Produced by Suzanne Shell, Paul Stephen and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: HE IMPRISONED THE SMALL HAND] GLORY OF YOUTH BY TEMPLE BAILEY AUTHOR OF CONTRARY MARY ILLUSTRATED BY HENRY HUTT and C. S. CORSON NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Made in the United States of America [Illustration: Publishers mark] First printing, August, 1913 Second printing, February, 1916 Third printing February, 1917 Fourth printing August, 1919 Manufacturing Plant Camden, N. J. The Glory of Youth _To My Mother_ Contents I. BETTINA 9 II. IN THE SHADOWY ROOM 21 III. IN WHICH DIANA REAPS 36 IV. WHITE LILACS 51 V. IN WHICH BETTINA DANCES 64 VI. "FOR EVERY MAN THERE IS JUST ONE WOMAN" 80 VII. HARBOR LIGHT 94 VIII. THE EMPTY HOUSE 105 IX. THE GOLDEN AGE 116 X. STORM SIGNALS 127 XI. THE WHITE MAIDEN 141 XII. YOUTH AND BEAUTY 155 XIII. HER LETTER TO ANTHONY 170 XIV. THE LITTLE SILVER RING 185 XV. IN WHICH BETTINA FLIES 199 XVI. VOICES IN THE DARK 213 XVII. GLORY OF YOUTH 227 XVIII. PENANCE 242 XIX. HER FATHER'S RING 257 XX. THE "GRAY GULL" 272 XXI. BROKEN WINGS 285 XXII. THE ENCHANTED FOREST 300 XXIII. THE PROCESSION OF PRETTY LADIES 316 XXIV. THE AFTERGLOW 323 Glory of Youth CHAPTER I BETTINA The girl knelt on the floor, feverishly packing a shabby little trunk. Outside was a streaming April storm, and the rain, rushing against the square, small-paned windows, shut out the view of the sea, shut out the light, and finally brought such darkness that the girl stood up with a sigh, brushed off her black dress with thin white hands, and groped her way to the door. Beyond the door was the blackness of an upper hall in a tall century-old house. A spiral stairway descended into a well of gloom. An ancient iron lantern, attached to a chain, hung from the low ceiling. The girl lighted the lantern, and the faint illumination made deeper the shadows below. And from the shadows came a man's voice. "May I come up?" As the girl bent over the railing, the glow of the lantern made of her hair a shining halo. "Oh," she cried, radiantly, "I'm so glad you've come. I--I was afraid----"