Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 60090-h.htm or 60090-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60090/60090-h/60090-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/60090/60090-h.zip) Transcriber’s note: Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. [Illustration: IN HER ORANGE CLOAK SHE SHONE THROUGH THE VEIL OF MIST, LUMINOUS] THE DIM LANTERN by TEMPLE BAILEY Author of “The Gay Cockade,” “The Trumpeter Swan,” “The Tin Soldier,” etc. Illustrated by Coles Phillips The Penn Publishing Company Philadelphia 1923 Copyright 1922 by the Penn Publishing Company [Illustration] The Dim Lantern Made in the U. S. A. Contents I. IN WHICH PHILOMEL SINGS 7 II. A PRINCESS PASSES 24 III. JANE KNITS 34 IV. BEAUTY WAITS 44 V. THE UGLY DUCKLING 60 VI. “STAY IN THE FIELD, OH, WARRIOR!” 70 VII. A FAMISHED PILGRIM 81 VIII. JANE AS DEPUTY 97 IX. THE SCARECROW 105 X. BALDY AS AMBASSADOR 119 XI. THE DIM LANTERN 134 XII. THE ICE PALACE 155 XIII. JANE POURS TEA 170 XIV. A TELEGRAM 183 XV. EVANS PLAYS THE GAME 192 XVI. THE COSTUME BALL 204 XVII. NEWS FOR THE TOWN-CRIER 214 XVIII. AN INTERLUDE 227 XIX. SURRENDER 240 XX. PAPER LACE 248 XXI. VOICES IN THE DARK 258 XXII. AT THE OLD INN 268 XXIII. SPRING COMES TO SHERWOOD 278 XXIV. HAUNTED 297 XXV. AGAIN THE LANTERN 304 XXVI. THE DISCORDANT NOTE 316 XXVII. FLIGHT 327 XXVIII. IN THE PINE GROVE 335 XXIX. JANE DREAMS 340 The Dim Lantern CHAPTER I IN WHICH PHILOMEL SINGS Sherwood Park is twelve miles from Washington. Starting as a somewhat pretentious suburb on the main line of a railroad, it was blessed with easy accessibility until encroaching trolleys swept the tide of settlement away from it, and left it high and dry--its train service, unable to compete with modern motor vehicles, increasingly inefficient.