The Witness by Grace Livingston Hill Lutz (best fiction novels of all time .txt) 📖

The Door Of The Reception-Room And Hurried Out On The

Veranda,  But Saw No Sign Of Any One In The Wind-Swept Darkness. The Moon

Had Risen Enough To Make A Bright Path Over The Sea,  But The Earth As

Yet Was Wrapped In Shadow.

 

Down In The Field,  Beyond The Outbuildings,  He Heard A Whirring Sound,

And As He Looked A Dark Thing Rose Like A Great Bird High Above His

Head. The Bird Had Flown While The Flying Was Good. The Lady Might Face

Her Difficulties Alone!

 

Courtland Stood Below In The Courtyard,  While The Moon Arose And Shed

Its Light Through The Sky,  And The Great Black Bird Executed An

Evolution Or Two And Whirred Off To The North,  Doubtless Headed For

Seattle Or Some Equally Inaccessible Point. A Great Helpless Wrath Was

Upon Him. Dolt That He Had Been To Let This Human Leper Escape From Him

Into The World Again! A Kind Of Divine Frenzy Seized Him To Capture Him

Yet And Put Him Where He Could Work No Further Harm To Other Willing

Victims. Yes,  He Thought Of Gila As A Willing Victim! An Hour Before He

Would Have Called Her Just Plain Innocent Victim. Now Something In Her

Face,  Her Attitude,  As She Saw Him And Walked Away With Her Guilty

Partner,  Had Made Him Know Her At Last For A Sinful Woman. The Shackles

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Had Burst From His Heart And He Was Free From Her Allurements For

Evermore! He Understood Now Why She Had Bade Him Choose Between Herself

And Christ. She Had No Part Nor Lot In Things Pure And Holy. She Hated

Holiness Because She Herself Was Sinful!

 

It Was Midnight Before Gila And Tennelly Came Forth,  Tennelly Grave And

Sad,  Gila Tear-Stained And Subdued.

 

Courtland Was Sitting In The Big Chair Before The Fireplace,  Though The

Fire Was Smoldering Low,  And The Elevator-Boy Had Long Ago Retired To

Slumbers On A Bench In A Hidden Alcove.

 

Tennelly Came Straight To Courtland,  As Though He Had Known He Would Be

Waiting There For Him. "I Am Going To Take Gila Down To Beechwood. You

Will Come With Us?" There Was Entreaty In The Tone,  Though It Was Very

Quiet.

 

"Shall I Take My Car?"

 

"No. You Will Ride With Me On The Front Seat. Is There A Maid Here That

I Can Hire To Go With Us? We Can Bring Her Back In The Morning."

 

"I'll Find Out."

 

That Was A Silent Ride Through The Late Moonlight. The Men Spoke Only

When It Was Necessary To Keep The Right Road. Gila,  Huddled Sullenly In

The Back Seat Beside A Dozing,  Gray-Haired Chambermaid,  Spoke Not At

All. And Who Shall Say What Were Her Thoughts As Hour After Hour She Sat

In Her Humiliation And Watched The Two Men Whom She Had Wronged So

Deeply? Perhaps Her Spirit Seethed The More Violently Within Her Silent,

Angry Body Because She Was Not Yet Sure Of Tennelly. Her Tears And

Explanations,  Her Pleading Little Story Of Deceit And Innocence,  Had Not

Wrought The Charm Upon Him That They Might Had Not Aquilar Been Known To

Him For The Past Two Weeks,  A Stranger Who Had Been Hanging About Gila,

And Who Had Been Encouraged Against Her Lover's Oft-Repeated Warnings. A

Certain Mysterious Story Of An Unfaithful Wife Put An Air Of Romance

About Him That Tennelly Had Not Liked. Gila Had Never Seen Him So

Serious And Hard To Coax As He Had Been To-Night. He Had Spoken To Her

As If She Were A Naughty Child; Had Commanded Her To Go At Once To Her

Aunt In Beechwood And Remain There The Allotted Time. She Simply _Had_

To Obey Or Lose Him. There Were Things About Tennelly's Fortune And

Prospects That Made Him Most Desirable As A Husband. Moreover,  She Felt

That Through Marrying Tennelly She Could The Better Hurt Courtland,  The

Man Whom She Now Hated With All Her Heart.

 

They Reached Beechwood At Not Too Unearthly An Hour. The Aunt Was

Surprised,  But Not Unduly So,  For Gila Was A Girl Of Many Whims,  And

That She Came At All To Quiet Beechwood To Rest Was Shock Enough For One

Day. She Asked No Troublesome Questions.

 

Tennelly Would Not Remain For Breakfast,  Even,  But Started On The Return

Trip At Once,  With Only A Brief Stop At A Wayside Inn For Something To

Eat. The Elderly Attendant In The Back Seat Was Disappointed. She Had

No Chance To Get A Bit Of Gossip By The Way With Any One,  But She Got

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Good Pay For The Night's Ride,  And Made Up Some Thrilling Stories To

Tell When She Got Back That Were Really Better Than The Truth Might Have

Turned Out To Be,  So There Was Nothing Lost,  After All.

 

It Was Tennelly Who Broke The Silence Between Them When He And Courtland

Were At Last Alone Together. "She Only Went For A Ride In His

Aeroplane," He Said,  Sadly. "She Had No Idea Of Staying More Than An

Afternoon. He Had Promised To Set Her Down At The Next Station To

Beechwood,  Where Her Aunt Was To Meet Her. She Was Filled With Horror

And Consternation When She Found She Must Be Away Overnight. But Even

Then She Had No Idea Of His Purpose. She Says That Nobody Ever Told Her

About Such Things,  She Was Ignorant As A Little Child! She Is Full Of

Repentance,  And Feels That This Will Be A Lesson For Her. She Says She

Intends To Devote Her Life To Me If I Will Only Forgive Her."

 

So That Was What She Had Told Tennelly Behind The Closed Doors!

 

Before Courtland's Eyes There Floated A Vision Of Gila As She First

Caught Sight Of Him In The Office Of The Inn. If Ever Soul Was Guilty In

Full Knowledge Of Her Sin She Had Been! Again She Passed Before His

Vision With Shamed Head Down-Drooped And All Her Proud,  Imperial Manner

Gone. The Mask Had Fallen From Gila Forever So Far As Courtland Was

Concerned. Not Even Her Little,  Pitiful,  Teary Face That Morning,  When

She Crept From The Car At Her Aunt's Door,  Could Deceive Him Again.

 

"And You _Believe_ All That?" Asked Courtland. He Could Not Help It. His

Dearest Friend Was In Peril. What Else Could He Do?

 

"I--Don't Know!" Said Tennelly,  Helplessly.

 

There Was Silence In The Room. Then Tennelly Did Realize A Little!

Perhaps Tennelly Had Known All Along,  Better Than He!

 

"And--You Will Forgive Her?"

 

"I _Must_!" Said Tennelly,  In Desperation. "Court,  My Life Is Bound Up

In Her!"

 

"So I Once Thought!" Courtland Was Only Musing Out Loud.

 

Tennelly Looked At Him Sadly.

 

"She Almost Wrecked My Soul!" Went On Courtland.

 

"I Know," Said Tennelly,  In Profound Sorrow. "She Told Me."

 

"She _Told You_?"

 

"Yes,  Before We Were Engaged. She Told Me That She Had Asked You To Give

Up Preaching,  That She Could Never Bear To Be A Minister's Wife. I Had

Begun To Realize What That Would Mean To You Then. I Respected Your

Choice. It Was Great Of You,  Court! But You Never Really Loved Her,  Man,

Or You Could Not Have Given Her Up!"

 

Courtland Was Silent For A Moment,  Then He Burst Out: "Nelly! It Was Not

That! You _Shall_ Know The Truth! She Asked Me To Give Up _My God_ For

Her!"

 

"_I Have No God_," Said Tennelly,  Dully.

 

A Great Yearning For His Friend Filled The Heart Of Courtland. "Listen,

Old Man,  You _Mustn't_ Marry Her!" He Burst Out Again. "I Believe She's

Rotten All The Way Through. You Didn't See And Hear All Last Night. She

_Can't Be_ True! She Hasn't It In Her! She Will Be False To You Whenever

She Takes The Whim! She Will Lead You Through Hell!"

 

"You Don't Understand. I Would _Go_ Through Hell To Be With Her!"

 

Tennelly's Words Rang Through The Room Like A Knell,  And Courtland Could

Say No More. There Was Silence In The Room. Courtland Watched His

Friend's Haggard Face Anxiously. There Were Deep Lines Of Agony About

His Mouth And Dark Circles Under His Eyes.

 

Suddenly Tennelly Lifted His Hand And Laid It On His Friend's. "Thanks,

Court. Thanks A Lot. I Appreciate It All More Than You Know. But This Is

My Job. I Guess I've Got To Undertake It! And,  _Man_! Can't You See I've

_Got_ To Believe Her?"

 

"I Suppose You Have,  Nelly. God Help You!"

 

When Courtland Got Back To The Seminary He Found A Letter From Mother

Marshall.

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Anticipation. Here At Least Would Be A Fresh,  Pure Breath Of Sweetness.

His Soul Was Worn And Troubled With The Experience Of The Past Two Days.

A Great Loneliness Possessed Him When He Thought Of Tennelly,  Or When He

Looked Forward To His Future,  For He Truly Was Convinced That He Never

Should Turn To The Love Of Woman Again; And So The Dreams Of Home And

Love And Little Children That Had Had Their Normal Part In His Thoughts

Of The Future Were Cut Out,  And The Days Stretched Forward In One Long

Round Of Duty.

 

     Dear Paul [It Began,  Familiarly]:

 

     This Is Stephen Marshall's Mother And I'm Calling You By

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     Your First Name Because It Seems To Bring My Boy Back Again

     To Be Writing So Familiar-Like To One Of His Comrades.

 

     We've Been Wondering,  Father And I,  Since You Said You

     Didn't Have Any Real Mother Of Your Own,  Whether You

     Mightn't Like To Come Home Christmas To Us For A Little

     While And Borrow Stephen's Mother. I've Got A Wonderful

     Hungering In My Heart To Hear A Little More About My Boy's

     Death. I Couldn't Have Borne It Just At