and he assured himself that he did not approve -of any such cut-and-dried policy, he was determined to carry out his -intention. "I approve of the stand you are taking, but commence after -we're gone. It seems rather mean to spoil mother's holiday, doesn't it? -Now come along, and Indy will receive you with open arms. It'll be all -right, I promise you." - -Thurston felt irritated by his father-in-law's free-and-easy good -nature, his light way of disposing of a matter which struck the core of -all that was sacred to him. - -"I am very sorry to mar your pleasure," he answered, firmly and coldly. -"This is the first time my wife has openly defied my wishes. It must be -the last. If I give in, it will be the beginning of endless -repetitions. And I shall fall in line behind her, like a good American -husband." - -Stillwater took a slight exception to these last words, uttered in a -bitterly sarcastic tone. "It's not such a terrible thing to be an -American husband," he said, in an offended voice. "I'm one--I don't look -very bad on it, do I?" - -Thurston smiled. "My dear father-in-law, if I were an American, I would -consider it the acme of bliss to be in the leading-strings of my pretty -wife. But I'm an Englishman and--" - -"You're not built that way," interrupted Stillwater, with an explosion -of mirth. Thurston shrugged his shoulders and joined in the laugh. -"Come along, Thurston," said Stillwater, feeling more at his ease. -"Come along. She's only a mite. She's done wrong, she knows it, and -she's mighty uncomfortable." Thurston's spirits rose at this. Then she -was not utterly without heart or conscience, where he was concerned. -Stillwater watched his face, keeping his hand on his shoulder. "Now -come, and when you get her home, read her the riot act." - -Thurston shook his head. "I'm very sorry." - -Stillwater's expression became serious. He had at first intentionally -made light of the matter. Now, as Thurston's resolution remained -unshaken, things commenced to assume a graver aspect. "Now, look here, -Thurston, we won't have her staying over night with us. The place for a -young wife is under her husband's roof." - -"Then use your authority to convince her of that fact." - -"Do you think I haven't done so, already?" asked Stillwater, now -intensely grave. "Do you think I came here alone to-night without doing -all I could to get her to come with me? She never told us, until the -evening was half over, that you forbade her to go--on account of Sunday, -and your mother, an old-fashioned kind of a woman. Well, we wanted to -clear her out then and there--we begged, and we prayed, and we bullied -her, and she gave it back to us, as good as she got it." He laughed at -the remembrance of the scene in their rooms at the hotel. Thurston -listened in anxious suspense. "And Grandma Chazy became so mad she -nearly slapped her. But do you think she'd budge? Not a foot." - -Thurston went over and sat down on the lounge near the fire, his head on -his hand, in a hopeless attitude. It was becoming worse and worse. She -persisted in her defiance and contempt of him, showing it openly to her -family. She had no compunction for what she had done--none. Before -Stillwater's arrival, he had allowed himself to think of her coming to -him, asking prettily for forgiveness, or even one look from her -deep-blue eyes would have been enough. He would have taken her then, so -gladly, so thankfully, to his heart. If he had reproached her, it would -have been tenderly--the chiding which is in itself love. If she had -made one step towards him, he would have met her with three. But she -would give him no chance to show her how freely, how generously, he -could forgive for the asking. It is easy for love to ask forgiveness of -love. But when there is none--this secret wound pricked him sorely. His -head sank lower on his hand. - -"Come on, come on," said Stillwater, persuasively. "She don't mean -anything. And I'll tell you something--she's afraid to come home. I -know that little, uneasy laugh of hers--with her eyes full of tears. -She's done wrong, she's sorry, and she wants you to come and make it up. -Won't you come, Thurston--won't you?" He bent down, looking into the -younger man's face. There was a pathetic appeal in his voice. - -Thurston shook his head. "When I think of you three old people, -helpless against that slip of a girl--it appalls me." - -Stillwater took his hat and coat from the chair where he had laid them. -"Then I'll tell you what it is--she won't come home until you do come -after her. That's her ultimatum." - -Thurston rose. "And this is mine," he answered, sternly. "My mother's -house closes at twelve o'clock, and if she does not return at that time, -the doors will be closed for the night." - -"I'll tell her," said Stillwater, with an indescribable expression. "I -warn you," pausing at the door, "you're making a very hard time for -yourself. Good night." - -Thurston stood motionless, thinking deeply, for some moments after -Stillwater left the room. Then he rang for Jennings. The old man -responded, with an anxious expression. "Jennings, Lady Canning may not -return to-night," said Thurston, in a measured tone. "She will probably -remain with her people. Naturally, she wants to see as much of them as -possible." - -"Yes, yer lordship." - -"Lock up at the usual hour and go to bed. If she is not here by that -time, she will not return." - -"Yes, yer lordship." After he left the room, as he was crossing the -hall, he heard a slow, familiar step, a soft rustle of silk, on the -stairs. He looked up with a sudden throb of fear, and saw Lady Canning -descending. He knew she thought his little mistress was ill in bed with -a headache, and the contingency that she might come home at any moment -appalled him. He hurried back to the library. "Milady, sir, milady!" -he ejaculated. "She's coming down the stairs." - -"Heavens," thought Thurston, "I thought she was safe for the night. -Don't look so anxious, Jennings." - -When Lady Canning entered, he greeted her with a bright smile, taking -both her hands in his. Jennings pushed a chair up to the fire. - -"Mother, this is unusual. What keeps you up at this hour?" - -"I've had so much to think of, since this afternoon. I wasn't at all -sleepy." - -She looked at Thurston with wide-awake, luminous eyes, as he placed a -footstool under her feet. "How is Indiana? Is she sleeping?" - -"Yes," answered Thurston. - -"I'm glad of that, poor little thing! Such a cruel surprise! The -excitement was too much for her." - -"Yes, the excitement," repeated Thurston, mechanically. - -Jennings left the room, after he had brushed some imaginary ashes from -the hearth and arranged the curtains. Thurston showed no sign of the -strain under which he was suffering, as he talked gently with his -mother. Once in a while his eyes sought the clock, and his ears, -preternaturally sharpened by anxiety, heard an imaginary hansom, bearing -Indiana homeward. Their conversation reverted to his wife's people. - -"I don't object to the father and mother," said Lady Canning. "We have -one great point of sympathy--our love for Indiana. But the -grandmother--Thurston, is she quite well balanced?" - -Thurston laughed. "She's a shining light, mother--a prominent member of -women's clubs." Lady Canning shuddered. "A very shrewd, clever woman." - -"It's wonderful how people differ in their conception of things," said -Lady Canning, with a sigh. "If she were my mother, I should consider it -necessary for her to have a personal attendant. What do you think she -said to me? That 'I ought to make more out of myself,' and if I would -come over to the hotel, she'd fix me up." Lady Canning looked at her -son with a shocked expression. He laughed involuntarily, and she -finally joined him, seeing the amusing side of Mrs. Bunker's remark. -"Well, we'll get along with them, won't we?" continued Lady Canning, -taking Thurston's hand affectionately in hers. "They have given us our -Indiana. I'm going to make a great effort for her sake. I'm going to -present her myself at the first drawing-room of the season." - -"Mother!" exclaimed Thurston, in surprise. - -"Yes, I'm coming out of my retirement, after twenty years, and we'll -make a sensation, I promise you." She patted his hand, feeling that the -grateful love in his eyes was ample reward for all this resolution had -cost her. "She's brightened my life so much since she came. I'm -beginning to take an interest in things, for the first time since I lost -your dear father." - -"I'm very glad of that, very glad, mother--and happy." - -"Now, may I creep in and kiss her good-night, when I go upstairs?" asked -Lady Canning, rising. - -"I wouldn't, mother," answered Thurston, quietly. - -"I won't wake her," assured Lady Canning. - -"I think you had better not, mother," said Thurston, in the same quiet -tone. - -"Very well, just as you say. I can't blame you, even if you are -over-anxious. Give her my love and a kiss." She paused at the door, -looking thoughtfully in his face. "We must love her very much, -Thurston. And if there are any faults, we must deal gently with them, -because--she is very young, and from what I saw of her people, she could -have had no bringing up whatever." - -It seemed strange to hear his mother pleading for Indiana just at that -moment. "Good-night, mother." She put her arms about his neck and -kissed him. He threw himself in a chair, after she left the room, -feeling deeply depressed. "If there are any faults, we must deal gently -with them." His mother's words always carried their own weight. Her -unconscious intercession had touched his heart. He was ready to do -everything, to make every extenuation, but he felt a dull premonition -that Indiana would ask for none. Neither would she care. This was the -worst. His hidden wound throbbed painfully. - -Jennings crept into the room. When he saw Thurston, sitting with his -head bowed upon his hands, his face became an image of distress. He -looked at the clock, then back again to the hopeless figure in the -chair. Thurston raised his head suddenly. "What are you prowling about -for, Jennings?" - -"I--I just looked in to see after that danged fire," said Jennings, in -confusion, tottering to the fire and poking the logs. - -Thurston smiled. "There's no sign of it going out, Jennings. Find a -more plausible excuse." - -"Won't you have a cold bite, sir?" asked Jennings, piteously. "You -never touched the dinner." - -Thurston shook his head, opening a book. - -"A glass of wine, sir?" - -"Nothing, Jennings. Don't bother, there's a good fellow--and don't come -crawling in and out continually. I can't read; it disturbs me." - -"Very well, sir," in a heart-broken voice. He went to the door, then -tottered back again. "Another log on, sir, if you're not going to bed? -But perhaps you are going to bed?" - -"No, I shall sit up and read." The page before him was a blur. It -lacked but a few minutes of twelve. If she would only come, no matter -how--whether stormy, sulking or weeping--if she would only come. Even -at the very last moment, to show him that she had, at least, some -compunction--that she realized, in even a slight measure, what was owing -him! - -After putting another log on the fire, Jennings opened the window and -looked out. Then he closed it, with a sigh, and stood in the shadow of -the draperies watching Thurston, with his heart in his eyes. The clock -commenced to strike. Thurston, sitting with his head over his book, -ceased to hope. Every silvery chime fell on his head with a dull weight -of pain. What had she not left him to infer from the fact of her not -coming? Contempt, indifference, even fear. At the last stroke of -twelve he raised his head and looked over at Jennings. The old man was -the image of misery. Answering the command in Thurston's eyes, he -slowly took a bunch of keys from his pocket. "I'll only put up the -chain, yer lordship, in case--" He looked imploringly at Thurston. - -"Lock it fast," answered Thurston. "Take the key out as usual, and go at -once to bed." - -The old man made a silent motion of assent, and tottered to the door. -Suddenly there was a loud knock. - -"Ah, here she is at last!" cried Jennings. "Here's her little -leddyship!" - -Thurston sprang to his feet with an involuntary exclamation of joy. "My -wife, my Indiana," he thought. "She has come at the very last moment--a -sudden impulse to do right. Thank heaven!" - -Jennings entered slowly, followed by Glen Masters. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII.* - - *Awakening.* - - -"This is rather a late visit, Lord Canning," began Glen, in a slightly -embarrassed manner. He also refrained from offering his hand. "But -I--I left the folks about ten o'clock, and I--I've been driving about -the city trying to collect my thoughts." - -Thurston silently offered him a chair, suffering the reaction of his -sudden access of joy. - -"Indiana told me you generally sit up after she retires, so I waited -late to find you alone and have it out with you." - -Thurston met Glen's intense gaze with one of polite surprise. "Oh, -indeed! I was not aware there was any subject to be thrashed out -between you and me." - -"Indiana's unhappy. I can't see it--it--it--breaks my heart." - -"You are a very young man, sir," answered Thurston, coldly, "and closely -connected with my wife and her family, otherwise I should consider this -a piece of impertinence." - -"I don't mean it in that way. I'm square and above board, and I hate -anything clandestine. This is a case of a husband and wife, and another -man who loves her. I'm the other man. Now kick me out." - -"I should assuredly do so, if you were an Englishman. But in your case -I will only beg you to explain your meaning--I am always willing to -learn." He felt obliged to take Glen seriously, yet he was conscious of -feeling amused, in spite of his suffering. - -"Er--have a cigarette?" asked Glen, offering his case. Though he had -been braced with confidence when he entered, he felt now very much -embarrassed and at a disadvantage. "Indiana won't be likely to come in, -will she? I hope she's safe in bed." - -"No, it's not likely," answered Thurston, evasively, taking a cigarette, -which he omitted to light. - -"I want to keep her out of it, if I can," said Glen. He leaned back in -his chair, smoking. "I'm not much of a talker, and this helps me." He -puffed furiously. "But I'm a great thinker. I've lived alone a -considerable part of my life, and my way of doing things may not be -considered strictly constitutional. However, that don't say I'm wrong." - -"Not at all," Thurston assured him. - -"Do you believe that the pursuit of happiness is the highest aim of -life?" asked Glen, in a very important manner. - -"That depends whose happiness a man is pursuing. You are evidently -after mine." - -"Ha, ha! Very good. But I mean, is making others happy the highest -aim?" - -"Possibly. My highest aim at present is to see my wife perfectly -happy." - -"Ah, that's the point. And, as we both want the same thing, there will -be no difficulty in joining forces and accomplishing it." - -"I fail to see how you can help to those results," remarked Thurston, -far from being infected with the same friendly spirit of co-operation. - -"That's what I came to tell you," said Glen, boyishly. "I'm the only -one who really understands Indiana. I know how to get at her true -feelings better than all her folks put together." Thurston half smiled -at this assertion, which frankly ignored him--the husband. Glen puffed -his cigarette, thoughtfully, watching the rings of smoke, as they -widened and disappeared. "I saw the end of it from the first," he -continued, in a superior tone. "Like all young girls, Indy wanted -something new. I'm not blaming her--but--she's not happy. She never -can be happy, away from her own home and people." - -"Are you here as my wife's ambassador?" asked Thurston, icily. - -"Well, no, not exactly," responded Glen, uneasily. "But she didn't -object, when I told her I was going to have it out with you." - -"It will be interesting to know what your intentions are against me." - -"I--I want to tell you the thing don't work--I don't see how you could -expect it. I want, in a perfectly open and straightforward way, to -discuss the means to the desired end--her happiness." - -Thurston smiled wearily. "This would all be very farcical if there were -not a very serious question for me at the root of it, and which my -wife's conduct to-night has made me realize very keenly. I suppose she -was discussing me, during your rather unconventional hansom-ride this -evening?" - -"Yes, she was--and--er--not favorably. Now, what do you propose to do?" - -Thurston rose, answering, very sternly and coldly. "Prove to my own -satisfaction if it is true, that my wife is not, and never can be, happy -in her new home. I shall not ask her, because she does not know herself -what is good for her. I am egotistical enough to think that I -understand her better than her own family--and even better than you. -And I am convinced that a few years away from her own country, and her -own people, will convert the spoilt child into a splendid, -self-controlled woman. If I am mistaken, I assure you, the way of -retreat shall be made very easy for her." - -"Er--how long will it take to discover all this--a lifetime?" - -"About twelve hours." - -Glen looked at him thoughtfully, feeling that, owing to his jealousy, he -had always been unjustly prejudiced against Indiana's husband. There -was a consciousness of right, a dignity in Thurston's bearing, which -impressed him. And beneath the calm, cold manner in which he had -spoken, Glen recognized an undercurrent of pain. It dawned on him, -suddenly, that the other's composure was only repression, and the man -was suffering. He also appreciated the unfailing courtesy with which he -had been treated. - -"Lord Canning," he said, rising, "I don't feel near as confident, as I -did when I came in. I was sure my platform was a just and equitable -one, but since I've been watching you and listening, I begin to feel a -little ashamed of myself." - -"No occasion for it, I'm sure," Thurston replied, kindly. - -"You're a fine fellow, and if Indiana's not happy with you, it's not -your fault. It's the fault of your nationality--that's the only weak -point I see in you." - -"An Englishman and his nationality cannot be so easily divorced as a -husband and wife," said Thurston, significantly. - -Glen held out his hand. "Lord Canning, although it's against my own -interests, I--I wish you luck." - -"Thank you, sir. One moment, please," touching the bell, "the house is -already closed for the night." They waited silently until Jennings -appeared. - -"Show this gentleman out, Jennings. Then lock the door securely." - -"Yes, yer lordship." - -"Good night," said Glen. He stepped back to the fire, where Thurston -was standing, adding, confidentially, "You won't see me again. I shall -keep out of the way. I won't move a step in this matter until I am -quite convinced the case is hopeless with you. Good night." - -When he reached the street, he found the cabman asleep on the box. He -touched him on the shoulder. - -"Where to, sir?" - -"Anywhere--only drive," slipping a sovereign in his hand. The cabman -whipped up his horse furiously. He had been following similar -instructions since ten o'clock. It was now past midnight, and the -handsome young American still persisted in his strange whim. He -refrained, however, from fatiguing his brain with futile questions, -realizing the fallacy of such a proceeding, when a sovereign reposed -securely in his pocket. - -Glen leaned comfortably back, lighting a cigarette. His dead hopes had -risen that day from their ashes, and, like beautiful, deceiving -phantoms, had melted into air. His equilibrium, the fortitude it had -cost him so much to gain, had been shaken to their foundations by the -thought that his cherished dream might still materialize. He saw -Thurston's white, suffering face as he calmly said he would make the way -of retreat very easy for Indiana. Well, he was worthy of her love. -That was, at least, one solace. And he would win it in time. It was -his right. With a sigh for his transient vision of happiness, the -beautiful Fata Morgana which had charmed his eyes for such a brief -space, Glen gathered all his moral forces to banish Indiana from his -mind. His manhood was firmly building itself on the foundation of these -accumulated efforts. - -Thurston, still sitting up in the library, vainly attempted to read. It -seemed as though his life were falling about him in ruins. He was -mortified, humiliated, and incensed at Indiana. If she had no love for -him, she could, at least, have shown more respect for the sacred tie -which bound them, and should have refrained from discussing their -relations and publishing the fact of her unhappiness. - -Jennings crept in. He gave a sly glance at Thurston, who, with his head -bent over his book, appeared to be reading. Then he opened the window -softly and looked out. Hearing nothing, he closed it, but still waited, -listening, in the shadow of the curtains. He felt it incumbent on him to -share his master's vigil. Although he would not presume to express an -opinion to Thurston, he had a firm belief that his little mistress would -come home that night. Jennings' head swayed, and he dozed, his head -against the window. Thurston, sitting with his head in his hands, was -only dimly alive to his surroundings, his consciousness dulled, not by -drowsiness, but a species of stupor. A knock sounded, very low and -timid--then again, louder, more decided. Thurston started. Jennings, -awakened suddenly, rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had heard aright. -The knock was repeated, doubly and imperatively. Jennings hurried to -the door, but Thurston, with a quick stride, brought his hand heavily -down on the old man's shoulder. - -"It's her little leddyship, sir. It's her--" - -The words died on his lips as he met his master's determined gaze. - -"Draw those curtains," directed Thurston, in a low, set voice. - -Jennings obeyed. There was another knock. Thurston extinguished the -lights. "She's at the door!" cried Jennings, desperately. "I must -let--I--" - -"I have said my doors will not be opened to-night--and I mean to keep my -word. If you make one move to undo what I have done, in spite of the -affection I have for you, I shall dismiss you on the spot." - -The old man's head sank on his breast. "That I should live to see this -night," he sobbed. "I love her--little--leddyship--and she--out there!" -He slowly took the keys from his pocket and laid them on the table. - -Thurston listened intently. "She has gone back to the cab," he thought. -"She is speaking to the cabby." He heard the door of the cab slammed -and the sound of receding wheels. "She has returned to the hotel. A -little longer, and I might have--" He put his hand to his head, which -was burning. "Jennings, I'll try and get an hour's sleep." - -"Shall I help you, sir?" - -"No, thank you. I shall probably come down again." He mounted the -stairs heavily to his room, and threw himself, dressed as he was, upon -the lounge. It was only to live, again and again, through the scene -which had been enacted below. He heard the knock--first faint, then -louder, still louder. He saw Jennings break down, sobbing, then take -the keys from his pocket and lay them on the table. He listened -intently. He heard the door of the cab slam. He heard it drive -away--over his heart. She had forced him to this. And he had kept his -word to her. He had not given in. She would never know, never care to -know, perhaps, what it had cost him. He tossed restlessly. - -Jennings still waited below in the library. Thurston had said he would -come down again. There was no light but the fire, near which the old -man stood, a little, heart-broken figure. Suddenly the sound of low -sobbing fell on his ears. He lifted his head quickly, listening like a -watchdog. Then he went to the door and looked into the hall. Hearing -nothing, he approached the fire again. The faint sobbing continued. -Jennings shivered with a slight sensation of fear. The sound was -uncanny in the dark room, at that hour. Again he listened, every nerve -on the alert. "It's outside," he suddenly concluded. He went to the -window, opened it and peered out. The night was not utterly black, but -lit faintly by the rays of a watery moon. Jennings distinguished a -white object below on the steps. - -"Jennings!" called a familiar voice. - -"God! Her little leddyship--on the steps--in the cold!" - -"Is it you, Jennings?" - -"Yes, yer little leddyship," he whispered down, his body half out the -window. "I can't open the door, yer leddyship. Hush! don't call -out--wait!" He tottered to the hall, in fear of Thurston, and listened. -Hearing nothing, he tottered back, trembling with excitement. "Yer -little leddyship, there's those little iron bars--can't you find them? -Put your hand through the ivy underneath. Ah, that's it. Now, if you -could climb up, you're such a light, little body--I'd swing you easy -enough over the balcony. That's right. Be careful. Ah, my heart -stopped beating. Now, hold on with one hand and put up the other as -high as you can." He drew her up gradually; she jumped lightly over the -balcony and into the room. The fire was burning brightly. She crouched -before it, shivering, and warming her hands. - -"Oh, I'm so cold!" she cried. "I'm chilled to the bone!" - -"Hush," whispered Jennings, in mortal fear. "Speak lower, yer little -leddyship, if you don't want to ruin me." - -"What's the meaning of this?" exclaimed Indiana. "Where's my husband?" - -"Asleep." - -"Asleep! You heard me, why didn't you open the door?" - -"The master took the key from me." - -Indiana rose from the fire with a horror-stricken face. "He heard me, -then--he knew I was there?" - -"You won't tell him I helped you in, yer little leddyship?" asked -Jennings, clasping and unclasping his hands, in a nervous, frightened -fashion. "He said he'd dismiss me on the spot--and he always keeps his -word." - -"Yes, he keeps his word," repeated Indiana, in a dazed tone, leaning -against the table. "I won't tell--and I'm in now, thanks to you. It's -a terrible thing to be locked out on a cold night." She shivered, -folding her arms across her bare neck and shoulders. She had left her -wrap on the step, in order to be disencumbered as she climbed up to the -window. - -"Jennings," called Thurston's voice. "Are you in here? I thought I -heard someone moving." - -"Go," whispered Indiana. Jennings slipped quietly from the room. - -Thurston, feeling his way to the table, pressed the electric button of -the lamp, then started slightly at beholding Indiana. - -She faced him with clenched hands, panting with rage and excitement. -"You locked me out," she said, hysterically. - -"And you came in by the window," answered Thurston, coldly and calmly, -giving a comprehensive glance at the open window. - -"You heard me knock, and you left me on the doorstep." - -"You had due warning." - -"Yes, you sent me a nice message with my father--to make me look -ridiculous in the eyes of my own family. I waited purposely till after -one o'clock to prove to them that I was no servant, compelled to come -home at a stated hour, or have the door shut in my face." Her fingers -tore nervously at her gloves. "You are my husband--not my jailer, I am -your wife--not your prisoner, to be let out on parole. I give you full -liberty of action--if you do not give me the same, I shall take it. How -dare you leave your wife out on the doorstep, like an outcast?--how dare -you?" - -"I dare do whatever is for your good." - -"My good!" she repeated, with a cold laugh. "I am a child, then, to be -lectured into silence, to be terrorized into submission. Ah, you do not -know me! I will not live with you--I will never forgive you--until you -come on your knees to me--on your knees!" - -"I have not asked forgiveness. It is for you to do that. My wife must -not outrage my sense of dignity and propriety. You have hurt and -wounded me beyond pardon. The sacredness of my home relations has been -violated and coarsely discussed. I am ashamed to raise my head before -my own servants. And to make it, at last, unbearable--your old -sweetheart calls me to account for your unhappiness. It is too -galling--too humiliating!" - -[Illustration: "I--I--what have I said? I didn't mean it."] - -"Ah," exclaimed Indiana, "Glen did come, then?" - -"At your invitation," said Thurston, quickly. - -"What of it? He would not have locked me out--insulted me. Oh, I'm -sorry I ever married you!" Thurston gave a suppressed cry of pain. "I -mean it. I have never known a harsh word in my life. You--to treat me -like this! I won't stand it, I tell you!" Losing all control, she took -up a paper-cutter and snapped it in pieces in her rage. "I hate -you--standing there like ice! I hate--" Thurston looked down into her -face with an expression of horror and rushed from the room, slamming the -door. "I--I--what have I said? I didn't mean it, Thurston," murmured -Indiana, with a sudden revulsion of feeling. She stretched out her -hands piteously, helpless and groping, like a frightened child. -"Thurston, I didn't mean it. There was a rush of red before my eyes--it -blinded me." She sank on her knees with a feeling of terror at the -remembrance. "Thurston, I'm afraid," she sobbed, shudderingly. "Don't -leave me here with myself." She struggled to her feet, trembling from -head to foot. "Thurston, I'm sorry--forgive me--I love you--I--" She -fell blindly against the door, then sank to the ground, shaking with -sobs. - -When the storm passed, her exhaustion was so great she felt powerless to -mount the stairs to her room, and lay there on the floor, beside the -door, throughout the night. Though stiff with cold, her moral distress -would scarcely permit her to notice this physical discomfort. She was -clutched tightly in the grasp of a terrible dread. That this sudden -tidal wave of love had rushed over her heart too late. And if this -proved true, she felt she would no longer have the courage to live. The -fact had so suddenly awakened in her consciousness, as a flower might -spring at once into full and perfect bloom, that her husband's love -alone gave life significance. She fell, at intervals, from pure -exhaustion, into a short, troubled sleep, awakening always with a -remembrance of Thurston's horrified face as he rushed from the room, -closing the door, as though he would shut her forever out of his life. -When daylight came, she rose with an effort and threw herself upon the -lounge. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX.* - - *"And as he Wove he heard Singing."* - - -Jennings, entering the library at an early hour that morning, started -when he saw his little mistress lying there, still in her gown of the -night before, one arm hanging listlessly down, her face buried in the -pillows. The light was still burning in the lamp on the table. - -"Yer little leddyship," said Jennings, softly, bending over her. She -stirred and raised her head. - -"I wasn't asleep, Jennings," she answered, in a pathetic voice. She -looked like a little, pale wraith, in her white, crushed, tulle gown, a -fragment of a cloud blown by chance into the old, gloomy room. - -"You left this on the doorstep, yer little leddyship." He held her -long, white wrap over his arm. - -"Did I? Oh, so I did!" She took it and wrapped it about her shoulders, -shivering. "I've been here all night long, Jennings," piteously, "and -I'm so cold!" - -"Poor bairn!" exclaimed Jennings, indignantly. He hurried from the -room, then returned in a moment, and busied himself making a fire, -muttering to himself--"Poor bairn, it's a shame, a shame!" Indiana -watched his operations with interest, as she crouched, shivering, on the -lounge. "Now, yer little leddyship." He wheeled a large armchair -before the fire, and she nestled into it, holding her hands to the -flame. - -"Pile on the logs, Jennings, pile on the logs. That's right--a big, big -blaze. Oh, I shall never be warm again. Who's that?" starting up, as -some one knocked at the door. - -"No one will come in, yer little leddyship," said Jennings, soothingly. -"I ordered some tea and toast for you." - -"Tea and toast," repeated Indiana, blissfully. "Tea and toast." - -Jennings took the tray and closed the door, then drew a small tea-table -up to the fire. She watched him eagerly, as he poured out the tea. - -"Oh, thank you, thank you, Jennings," she said, gratefully, taking the -cup from his shaking hand. "Oh, that's good! I've never tasted such -delicious tea. Is it a new kind?" - -Jennings shook his head, handing her the toast. "Yer little leddyship -must be very hungry." - -"Jennings, I can trust you--I know you won't say anything." - -"No, yer little leddyship." - -"Did I do so very wrong, did I, that I should be treated like this?" -She caught her breath with a sob, the tears rising to her eyes. - -"It was cruel, cruel, yer little leddyship," answered Jennings, in a -heart-broken voice. "There, there--have another cup of tea--that'll -comfort yer." - -"Do the servants all like me, Jennings?" asked Indiana, eating the sugar -out of her tea, like a child. - -"They'd go through fire and water for yer little leddyship, every -mother's soul of them," answered Jennings, enthusiastically. "And my -lady--she's taken on a new lease of life." - -Indiana smiled brightly through her tears. "How long have you really -been with the family, Jennings?" - -"Sixty years, yer little leddyship," said Jennings, turning out the -light and arranging the books on the table. "My father was gamekeeper -for his lordship's grandfather, and when I was ten years old I was taken -into the house." - -"Sixty years," repeated Indiana, dipping her toast in the tea and eating -it with relish. "And have you never thought of bettering yourself, -Jennings?" - -Jennings drew himself up proudly. "Impossible to do better. It's a -great satisfaction to look back on my life, and feel I have always done -my duty faithfully." - -"I suppose it is a great pleasure to serve those whom we respect," said -Indiana, looking at him with interest. - -"It's more than pleasure, yer little leddyship. To serve the right -master, it's pupil and teacher, friend and friend." - -The handle of the door turned slowly. Indiana, who had been coiled up, -like a kitten, in the big armchair, put down her feet, which had been -tucked under her, and straightened herself stiffly. In her nervousness -she almost dropped her cup, and she looked piteously at Jennings, as -though for help. It could be no other than Thurston, as the servants -would have knocked, and no one else rose so early. - -She was right. When he entered and saw the picture by the -fire--Indiana, sitting in her white wrap, with the tea-tray before her, -and Jennings standing near--he paused for a moment. Jennings took the -tray and left the room. Thurston felt neither curious nor interested to -know why she had stayed there all night. He himself had not closed his -eyes. He had summoned all his strength to make a certain resolution, -one which he considered imperative, after his wife's passionate avowal -of hate and regret. All else--things which at another time he would have -accounted strange--seemed trivial and unimportant. He had relinquished -all hope of winning his wife's love. He saw himself weaving the gray -web of his life until the end. Indiana gave one swift glance at his -face as he approached the fire, then quickly averted her eyes. - -"I have weighed existing circumstances as fairly as possible, and have -concluded that our case is hopeless," began Thurston, without -preliminaries. Indiana, her hands tightly clasped, her eyes gazing -straight before her, listened with strained attention. "I have tried to -awaken you, gradually, to the personal responsibility of your new -position. My confidence was strong in my own power to win a love that, -to me, was worth waiting for--worth the winning." He covered his eyes -with his hand, then went on, with an effort. "My courage has gone. The -dread of a repetition of last night's frenzy--degrading to us -both--between husband and wife--horrible!" His agitation would not -permit him to continue. He turned from her and paced the room. Finally, -he stopped and looked at her motionless figure. "Have you anything to -say?" - -Her lips trembled, she shook her head, trying to restrain an hysterical -outburst of sobs. Then she rose to go to her room. - -"One moment," said Thurston, sternly. "I do not wish your maid to see -you like this. You must help yourself this morning, and--I shall -breakfast with my mother. When you are quite composed and ready to -receive her, she will come to you--as she thinks you retired early last -night with a headache." - -"Ah, she doesn't know!" exclaimed Indiana. "I'm glad of that--very -glad." - -"Your people were talking of going to Paris in a week or so--you will go -with them--on a pleasure trip." Indiana, leaning against the table, -lifted her eyes wonderingly to his. He met her gaze, proudly and -relentlessly. "You will go with them to America--on a pleasure trip. I -will break it to my mother, slowly--that you are not coming back." - -A deathlike faintness passed over Indiana as she listened to his calm, -passionless voice, pronouncing sentence upon her. She could not, at -that moment, utter a word of pleading or remonstrance. He seemed like a -rock of relentless justice, against which she might hurl herself, only -to be dashed in pieces. - -"You see, I have made it very easy for you to drop the shackles of the -tyrant and regain your lost and coveted freedom," he added, bitterly. -She grasped the edge of the table desperately with her small hands. "If -you had only loved me," cried Thurston, despairingly, "it might have -been different! But how could I expect it? You have never been taught -to love--to sacrifice for love. Only to be loved--to demand sacrifices -from others." Gathering all her strength, Indiana moved to the door. -He held it open for her, and she passed him with averted eyes, looking -dazed and hopeless. "Indiana!" he cried, involuntarily, as she -disappeared down the long hall. By a great effort he prevented himself -from rushing after her. Sinking down in a chair, he buried his face in -his hands. He had spoken the final words between them--there was no -retraction now. But so utterly had the serene and smiling little witch -taken possession of his heart, he felt, that in exorcising her he was -plucking it bodily from his breast. Only the necessity of appearing -composed before his mother rescued him from succumbing utterly to his -despair. - -Indiana had not heard Thurston's smothered cry. She climbed the stairs -laboriously, clinging to the banisters. There seemed to be iron weights -hanging to her limbs. But this was the result of lying for so many -hours on the hard floor, in the cold library. Consciousness, too, seemed -fading away from her. She only wished to retain it until she reached -her room; then, she felt, she would be quite satisfied to part with it -forever. Thurston's last words echoed in her ears, "You have never been -taught to love--to sacrifice for love--only to be loved--to demand -sacrifices from others." That was what Jennings meant when he said that -he looked back with satisfaction on his life, knowing he had served a -loved master faithfully. Even Jennings realized the spirit of love, -while--reaching her bed at last, she pushed back the covers and coiled -herself in its soft depths. Thoughts floated mistily in her brain. "I -have missed many things--to love, to serve, to sacrifice. Perhaps it was -not all my fault--not all." She lapsed into unconsciousness, but it was -the unconsciousness of which nature makes use to soothe exhausted and -tired humanity--sleep. - -At noon she awoke of her own accord, wonderfully refreshed morally and -physically. Things assumed a new aspect. The very knowledge of her -love gave her happiness. One supreme fact remained, in spite of all -that had passed--she loved her husband, and he her. It was impossible, -she argued, that her conduct of last night could have utterly killed a -love as deep as she knew his to be. The only barrier between them was -his wounded love and pride, one which she thought she could easily break -with her two small hands. - -Jennings knocked, and whispered that Mrs. Bunker and her father and -mother were below. He had told them she was asleep. Did she wish to -give any message? - -"Don't say anything. I'll be down in a little while, Jennings." She -dismissed him with a reassuring smile and a nod. - -"Her little leddyship looked so smiling--maybe it's all come right -again," thought Jennings, in delight, as he descended the stairs. - -"So they're all there," mused Indiana. "I shall act as if nothing is -the matter." She continued the process of dressing, without a maid. A -cold bath brought the bloom back to her cheeks. Her eyes were very -bright, yet tender. She donned an airy, rose-colored morning-gown, -dotted here and there with black velvet bows. Standing at her -dressing-table, putting another black velvet bow in the fluffy, yellow -puffs of her hair, a sudden misgiving assailed her--that her power to -win him back might not be as strong as she imagined. She shivered at -the remembrance of his stern, implacable face, when he entered the -library that morning. What if he would not retract his words, remaining -strong in his determination that they should part? Her face looked -piteously back at her from the glass. "Well, I, too, am strong--very -strong," she thought, bravely. "I am his wife--and I love him." She -bent forward and kissed her face in the mirror. "Good luck to us, -Indiana," she said, with a laugh, followed by a rush of tears. "We'll -fight for our happiness--won't we?" - -The family were sitting below in the library with Thurston and Lord -Stafford. No one, so far, had ventured a remark or asked a question -relating to the night before. - -Mrs. Bunker, finally, tired of discussing matters which did not interest -her, and anxious to know something relating to the subject uppermost in -all their minds, went to the window, pretending that she wished to see -if her hansom was still waiting, well aware Lord Stafford would follow -her. - -"You look charming this morning, Mrs. Bunker," remarked Lord Stafford, -gallantly joining her, as she expected, in the window embrasure. - -"So Indiana is sleeping it off," observed Mrs. Bunker, confidentially. - -"I am sure I don't know," answered Lord Stafford, twirling his -moustache. - -"You were with Thurston when we came?" - -"Yes," said Lord Stafford, indifferently. - -"Well, he told you?" queried Mrs. Bunker, in an exasperated tone. - -"Thurston said nothing, and, of course, I couldn't ask." - -"Well, you English are the closest-mouthed people. They've had a row. -Haven't you any curiosity to know how it ended?" - -"I'm burning to find out," answered Lord Stafford, calmly. - -"There's nothing burning about you--except your cigar," said Mrs. -Bunker, contemptuously, "and that's going out." - -"So it is--thank you." - -"Let me hold the match, your hand is trembling, mine is as firm as a -rock." - -"Ah, I'm getting on--but you have discovered the secret of eternal -youth." - -"We had a time getting her home," said Mrs. Bunker, in a low voice, -ignoring this last remark. "Do you think her mother and father had any -influence with her? Not a bit. Grandma Chazy did it. I sent the poor, -deluded parents to bed, and I put on a wrapper and fussed about my room, -while she sat by herself in the parlor, working herself up into a rage -about her husband's tyranny, and rushing to the window, every time a cab -passed, to see if he was coming. Well, I grew tired of this, so I went -to bed. When she had worn herself out, she put her head into my room. -'Grandma Chazy, where shall I sleep?' 'On the sofa, dear. Throw your -cloak over you. I've only a single bed, or I would offer you half.' She -slammed the door, in a rage. About a half hour later, 'Grandma Chazy, I -guess I'll go home.' 'Is that so, dear? Going--good night.' And I -fell asleep, apparently." - -"Mrs. Bunker," remarked Lord Stafford, "if I ever marry, it shan't be an -American." - -"Oh yes, you will, because you say you won't." - -"Oh, then I shan't marry at all--that's the safest way." - -"The most dangerous," assured Mrs. Bunker, mockingly. "A man is never -safe from marriage until he is married." - -"Ha, ha, ha! Very good. Mrs. Bunker, you are really the liveliest -woman I have ever met." - -"Well, I'm not going to waste my day here," said Mrs. Bunker, decidedly. -"I want to see the shops and take Indiana along. Thurston," advancing -into the room, "I'm dying to see Indiana." - -Thurston looked at her gravely. - -"My dear Mrs. Bunker, I have plans for the future, which it is best you -should know before you see Indiana." - -Mr. and Mrs. Stillwater looked anxious, but Mrs. Bunker took his words -lightly. - -"Don't make any plans, Thurston. And don't look so serious. You've made -up your mind to something--I can see that--but she'll upset it all in a -jiffy. You don't know Indiana." - -"No," answered Thurston, without relaxing his gravity of expression, -"and I never shall. Mr. Stillwater, your daughter is very anxious to go -with you to Paris--and I have consented." - -"Thurston, how good of you to let her!" cried Mrs. Stillwater, -innocently. "It is the only thing to complete my happiness." - -"I don't approve of it," said Mrs. Bunker. - -"I am about making arrangements for a long trip--for scientific -purposes," continued Thurston, in a slow, mechanical voice. "I will be -away from England for some time, and I think it advisable your daughter -should go home with you--until my mission is over." - -Mr. Stillwater folded his arms, looking keenly into Thurston's eyes. -"Well, of course, nothing would suit us better; but, my dear fellow--is -it good for a young married couple to separate so soon?" - -"No, it is not good." - -"Then must you go?" asked Mr. Stillwater. - -Thurston raised his eyes, meeting Stillwater's piercing glance, -steadily. "I must go." - -Mrs. Stillwater was so overcome with joy at the prospect of having -Indiana at home once more, she failed to see anything strange in the -arrangement. "Of course, we're sorry, Thurston, but if you're obliged to -go away, it's quite natural you should want to leave Indiana with us." - -"I, for one, don't like it," added Stillwater, decidedly. - -"How long do you expect to be away?" inquired Mrs. Stillwater. - -"For several months--perhaps forever." His voice broke. He turned from -them all and leaned his forehead against the mantel, gazing with -hopeless eyes into the fire. The others looked at one another in -apprehensive silence. - -"Good morning, everybody," said a gay, sweet voice. They all looked, in -relieved surprise, at Indiana, smiling in answer to her greeting. Her -cheeks were as rosy as her gown. Her eyes seemed to laugh with -happiness. Thurston stared at her, aghast at this apparent -heartlessness. "Her eyes have not looked so happy since I married her," -he thought. "It's the prospect of freedom. My resolution was well -taken--I'm glad, for her sake. What a charming little face--like a -cherub. Ah, if she had only loved me!" - -Indiana went to Lord Stafford, with outstretched hands. "Dear Uncle -Gerald, you want to kiss me good-morning, don't you? Well, you shall." -She put up her mouth to be kissed. Then she flitted airily to Mr. -Stillwater, put her arms about his neck and nestled to his breast. "You -dear old pop, I love you so!" She rubbed her face against his. "I was -naughty last night, wasn't I? Don't tell anybody. You forgive me, don't -you? There!" She kissed him a number of times, and then floated out of -his arms, a rose-colored cloud, over to her mother. "You old goosie, you -were afraid I wouldn't come home. Why didn't you take me by the -shoulders and push me out? But you couldn't be harsh with your little -Indy, your baby, your only one. I love you so!" Mrs. Stillwater -pressed her joyfully to her breast, murmuring caressing words, and -kissing her hair. Finally, releasing herself, Indiana looked at Mrs. -Bunker, undecided how she should approach her. She had been severely -scolded by that lady the night before. - -Mrs. Bunker frowned at her, then smiled. "You little monkey," she said, -then shook her finger warningly. Indiana answered by a good-natured -grimace, then she went to Thurston. - -"Good morning, Thurston," she said, after a swift glance, demurely -offering her cheek. Thurston hesitated. "Ah, here's dear Lady Canning," -continued Indiana, artfully, still standing in an expectant position. -Thurston bent down quickly and touched his lips to her cheek. - -"I have been so worried about this child," said Lady Canning, taking -Indiana's outstretched hands, when she had greeted the others very -graciously. "I wanted to see you last night, dear, but Thurston wouldn't -let me. Are you sure you feel quite well again?" She seated herself, -drawing Indiana to her side and looking anxiously in her face. - -"Splendid," replied Indiana, sinking down on her knees and putting her -arm about Lady Canning's waist. "It was a bad spell--while it lasted, -but when it passes off I always feel better. I won't have another for a -long time--I hope never." She peeped slyly under her eyelashes at -Thurston. "A bad spell is good for something--it makes me realize how -much everybody loves me, and how much I love everybody--and I do love -you, dear Lady Canning." - -"Darling!" murmured Lady Canning, quite overcome, pressing Indiana's -head to her breast. - -"There now, who can resist Indiana," said Mrs. Stillwater. "Darling, -your husband says you are going to Paris with us." - -"Am I?" asked Indiana, in a surprised voice. She turned to Lady -Canning. "I want you to scold Thurston, dear. He's too good. He's -given in, because they're dying for me to go to Paris with them. But I -wouldn't think of such a thing. I wouldn't leave him--or you, dear Lady -Canning." - -"Oh, Indy!" exclaimed Mrs. Stillwater, in a hurt and jealous tone. - -"Indiana," said Stillwater, watching her face, "Thurston says you can -home with us, if you like, while he's on his trip." - -"What trip?" asked Indiana, quickly. - -"Is it possible you have not given up that idea, Thurston?" questioned -Lady Canning, severely. She turned apologetically to Mrs. Stillwater. -"He always had an insane desire to go to the North Pole, but I thought -marriage had cured him of it. Indiana, put your foot down on that idea, -once and for all." - -"I put my foot down!" exclaimed Indiana. "Oh dear no--he's the master. -But let us hope he will think better of it." She folded her hands -severely, bearing with the highest degree of equanimity the astonished -looks of her family. - -Thurston, who at first could scarcely give credence to what he heard, -concluded she was playing the hypocrite in order to win sympathy for -herself, and at the same time divert it from him, putting him in the -character of a heartless husband. - -"That little monkey's playing for something," thought Mrs. Bunker, "and -she'll win her game, as sure as I'm her grandmother. Well, Indiana, -it's settled, then, that you're not going to Paris with us." - -"Grandma Chazy, I'm a married woman," answered Indiana, with an offended -air, "I can't be running about like a young girl." Lady Canning nodded -approvingly. - -"I must get out of this," exclaimed Mrs. Bunker, desperately. "I feel -choked for air. We're going to do some shopping. Indiana, do you want -to come?" - -"Well, considering Indiana was so ill, I think it advisable for her to -remain quietly at home to-day," said Lady Canning. "But I should be -very pleased to have you all dine with us this evening." - -Indiana heard Lady Canning with a sensation of relief. She was -suffering a tension of suspense. And she felt that to go out with her -family and keep up this semblance of light-heartedness would have been -an unendurable strain. - -"There, what did I tell you?" remarked Mrs. Bunker to Thurston, when -they were on the point of leaving. "Where are your plans now?" He made -no answer, standing, determined and pale, by the mantel, and following -Indiana's every move as she flitted from one to the other, kissing them -good-bye. "Good morning, Lady Canning," said Mrs. Bunker. "I wish I -had your complexion. Yes, I do." - -"Come early," pleaded Indiana, clinging to her mother, "and we'll have a -good, long talk before dinner, my dearest mother--and--and--after to-day -we'll spend all our time together." - -"I think it's a shame you can't go with us. You're perfectly well?" - -"No, Lady Canning's right--I have a headache. I was excited last -night--at the hotel." - -"Your color's so bright--perhaps you're feverish," observed Mrs. -Stillwater, anxiously. "Indy, is it all right between you and -Thurston?" - -"Yes--mother--it's all right." Mrs. Stillwater looked at her with an -anxious expression. But Indiana met her gaze hopefully. "Don't worry, -mother," she said. "I love Thurston, and he loves me--so it's all -right, isn't it?" - -"Yes, my darling," sighed Mrs. Stillwater, greatly relieved. - -"Even if--if things don't go as they should sometimes," said Indiana, -wistfully, "they come right after a while--don't they--when people -really love each other?" - -"Nothing matters, so long as you love each other," Mrs. Stillwater -assured her, with the wisdom of her long matrimonial experience. - -Indiana watched them driving off, from the window--her mother and father -in one hansom, Mrs. Bunker and Lord Stafford in another. The latter had -manifested a desire to go shopping. He thought seriously of joining the -party on their Parisian trip. - -"Thurston," asked Lady Canning, in a very serious voice, "is there -anything wrong between you and your wife?" Indiana, at the window, -listened with every nerve. - -"Nothing, mother," answered Thurston, purposely refraining from one -glance at the little figure standing in the shadow of the curtains. - -"Then what has driven you to this sudden resolve? How could you think -of doing such a cruel thing?" - -"I mean to do it, mother." - -Lady Canning looked at her son with very displeased eyes. "Thurston, -you are developing an exceedingly bad temper. You--you have never -before acted in such an inconsistent, inconsiderate manner. And with -such a sweet wife. You don't deserve her." - -"Mother, don't scold him," said Indiana, pleadingly. Thurston cast on -her an indescribable look. - -Jennings appeared then, and announced that the carriage was waiting to -take Lady Canning for her morning drive. She sat in displeased silence, -until her maid brought her bonnet and cloak. Before she left the room, -she turned severely to Thurston. "I do do not wish to see you again -until you tell me you have abandoned this fool-hardy, heartless idea, -for good and all." She took Indiana in her arms. "My darling, forgive -him, for my sake." - -"I will, dear Lady Canning," said Indiana, angelically. "I--it's very -weak, I know, but I couldn't be angry with him--no matter what he did." -Thurston stared at her, aghast at such hypocrisy. Indiana led Lady -Canning out into the hall. "Don't worry," she whispered, as Jennings -held the door open for her to pass to the carriage. "It will be all -right, I'll manage him." When she returned to the library, Thurston was -staring into the fire. She approached quietly, and he raised his eyes, -to see her standing meekly before him, her hands clasped in a childish -fashion. - -"You have played your part well," he said, bitterly. - -Indiana raised her eyes supplicatingly, then dropped them again. "I -wasn't acting," she said, innocently. - -"It's well that you can be so light-hearted, when I am suffering -tortures," he continued, with an involuntary burst of grief and -bitterness. - -"No, no, I was acting--but I felt the part. I do love everybody, and I -want to be good again and make up." - -"Cease playing the spoilt child," said Thurston, wearily. "Last night's -performance can never be repeated under my roof--never shall be. You -can tell your own story. Paint me the brutal husband--the tyrant. I -shall not contradict you. I am resolved upon one thing--to leave -England." He stared hopelessly into the fire again, leaning his -forehead on the mantel. - -"I suppose it's no use--asking you--to--forgive me," she said, watching -him sharply. He turned quickly, and she dropped her eyes. "If--if -there won't be a repetition," she continued, her lips quivering like -those of a child on the verge of tears. - -"You cannot change your nature," he replied, coldly, not allowing -himself to believe in the sincerity of this contrition. - -[Illustration: "I will have love to help me."] - -"No, and that's why you're very wrong in being so hard with me. I was -good, wasn't I? For three months and then, when the folks rushed down -on me, like a river breaking a dam, I broke out--that's all." She -raised her arms, with a long, despairing sigh. "Thurston, if you will -go away, may I stay with your mother?" - -"Indiana, you don't know how I suffer--you cannot. As long as all the -love is on my side, my wishes will be commands to you; my plans for your -welfare and happiness--domination. There should be no such question -between a man and wife who love each other. It could not have ended -otherwise. A union without the sacred seal of love--is cursed." He went -from her to the door, terribly agitated, wishing they could part -finally, then and there, in order to spare himself the further torture -of looking at Indiana with the thought that he had renounced her. - -"Thurston, you'll shake hands with me--won't you?" she asked, -imploringly, a look of terror dawning in her eyes. He extended his -hand, with averted gaze. Indiana grasped it quickly, then held it for -dear life. "You shall listen to me," she pleaded, in a voice vibrating -with intense emotion, her breast heaving, her eyes dilating, until they -looked almost black under the yellow hair. "I won't let you go until -you've heard it. All my life I've queened it over people, delighting to -feel my own power--to make the poor things who loved me bend to my will. -Last night I saw the horror in your face when you turned from -me--leaving me alone with my uncontrolled, undisciplined nature. -Thurston, how could you expect me to be different? It wouldn't be -natural if I were. I wanted to queen it over my husband--to be put up -on a pedestal and worshipped. I thought it was enough if I let him love -me--but I never knew it was better to love than to be loved, to serve -than to be served." She looked into his face with piteous eyes, and -said, in a low, frightened voice, "Thurston, take my two hands--hold -them fast--while I step down from my throne--and then, when we stand -together, side by side, I can whisper in your ear--I never could up -there--that I love you." - -"Indiana, for God's sake, don't play with me again!" he cried, -passionately. - -She drew his head down to her and kissed him. "Thurston, husband," she -murmured, in a low, wondering voice, "I love you better than myself." - -"Indiana!" He pressed her to his heart, with the feeling that they were -on holy ground, even standing at the altar, and the sacred seal had just -been set to their union. - -Indiana raised her head, the tears trembling on her lashes. "I'll never -break out again." - -"Yes, you will, but next time I will have love to help me. Indiana, -look at me--look at me. I cannot realize it--my wife loves me! Do you -remember one day, in the Adirondacks, out on the lake, at that weird -place called the Devil's Pulpit? I think--yes, it was the first day I -spent with you--you wanted a story, and I gave you a part of my inmost -life--do you remember?" - -"Yes, I remember--how clearly I remember. The great, black rock hanging -over us; the blue mountains in the distance; your voice, telling me of -the weaver--" - -"Indiana, his dream has come true--at last. 'And the web, transformed -into a gleaming fabric of light, gladdened the soul of the weaver.'" - -Indiana drew a little space away, quoting his own words, with uplifted -hands, "'And as he wove he heard singing, a choir of beautiful, jubilant -voices.'" - -Thurston looked into her eyes, then held out his arms. "I hear them, -Indiana!" - - - - THE END. - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - *The Invaders* - - *By JOHN LLOYD.* - - 12mo; cloth; illustrated. $1.50. - - -The story is one of ranch life and of the troubles with the so-called -cattle-thieves, which eventuated in one of the most dramatic incidents -of the ever-dramatic West--the famous "Rustler War." - -The cattlemen alleged that their fight was one against "Rustlers"; their -opponents contended that they were but honest homesteaders, whose only -crime was that of fencing in their possessions, thereby destroying the -open range. Owen Wister's great story, "The Virginian," gives the -cattlemen's side of the controversy; "The Invaders" is written from the -opposing viewpoint. - -Into this stirring history, the hero, John Thorpe, a tenderfoot, is -precipitated, and it is his part in the struggle that furnishes the -thread of the story. The love plot introduced early in the tale -enlivens the story and sustains the reader's interest throughout. - - - - * * * * * - - - - *Fanny Lambert* - - *By HENRY DEVERE STACPOOLE.* - - Author of "The Crimson Azaleas," "The - Blue Lagoon," etc., etc. - - 12mo; cloth. $1.50. - - -The two chief figures in this story are Fanny Lambert and her father, -two entirely unconventional characters, delightfully simple and -unworldly. The book is full of irresistably humorous touches, -irresponsible fun being, in fact, its characteristic feature. The -lesser figures, down to the merest thumbnail sketches, are all -incisively drawn. - - - - * * * * * - - - - *For Charles the Rover* - - *By MAY WYNNE.* - - 12mo, cloth $1.50 - - -Author of "Henry of Navarre," etc., etc. - -A rattling good story of love and intrigue in good old Ireland in the -days and for the cause of Charles the Rover. - - "Of all the days that's in the year - The tenth of June I love most dear, - When sweet white roses do appear - For sake of Charles the Rover. - - "Our noble Ormond, he is drest, - A rose is glancing at his breast; - His famous hounds have doffed his crest, - White roses deck them over." - - - R. F. FENNO & CO., 18 East 17th St., N.Y. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HER LORD AND MASTER *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48337 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be -used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific -permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, -complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly -any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances -and research. They may be modified and printed and given away - you may -do practically _anything_ in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - - - -The Full Project Gutenberg License - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works - - -*1.A.* By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the -terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all -copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in your possession. If -you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -*1.B.* "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things -that you can do with most Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works even -without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph -1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -*1.C.* The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of -Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works. Nearly all the individual works -in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and -you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent -you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating -derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project -Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the -Project Gutenberg(tm) mission of promoting free access to electronic -works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg(tm) works in compliance with -the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg(tm) name -associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this -agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full -Project Gutenberg(tm) License when you share it without charge with -others. - - -*1.D.* The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg(tm) work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -*1.E.* Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -*1.E.1.* The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United - States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org . - If you are not located in the United States, you'll have to - check the laws of the country where you are located before using - this ebook. - -*1.E.2.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain -a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright -holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United -States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or -providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" -associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with -the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission -for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark as set -forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.3.* If an individual Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg(tm) License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work. - -*1.E.4.* Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg(tm) License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg(tm). - -*1.E.5.* Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) License. - -*1.E.6.* You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg(tm) work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg(tm) web site -(http://www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg(tm) License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -*1.E.7.* Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg(tm) works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -*1.E.8.* You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works -provided that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg(tm) works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg(tm) - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) - works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) works. - - -*1.E.9.* If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below. - -*1.F.* - -*1.F.1.* Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg(tm) collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your -equipment. - -*1.F.2.* LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg(tm) trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg(tm) electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. -YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, -BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN -PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND -ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR -ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES -EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. - -*1.F.3.* LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -*1.F.4.* Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -*1.F.5.* Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -*1.F.6.* INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg(tm) -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg(tm) work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg(tm) - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg(tm)'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg(tm) collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and -permanent future for Project Gutenberg(tm) and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org . - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state -of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue -Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is -64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the -full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its volunteers -and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business -office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, -(801) 596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg(tm) depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where -we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state -visit http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside -the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways -including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, -please visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic -works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg(tm) -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg(tm) eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg(tm) eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg(tm), -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |