in the room
besides myself, some reading wills, others waiting until they were
brought. One woman sat at the table exactly opposite to me. She was the
only woman in the room at the time, and perhaps that fact made me first
notice her; but when I looked once, I could not have been old Sandy
Wilson without wanting to look again. I have a weakness for fine women,
and this woman was fine, in the sense that makes you feel that she is
lovable. She was young, eager-looking. I have no doubt her features were
handsome, but it was her open, almost childlike expression which
attracted most. She was essentially a fine creature, and yet there was a
peculiar childish innocence about her, that made old Sandy long to
protect her on the spot. I was looking at her, and hoping she would not
notice it and think old Sandy Wilson a bore, when a man came into the
room and said something to the clerk at the desk. The clerk turned to me
and said, 'The will of the name of Harman is being read at this moment
by some one else in the room.' Instantly this girl looked up, her eyes
met mine, her face grew all one blaze of color, though she was a pale
enough lass the moment before, and a frightened expression came into her
eyes. She looked down again at once, and went on reading in a hurried,
puzzled way, as if she was scarcely taking in much. Of course I knew she
had the will, and I did not want to hurry or confuse her, so I
pretended to turn my attention to something else. It must have been
quite a couple of minutes before I looked again, and then--I confess
that I am not easily startled, but I did have to smother an
exclamation--the poor girl must have discovered the baseness and the
fraud in those two minutes. Had she been any other but the plucky lass
she is, she would have been in a dead faint on the floor, for I never,
never in all my pretty vast experience, saw a living face so white. I
could not help looking at her then, for I was completely fascinated. She
went on reading for half a minute longer; then she raised her eyes and
gazed straight and full at me. She had big, open gray eyes, and a moment
before, they were full of innocence and trust like a child's, now there
was a wild anger and despair in them. She was quite quiet however, and
no one else in the room noticed her. She pushed the will across the
table to me and said, "That is Mr. Harman's will," then she put on her
gloves quite slowly and drew down her veil, and left the room as
sed