The Fighting Chance

ng the most of the waning week on lawn and marsh, in covert and blind, or motoring madly over the State, or riding in parties to Ve

nce and assiduity, until his familiar, big, round head and patient, delft

there, and nobody took the trouble to question his all-pervading presence u

m-enormously wealthy, and though he had no particular personal tastes to gratify, he was willing and able to gratify the tastes of others. He did whatever anybody else did, and did it well enough t

the pleasure of giving, with such neighbours as the Ferralls to observe, but the sort he desired. However, there were many things to be accomplished for him and by him before he could expect to use his great yacht an

ople gradually came to ride, drive, and motor over the Fells, which was a good

bird squire, and drag Plank out of bed. And Plank, in no position to be anything but flattered by such sans g?ane, laboriously and grateful

and a toadying newspaper or two. Therefore he was not yet aware of Mortimer's perennial need of money; and when Mortimer laughingly alluded t

to admit definitely, even to himself. Still, the idea that had led him into this sudden intimacy with Plank, vague or not, persisted; and

cultivated and liked-people nearer his own sort; and that, perhaps, was the reason he so readily liked Mortimer, whose coarse fibre soon wore through the polish when rubbed against by a closer, finer fibre. And Plank liked him aside from gratitude; and

d the scared silence of this man Plank, who had blun

, of certainty; and Mortimer pounced playfully upon

that what y

I never thoug

rtimer. "If you could

om his scare, attempted to refute the other's conclusions: "It doesn't mean anything, Mortime

reconcile his preconceived theories with the awkward half-confessi

" stammered Plank, "that I

would only

s engaged to marry ano

is world?" asked Mortimer coolly. "And as for Sylvia Landis, she'd

f it! you wouldn't be careless about such a thing! And there's Qua

never laughed on purpose in his life; once a month only, to keep his mouth in; that's his limit. Do you suppose any woman would

ttered Plank, scarce

man who can make better is it with the ladies-God bl

his material equipment could be scarcely compared to the immense fortune controlled by Howard

ance in a show-down

l the tension be

?" he blu

e vibrated with feeling, "Let me do a little

and he said something so bluntly th

le of repeating a confidence, do you?-if you c

fidential, of course. All there's in it is what I said-or r

being in lov

ded along, turning over in his mind all the varied information he had so unexpectedly obtained in these last few days, a dull excitement stirred him, and he urged his huge horse forward in a thrill of rising exhilaration such a

mble such men in any particular. All he desired was to do Plank a good turn. There was nothing disreputable in doing a wealthy man a favour.... And God knew a wealthy man's gratitude was necessary to him at that very moment-gratitude substantially acknowledged.... He liked Plank-wished him well; that was all ri

t and the big fan, all crushed, which objects of interest he had discovered later in the bay-window.... Yes, probably Major Belwether would be very grateful, because he wanted Quarrier in the family; he needed Quarrier in his business.... But, faugh! that was close enough to blackmail to rub off!... No!... No! He wouldn't go to Belwether and promise any such thing!... On the contrary, he felt it his duty to inform Quarrier! Quar

or Quarrier?... But Plank must do his part on the minute; Plank must step up in the very nick of time; Plank, with his millions and his ambitions, was bound to be a winner anyway, and Sylvia might as we

disgust for such amateurs of the social by-ways; for he himself kept to the highways, like any self-respecting professional, even when a tour of the highways sometimes carried

thout consulting her, he achieved the triumph of Quarrier's elimination and the theatrical entry of Beverly Plank upon the stage. He laughed when he thought of Major Belwether, too, confounded under the loss of such a nephew-in-law, humiliated,

s fat feet. Then, remembering that he was supposed to be suffering silently in his roo

ation to offer; man frozen stiff with rage, mute as an iceberg. Then, zip! Enter Beverly Plank-the girl's rescuer at a pinch-her preserver, the saviour of her "face," the big, highly coloured,

ood for him, and frightened him enough to lie still awhile a

deep planted under the stolid young man's hide, and that he might make some absurd and irrelevant objection to the perfectly proper methods employed by his newly self-constituted

acquiescent obedience. That must be finished in town-unless Plank invited him to stay at the Fells after his time was up at Shotover. By Heaven! That was the idea! And there'd be a chance for him at cards!

before. The astonishing hint so coolly dropped by his wife concerning her fearlessness of divorce proc

ing with the question of divorce might indicate an ulterior object. Was Leila considering his elimination in view

earances with a skill which required all the indifferent and easy charity of their set to pretend completely deceived everybody. Yes, he gave her credit for that; sh

sing himself-his neuralgia being much better-and presently descended the stairs to find everybody absent, engaged, as a servant explained, in a game of w

ng his way through the palms and orange-trees; much splashing in the pool, cries and s

Gordon got it away; then Ferrall secured it and dived toward the red goal; but Rena Bonnesdel caught him under water; the ball bobbed up, and Sylvia flung both arms around it with a little warning shout and hurled it back at Siward, who shot forward lik

red his wife's smilingly ironical offer, seeing no sense in bothering about money already inside the family; but he managed to make several apparently desir

never understood her and was always a trifle afraid of her. A pair of icicles, she and Quarrier, with whom he had never been on betting terms; so he made no suggestions in that direction, and presently became absorbed in the

r of foam and spray, the big, glis

nd clapping echoed from the gallery as the breathless swimmers came climbing out of the pool, wit

arrier and Miss Caithness had already returned to the squash-courts, the majority of the swimmers to their several dressing-rooms, and Grace Ferrall's party, equipped fo

. He hadn't particularly wanted them; he wanted somebody he could play with, like Siward, for example, or even the two ten-dollar Pages; no

he was afraid of Plank's game, and Siward, seated on the edge of the pool and sharing a pint of ging

's sort whom she occasionally encountered, was so faultlessly amiable, that Plank, who had never before permitted himself the

. Now he suspected them, and whatever of real qualities desirable had been latent in him also appeared at once, confirming his modest suspicions. Certainly he was a wit! Was not this perfectly charming girl's responsive and delicious laughter proof enough? Certainly he was epigrammatic! Certainly he could be easy, polished, amusing, sympathetic, and vastly interesting all the while. Could he not divine it in her undivided attention, the quick

quest of what he desired and meant to have became merged in a

ner could go anywhere; meaning that, being a man, nature had fitted his

so far. But now he had concluded that neither his god-sent climbing irons, his amiability, his obstinacy, his mild, tireless persistency, nor his money counted. It had come to a crisis whe

, watched the progress of that bulky young man's infatuation as he sat there on the poo

re warmly exotic; her dark eyes with their slight Japanese slant, the clear olive skin with its rose bloom, the temptation of mouth and slender neck, were always provocativ

y led to mutual banter when they encountered. But now something appeared to be lacking in their rather listless badinage-something of the usual flavour which once had salted even a laughing silence with significance. Siward, too, had ceased to be amused at the spectacle of Plank's calf-like infatuation; and Leila Mortimer's bored smile had lasted so long that her olive-pink cheeks were stiff, and she relaxed her fixed fea

o late, suddenly narrowed in vexed retaliation: "Speak

he brilliancy of her dark eyes, and made her tongue more gentle in dealing with all failings. Besides, she was not yet perfectly certain what ailed her, never having really cared for any one man before. No, she was not at all certain.... But in the meanwhile she was very sorry for

ed critically upon Sylvia Landis as a very young mother might inspe

Plank, never doubting that he was a perfectly free agent, decided that the time had arrived for triumphant retirement. It had; but Leila Mortimer, not he, had rendered

nced up at him, hesitated, a

of my latest sentim

a stock farm," replied

u can be!" she

s a plain boun

hly coloured and robust young human being; and yet they are part of the accomplished scheme of things-like degenerate horses, you know-always pathetic to me; but they're still horses, for all that. Quid rides? Species of the same genus can cross, of course,

r, smoothing out the soaked skirt of her swim

ciled?" she as

wh

now. To-morrow we all go; and next day these famili

ter will she wax and wane; How oft hereafter, rising, lo

y be here again; but I-I shall not b

of Japanese orange, and caressed her delicate nose with the white blossoms, dreamily, then, mischievously: "I'm accustoming myself to this most

parrow you'd make life worth s

red selfishness, the instinct for Fifth Avenue nest-building-all the feathered vices, all the unlovely perso

it requires to do what you're

hat, I think that it may require no more courage th

nkle imprisoned in her hand, leaning

to him, a little gravely: "When the Lesser Children return with April, I shall not forget you, Mr. Siward, nor forget your mercy of a day on them; nor your comradeship, nor your sweetness to me.... Nor your charity for me, nor all that you overlook so far in me,-under the glamour of a spell that seems to hold you still, and that still holds me.... I c

for he had heard that their wedding da

ment?" he repeat

o resurrection under the snow.... So I bring to the burial my tribute-a year of life, a year of constancy, my friend; symbol of an eternity I could have given you had I been worth it." She looked up, flushed, the forced smile stamped on lips still trembling. "Sentiment in such a woman as I! 'A spectacle for Gods and men,' you are saying-are you not

ing," he re

if you

ttle about wha

mea

es

u. You inspire it in me. Normally I am the sort of girl you first met at the station. I tell you that I don't know myself now-that I have not known myself since I knew you. Qualities of understanding, ability to appreciate, to express myself without employing the commonplaces, subtleties of intercourse-all, maybe, were latent in me, but sterile, until you came into my li

eer, practically a dolt. Shame on you, Stephen Siward, to treat a poor girl so!... But it's just as well. Blunted perceptions, according to our needs, you know; and so life is tempered for

you go f

two weeks or so; after that, to Oyster Bay.... Mr. Quarrier opens his house on Sedge Po

stay there?" aske

o to town i

all that time in Oyster Ba

packs and inevitable set; the usual steeple-chasing; the usual exchange of social amenities; the usual driving

he

you lea

n't k

now where yo

oing t

d t

n't k

been asked somewhere?

I have d

iness," she inf

, n

hing, "you don't care to te

ghtfully, "I don't

placing one hand on the tiled pav

she asked, as he

unge together. De

ter, shooting like great fish over the glass-tiled bed, shoulder to shoulder under the water; and opening their eyes, they turned toward one another with a swift outstretch of hands, an uncontrollab

e, with long, pointed, delicate wings like an enormous swallow; and all day, all night, it floats and soars and drifts in the upper air, never resting, never alighting except during its brief nesting season.... Think of the exquisite bliss of drifting one's life through in mid-air-to sleep, balanced on light wings, upborne by invisible currents flowing under the stars-to sail dreamily through the long sunshine, to float under the moon!... And at last, I suppose, when its time has come

the house as far as the library, and drawing a cheque-book from one pocket, fished out a memorandum-book from ano

heque to Major Belwether's order, another to Alderdene. Others followed to other people for various amounts; and he was very busily at work when, aware of another presence near, he turned

e said. "I suppose you're

ink so?" he as

her every da

id, "but how

a woman, I wanted to know.... And I told Grace Ferrall that it worried me. And then Gr

to whom I was writi

n,' you know-I and the maid who dresses me. She would have snooped; I didn't; that's

ore

k me to say it.... I did,

d for me. Is tha

upting me, too. I owe that wretched Kemp Ferrall a lot of money, and I'm tryin

d of him below stairs. These arranged for, he straightened up and glanced over his shoulder at Sylvia, but she was apparently absorbed in counting something on the ends of her fingers, so he turned smilingly to his de

mother, who asked about her; and he had replied in another letter or two, a trifle emphatic in his praise of her, because from h

all, reserving that vital confidence for the clear sympathy and understanding which he looked forward to when he should see her, and which, t

health, which, she had intimated, was not exactly satisfactory, and for that reason

he dropped a light hand on his shoulder for a second, barely touching him-a fugitive

eetheart?" she asked, ab

e I see her.... I wish y

, seating herself on the arm of his c

nts, curiously oblivious to the chance cu

-do you think?" asked

,-for your

only feel contemp

shioned," he s

hion of honour, and faith in honour; the old, old fashion of-love.... All that is best, Ste

ll

tenderness in her eyes deepening a little; and s

. "It is my last day with you. I told Howard it was my

say it that way," h

d

hing is he prepared to stan

t is my uncle, Major Belwether, who is making things

imed Siward i

ink my conduct has pa

uarrier!" h

ency left. Certainly I told him. Do you suppose that, after what we did-what I

afraid of losing h

we did-I made him take a long walk with me, and I told him plainly that I cared for you, that I was too selfish and cowa

say?" stamm

of practic

to say he

s there for him to do, unle

he-ha

ty to do what I chose.... My poor friend, he cares no more for love than do I. I happen to be the one woman in New York whom he considers absolutely su

ke; now it rang a little at the e

I ten times more in love with you than I am, I could not put away the position and power offered me. But I will not lie for it, nor betray for it.... Do you remember, once you asked me for what reasons I dropped men from my

is chair and rested her chin on it,

but I didn't know he was sensitive to personal ridicule only, and to nothing else in all the world that I can discover. I-I suppose, from my frankness to him, he has concluded that no ridicule could ever touch him thr

erch on the arm of the chair, pressing her hot cheeks against his hands-a moment only; then slipping to

throw me into a hansom, and drive us both to the parson's. I'd hate yo

he said, lifting hi

hat I drove up to the station and saw a very attractive and perplexed young man looking anxiously about for somebody to take him to Shotover. Ahem! the notorious Mr. Siward! Dear,... I didn't mean to hurt you! You know it, silly

for a moment or two, the

ut w

ss? About-" she hesitated-"a

l?" he as

ou have told me absolut

so utterly new to her in its finality that she

t both suddenly developed a significance from sheer contrast. Who was this girl, then, of whom he had absolu

born man could find to interest him in such women; what he could have to talk about to pe

left her indifferent or bored, partly from distaste, partly from sheer incredulity; a refusal to understand, an innate delicacy that not only refrains

us of when made aware of Marion Page's worldly wisdom, and which had imperceptibly chilled her

foot-lights, though it appeared very silly to her. In fact it all was silly and undignified-part and parcel, no

f proportion in his curt closure of the subject, and she felt a little irritated, a littl

llen in the room; the

is eyes which she could no longer see, "Suppose, as you suggested, I did ambush you-say a

other way," sh

resist, p

f nobody we

pera

he had noticed it in his swimming costume. Smiling, amused, she wondered how long she could resist hi

she said defiantly. "You don't realise m

mean to

urrender at once, I might as wel

e said promptly. "I'l

. "There would be a dog lying across that rug, and a comfortable Angora tabby dozing by the fender,

had risen, saying unsteadily: "Don't! I-I

lso had suddenly become aware of h

dear! I meant

while a man finds

-anything. I was only

is before you,"

And some day you will awake to the infamy of it; you will comprehen

generous in you has invested my physical attractiveness and my small intellect with a magic that cannot last, because it is magic; and you are the magician, enmeshed for the moment in the mists of your own enchantment. When this fades, when you unclose your

d in a dull voice, "you w

" she said und

k, before the year is out, that you mig

f will to stop me, now. If I am stopped, another must do it. My weakness for you, being a treachery if not confessed, I was obliged to confess, horribly frightened as I was. He might have stopped me; he did not.... And now, what is there on earth to halt me? Love can

und a duel of silence in progress under

the drop-light above the desk from which Siward had risen at

ould," said

er-a big, strong fellow like you? Oh, well; on your heads be it! My conscience is now clear for the first time, and I'll never meddle again." She gave Siward's hand a perfunctory pat

r eyes and encou

have," she

might be one long, blissful carnival of horse and dog for you both. Oh, dear! there, I'm meddling again! Pinch me, Sylvia, if I ever begin to meddle again! How did you c

won, proceeded with presentation speech and a speech of acceptance faultlessly commonpla

rrier if he refused to taste its contents. That meant a bad night for him; yet he shrank more from the certain misinterpretation of a refusal to drink f

hands half buried among the orchids: "To you!" she murmured for Siward's ear alone; then drank gaily, mischievously, "To the best shot at Shotover!" And Siward took the cup: "I salute victory," he said,

at he laughed; and Sylvia, beside him, looked

, catching his eye; "why d

as though he had m

ho makes good doesn't whine for justice. There's enough of it in the worl

g ache remained to shake and loosen every nerve. And when Ferrall, finishing his usual batch of business letters, arrived to cut in if needed, S

winter in care of the manager of his mother's farm. So he took a quiet leave of those to whom the civility might not prove an interruption-a word to Alderdene

submitted in his own engagingly agreeable way, and so skilfully that both Eileen and Rena felt sorry that they had not ea

ssed Marion, and stop

ut probably not; business threatened to detain him in town more or less.... Of course he'd come to see her when she returned to to

rrier and Major Belwether and Leila Mortimer-and very intent on the du

was al

letter bearing the crest of the Lenox Club. H

y desire tearing at his very vitals, and every vein a tiny trail of fire run riot. He had been too lo

in the purely physical distress; he walked the floor, haggard, the sweat starting on his face; he lay with clenched hands, stiffened out

sometimes he found his feet a

deadened; and he stood as a man who listens, scarcely

himself in the mirror. It was a sick man who stared back at him out of hollow ey

h and staring back at his reflected face, "I'l

the sea; through the intense stillness he heard the surf, magnificently dissonant among the reefs, and he listened, fas

d-"What am I making the fight for, anyway?" And "Who a

ke alone. And now-and now?-his heart beat out another answer; and before his eyes two other eyes seeme

o do, so he opened it and tried to read it, but for a long while, in hi

that his resignation was regretfully requested by th

of the explosion. Well, the affair, bad enough at first, was turning worse, that was all. How much

entrated. Roused, appalled, almost totally unnerved, he stood staring at the letter, beginning to realise what it would mean to his mother. A passion of remorse and resentment swept him. She must be spared that! There must be some way-some punishment for his offence that could not strike her through him! It was wick

d, too, leaving him standing there, dumb, desperate

Lenox, and do something-something! Ferral

g the corridor, turned an expressionless visage towar

alled, swept by

halted an

moment-here in my roo

e; he quietly retraced his steps, and, entering Siwar

sit down

arm-chair by the window, and

n his visitor, "I want to ask you something. I'll not mince matters.

, I

Governors to explain the matter, if I

es

but refused to expla

r nodde

dropped b

Quarrier's symmetrical

s he began speaking, Quarrier's face flushed, then the features became immobile, set, and inert, and his eyes grew duller and duller, as thou

ly, "I did not take that girl to

r that even his eyes seemed to recede until they scarcely glimme

supper Billy Fleetwood gave; and you must have, too, for the girl you

er in the elder man's eyes w

elf that I could safely take her into any club in New York. I bet her she couldn't. I

sionless surface of the other man, who moved slightly in hi

nverness and top hat in the centre of a crowd, whose face was the face of that girl, Lydia Vyse. And that is absolutely all. But I couldn't do more than deny that I took her there unless I told what I knew; and of course that was not possible, even in self-defence. But it was for you to admit that I was right. And you did not. You dared not! You let another man blunder into your private affairs and fall a v

er command-"do you mean that you think it necessary for me to say I knew her?

she got there. Learn t

ver met her before I took her

u is to say to the governors what I

icily, "to deny that you mad

it! I did ma

t is it you wi

drove home in. I can't defend myself at your expense-intrench myself behind your dirty little romance. What could I say? I denied taking her to the club. Then Major Belwether confronte

her-do you think I care to have that man know anything about my private and personal business? Did you expect me to say that I was in a position to prove anything one way or another? And," he adde

hat I did not take her," s

s enough that you are inclined to meddle-" His cold anger was stirring. He rose to his full, muscular height, slow, menacing, his long, pale fingers twisting his silky beard. "It's enough that you meddle!" he repeated. "As for the matter in question, a dozen men, includi

and very grave, "I have asked you to do

are proposing to bespatter others with scandal unless I am frightened into going to the governors with the flimsy excuse you attempt to off

into his half-veiled, sn

ed Quarrier, taking a quick involuntary step backward to

ed Siward with dry lips, "wha

ppeared in the corridor, Siward stood there, frozen

eternal quiescence had given place to a more terrible mental desire to punish. His brain surged and surged under the first flood of a mortal hatred. That the hatred was sterile made it the more intense, and

lling good night, a ripple of laughter, the silken swish of skirts in the corridor, doors opening and closing; then silence creeping throughout the house on the receding heels of departure

ing, subsiding, only to rise again in the freshening breeze. He sat watching their silken convolutions, stu

his eye, and he walked over and drew it across the sill. It was a sealed note. He

long, long time-for all our lives-as long as we live-as long as the

he went out into the corridor, and traversed the hall to the passage which led to the bay-window. There was nobody there. The stars looked in on him, twinkling with a frosty light; beneath, the shadowy fronds of palms traced a pale

he room, closing the door behind him, and confronted the tall

she whispered. "I let you i

he bay-windo

ere an hour ago. I waited. D

ndow," he said, "if

three o'clock?" she repeat

ood-bye here?"

ances we are running? You must be perfectly mad to come t

ers in it. He could scarcely distinguish her features whe

ed, kissing her hands

ining his hands. "I hope-I think that-you-" Her h

Sylvia," he

arms she clung to him, quivering; and he kissed the wet lashes, and the

e this. I told you to take me-to tear me from myself. Will you do it? I will love you-truly, trul

come wit

w c

ll

e lodge-gate bell. Startled, she shrank back; somebody in the a

lips. "Quick! oh, quick, before you are se

listening to the movement and whispering. Ferrall, in dressing-gown and slippers, stepped into the corridor; below, the chains were rattling as the w

sharply. "Here, give it to me.... Wait

pure fear struck him through and through. He laid one hand on th

ram." He extended his hand. Siward took th

ispered Ferral

stared and stared at the

IS VERY ILL.

e name of their fami