Affinities and Other Stories

ver fork. For he slid inside the room with his back against the wall. And there we stood, backed against opposite corner

xpected to say something. There was another total silence, whic

; and then again, under

n. If he had said "Blow me," which is English lower class, or "Shiver my ti

and I saw he was in tweeds and knickers, and had one of Daphne's sandwiches in his left hand. He saw the candle then and, stepping

e sandwich seems real enough, but that's the way in dreams. You find something d

," I said as ca

imes I have dreamed I was finding money-sovereigns, you know, and all that-and wakened at the psychological moment." He put his r

ght for the car, but I could hear nothing but t

s. "The fact is, I was asleep. I got in through a window an hour or so ago after a day and a n

my throat for air because, although he was smiling and pleasant enough, everybody knows that the bigger the game a burglar makes a specialty of the more likely he is

plored him. "It-it isn't imitation, an

ng at the pearls, "so Daphn

't care to pit my judgment against that of a lady," he went on without even a word about the collar, "

rd, although-can a burglar be whimsical?)-"I wish you would tell

for he didn't show any sign of trying to choke me, and

suppose that is the way you op

-" I began. Then I sto

gain and took a step forw

t!" he

gether. But that wasn't the only mistake I made. I could scream when I remember. He was not at all like his picture,

are talking about an entirely different subject. His next question gave me a cue. He came forward and leaned

or some years. And yet-I find a young woman here alone, surrounded by-er-dust and decay. It's a sort of reversed Sleeping

Poppy said: "It sounds exa

l the silver,"

d the next morning, when everything was over, I would tell my real name and be released, and everything would be over. Something had to be

as certainly not worth five guineas, Mr. Harco

in the world did you intend doing wit

ted, but I rose

t this was inspired. Don't they

sat down suddenly in the chair and coughed very hard i

ge?" I asked in alarm, for time was

ow, although I doubt that. You seem so capable. And if I let you go you may reform. Take my word for it, the

as une

took the collar out and looked at it. "I shall advertise it," he said judicially and slid it back into h

e drive. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at me. "More people after the silver, pr

stood a middle-aged English gentleman, rather florid, with a drooping, sandy

gies. That cursed-hem-the chauffeur has made a b

o Mr. Harcourt. He had grown visibly paler. He put a hand to his tweed travelling-cap, gave it a jerk and, turning without warnin

aphne how it would be!" Mr. Harcourt ran down the steps. "Sir George! Sir George!" I called desperately into

e exclaimed. "W

d if you care anything at all about Violet-but, of c

ainting spell every time he heard his divorced wife's name, and the only way they could revive him was by sprinkling him with lilac water, which had bee

appeared, and the engine of the motor car had given a final throb and died in

nd the way I was always sheltered there, and nobody even thinking of kidnapping the Cabinet. The President being the

ared, half leading, half coaxing Sir George. He had him by th

o!" Then he caught a glimpse of the seven chairs and the gavel on the dr

greeably. "Tell us what you know about th

ok my

ffragette plot of some sort. I was a fool not to have guessed it, but I actually t

tning was followed almost instantly by a splintering cr

s in bad shape, but we have at least a roof

ded m

is to wire to Gresham Place, and have them send

ike the poor thing I am, I began to cry. I

would soon be there, and that I wasn't really a Suffragette; that I was an American, and I thought women ought to vote, but be ladylike and

Sir George was staring at me in bewilderm

And if voting went by general attractiveness you would have

ne Sutcliffe looked contemptuous. "We are not all pretty p

the drive. Mr. Harcourt jumped for the hall lamp and extinguished it in an instant. I hardly know what happene

is bolted, and we will have time to get upstairs and hide. There's

opened my mouth to scream. But Mr. Harcourt di

ack through the dark hall I saw V