Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

[Illustration:  “That figure was not his own.”

From a drawing by F.H.  Townsend. (page 202)]

The Upas Tree

A Christmas Story for all the Year

By

Florence L. Barclay

Author of “The Rosary,” etc

G.P.  Putnam’s Sons

New York and London

The Knickerbocker Press

1912

COPYRIGHT, 1912

BY

FLORENCE L. BARCLAY

The Knickerbocker Press, New York

To

V.C.B.

53-22146 Contents

PART I

CHAPTER PAGE

   I.—­Which shall speak first? 13

  II.—­The sob of the woman 29

 III.—­Helen takes the initiative 40

  IV.—­Firelight in the studio 44

PART II

   V.—­The infant of Prague 67

  VI.—­Aubrey puts down his foot 97

 VII.—­A friend in need 113

VIII.—­PARADISE LOST 129

  IX.—­The pinnacle of the temple 137

PART III

   X.—­Ronnie arrives in A fog 149

  XI.—­The mirage 160

  XII.—­A friend in Deed 174

 XIII.—­Ronnie faces the upas 192

  XIV.—­As in A mirror 200

PART IV

   XV.—­“The fog lifts” 209

  XVI.—­“He MUST remember” 223

 XVII.—­“He never knew!” 246

XVIII.—­THE FACE IN THE MIRROR 258

  XIX.—­Unto us A child is born 271

   XX.—­Good-night to the infant of
    Prague 283

Part I CHAPTER I

Which shall speak first?

Ronald West stood at the window of his wife’s sitting-room, looking across the bright garden-borders to the wide park beyond, and wondering how on earth he should open the subject of which his mind had been full during their morning ride.

He had swung off his own horse a few moments before; thrown the bridle to a waiting groom, and made his way round to her stirrup.  Then he had laid his hand upon Silverheels’ mane, and looking up into his wife’s glowing, handsome face, he had said:  “May I come to your room for a talk, Helen?  I have something very important to tell you.”