V: THE TRAGEDY
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I WAS fortunate in finding Miss Gardiner free to give me a dance, and in a moment we were circling the polished floor. She said little or nothing during the dance, and when it was over I took her for a stroll on the upper balcony, where, standing at the front railing we looked out on the beautiful country spread before us in the moonlight.
Irene Gardiner puzzled while she attracted me. I never could feel quite sure whether or not she was as frank as she seemed.
Perhaps it was only the natural effect of her dark, almost Oriental beauty, but she somehow seemed capable of diplomacy or intrigue.
Tonight, however, she was simply charming, and whether assumed or not, her attitude was sincere and confidential.
We traversed the three long sides of the house on the upper
