Cables
as to his progress had already been sent back to London. Apart from
any other result, Trent knew that he had saved the Syndicate a
fortune by his journey here.
The light of the moon grew stronger - the country lay stretched out
before him like a map. With folded arms and a freshly-lit pipe
Trent leaned with his back against the tree and fixed eyes. At
first he saw nothing but that road, broad and white, stretching to
the horizon and thronged with oxen-drawn wagons. Then the fancy
suddenly left him and a girl's face seemed to be laughing into his
- a face which was ever changing, gay and brilliant one moment,
calm and seductively beautiful the next. He smoked his pipe
furiously, perplexed and uneasy. One moment the face was Ernestine's,
the next it was Monty's little girl laughing up at him from the worn
and yellow tin-type. The promise of the one - had it been fulfilled
in the woman? At least he knew that here was the one great weakness
of his life. The curious flood of sentiment, which had led him to
gamble for the child's picture, had merged with equal suddenness
into passion at the coming of her later presentment. High above
all his plans for the accumulation of power and wealth, he set
before him now a desire which had become the moving impulse of his
life - a desire primitive but overmastering - the desire of a strong
man for the woman he loves.
Pages:
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211