Page 28 (2/2)

Warthrop did not take him back to Mesnawetheno; he took hi , with instructions--as if he were boarding his horse--that I should be fed and given a proper bath before being put to bed

"I will co, if not"

"I want to stay with you, sir," I protested

"I won’t hear of it"

"Then, I’ll wait for you at the hotel"

"I’d rather you not be alone," he said with a perfectly straight face, the man who left me alone for hours--sometimes days--at a stretch

EIGHTEEN

"What Have I to Live For?"

I supped on war in the von Helrung kitchen with the butler, Bartholohtfully distracted me from land, and with stories about his fareat "shining city on a hill," New York His son, he proudly infor my dessert of custard and fresh strawberries, Lilly appeared to rather officiously announce I would be sleeping in the room next to hers and she hoped I didn’t snore because the walls were quite thin and she was a very light sleeper She still seemed miffed that she had been banished, whereas I had enjoyed an audience with the stricken John Chanler I thought of her uncle’s gift and the glow in her eye at its ladly have traded places with , ht up with me--the doom that de off to sleep The door tothe fitful dance of a candle’s flaown Her voluptuous curls had been freed from their ribbons and cascaded down her back

I pulled the covers up to my chin I was self-conscious of htshirts and, though he was a sarded each other for a ht, and then she said without prea to die"

"Maybe he won’t," I answered

"Oh, no He’s going to die You can smell it"

"S watch Uncle says we have to be ready"

"Ready for what?"

"You have to be quick, very quick, and you can’t just use anything It has to be silver So that’s why he carries the knife It’s silver plated"

"What’s silver plated?"

"The knife! The pearl-handled Mikov switchblade knife So when it happens--" Shemotion over her heart

"The doctor won’t let that happen"

"That is very odd, Will--the way you talk about hi about God"

"I just meant if there’s any way he can help it, he won’t just let hi about thatscene in the sickrooist’s eyes

"I’ve never seen him cry--ever He’s come close before"--I am a mote of dust--"but it was always for himself I think he loves Dr Chanler very much"

"Do you? I don’t I don’t think he loves him at all"

"Well, I don’t think you know hiry

"And I don’t think you know anything at all," she shot back Her eyes sparkled with delight "Fell into the Danube by accident! He jumped off and nearly drowned"

"I know that," I said "And Dr Chanler saved him"

"But do you knohy he jumped? And do you knohat happened after he juot very sick, and that’s when Muriel and John met, over his sickbed," I said with a note of triu!

"That isn’t everything It’s hardly nothing They were engaged to be married and--"

"I know that, too"

"All right, but do you knohy they didn’t?"

"The doctor is not constitutionally suited forWarthrop’s explanation

"Then why did he propose in the first place?"

"I--I don’t know"

"See? You don’t know anything" She shed "Why did he propose?"

"I don’t know But he did, and then the next day he juallon of the Danube and got pneu up blood and vo buckets of black bile He nearly died, Uncle said

"They were madly, desperately in love They were the item, here and on the Continent He is quite handsome, when he cleans hiht it was a perfect match After Dr Chanler fished hiht She called to hiht beside each other!"