The Burning Secret

MP3 Audio CD. The Burning Secret

CHAPTER I

THE PARTNER


The train, with a shrill whistle, pulled into Summering. For a moment
the black coaches stood still in the silvery light of the uplands to
eject a few vivid human figures and to swallow up others. Exacerbated
voices called back and forth; then, with a puffing and a chugging and
another shrill shriek, the dark train clattered into the opening of the
tunnel, and once more the landscape stretched before the view unbroken
in all its wide expanse, the background swept clean by the moist wind.

One of the arrivals, a young man pleasantly distinguished by his good
dress and elastic walk, hurried ahead of the others and entered one of
the hotel 'buses. The horses took the steep road leisurely. Spring was
in the air. Up in the sky floated the white shifting clouds of May and
June, light, sportive young creatures, playfully coursing the blue path
of heaven, suddenly dipping and hiding behind the mountains, embracing
and running away, crumpling up like handkerchiefs, elongating into gauzy
scarfs, and ending their play by roguishly perching white caps on the
mountain tops. There was unrest below, too, in the wind, which shook the
lean trees, still wet from the rain, and set their limbs a-groaning
softly and brought down a thousand shining drops. Sometimes a cool
breath of snow descended from the mountains, and then there was a feel
in the air both balmy and cutting. All things in the atmosphere and on
the earth were in motion and astir with the ferment of impatience. The
horses tossed their heads and snorted as they now trotted down a
descent, the sound of their bells jingling far ahead of them.

On arriving at the hotel, the young man made straight for the registry
and looked over the list of guests. He was disappointed.