Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 67: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Blaydon managed with considerable diffi- culty to get her safely seated in the stern, took his own place forward and gave the signal to Carl to start. The little engine sputtered as the mechanician threw it over, settled to its work and the craft shot out from the shore and headed down the cove toward the inlet and the open sea beyond. vie, THE two who had been left behind stood motionless and silent for a “on*’ long time, watching it as it grew smaller and smaller with its increasing dis- tance, and then Ward was brought to a sense of his surroundings by a sudden broken sigh that sounded almost like a sob from the girl. He turned and saw that she was on the verge of a breakdown. Great tears were welling up in her eyes and her lip trembled with a threat of an approach- ing storm of weeping. She looked up at him in an unspoken ap- peal for support, but his heart was steeled to the task that confronted him and she saw at once that his eyes refused the com- fort that she had evidently expected. It seemed to brace her with its shock. Her _lip ceased its trembling and drew into a firmer line of self-control; the pathos in her brown eyes gave way to a quickly sum- moned look of dignity and firm resolve. In a moment, she had regained full command of herself and stood there facing him calm- ly and coolly, waiting for him to speak. For the fraction of a second, he weakened. _ She was so fine and straight and womanly in her sudden sense of her aloneness. Her quick struggle with her collapsing faculties had been so hard and so bitter and yet so admirably successful, that he felt more than ever like a brute to desert her now, not only to desert her but to turn against her and to place himself among her enemies. Involuntary words of sympathy and of comfort rushed to his lips. He felt the cold- ness in his eyes melting under the warmth of his desire to aid her, but the thought of Phil Conway came suddenly to him and nerved him for what he had to do. ‘Miss Blaydon,”’ he said, “I’m sorry, but I have found out some things that must al- ter our relations.”’ He expectéd to surprise her, to see again that look of startled fright that had marked her attitude in the first days of her stay on the shore. But her eyes did not falter as she looked at him. There was not the — The Secret { of Caprice slightest weakening of the dignity of her 65 pose. With the quick intuition of woman, — she had evidently already sensed the un- friendliness of his feelings. “Very well,” she said quietly. “It is not necessary for you to stay here if you do not care to.” He frowned darkly. “Tt is more necessary than ever,” he de- clared. “In fact, it is necessary now, re- gardless of whether you wish it or not.” She raised her brows in mild surprise. “Indeed?” she asked. “And am I to know these things that you have discovered —these things that have so changed your attitude toward me?” There was a trace of bitterness in her tone that cut him and made him feel despi- cable. “Yes,” he said. “TI intended to tell you. But I want to assure you that I am more sorry than I can say to have to withhold . my sympathy from you in the position in which your uncle has left you. I should like——” But she held up her hand and stopped him “TJ have asked for no sympathy,” she said. ‘Let us dispose of your case first. What have you discovered that seems to in- volve me so unfavorably?” “T have discovered —” he spoke very slowly, watching every play of her expres- sion as she listened—“I have discovered that Mr. Conway has been trapped and car- ried ,away—kidnaped, to put it plainly. I have discovered that the people with whom you are on such friendly terms have inter- cepted telegrams intended for me——” ‘‘Wait a moment, Mr. Fenton. Please.” Her tone was not peremptory, nor was there the slightest indication of anger in it. Instead, it seemed to reflect the puzzled frown that had gathered on her brow and the look of deep bewilderment in her eyes. “Let me understand you perfectly in one thing at a time,’ she continued as he paused. “You say that Mr. Conway has been kidnaped?” : His anger at the trick that had been played upon his friend suddenly flamed up beyond control. “Don’t act as if you knew nothing about it!” he cried. “I am not trying to tell you that he has been carried off. You probably already knew that. I am only telling you that I have found it out and that you are EOMIGE <S JOO (E(9) pti Aare Lak *s Vip Rue) af tty bit Soy nay te ag Pm WL dpe ee Pants tal JW, A esl aed he ue Oh. ry)