The Fortieth Door

elf. The furtive crack gave him an instant's glimpse of a

the dark-shrouded head and the veiled face of the Turkish

erican," quickly drawing off his cap, a little hand darted out of the darkness to

k among the shrubbery, against the wall

looking again for a Scottish chieftain

eeds with humorous recognition of his chang

the same,"

ery brows. The same black veil, up to her very eyes. And the eyes-!

ingly the same. He was conscious of a

pered. "Those steps, last night, you

, I am al

oth remembering that moment, overlooked in the rush of recognition, when they

nly come through pride, the pride that insisted upon humbling his presumption. She would let him see h

t would have dealt a so

ended, her spirit alternating between pride and shame and a delicious fear, she

ined constrainedly. "My father h

as lucky yo

assented. "If it had be

erception of the risk she ran, of the supreme folly of

he shook it off. After all, this was comparatively safe for her. She was not out of bounds. At an

she stood unresponsive, "is Ryder-Jack Ryder. You can always get a letter to me at the Agricultural Bank. That is the quicke

a letter to you, monsie

did, how woul

t is French-af

means Beloved

as si

would tell her now. It was the moment for contrition, for app

had given his declaration a hundred for

flagellating her

t them and in the dragging pause an uncomfortable com

orld was he doing here?.... And what did she think sh

were together in that still, soft, jasmine-scented dark. He was breathing q

tops, sending its bright rays through the filigree of tall sh

a little

d softly, "take off

a faint parallel of its impropriety to suggest to Jinny Jeffries that she discard her frock. Even Ryder's ac

ing, and met the chill disdain of her retort, "

see it?"

am to marry," she g

hit him l

certain steadiness of design.... He had heard of girls who knew their own minds ... girls with unexpectedly far-sighted vision.... Perh

ake him for

arded the fluctuations of his soul, but t

ught his meaning from him-and that it was a horrible mistake. It was one of those instants of highly-c

ht. "That is what my father had come to tell me-that he had arranged

e that! But for the moment she wa

rutably intent. A variety of things w

ing to marry him?

e and plunged past it. "It is not for me to say

know, that he was so fond of you. And that you

gly cynical and its raillery cut

nge of infinite disillusionment was i

you ac

uded hea

ut with sudden heat. "You don't kno

his voice-and I would die first," she added wi

im. "But why-why?" he repeat

ence. Out of the dark draperies her hand

can

ou could do the O

rl with a pale iron

run," he added, a

e resources.... There have been girls-two sisters-who ran away last year-but they were already married and they had cousins in France. For me, my cousins do not exist. I do n

dous and serious uncertainty. The impulse was strong upon him to tell her that

f her? What would he do to her? Make love to her? Marry her? Take home a wife from an Egyptian har

work here, his reputatio

that he was mad. He told himself to be careful. Better men than he had everlastingly done for themselves beca

last night, that she might be the consummate perfection of a

den. Not a word about

Mohammedan fathers do not

ral-for some artless reasons of her own. For all he k

nts of her candor rebuked his skepticism. He merely told himself these thi

extinction of the last vestige of that common sense he heard himself s

ng, mo

u to submit

ot to be

-if you really dislike

e all involved, yet suddenly the sacrifice of these became more tolerable than to consent to that image of herself which she

ell him.... And perhaps she was not averse, in her childish pride, to the

ows of it, and will inform unless-unless my father makes this marriage. A cousin of his has seen me," she a

y of a l

ed its sharp, defen

is not just putting something ove

her father's haggard face.

hand you over-What

vil enough to lay

nough to break a law let him be clever enough to mend it-by himself. Such a sacrifice is not required.... You must realize w

e what she thought was a very noble little speech. "It is for my

nswer for a moment; he could feel the unruly bl

stand-" he blurted a

gged her away, what life, what compensation could he offer her? How did he k

ame. This very charm she exercised, this subtle, haunting invasion of his senses, what was that but

eningly resigned to

fer this," he said brutally, with a youthful desire to wreak pain in

orm him that she was giving herself to an unknown-an old Turk..

crush her lips against his and then fling her

tenderly as if she were a flower he was guarding and te

was both aching and raging. And yet he was capable of reminding himself, in some c

? For him

ongue went on

o do-" he heard himself saying hardly

f you are the soft, submissive harem creature, the toy, the odali

her throbbing throat.... That he should not realize and honor the courage of her sacrifice..

with a throb of

wavered towards him. And swallowing that lump in her throat

the garden a sound

imself. "Good-bye, then

ye, mon

e," he muttered again, and turne

the shadows of an enchanted garden. He stood and straightened himself as if throwing

und drew hi

y wells of shadow into which her black robe flowed, and in the moonlight her face, g

n curves of haunting sweetness, of the tender contour of her young face, fixed unforgettingly in the radiant moonlight-

e heard her locking it. And then for all his hot young pride, he turn

nd. Not a

he turned and made his w

om which she had withdrawn the key. But she uttered not a breath in answer, and after she had heard hi

se. All was quiet there. That sound had been no alarm. Unobser

ad gained the house, the old woman came forward and stooped before the marked bush, muttering under her breath a

g place among the roses, she mad