Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III VIOLET She looked at Harcourt with wide eyes, seeming frightened, in suspense, and ready to fly, because he did not know how his eyes devoured her. " I am sorry —" he began, retiring a step. "What do you want of me?" she asked, staring fixedly at him. "Nothing," he said. "Don't be alarmed; I am merely here by chance." " But why have you followed me ?" "No, I have not followed you, I assure you of that. I did not know that you were here, even. I beg you not to be alarmed — " " Why, then, are you here ?" she persisted. "This is a public cemetery, you know. I came to see a grave, just as you have —" "This grave?" "How can you possibly guess that," he asked, "since you have never before seen me, and do not know who I am ?" " You stopped here, did you not ?" she asked. "You stopped, and looked strangely at me." "Certainly I looked at you," admitted Harcourt. "I did not realize that I looked 'strangely.' However, let me be frank. I did come to see your sister's grave." "My sister!" said she, shrinking, as from the touch of a wound, " how do you know ? what interest can you have strong enough to bring you ? " " Not such a very strong interest," he answered. "I am here merely to fill an idle hour, and because I happen to be occupying the flat in which your sister died. There is that link between her and me; she has moved in the same little home, looked from the same windows, slept in the same room, as I, poor girl." She suddenly looked up from the ground, saying: " May I ask how long you have been there ?" "This is only the second day," he answered with a reassuring smile. "Your interest in her has been sudden." "But her crayon portrait is there over my dining- room mantelpiece, and it is an interesting one. The moment I... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.