The Lighted Way

agedy of the day had become a dim thing. He himself was moving forward and onward. He glanced up at the familiar window, feeling a slight impulse of disappointment when he rec

d at once the passageway and knocked at Ruth's door. She w

laimed, "how dare y

lding out both her hands. Her wan face was strained as she gazed and gazed. Something of the beautiful softness of her f

e murmured.

t was as though tragedy had

r?" he cried. "Is there anything so t

on't come any nearer for a mo

at that moment some sort of fear had drained all the beauty

e moaned. "You have slipped

laimed, stepping towards her

n the stick which lea

me yet. Stay there where I can see you

easily, with a note half of

appened to me that I will not tell you about. You have been sitting here

ly. "Tell me everything

a tangled web of disconnected episodes, linked together by a strangely sweet emotional thread of sentiment. And the girl was watch

nd arranged. The people were queer, not at all the sort I expected. Most of them seemed half foreig

hen, Mr. Weatherley's fr

e island somewhere in the Mediterranean, and is half Portuguese. Most of the people were there apparently by her invitation. After dinner-such a dinn

d his. Her express

Mrs. Weatherley

uldn't tell you the color for I've never seen anything else like it. And she has real red-brown hair, and she is slim, and she wa

he kind?"

d bridge at her table. It seems the most amazing thing in the wor

persisted. "Something else h

little. The terror wa

foreign governments and has a bank of his own. I left him there last night, playing baccarat. This morning Mr. Weatherley called me into his office and sent me up to the Milan Restau

appened?" s

s breath f

ly he entered. I did exactly as I was told, but it was too late. Rosario was stabbed as h

though her general expres

that he wa

upon the spot,"

wh

ok his

t an evening paper as I came along and I

a quarrel?"

imply to have run out from somewhere and stabbed him with

man who did i

kept his body twisted around someho

rrible!" s

on of the room given over to Isaac, and which led beyond to his sleeping chamber,

laimed. "Liars

so sudden, so unexpected. The girl had forgotten his pre

e of those who feed upon the bones of the poor. His place was in Hell and

"I never heard any particular harm of the

hand. His bony forefinger poi

and to spare. The sun beat upon their heads, their throats were parched, their lips were black, they foamed at the mouth. On their knees they begged and prayed for water; he took not even the trouble to reply. He kept himself cool and refreshed with his endless supply; he poured it upon his head, he bathed his lips and drank. So he passed on, and the people around died, cursing

shook h

ot similar, Isaa

the monkey tricks of a dishonest brain. Never an honest day's work did he perform in his life, never a day did he stand in the market-place where the weaker were falling day by day. In fat comfort he

dead," Arn

" Isaac cried fiercely.

Arnold looked after him curiously, more than a little impressed by th

h off his bones preaching against wealth. It is as though there were some fire

pression upon him. For those few moments, the Hyde Park demagogue with his frothy vaporings existed

ble will come of it," he said thoughtfully. "H

s beating upon the shores. They may rage as furiously, or ripple as softly as the tides can bring the

k again into the girl's face. There was still that app

e terrible enough, but they are like the edge of a storm f

s which has happened

f memories. He gave himself up instead

erklike abilities, but of my shoulders and muscle, has appointed me his private secretary, with

face for a moment as s

t do you mean about your s

him of the murder of Rosario. I believe he thinks that there was some sort of blackmailing plot and he is afraid that somethin

t that of all the commonplace, unimaginative people you

hat. He is mixing now with people whose manners and ways of thinking are entirely strange to him. He has had the world he

his head. Her mouth was once more set and strained, a delicate streak of scarlet upon

know that I have not t

happened to yo

ly, but with a flagra

n telling you

reatest thing. Speak about it. Anything is better than this silence. Don't you rem

eit. The bare room seemed suddenly full of glow

ley," he said, simply. "She is very wonderful an

e yet hated to see. She threw herself suddenly back, covering