Adventure, December 1914 — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Man With Nine Lives payment; I may find a Gorgon of a land- lady awaiting me, who’ll present me with the ordinary bill at the end of the week.”’ He struck the ground with his stick and laughed aloud. -Passers-by turned to look at the tall man, wondering what amused him. His mood changed; he frowned. ‘“‘When I first saw her standing in the doorway,” he said to himself, ‘‘you might have knocked me down with a feather. It was she; I’ll swear it was she. I’m not likely to be mistaken about a thing like that. I wish I could forget. In the name of all that’s wonderful, what does it mean?” As he returned in the train to Waterloo, perhaps not unnaturally his thoughts were still concerned with his new quarters. “Of all the amazing things that ever hap- pened—that I should have come upon her like that! She didn’t know me. It wasn’t the sight of my face which startled her; it was something else—I wonder what. Is she the mistress of the house? What an idiot I was not to ask! She can’t be alone in the house—that’s impossible; yet I didn’t hear a sound. “All the while I was talking to her she was afraid—not of me, but of something else. Can it have been—? “No, it couldn’t! I dare say I shall find that there’s a very simple explanation of the lady’s agitation; perhaps after I’ve been there a week or two we shall laugh to- gether at the recollection. It’s impossible that I could be mistaken; it was she. She has been present to my mind’s eye sleeping and waking, for—how many weeks? “And that I should have seen her, a creature of real flesh and blood, standing inside that door!’ He drew a long breath. “TI have pretty strong nerves, but it wasn’t strange that for some seconds they were all just anyhow. What on earth does the thing mean?” CHAPTER V SUDDEN NOTICE ARTIN ADAIR entered into occu- pation of his rooms at the Dovecote on Wednesday, May thirteenth. It was beautiful weather. He thought, as the cab drew up at the gate, what a charming place it seemed. There was no delay this time in answer- ing his ring; the door was opened almost as 119 soon as he touched the bell. Miss Dennis appeared upon the other side. Qn that occasion there was none of that confusion which had marked the deportment of both parties on the previous day. Miss Dennis positively smiled at him. “I forgot to ask you yesterday what time you would be here. It was too stupid of me, because this morning I had to go out. You would have had to go without lunch if you had come.” “T also was conscious of my shortcomings in not being more explicit. I thought if I came about tea-time I should be pretty safe.” The girl, leading the way up the staircase, conducted him to a really charm- ing apartment on the first floor. “Is this my bedroom? ‘This is splendid. By the way, Miss Dennis, you spoke about going out this morning, as if there would be no one to let me in if I arrived during your absence. You don’t mean to say that you're alone in the house?”’ There was a momentary silence before she answered. “My mother and I are alone in the house; mother is a great invalid. I ought to have told you yesterday that we keep no ser- vant; we—we can’t afford one. But I don’t think you’ll find I’m a bad cook.” <A wistful look came into her eyes. “If you’ll have a little patience with me and give me a fair trial, PII—I’ll do my very best to give you satisfaction, Mr. Adair.”’ He had no answer ready; the girl’s man- ner clogged his tongue. He apostrophized her when she had gone. “Tt gives a man the fidgets when she ex- presses a hope that she’ll give him satis- faction as a cook. She’s gently bred, and looks to me as if she had never done a stroke of work in her life—and she’s to fill the place of a general servant to me. “That won’t do at all. I’m not going to have her sweeping out my sitting-room and tidying up after me. Before I’ve been here a week I’ll engage a servant.” But the matter proved not to be so sim- ple as he supposed. His calculations were upset by the fact that Miss Dennis turned out to be a much more experienced house- wife than he had imagined. She got through the work in a manner which puzzled him. By the time he got down in the morning everything was spick and span; breakfast was on the table as soon as he appeared; NOOK C©