SNOW UPON THE DESERT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21359, 7 December 1932, Page 19

SNOW UPON THE DESERT

By'J. RUSSELL WARREN

CHAPTER XIX— (Continued) Corcoran nodded, and fell silent, lie made a little groping movement, and before Elisabeth realised what it was lie wa iittvl. Xooredin had risen to lior feet, taken his pipe and tobacco from the table, ami pressed them into his hands. His lips smiled, and lie said something to her in Persian, in a soft voice that sent the blood rushing angrily to Elisabeth's face again. What did he mean? How dare he speak to the Persian girl in that tone. HIU ) to her in that casual, formal voice? Involuntarily she took a step forward, and across the blind man her gaze met Koored in's. L'br an instant grey eyes stared into brown, and in both blazed cninitv anil jealousy and hate. For an instant they stood so. Then Elisabeth's jiand Hew to her burning cheek and the Persian girl's, as she shrank back, plunged within the breast of her aba, as though to grasp some weapon concealed there.

•• (loud morning," said a bland voice from the doorway. "Captain Corcoran? .\'n_ t'ood morning, madam; you are present. 1 Elisabeth turned, grasping at her self-

possession. " Good morning, Mr. Chandra," she <aid. " 1 thought you would come soon." '• Hullo, Chandra," Corcoran's voice ga id behind her. " This is a queer business, isn't it ? Come here and tell me what you think about if." Beaming. the little Bengali lawyer strutted across the verandah. I'll leave you two together," Elisabeth said, in a tone she hoped was as casual as Roger's own. "I've told Mr. Chandra all 1 know about—the case." Brightly she said goodbye to them both," and to young Yansittart; she smiled indulgently at Nooredin, who started back in uncomprehending wonder; with a tiriu step and level lips she walked through the doorway and out of tho hotel. * A little way upstream there lay a favourite haunt of hers; a date garden through which ran a fair-sized irrigation canal, its banks revetted with palm trunks. Often - Elisabeth had sat and thought in its relative shade and coolness, watching the sheen of the river through the graceful, feathery fronds of the palms. She went there now and sat down on a fallen palm trunk, her hands in her lap, her eyes gazing at the water; it looked to her now like a sheet of metal, hard and cold and pitiless. From hurt bewilderment her emotions changed slowly to anger. How dare he ? Oh, how dare he ? To speak to her in that tone of tenderness, that should surely convey to a woman nothing but that he loved her, and then in that other tone, as if she were nothing to him: to lift her soul up to the stars and then dash it down upon the stones. She knew that had that moment of ecstasy lasted a little longer she would have responded; she would have told him the secret of hexheart ; she would not have been able to help herself. She crimsoned with shame at the thought, but was thankful that he had broken the moment in time. Perhaps he had done it deliberately; perhaps he knew, or guessed, and, realising that she had misunderstood bis caressing tone —perhaps lie often used it to women, when he was in the mood—had hastened to spare her the self-confession that would have left her utterly abased. Considerate of him, she thought, her lips curling bitterly. She was grateful to him for the consideration, and yet hated him the more, for the thought that he knew, that he had guessed, her love for him, filled

her with a shame that was an agony. Then, slowly, her soul sank in despair. Although he never before had used that tender tone to her—not even in his sympathy and consideration during their journey through the hills and across the desert; although always he had treated her as a mere acquaintance, yet for a long time she had, almost unconsciously, thought of him as hers. He had gone - into the hills upon her quest, as a knight might go to war bearing his lady's gage upon his helmet; he had not gone solely for her, as Jerry had gone, she knew; he had gone inspired by a higher motive, as a Crusader might have gone; and yet, beneath it all, she felt that he would not have gone in quite that way at anyone's bidding but hers. Since he had come back, blind and helpless, she had felt him to be entirely hers: hers to comfort and guard and care for and wait upon, hers as men seldom are entirely a woman's. Somehow,' although the belief that he loved her had come as a sudden blaze of glory, dazzling the eyes of her heart, yet long before there had been no doubt in her mind that he belonged to her, that even if ho did not, and would not love her, he would be her husband. And now —his sudden change of mood could mean but. one thing: that he did not mean even that; he would not have her love or her service or her care; he wanted to make her understand that she was nothing to him, and he could never be anything to her. And then quite suddenly, with an involuntary change of feeling so abrupt that it startled herself, Elisabeth saw the truth, and, almost laughing, was amazed thai she had not seen it before. She had, she realised/ been swept with such a tempest of emotions that her perceptions were f,nddy; not merely her reasoning faculties, but her intuitions, were dazed. But now that her inward storm had spent itself and her mind had swung back to normal she ' understood Corocran's conduct, read his thoughts. Whatever his feelings towards her before he set out on that disastrous expedition—and Elisabeth thought, now, that" ho had begun to care for her even" the.n,. -but would say nothing until he came back—he certainly loved her now. Ihc tenderness in his tone during that brief moment was sincere and genuine; all that she had believed it. But 't was a lapse; he had not meant to speak to her in that way, to betray himself, and having clone so lie had, with masculine clumsiness, tried to counteract the possible effect ol his words. He did not mean !o tell her that he loved her; he never intended to ask her to marry him j ■bemuse he was a man under a cloud, 1 with the ordeal of a trial before him. Of course, he could not possibly sneak of love or marriage till that was over, till he had come triumphantly through. And even then,, he was blind, pitiably helpss "• he would not allow himself to be a burden upon any woman. A tender little smile curved her lips and softened her eyes as she sat there, looking at the sharp bine sky between the featli- , f,| y palm fronds. She was content, now; "ot pulsating with rapture as she had been in that magic moment—she had come | 'hrough such a tornado of emotion since then but glowing softly with a gentle, placid happiness. She wondered a little what she would do. Nothing, of course, a-; ye[. Little Elisabeth was not modern enough to go to a man and say, "Look here, J know'you love me but won't say K "- \\ ell, <! doesn't matter, because I mve you and I'm going to marry you. whether yon ask me or not." She could ii"t possibly have brought herself to sne.li ;i ' unprovoked avowal. But there are v y i y> Weir woman has used for manv 1 horn?;,;;,ls of years; the oblique, subtle "ays that appeal to her far more than I 'rank, direct approach. Little by httle. Elisabeth told herself, she would show- hmi how much she could do for him. how much she was willing to do; she would make herself indispensable, earn his gratitude; and then, one day, that controlled reserve, of his would break, . and pouring in an uncontrollable torrent : through the gap would come words, the. sweet, breath-taking, heart-stopping words : phe longed to hear, that every woman ] long-o to hear, ;

AN INTRIGUING STORY OF THE EAST

(COPYRIGHT)

At last she rose, and walked slowly, sedately, back toward the hospital. She told the Malcolms little of her interview with lioger, but they saw that the lines of strain had been smoothed out of her face, saw the placid sinning of her eves, and drew their own conclusions—and if those conclusions were not, in their view, entirely satisfactory, at least the more immediate concern the doctor and his wile felt about Elisabeth were allayed. CHAPTER XX conrovt ax's visitor On the following morning Elisabeth went down to the hoteJ again to see Corcoran. She found the curious trio in much the same positions as usual; Roger and young Vansittarl arguing about something; Nooralin squatting silent and impassive, on the floor at "Roger's feetHe greeted her in his normal voice and in hi;; normal manner. She shook hands with him in a friendly way and sat down. " 1 thought you might like me to read to you," she said as if their last parting had not been supercharged with tense emotion. " I brought some books yesterday, but of course, Mr. Chandra interrupted. What did he say?" Corcoran was silent for a moment,, and she saw his lips tighten between his short, dark moustache. " He's quite confident of pulling me through," ho said slowly. " There's no lack of self-confidence about Chandra. He'd tako on the governorship of the universe with a wave of his fat hands and a ' leave it to me.* Certainly he's done wonders before, in getting the most appalling criminals acquitted. But I don't know; I don't seem to have any defence at all, except; my own story—which nobody's obliged to believe." His lips parted in a faint, ironic smile. " I feel the uneasiness of a surgeon about to be operated on by another fellow; I know too much about it. you see; know the risks; see too vividly the mistakes the man might make, to have complete confidence in him." " Oh, but you must win!" Elisabeth exclaimed fervently. " You're in the right, and the right must win in the end." Corcoran shook his head ruefully. " It doesn't always, you know —unless the end is further off than we can see."

"But you'll fight?" she challenged, almost, sharply. But for that bandage, she knew, he' would have cocked an pye at her in his old quaint way. " Yes," he said quietly, but with stubborn determination in that very quietness of his voice, " I'll fight—to the last ounce."

They both fell silent, looking forward at the ordeal that lay before them—before Elisabeth as well as Roger, for she would suffer everything that he suffered, perhaps even worse than he. At last he gave a little shake, and said: " I had a visitor yesterday evening. Who in thunder do you think it was ?" She shook her head, unable to guess. " Mardignan."

"What?" She sat up, staring at him, and felt as if an ice-cold hand had gripped her heart. "What did he want?"

Corcoran's lips curved dryly. " I haven't discovered, yet. To all outward appearance, he came to offer as much in the shape of an olive branch as was consistent with his dignity. So far as I could understand his flowery language, ho was anxious to bury the hatchet. I believe he was assuring me that he wasn't nursing any grudge against me over what had happened, and he hoped I was as willing to let bygones be bygones." Quick alarm set Elisabeth trembling. " Roger," she said anxiously—not realising that she was using his Christian name, or that she laid her hand upon his arm—" you won't, will you ? You won't be taken in by him ? I wouldn't trust him a vard."

" Neither would I, and I was on the edge of telling him so. The honey in his voice made me feel so sick that I nearly asked Yansittart to put the little worm in my hands so that I could drop him over the balcony rail. But " —he sighed heavily—" I'm learning. I played the diplomat; let him do the talking, and committed myself to nothing. I don't think I gave myself away; I don't think" —his tone was wistful —" I've anything to give away."

" You must be careful," she warned. " He's your worst enemy still." For a moment she paused; she had not, of course, told Roger of her encounters with Mardignan; she did not intend to do so, yet. But he must be warned. " He's determined to get even with you. He's working against you. These drabis, who are the only witnesses against you ; he's got them under his thumb. I shouldn't be surprised if lie didn't provide them; tell them what to say; bribe them " Corcoran nodded. " Lai Chandra told me about- that. I think you're probably right. But I can't make out why Mardignan came here." " Why, to spy," Elisabeth said. "To see whc.t kind of condition you're really in; to iiee how much a prisoner you are; perhaps to try and trick you into saying something damaging—" lie nodded again. I've no doubt you're right. Well, going hack over the conversation—and I remember it pretty clear—l'm sure 1 gave nothing away." He went on then to talk about his interview with Lai Chandra, and to explain the line the defence were taking, which the Bengali lawyer had already expounded to Elisabeth. She listened with a sinking heart. She supposed these men, the astute lawyer and the experienced police officer, knew best, but it seemed to her that they simply did not appreciate the forces ranged against them; they did not seem able to believe that Roger stood in any real danger; in spite of Roger's words, he seemed to share Chandra's blind and, she was sure, mistaken, complacency; to her the defence seemed pitiably weak and inadequate. She went awav at las', dissatisfied and uneasv.

Ibiger's good-bye was formal; he called her " .Miss Tarleton " with a sbeht emphasis.xthe meaning of which she quite understood. Its significance was for himself moie than for her. and knowing what she knew, it only provoked her to one of these little secret smiles that women enjoy, concealing thoughts, tenderly amusing, too precious and delicious to reveal. (To he continued <)aily)