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£> MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
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rtAAY ROBERTJ RINt/IAAT
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SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I—Old Hilary Kingston,
starting with Socialism, drifts Into an
archy, and gathers round him In the hall
above the village of Wofflngham a band
of accomplished desperadoes who rob
the rich, Incite seditions and arm the re
bellious. His motherless daughter, Kllnor,
Is raised to line living and wrong think
ing, to no law and no Christ.
CHAPTER II—In an attack on the Ag
rarian bank messenger, old Hilary Is
killed but Is not suspected of complicity.
Boroday brings the body home to the
ball.
CHAPTER III—Ward, assistant rector
of St Jude's, makes a call of condolence
on Elinor, who consents to have her fath
er burled from St. Jude's In the odor of
sanctity The chief of police recognizes
Boroday and Is suspicious.
CHAPTER IV—After the funeral the
band meet at the hall and agree to go on
as before, Elinor acting In her father's
stead. Huff asks Elinor to marry him
and she consents, though she does npt
love him. Boroday Is arrested and threat
ened.
CHAPTER V—Boroday In Jail. Talbot
plans a raid on the Country club. The
friendship between Ward and Elinor
ripens to something deeper. She envies
him his faith.
CHAPTER VI—Huff burns Ft. Jude's
§arish house. Elinor offers to help re
ulld It and Is angry with Huff.
CHAPTER VII—Huff plans to rob
Ward of the money collected to rebuild
the parish house. Elinor objects and Huff
Is Jealous.
I'
CHAPTER VIII.
! ' i
Saturday evening It was the custom
of the Bryants to entertain the rector
at dinner.
Now, In his absence, It was the as
sistant rector who dined In the paneled
Jacobean dining room of the Br.vnnt
house, swallowing much unctuous dic
tation as to church policy with his
dinner.
Not that Ward was mild. But he
had an easy wny of listening to the
advice of his various Influential parish
ioners and then going ahead and doing
ns he liked. In nonessentinls he a!
ways yielded. To hlin the church was
so much bigger than Its ritual.
That evening Mrs. Bryant had taken
up the question of women In the choir.
“Frankly, Mr. Ward,” she said, ig
noring her fish, “I do not approve of
It. It’s the feminist movement, I toll
you. Before long they'll want to bo
on the vestry.”
Ward glanced up, half smiling. The
pear-shaped pearl, which usually hung
at his hostess' withered throat, was,
naturally, not there. From the pearl
to the parish house, from the parish
house to Elinor—thus In two leaps of
Ward's mind he was far from the sub
ject In hand.
“As president of the Chancel soci
ety,” said Mrs. Bryant, “as honorary
president of the Woman’s guild, I pro
test against women In the choir.”
Back to the choir with a jump came
Ward's errant mind.
1 “I wonder,” Ward reflected, “wheth
er a matter of tradition and custom
will prevent women from singing In
(the heavenly choir!” %
Mrs. Bryant stabbed at her fish. But
she had not finished. There were
many things about Saint Jude’s that
did not please her. The burial of old
Hilary Kingston had been one. She
seized on that.
"A non-communicant,” she snapped.
“An Infidel, nn atheist! The daughter
Is living alone up there at this min
ute. It Isn’t respectable. It’s a bad
example to the girls In the village. The
bouSe Is full of men all the time.”
“That must be a mistake."
“It Is quite true. Servants talk, you
know. What can you expect? Rnlsed
out of the church, with no belief, and,
of course, no moral instruction.”
Ward bent forward over the table.
“That Is a very serious statement,
Mrs. Bryant.” His eyes were like
steel. “Of course you are not basing
It merely on what you hear from serv
ants?"
Mrs. Bryant flushed, a purplish spot
In the center of each sagging cheek.
“I do not gossip with the servants,”
she said, shortly. "It Is common talk.
And there ure other things. Machines
come und go from the house at queer
hours of the night. The girl spends a
greut deul of money. Where does she
get It? Where, for that matter, did old
Hilary Kingston get It?”
Thus challenged, Ward had nothing
to say.
1 After dinner he left early, but he did
not go home. He went up the hill. As
he strode on, he remembered many
things. The girl was without the sheet
anchor of any belief, adrift and alone,
and he had made no attempt to help
her unbelief. Although It was after
ten, the house was still lighted down
stairs, and he went without hesitation
Into the garden.
| Thus It happened that he saw Elinor
In Huffs arms, saw him thrust her vio
lently from him, and rush away across
the flower-beds, leaving her there
alone.
1 Ward remained In the shadows. To
save his life he could not have spoken
to Elinor then. Under his constrained
>e*terlor he was in the thrall of the
'fiercest jealousy. This little fair
haired girl, to whom his Ood was no
Hod, had tuken a powerful bold on
Ifalm.
Elinor, who slept little that night,
igaw the light in his window until It
Tailed Into the dawn.
Minor went t<> the early communion
the following day. The church was
dark. There were hardly two dozen
People scattered over the building. She
sat far hack and was heavily veiled.
When the congregation knelt, she
knelt. An old woman in the next pew
gave her the prayer hook open at the
service. On her knees then went Eli
nor and listened to Ward's fine voice
echoing through the empty building.
The morning was warm nnd the win
dows open. The odor of burned wood
from the parish house crept In.
“Thou shalt not steal,” Ward read
from the Decalogue, and the people
said:
“Lord have mercy upon us and in
cline our hearts to keep this law.”
“Thou shalt not steal.”
In the palm of her left glove Elinoi
had the Bryant pear-shaped pearl.
Ward had not seen her. He went
through Hie service reverently, with an
Impressiveness of voice nnd bearing
that showed how real it was to him
And in ills voice, rending, exhorting
commanding, there were tender notes
that caught Elinor’s breath in hei
throat.
When the service wns over, she rosr
from her knees and dropped the Hr.v
nnt pearl Into the alms-box by th»
door. The congregation, small and
scattered, wns still kneeling. Tht
doorway and the alms-box were in twi
light.
Drawing down her veil, she went
quickly out Into the sunshine.
At the eleven o’clock service Ware
announced‘the burning of the parist
buiding.
“It Is not my intention to make nr
appeal,” he said simply. “The parist
house wns built to fill a great need
that need still exists. If our church If
to be an element in the daily lives ol
the people of this town, we must havt
a meeting place for them. For tht
worship of our God, the church build
ing is sufficient, but if religion is to yoc
the thing it is to me, the broader rell
glon of universal brotherhood, tht
church building is not enough.
“Thou shalt love thy neighbor at
thyself.”
Seventy-eight thousand dollars was
taken up in the collection at Salnl
Jude’s that morning. Over fifty thou
sand was in checks, the rest was U
cash.
Walter Huff, sitting alone in tht
back of the church, had watched Ward
Intently through the service.
Unlike Elinor, Huff hnd been raised
in a Presbyterian household. He had
cpme to Jeer, to watch with his thief's
eyes tlie offertory piling into the silver
plates. But the service told on him
S miewhere down in his violent young
heart there crept n sense of shame. II
was only when he looked at Ward that
his eyes hardened.
This man who hnd come between
him and his girl—this white-handed,
surpliced, prayer-reading priest, whe
in a dozen words could compel the peo
ple before him to lay a fortune at his
feet—Huff ground his teeth together
But something of unwilling admiration
was mixed with his scorn. This was
I
"I Don't Like to Ask You to Talk
Business on Sunday.”
no mean adversary, tills Ward; a mnn,
every inch of him. He would beat him
out If he had to kill him to do it.
Huff stayed In church after the serv
ice. He accosted Mr. Bryant, one of
the vestrymen, as the congregation
filed out.
"I don’t like to ask you to talk
business on Sunday," he said, “but I
think it’s going to be mighty incon
venient until you get tlie new bulld
| Ing.”
“Horrible,” said the vestryman. “No
tire is ever convenient, but this—’’
Tluff drew a business card from his
pocket.
“I thought perhaps you might be
willing to talk about a temporary
building,” he said. “We specialize in
things like that. Wood, you know, and
weather-proof, but inexpensive.”
The last word caught Mr. Bryant’s
ear.
“Seems to me," ITuff went on, “thex
choir hoys need a place to dress in.
You couldn't ask them to put on their
surplices at home and walk over here.”
“We had thought of a tent,” Mr. Bry
ant said uncertainly. “But if you care
to look around—”
“Never mind about me,” said Huff
largely. “I’ll lust glance over theplaee
myself. You’d better attend to that
fortune you took up In the collection
this morning.”
“The assistant rector has tnken
charge of that," Mr. Bryant observed,
and after that for half an hour he
ind Huff talked board floors, tar-paper
roofs and electric installation In the
temporary headquarters.
Huff made careful notes in his
pocket notebook. They included the
length and‘breadth of a temporary
building, the residence of the assist
ant rector, a stove in the temporary
structure for cold days, the amount.
>f collection, and the time at which
evening service was over on Sun-t
lay night.
CHAPTER IX.
Tiilbot, running out to the country
'dub (hat afternoon for his Sunday
lame of golf, stopped off at the hall.
Tie found Elinor lunching alone In
he arbor, which commanded a view
if the valley.
“I brought out a letter from Hern
lay.” he said, producing it. “He wrote
t yesterday morning, but I did not
top nt the Dago’s until an hour or so
igo.”
The Dago was the owner of a gnm
iling-house far downtown—a sort of
inderworld clearing house. Its safety
'or Talbot and the others lay In the
'act that it drew Its clientele from the
ipper as well as low'er walks of life,
duff, acting in his taxicab cnpaeltv ns
itoerer, was able to come and go with
in t suspicion.
Talbot could not read old Hilary’s
■ryptlc shorthand. Only three had
mown It: Boroday, old Hilary him
;elf, and Elinor.
Elinor ran through It While Talbot
ite a sandwich. She was rather white
vhen she looked up.
“It’s about the Bryant pearl,” she in
erpreted. “Boroday says that If the
•hlef gets It back he will let him go.
The chief’s reputation Is hanging on It.
Hie Bryants are influential.”
She read the last paragraph aloud to
dm:
"On your lives, hoys, do what I tell
?ou. MrII the pearl In a plain box to
lolice headquarters. Mall it downtown
n the city. If everything Is all right,
I’ll be able to get out to Wotflngham in
t week, perhaps less. This will make
:he church plan unnecessary and re
ieve Elinor’s mind. I see you got the
larlsh house. It was foolhardy ‘and
iseless.”
Talbot rose and stretched himself.
“Wonderful day for golf,” he said.
‘Now let’s have the pearl and I am
iff.’
Elinor's eyes were pitiful.
“Wouldn’t any other pearl do?”
He glnneed down at her quizzically.
“Where’s your mind, Elinor? If you
ose a dog and want It bnck, will any
ither dog do? Why? Do you want the
hing yourself?”
“I have given It away,” said Elinor.
Under his golf tan Talbot turned
•atlier gray.
“To whom?”
“The Jewels were always mine,” pro
ested Elinor, defending herself. “You
lave always told me that. I thought I
md a right—"
“To whom?”
“I put it In the almsbox at Saint
Mule's this morning.”
“Then It may still be there?”
“I don’t know.”
“In the name of God 1” Talbot broke
mt. “What possessed you to give the
thing away? Whim or no whim, you
have no right to risk the rest of us. If
that thing Is traced back to you, you
know what It means.”
“Nobody saw me—”
But Tnlbot was pacing up and down.
“There’s only one chance,” he said.
"I'll send a special delivery to the
chief, telling him the thing Is In the
alrnsbox. If It’s still there, he’ll get it
and return It. If It’s already been dis
covered, at least he can claim to have
known Its hiding-place.”
Tnlbot disgustedly relinquished his
golf, and In the library of the hall
wrote the anonymous letter to the
chief. Then, in his gray oar, he set off
for the city to mall the letter.
When he was In the car, the engine
throbbing easily, Elinor ventured to
put her hand on hi* arm.
“Last night,” she said rapidly, “Wal
ter threatened all sorts of things; that
he would get the morning collection at
Saint Jude’s, that he would kill Mr.
Ward. I am frightened, Tallle.”
Talbot patted her hand.
"We will get this fixed *ip so It won’t
he necessary; and as for the other, you
know Walter. He was mad with
jealousy last night. That’s all talk."
On that wild ride Talbot had little
time to think, but, such as they were,
his thoughts were of Elinor and her
| an price.
“It’s the preacher, after all,” he said
to himself. “It’s enough to make old
Hilary turn over ”
Trora that his mind wnndered to
Walter. He knew IlufT, the violence of
Ids temper, the niailne s of bis passion
for the girl. Talbot was uneasy.
Elinor hud an unexpected .visitor
that afternoon. It was the Bryant
woman.
White, but very dignified, EUnor
came into the drawing room. But Mrs.
Bryant had not cortie about the pearl.
“You must forgive a Sunday visit,”
she said. “But I tiave taken Mr. Bry
ant to the country club, and I wanted
so much to come to see you.”
Elinor’s color returned.
“It is very kind of you to come."
Mrs. Bryant’s small, birdlike eyes
darted over the room. The house was
distinctly good form. Perhaps the girl
might be an acquisition to the social life
of the village. After all, religion was
becoming very broad. Even the best
people—
“The country club,” said Mrs. Bry
nnt aloud, "is full of disagreeable
memories to me just now. Tt was less
than a week ago that I was robbed.”
“Ah !” said Elinor. “Robbed ! How
interesting!”
"All my jewels, everything 1 pos
sessed that was really worth while.”
“But surely th? police—”
Mrs. Bryant flushed with anger.
“The police 1” she snid. “It wouldn’t
surprise me at all to discover that the
police are In with the thieves. Look
at the condition of this country! It
has been terror-ridden for the Inst two
or three years. You yourself are a
victim. Your poor father!”
Actually she had detested old Flilary.
She sat forward on the edge of her
chair and spoke with grent unction.
“There is a band of organized, In
telligent bandits working in this neigh
borhood, Miss Kingston, a band of mur
derers. In these days of feminis-in, it
wouldn't astonish me at all to discover
that some woman is at the head of It.
The things that have been planned
have been so fiendishly clever!”
Mrs. Bryant rose.
“It shows how demoralizing such
things are," she said. “1 assure you
that I never look at a woman’s throat
these days without expecting to see
my pearl.”
From thnt dangerous ground she
stepped quickly to the burning of the
parish house, which she believed was
the work of militant suffragettes.
“The dear rector Is not n feminist,"
she said. “His assistant, I fear, has a
strong tendency in thnt direction. But
j he Is a wonderful person, really. .Tust
| Imagine, seventy-eight thousand dol
. lars was collected in Saint Jude's
church this morning for rebuilding the
parish house!”
She turned at the doorway.
“He’s single and very attractive,
my dear. The entire village Is trying
to mnrry him. There Is talk of the
doctor’s duughter, a common little
thing."
When she had gone, Elinor, a little
faint and dizzy, went out on the ter
race. She realized that the barrier be
tween Ward and herself was not only
of his faith against her unbelief. There
was the insurmountable gulf between
Ids world and her world. Sin1 did not
fit Into hts life. Into his ay in, perhaps;
Into his life—never.
Walter would tr£ to j[et the money.
She must pet word to him somehow^
for if the Bryant pearl was recovered
ahd Boroday given his freedom, mon
ey would not be an immediate neces
sity.
She paced the terrace and tried to
think it out. For Talbot to go back j
to the city, an hour; for the delivery of !
the special delivery, another hour.
Then the police would have to come
out by train or motor. With the best
of hick, it would be four o’clock before
the pearl could be recovered.
There were a dozen possibilities;
the chief might be out of town; the
pearl "blight be recovered from the
box without his assistance. In that
case he would not bold to his agree
ment with Boroday.
She tried to head Walter off. but she
could not locate him. At none of his
various haunts could she find him by
telephone; be was not at the Pago's;
at the taxicab office he was said to
be laid off for the day. As the white
i’louds of the afternoon turned to
(ftinie in the sunset, Elinor’s face grew
set and bard.
“I’m not blind. I’ll get him for
this!”
That was what he had said. He
would go after the money that night,
and there was murder In his heart.
Old Ilenrlette, watching Elinor’s set
face, grew tretful. She squealed if
a door slammed; brought food that
Elinor could not eat, and Anally, divin
ing a crisis, tried stealthily by tele
phone to locate Talbot or Lethbridge
and failed.
“You'd better eat a bite or two,”
she entreated.
Elinor’s nerves, too, were on edge.
"I don’t want it,” she said.
“Just a little soup!”
“If you bring that tray here again
I shall throw it out of the window.”
Henrlette was cheered. Elinor,
whitelipped and speechless, was alarm
ing. Elinor in one of her rare rages
was reassuring.
By seven o’clock Elinor knew what
she must do; go to Ward, tell him
what she feared, and how she knew.
She was not craven, hut her very soul
was sick. She sought about for some
way to evade the Issue or to postpone
it. and finally she struck on one. On
plain note paper she scrawled a little
note In a feigned hand:
"An attempt will besnade tonight to
secure the fund raised at the morning
service. Be advised and give It to
someone else to keep overnight.”
Rut she realized before she bad fin
ished it the uselessness of such an at
tempt. Ward would not transfer a
danger.
The night had fallen. A line of ftirs
from the country club wns carrying
town people and villagers home to the
lata dinners of the golf season. Groups
or giris ana men in summer garments,
chatting gaylv, passed under the wall
of her garden. Down in the,valley
straggling lines of evening church
goers moved decorously toward the
churches. A ragged child stood lu the
I road below her garden ana wept.
Elinor ran down to him, and took him
up in her arms. When she had soothed
him she felt quieter. She went into
the house and put on her hat. There
was no message from Talbot, no word
of Huff.
Evening service was over when she
reached Saint Jude’s. The last strag
gler had gone, and Ward was not in
sight. She avoided the street lights
She felt quite sure that Walter wus
In the vicinity, his keen eyes missing
nothing.
He had put his hand on her before
she knew he was near.
"Worshiping again!” he Jeered.
“I have not been In the church.”
Her quick mind was scheming desper
ately nhead. “I have been alone this
evening. When you did not come,
I—” .
He swung her around.
“You were looking for me?”
“I thought you might be here. You
said last night—”
The memory of the night before
stung him. He released her wrist.
"Walter, I am afraid! I tried to
| moke you understand last night, but
1 you wouldn’t listen. If he were roused,
.
l\\l ft
"I Can Take Car# of Myaelf.1
he might be dangerous. Don’t take
chances; don't think, because he is a
churchman—”
| She was talking against time. She
’ had her plan now.
' “I can take care of myself," said
Huff sullenly. But he kept his place
I beRide her as she started back. Iter
solicitude was for him, then. She
cart'd, after all. But it wouldn’t do to
unbend too much. Elinor had treated
him with a high hand. His very pulae
ached with her nearness, hut he did
not touch her.
He left her without even a hand
clasp.
*‘V-'» might wish me took " ’
i
(Continued Next Week.)
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