The Blue Wall

w stick. Somehow it seems to me that a gentleman of natural high honor will always present his average self to the one woman. That he should be attentive is natural, that he should be affect

waitin

s grizzled head, and in that frank and simple statement there was

er, "because I felt that you migh

he in the man

which was flecked with the shadows of new maple leaves above her, was lighted not only by the yellow rays of the afternoon sun,

wly, marking with the toe of one shoe upon the gravel. "You

hing the matt

e is old, you know, and I ca

s not

ld him he had not long to live, and he felt som

my voice as I said, "Cause what

ain, she went on. "He seems worried. Something seems to fo

omewhere that has come up

ook he

y. A word from me and he would explain. But this time when I

" I said before I could stop my

," she said

here, too, an

at least. But this time he had hardly had time to go down the steps before I heard his key in the door again and the

, touching her fi

errible punishment. But that was nothing. It was father who made me draw back. Even in the dim light I could see that he was white-oh, so white! I thought he had been take

ill!"

o-particularly when he does not know I am watching him. Margaret has noticed it,

ng-just as he says," I suggested

Nevertheless, I have been worried and restless and this afternoon I long for amu

rt of the city, where we found we had arrived without purpose in our journey. More than that, I am naturally of conservative taste

efore us," I said to her. "A

t expression of eagerness that lights the faces of those to whom the world, with all its g

f Baalbec!"

I have heard so much of him, but have n

ce, look into his evil glassy eyes, watch his brown fingers move on mechani

at?" sh

against wit-skill a

steps of the old Natural History Building, where romping children of th

evil soul attached to a lot of metallic gears. Personally I should be glad to have the opportunity of tearing

nly she can laugh. Having persuaded the girl at the ticket office that the dog with us

general," said she, "or toward this Catherine of Russia who, I understand, was not a very refined qu

or candles. My enemy is the fellow in the corner there with the group of country persons

usin Becky, Brother Bob, and Milly Snagg, and we saw that the automaton had just dispatched his opponent-the fifth member of the party, a well-bronzed countryman, wit

ed the opening of the front of the box, the exposure of the internals of the figure, and the jerky

, and stepped forward

h a sound as if a wheel had been torn from its socket; a whirring sound co

asp of an unoiled metal bearing or from a human throat. T

s not only of the automaton i

and when my eyes followed his gesture, I saw that the Sheik's head had fallen backward like a thing with its throat cut. As I stared, there

ulianna, "apparentl

er. I put the co

he Sheik has broken somethi

nd I looked up. She was star

he matter?

e dog!" she

d eyes, flattened to the ground, and

uch a state, and probably more shocking to J

said in a vexed tone. "He has done it twice now in

ld, isn't he?

ted across her face. "He is older than I am. Come,

later develop a kind of second puppyhood. I have seen them do all manner of inexplicable

en we were on the street again. She put her arm a

consciously, but she saw it-she took off one of

would be sitting again in Judge Colfax's easy-chair, and before me I could see Julianna's smiling lips, reflecting the lamplight upon their moist surfaces. In her name I would drive myself to my task again, and then, without knowing when the tran

question of how soon I could say to Julianna what lay in my heart to say to her. Therefore it was necessary for me to review in my mind many things whe

riting before. I remember that I said, "Who can this be?" and that I

me afternoon this week. I want to know if the change in him rests partly in my own imagination. You could determine this at once.

it was not frivolous, and yet in its postscript it was boldly mischievous. It accomplished the result she wished. She had wan

ordinarily sensitive to the effect of a long drizzle, it failed on that day to depress me. Life had freshened. There was romance in it, possibilities, dreams. Instead of complaining to myself that the sky had lowered until its opaque rotunda seemed to touch the tops of the higher buildi

to study his expression before he knew I was there, I came to the conclusion that his thoughts, whatever they

face expressing a life of faithful service, gentleness, humor, and self-control, his blue eyes as bright as those of a youth, looking o

made my presence known. "Estabrook,

it," I answere

wn a moment. Let me collect my thoughts. I must say I hesitate to launch too quickly a subject with which I have not dea

that, sir?

he said solemnly, looking

thering at the corners of his eyes. "Perhaps it is better for me to speak with you now anyhow. I am we

recently!"

eboard. No. I can't quite explain why I am anxious to speak of this matter so soon, so hastily. I only want to ask one or two i

awkwardly. I thought I knew what was on h

om then, but finally he stopped

ted to know if you had ever been engaged-in the broad sense-eng

" sa

he. "I knew it

nother quest

e another. Now, what was it? I had another question

laughe

on the desk. "It is so early and a good deal more natural for you to speak to me than for me to speak to you. But

, sir,"

o love you, there would be no withdrawal on your part. Little Julie-my little daughter! Neither of you has known what it means yet. And, E

to speak

hich she is not to blame herself-no matter how strange or terrible-anything. Nothing will come. I kno

I asked in a t

to allow such a thing. When you love her, Estabrook, my b

no doubts between us, sir. It is not

be sorry to have wiped from my memory the impression of that old man's

ly have neglected even the prudence of a lover. I wonder that I made so blind a bargain. I wonder that I did not ask him, before it was too late, what his conversation with M