THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15124, 15 October 1912, Page 4

THE HOLLOW OF HER HAND.

[ PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ABBANaSMEXT.

_*e» — J?Y GEORGE BARE McCCTCHEON, Author of "GraustarV," " Truxton Kins,", «to. | CHAPTER XXl.—(Continued.) ! Two days passed before the distressed young man could get any definite news concerning her condition. Ho unconsciously began to think of it as a malady, not a "mere illness, due of course to the remark Carroll had dropped. It was Carroll himself who gave a definite report of Sara. He met the lawyer coming away from the apartment when he. called to inquire. » " She isn't out of her head, or anything like that," said Carroll uneasily, '• but she's in a bad way, Booth. She is worrying over that girl out West, of course" but I'll tell you what I think is j troubling her more" than anything else. Down in her heart she realises that Hetty Castleton has got to be brought face to face with the. Wrandalls." " The deuce you say!" "To-day I saw her for the first time. Almost immediately she asked me if I thought the Wrandalls would treat Hetty fairly if thev ever found out the truth about her. I said I thought they would. I didn't have the heart- to tell her that their grievance undoubtedly would bo shifted from Hetty to her, and that they wouldn't be likely to forgive her for the stand she'd taken. She doesn't seem _to care, however, what the Wrandalls think of her. By the way, have you any influence over Hetty Castleton?" "I wish I were sure that I had," said Booth. "Do von think she would come it you sent'her a cablegram?" "" "I am going over" "She will have your letter in a couple of days, according "to Sara,, who seems to have "a verv faithful correspondent in the person of that maid. I shudder to think of the cable tolls in the past few mouths! I sometimes wonder if the. maid suspects anything more than a loving interest in Miss Castleton. What I was about to suggest- is this : Couldn't you cable her on Friday saying that Sara is very ill? This is Tuesday. We'll be having word from Smith to-morrow, I should think." " I will cable, oj course, but Sara must not know that I've done it."

" Can you come to my office to-morrow afternoon?"

" Yes. To-morrow night. I shall go over to Philadelphia, to be gone till Friday. I hope it will not- be necessary for me to stay longer. You never can tell about these operations." " I trust everything will go well, Brandon."

Several things of note transpired before noon on Friday, The Wrandails arrived from Europe, without the recalcitrant colonel. Mr. Redmond Wrandall, who met them at the dock, heaved a sigh of relief. " He will be over on the Lusitania, next sailing," said Leslie, who for some reason best known to himself wore a troubled look.

Mr. Wrandall's face fell. _" I hope not," he said, much to the indignation of his wife and the secret uneasiness of ,his son. " These predatory connections of 'the British nobility" " Predatory gasped Mrs. Wrandall. " —are a blood-sucliing lot," went on the old gentleman firmly. "If he comes to New York, Leslie, I'll stake my head he won't be long in borrowing a few thousand from each, of us. And he'll not seek to humiliate us by attempting to pay it back. Oil, I know them." Leslie swallowed rather hard. " What's the news here, dad?" he asked hastily. " Anybody dead "Sara is quite ill, I hear. Slow fever of pome sort, Carroll tells me." " Is she going to marry Brandy Booth asked his eon.

Mr. Wrandall's face stiffened. "I fear I was a little hasty in my conclusions. Brandon came to the office a few days ago and informed me in rather plain words that there is absolutely nothing in the report."

"The deuce you say ! 'Gad, I wrote her a rather intimate letter—" Leslie got no further than this. He was somewhat stunned and bewildered by his private resections.

Mr. Wrandall was lost in study for some minutes, paying no attention to the remarks of the other occupants of the motor that whirled them across town.

" By the way. my dear," he said to bis wife, a trifle irrelevantly, " don't you think it would be right for you and Vivian to drop in this afternoon and see Sara? just to let her know that she isn't without—

" It's out of the question, Redmond," said his wife, a shocked expression in her face as much as to say that he must be quite out of his head to suggest such a thing. "We shall be dreadfully busy for several days, unpacking —well, doing all sorts of necessary things." " She is pretty sick, I hear," mumbled he. " Hasn't she got a nurse demanded his wife. " I merely offered the suggestion in, order—" " Well, we'll see her next week. Any other news?" " Mrs. Booth, Brandons mother, was operated on for something or other day before yesterday." " Oh, dear! The poor thing! Where?" "Philadelphia, of course." " I wonder —let me see, Leslie, isn't there a goods train to Philadelphia at four o'clock ? I could go— " Really, my dear," said her husband sliarply. " You forget how busy we are, mother," said Vivian, without a smile. " Nonsense'." said Mrs. Wrandall, in considerable confusion. " Wa6 it a serious operation, Redmond?" " They cut a bone out of her nose, that's all. Brandon says her heart is weak. They were afraid of the ether. She's all right, Carroll says." " Goodness!" cried Mrs. Wrandall. One might have suspected a note of disappointment in her voice. " I shall go up to see Sara this afternoon," said Vivian calmly. " What's the number of her new apartment?" "You have been up to see her, of course," said Mrs. Wrandall acidly. Ho fidgetted. " I didn't hear of her illness until yesterday." " I'll go up with you, Viv," said Leslie. " No, you won't," said his sister flatly. " I'm going to apologise to her for something I said to Brandon Booth. You needn't tag along, Les." At half-past live in the afternoon, the Wrandall limousine stopped in front of tho tall apartment building near the park, a footman jerked open the door, and Miss Wrandall stepped out. At the same moment a telegraph messenger boy paused on the sidewalk to compute the artistic but puzzling numerals oil the imposing grilled doors of the building. Miss Wrandall had herself announced by the obsequious doorman, .and stood by ill patienco for the absurd rule of the house to be carried out : " No one could get in without being announced below." said the doorman.

" I c'n get- in all right, all right," said the messenger lx>y, " I got a, tellygram for do loidy." " Go to the rear!" exclaimed the doorman, with some energy. While Miss Wrandall waited in Sara's reception hall on the tenth floor, the messenger, having traversed a more devious route, arrived with his message. Watson took the envelope and told him to wait. Five minutes passed. Miss Wrandall grew very uncomfortable under the persistent though complimentary gaze of the street urchin. He stored at her, wide-eyed and admiring, his tribute to the glorious. She stared back occasionally, narrow-eyed and reproving, her tribute to the grotesque. Will you please step into the drawingroom, Miss Wrandall,'* said Watson, returning. He led her across the small foyer and threw open a, door. She passed into the room beyond. Then he turned to the bov who stood beside the hall seat, making "change for a quarter as he approached. " Here," he said, handing him the receipt book and a dime, " that's for you." Ho dropped the quarter into his own pocket, where it mingled with coins that were strangers to

lit up to that instant, and imperiously I closed the door behind the boy who failed ;to say " thank you." Every man to his trade*!' There was a woman in the drawingroom when Vivian entered, standing well over against the windows with her back to the light. The visitor stopped short- in surprise. She had expected to find her sister-in-law in bed., attended by a politely superior person in pure white* " Why, Sara," she began, "I am so glad to see you are up ana— The other woman came forward. "But I am not Sara, Miss Wrandall," she said, in a well-remembered voice-. "How do you do?" Vivian found herself looking , into theface of Hetty Castle ton. Instantly she extended her hand. "This is a surprise!" she exclaimed. "When did you return? Leslie told me your plans were quite settled when ho saw you in Lucerne. Oh, I see! Of course! How stupid of me. Sara sent for you.'' "She has been quite ill," said Hetty, non-committally. "We got in yesterday. 1 thought my place was here, naturally." "Naturally, ' repeated Vivian, in a detached sort of way. "How is she to-day? May I sec hex?" " •'She is very much better. In fact, she is sitting up in her room." A warm Hush suffused her face, a shy smile appeared in her eyes. " She is receiving two gentlemen visitors, to bo perfectly honest, Miss Wrandall, her lawyer, Mr. Carroll, and— Mr. Booth."

They were seated side by side on the uncomfortable- Louis Seize" divan in the middle of tho room.

" Perhaps she won't care to see me, after an audience so fatiguing," said Miss Wrandall, sweetly. '"And so exasperating," she added, with a smile. Hetty looked her perplex "But she will see you, Miss Wrandall —if you don't mind waiting. It is a business conference they're having." An ironic gleam appeared in the corner of Vivian's eye. '' Oh," she said, and waited. Hetty smiled uncertainly. All at once the tall American girl was impressed by tho wistfid, almost humble look m the Englishwoman's eyes, an appealing look that caused her to wonder not a little. Like a flash she jumped at an obvious conclusion, and almost caught her breath. This girl loved Booth and was losing him! Vivian exulted for a moment, and then, with an impulse she could not quite catalogue, laid her hand on tho other's slim fingers, and murmured somewhat hazilv: "-Sever mind, never mind!" " Oh, you must wait/' cried Hettv, not at, all in touch with the other's "mood. " Sara- expects to see you. • The, men will be out in a few minutes."

. "J, th' n fc I "will run in to-morrow morning," said Vivian, hastilv. She arose almost immediately, and again extended her hand. "So glad to see you back again. Miss Castleton. Come and see me. Give my love to Sara." She took her departure in some haste, and in her heart she was rejoicing that she had not succeeded in making a fool of herself by confessing to Sara that she had said unkind things about her to Brandon Booth.

Hetty resumed her seat in the broad French window and stared out over tho barren tree-tops in the park. A frightened, pathetic droop returned to her lips. It had been there most of the day. In Sara's boudoir, tho doors of which were carefully closed, three persons were in close, even repressed conference. The young mistress of tho house sat propped up in a luxurious chaise-lounge, wan but intense. Confronting her were the two men, leaning forward in their chairs. Mr. Carroll held in his hand a number of papers, prominent among them being three or four telegrams. Booth's face was radiant, despite the serious matter that occupied his mind. He had reached town earlv in the morning in response to a telephone message from Carroll announcing tho sudden, unannounced appearance of Hetty Castleton at his offices on the previous afternoon. The girl's arrival had been most unexpected. She walked in on Mr. Carroll, accompanied bv her maid, who had a distinctly sheepish look in her eyes, and seemed eager to explain something but could not find tho opportunity. ° With some firmness, Mi«s Castleton had asked Mr. Carroll to explain why the woman had been set to spy upon her every movement, a demand the worthy lawyer could not very well meet, for the good and sufficient reason that he wasn't very clear about it himself. Then Hetty broke down and cried, confessing that she was eager to go to Mrs. Wrandall, at tho same time sobbing out something about a symbolic dicky-bird, much to Mr. Carroll's wonder and perplexity. He sent the maid "from, the room, and retired with Miss Castleton to the innermost of his private office?, where, without much preamble, he informed her that ho knew everything. Moreover, Mr. Booth was in possession of all the facts, and was even then on the point of starting for Europe to see her. Of course, his letter had failed to reach her in time. Thero was quite a tragic scene in the seclusion of that remote little office, during which Mr. Carroll wiped his eves and blew his nose more than once, after which ho took it upon himself to despatch a messenger to Sara with tho word that he and Miss Castleton would present themselves within half an hour after his note had been delivered.

_ A telegram already had come from Smith in the far-away Montana town, transmitting news that disturbed him more than he cared to admit. The show-girl was lying at the point of death, and he was having a very hard time of it trying to keep the resolute authorities from swooping down upon her for the ante-mortem state"ment they desired. It would appear that he arrived just in time to put courage into the girl. He would see to it that anv statement sho made would bo the truth"! But Mr. Carroll was not so sure of Smith's ability to avert disaster. Ho knew something of the terrors of the third degree The police would fight hard for vindication.

Tho meeting between Sara and Hetty was affecting. . . . Almost immediately the former began to show the most singular signs of improvement. She laughed and cried and joyously announced to the protesting nurse that she was feeling quite well again! And, in truth, she got up from the couch on which sho reclined and insisted on being dressed for dinner. In another room the amazed nurse was frantically appealing to Mr. Carroll to let her send for tho doctor, only to be confounded by his urbane announcement that Mrs. Wrandall was as "right as a string " and, please God, she wouldn't need the services of doctor or nurse again for years to come. Then ho asked the nurse if she had ever heard of a disease called "nostalgia." She said she had heard of " homo-sick-ness."

" Well, that's what ailed Mrs. Wrandall " he said. "Miss Castleton is the cure." ' _ Bootli came the next morning. Even as she lay passive in his amis, Hetty denied him. Her arms were around his neck as she miserably whispered that sho could not, would not be his wife, notwithstanding her love for him and his readiness to accept her as sho was. She was obdurate, lovingly, tenderly urate. Ho would have despaired "but for Sara, to whom he afterwards appealed. "Wait," was all that Sara had said but he took heart. lie was beginning to look upon her as a sorceress. A week ago he had felt sorry for her,-his heart had been touched by her transparent misery io-day he saw her in another light altogether: as the . determined, resourceful calculating woman who, having failed to attain a certain end, was now intensely keenly interested in the development of another of a totally different nature. He could not feel sorry for her to-day. Hetty deliberately had placed herself in their hands, withdrawing from the conference shortly before Vivian's arrival to give herself over to gloomy conjectures as to tho future, not only for herself, but for the man she loved and the woman she worshipped with something of the fidelity of a beaten dog. " • (To be continued daily.)