The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Inner Shrine, by Basil King

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Title: The Inner Shrine

Author: Basil King

Release Date: December 20, 2004 [EBook #14393]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE INNER SHRINE ***

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THE

INNER

SHRINE

A NOVEL
OF TODAY

ILLUSTRATED

HARPER & BROTHERS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
M.C.M.I.X

Copyright, 1908, 1909, by HARPER & BROTHERS.

_All rights reserved._

Published May, 1909.

[Transcriber's note: The name of the author, Basil King, does not appear
in the text.]

_ILLUSTRATIONS_

SHE STOOD WATCHING THE RISE AND DIP OF
THE STEAMER'S BOW (See page 61) _Frontispiece_

THE BANKER TOOK A LONGER TIME THAN WAS
NECESSARY TO SCAN THE POOR LITTLE LIST _Facing p_. 46

PRESENTLY ALL FOUR WERE ON THEIR WAY
BACK TO THE DRAWING-ROOM " 78

DIANE PROPPED THE CABLEGRAM IN A CONSPICUOUS
PLACE " 152

"I'VE NO ONE TO SPEAK A WORD FOR ME BUT
YOU" " 202

IT WAS WHAT MRS. WAPPINGER CALLED AN
"OFF-DAY" " 252

MRS. BAYFORD WAS PURRING TO HER GUESTS " 260

HAVING MADE A COPY OF THIS LETTER, SHE
CALLED SIMMONS AND FULTON AND GAVE
THEM THEIR INSTRUCTIONS " 264

"SINCE THE INNER SHRINE IS UNLOCKED--AT
LAST--I'LL GO IN" " 354

_THE INNER SHRINE_

_THE INNER SHRINE_

I

Though she had counted the strokes of every hour since midnight, Mrs.
Eveleth had no thought of going to bed. When she was not sitting bolt
upright, indifferent to comfort, in one of the stiff-backed, gilded
chairs, she was limping, with the aid of her cane, up and down the long
suite of salons, listening for the sound of wheels. She knew that George
and Diane would be surprised to find her waiting up fo