The Glimpses of the Moon

drew the pins from her hat and

tacit co-operation),the dreaded twenty-four hours were happily over. NelsonVanderlyn had departed without a shadow on his brow, and thoughEllie's, when she came down from bidding Nick good-bye, hadseemed to Susy less serene than usual, she became her normalself as soon as it was

," Strefford remarked witha deep breath

herself-betrayal: "Poor darling, she does so like what she

onths. Didn't she tell you--?"Susy felt herself redden. "I didn't ask her--""Ask her? You mean you didn'

're right. It simplifies things

r, and in silence t

t perfectlynatural that Ellie should tell her everything; that the name ofyoung Davenant's successor should be confided to her as a matterof course. Apparently even Ellie had been obscurely aware ofthe change, for after a first attempt

. She was glad to own the bracelet, and enchantedwith the effect it produced on her slim wrist; yet, even whileadmiring it, and rejoicing that it was hers, she had alreadytransmuted i

ee his face; but something in the jerk of the door-handle roused her ev

ed the button of the lamp that lit her dressing-table,and h

the bracelet and

a laugh; and pullinga morocco case from his po

ly, staring at the pearl becausesh

you this?" she

he same dead-level tone,"exactly for what services we've both been so handsomely paid?""The pear

reyou talking about, Nick! Why shouldn't Ellie have given usthese things? Do you forget that it's like our giving her apen-wiper or a button-hook? What is it you are trying tosuggest?"It had cost her a considerable effort to hold his eyes whi

ing-somebodyelse's everything-had depended on her keeping a cool head and aclear glance. It would have been

ed impatiently, as Lansing

ycivilized people, you'll probably agree that there are limits;at least up to now there have been limits ....""I really don't know what you mean. I suppose Ellie wanted toshow that she was grateful to us for looking after Clarissa.""But she gave us all this in exchange for that, didn't she?" hesuggested, with a sweep of the hand around the beautiful shadowyroom.

n adequately paid."Susy was silent: she needed time to reckon up her forces, andstudy her next move; and her brain was in such a whirl of fearthat she could at last only retort: "What is it that Ellie saidto you?"Lansing

r like that!" shecried; and sinking down by t

She was willing to tell Nickeverything--she wanted to tell him everything--if only she couldbe sure of reaching a responsive chord in him. But the scene o

nately on her shoulder. "P

u see," he continued, "that we'vegot to have this thing out?"She continued to stare at him

imself at her side. He took a chairfacing her, like a caller on the farther side of

heoretically--and then when they happen ....""What things? What has happened!"A sudden impatience mastered her. What di

t business was it of ours?""Ah, that's just what I think!" she cried, springing up with

at; we've nothing to do wi

n what on earth is the me

some letters--and aboutVanderlyn?""O

He came close and t

pause. She found it impossible to speak, with thatburning grasp on the wrist wher

o whom?""Oh, why do you torment me? Nelson was not supposed to knowthat she'd been away. She left me the letters to post to himonce a week. I found t

hand drummed on thecorner of her dressing

-?""Yes.""And you took it all as a matter of course?""No: I hated it. But what could I do?""What could you do?

xclaimed, flushing. "And that's thedifference--the fundamental difference.""The difference!""Between you and me. I've never in my life done people's dirtywork for them--least of all for favours in return. I supposeyou guessed it, or you wouldn't have hidden this beastlybusiness from me."The blood rose to Susy's temples also. Yes, sh

e stayed here another day

n that--in one way or another--what you call give-and-take is the

, thoughtfully and deliberately, as ifthis had been the ine

conscious ofthe causes of what had happened; the thin

and fling her arms about him. But even if hertouch could have broken the spell, she was not sure she wouldhave chosen that way of breaking it. Beneath her speechlessanguish there burned the half-conscio

a new leap of fear, if he were using the wretchedEllie's indiscretion as a means

lled with pride at the discoverythat such a possibility had long since become unthinkable tohim. But she insisted. "That day at the Fulmers'--have youforgotten

it would be sheer madness for us

ily settled. Ourcompact--""Oh, that compact-

e were to give each other a helping hand if either of ushad a better chance? The thing was absurd, of course; a merejoke; from my point of view, at least. I shall never

help. You were rightjust now when you asked how else we were going to live. We'reborn parasites, both, I suppose, or we'd have found out some waylong ago. But I fin

didn't know it was

o ...."He stopped, as if his coura

pay. And what's the alternativeexcept more of the same kind of baseness? And getting more andmore blunted to it? At least, till now, I've mind

...."He drew back sharply. "Tha

dressing-tableand glanced at the little enamelled

along tramp, and no more talking just at present except withmyself."He passed her by and walked rapidly out of the room. Su

ts glittered in t

ere differen