New-York tribune., 1910-11-20

And you re going to forgive me for every
thing | have ever done"
And for the things you have left I'm
done
.Weu come to that later on" said Betty
BRIGHTLY Then, in the second place
well, if the first place comes true, all the
other places will The first place includes
everything. If you and | are really, truly
friends. Phil nothing else really matters
much
"A very pretty speech. my Lady Betty"
and he smiled as at an amusing child.
1T wasn't meant to be pretty Betty
was indignant. Cant YOU see that am in
earnest"
why, YES, after a fashion. You're a bit
sorry for me. Perhaps | am the little black
spot on an otherwise unblemished con-
science,-the one dark blot, YOU know,
Naturally. with this new life YOU speak OF
before YOU, YOU want to start out with
perfectly clean escutcheon. If YOU and
are friends why, then no haunting memory
of YOUR unkndncsS to me. You see | am
doing YOU the honor of assuming that some
where in your complex little makeup you
have that more or less inconVenient organ
known as a heart.
Don't, Phil, please DON'T" pleaded the
woman, with tears in her eyes.
Poor little girl. I'm sorry | hurt yOui
You know | would not knowingly cause you
even a moments unhappiness, but he
leaned back in his chair as he said it. and
did not 90 toward her to comfort her as in
the old DAYS.
They were a whole existence apart, it
seemed to the woman. separated by sub
tie and intangible something which she
could neither divine nor explain.
DILL, when you received my note, were
you surprised? Did YOU wonder why |
had sent for you?" she asked earnestly
Why, no, Betty. | thought YOU were
simply taking pity on wandercr whom you
had once, thousand years ago. forced into
exile His tone was calm.
1t aggravated her. He was like a maies-
tic, lofty mountain, gazing down benignly
and complaCently on a turbulent little
stream miles below in the valley. She was
not used to such treatment from the man
of the comfortable words. She could not
endure it an instant longer.
Phil she cried impulsivcly, sitting up
very straight in her chair I'll tell YOU why
| sent for you. | hoped that | should find
you 50 changed, so unlike the man | remem-
bered, that | could, in way, justify to my
own conscience my marriage, my sale of
myself, for that is all it was,-to Senator
Hamilton. | fairly prayed that the man
whose memory | had reVercd" (at the word
a shade of kindly cynicism passed over Phil
lp's fine face; but Betty was too absorbed
to notice it, existed really only in my own
imagination. That being the case, what |
had done would seem a little less fragrant
| wanted to begin all over again. | wanted
to start out with a clean bill of health |
needed certain amount of self respect for
the new beginning. But YOU are not changed
that S the pity OF It. oh, YOU cannot know
what 1t is utterly to despise oneself. to feel
that one IS Sordid and mercenarv to the core.
and little better than the woman who sells
herself without going through the horrible
mockery OF marriage service Except in
the eyes of the world" she went on wildly.
where was | any better than the lowest
wretch of the street,"
Betty dear, don't, please don't" Her
horrible self arralgnmcnt, though he felt the
truth OF 1t. was to him the very essence of
bitterness.
mo, must tinish,' and her voice WAS
nigh and shrlll and excited After awhile
my ScnSlbllltle~ became a little bluntcd, else
should have gone mad. But there was al
hat J, Il