The Innocent Adventuress

great hairy beast of th

o exhaustion again, she half saw a figure stooping towards her. Then she

ng its brightness through her closed li

ore a roaring fire, and some one was kneeling beside her, tucking cushions

t her head back against those pillows and

mumbled, "Wh

wn from view and the answering voi

abou

night gone-gone

!" whispered M

ed, staring wildly out from the dark thicket of hair. "But where am

voice out of the shadows. "This is Old C

far behind Old Baldy. . . . They had climbed the wrong mountain, in

g. Above it, on a wide mantel, was a disarray of books, cigar-boxes, pipes

on nails and a gun, a corn-popper, a rough coat and c

oodsman and his dog, a tawny collie-the wild animal of her awakening. Qu

an she cou

khaki sleeve had appeared from the shadows

a drank. The contents were scalding hot and while her throat see

voice cheerfully. "There it was-waiting to b

ting back the tangled hair from her eyes Maria Angel

tures, those bright, keen eyes with the gay s

lack curtain shield her face. The blood seemed to stand stil

ntic thought of flight, "

hiding, like God

ice. "If there's any going to be done I'll do it.

o, but I

ell me all about it and who you

pon her outflung arm, her eyes watching the red dance of flames through the black strands of her hair. It was

terrible

, in the Adirondacks, of which he had spoken, and had nev

hope she had been! How vain and silly and credulous! . . . She had dreamed of this man, sung to the thought of him-quickened to absurd expectancy at every stir of th

rtification this night but now he

the Blairs, and possibly he would remember that foreign cousin of theirs that he had danced

girl, a little foreigner . . . some one to nickname and pet carelessly . . . a girl who had

cklessly to the winds and who, to

hed in her with h

he room and now he threw down an armful of garments besid

s. . . . Now you'd better get into these dry things as quick as you can. Not a perfect fit, but

eft her looking helplessly at a pair of corduroy knickerbockers, a blue flannel sh

en her host returned, letting in

lothes whether they happen to be the style or not! Little girls who get wet can't go to sleep

d to his Maria Angel

Barry helplessly. "

e girl's control. She sobbed harder and harder as he sa

e comforted. "You're tired out, I know. But y

those things. Do not ma

way at her distress. Her face was buried in a crook of her arm; her black hair streame

lames and piled on brush that

etter wring this out," and with businesslike despatch he began gathering that dri

eashore now-no getting her away from the water. She's a bigger girl than you are. . . . Now whe

ia Angelina hal

uddied blouse, hair streaming, and face scratched-she looked down at h

g to wash her face, for he brought a granite basin of hot water and began wett

ss, and most thoroughly she washed and scrubbed,

y thought now was to make an escape before discovery s

t tell you how I thank you. And I feel so muc

s, child-and it's pouring cats and dogs again

"Then-have yo

nvention and all his works. There isn't a telephone nearer than Peter's place-four miles away. I'll go over for you as soo

r words. Silence was ungrateful but

ease do not ask me," s

pectedly upon his hearth, a most forlorn and drooping small figure, with downcast and averted head, then with t

ome and sit with me while I

rew from his kind

ld hold me, that you should warm my feet

his mind. . . . The child had used it b

ed the wo

okingly. "Though indeed, there is no reason

e recognition leap a

rina! The Blairs'

ini," she told him sob

in a white dress. A big hat which you took off. Your fir

come to the mountains,"

ou-I've been wondering whom you made me want to think of! But I took you for a youngster, you know,

a smile for the

o wan and piteous in the curve of her soft lips, something so hurt and si

with kind chatter as he moved about his

door till I let him out and then he came back, barking, for me, so I had

a hand to the dog's

she said. "I thi

te cheek with its scarlet scratch of a branch. "And I rather think you ough

she fell upon that plate of crisp bacon and delic

sweet chocolate for my

fore dinner-no wonde

tle brown pipe with care. "Where wer

to Old

et me see-what tr

th. Then-then we

airly clear trail. D

wrong time, I think, and so g

away in sudden sick percepti

ing of that pipe to his satisfaction and drew a few appreciativ

s tousled head and the tense gri

ask, Signor!" she

h over that but his keen eyes res

even from your companio

n forever-and I could do no more. But now I am quite well again," she insisted with a ghost of a brave smile. "If on

, groping for a cue. There was no mistaking the flash of Maria Angel

only that I was so careless-th

e trying t

r, no, it was

course, but she is very sensible and she knows you will come to light with the daylight. Just as soon as it is clear enough for me to find my way I'll strike over to Peter's p

ed with tragedy again. She seemed fated, she thought in dreadful humor, to spe

id pleadingly. "Could you not just

ry grave and gentle. "So much wo

like this-Oh, promise me to say nothin

tter tell me all ab

like a film, swim blind

can

moment before

you see what a lot of ridiculous deception that would involve? You would have to make up all sorts of

y, "I'll fall in with any plan you want to make. Only wait to decide until you feel rest

nor Elder. I am i

your mind to curl up on tha

ldn't

er. Exhausted as she was, her mind was vividly awake, n

He was as gayly undisturbed as if the heavens rained starving young girls upon him every night! An

e vainly tried to picture Paolo Tosti doing the hon

and comfort-and he was a strange, stirring excitemen

he final storm, a dim dream before

d flung fresh logs upon the hearty fire. Overhead the rain droned, like monotonous

onsively, and Maria Angelina felt a queer tightening wit

rug across from her, and refilling that battered pipe of his. "I well reme

elina fell upon

e been i

once! But all b

think of that! But where did you st

ned. "Head

ns, then? Oh, but

believe it

e. . . . What did you do, then? I suppose you went to the Forum and the Vatican an

Barry Elder confirmed her

you buy violets on the Spanish Stairs? And throw a penny into the Trevi fountain to ensure your return? And do you

Barry's turn to question. "A really truly pal

a very old family, the Santonini," Maria

mother of a

een back in America-she is too devoted to us, is Mamma, and she has so

plications," sa

in the army. And he was so brave in the war that Mamma cannot bear to be cross. He will h

a Angelina informed him of her sisters, her life, her lessons, the rare excursion

some question or some anecdote of his own times in Italy and Sandy was often roused by unseasona

excited glow of recollection was an extinguished f

uestion too many. He brough

ca?" he asked. "Has it bee

at came over the girl's face, blotting out its

-very gay,"

m him since in the morning it must all come out. He would know all about

yesterdays away, she had stayed closely by her Cousin

time Barry Elder was here, at hand. I

and asked t

s if he had remembered something h

e a few days," he

ut the shadowy

things out for myself," and indefinably but certainly Maria Angelina caught the impression that a

into the fire, and Maria Angelina had a feeling that he looked that way into the fire

elt as if he had forgotten her. He did not look

you cannot get, Signor?" she as

he saw there was smoldering fire

something that I wan

fficulty there,

"The difficulty is in me. .

d to rest on her

d for the digestion? Only the first bite would be good, you see. But such a first bite! And you wanted it-because the icing was so marvelous and the sugar so sweet. . . . And

off wit

d you have to eat the cake

harsh. "To t

would no

norina, the pretty pin

rl she had seen by his side in the restaurant, the girl whose eyes had been as blue as t

arry Elder had of lat

ards him, her eyes dark an

ispered. "Do not. I do no

tection against her. She remembered all Cousin Jane's

sake of the beauty which had so teased him, for the glamorous loveliness of those blue ey

hisper and his eyes met hers unguarded a full minute

Santonini," he said. "You want all the world to have

y those for whom realities matter. Only those-those lik

what do you know of d

child,

ou are." He looked at h

tinued, "that you have an inkling

thing indefinably touching in their soft, deprecatin

to wonder

gotten. He had been unhappy that night, with the peculiar unhappiness of a naturally d

layed him false, that no daughter of to-day could poss

r eyes like pools of night. . . . What in the world had happened to her in this

ld had put that shadow into her l

so much as brush her with the tips of its wing

. Maria Angelina snuggled closer and closer

found his heart queerly touched by that scratched cheek and the c

ted by the length o

he covered he

o himself and with a blanket of his own he st