New-York tribune., 1912-02-25
BY EDITH MACVANE

offer you protection and maintenance as an ac, Of dis
interested friendship; and then, act Of friendship
on your part, beg you lend her your social influence
and offer you the opportunity Of marriage with her
SON.
shook my head. 40, unless gave my word Of
honor to marry Victor and to get Aunt Elizabeth to
present her at Court there was not even question Of
my entering her door. But then was q stranger ~
hcr-why should she bother
Henry interrupted me trumphantly. you scu
All the qualities Of contract in their purcst form.
That is the special action each side % be made
wholly conditional on the performance Of a certain
specified action the other. Unless YOU rendered her
payment by entering her house by giving her the dis
posa Of your person, name and social influence. and
by marrying her son, she not obliged 20 spend q
single dollar on YOU And you, on your side unless She
paid you by giving you your malntenancc,-that IS
your board, clothing, pocket money travelling expense
ctc.,-you not to be obliged
But oh, | cried, "Shc has, In spite Of my agon.
at the admission the mere necessity Of telling the
truth tore the words from "Shc has. She's kept
her word the last letter of it. and morc Look These
pearls, this satin dress, she gave me- She gave my
home here, my beautiful home, the automobiles tha,
| 90 out in, the money in my purse, the very oppor-
tunv TO meet you-yOu and your dear mother Shes
kept nothing back, not even her only which she
thinks the finest present Of ALL Beneath the torture,
touch Of my fingers | felt my little lace handkerchief
lanothcr present from Mrs Cobb value, hundred
francs dissoving its fnc-spun mcShcS into shru.,.
oh" cried with tears, when she has kept her par.
Of the compact to the very letter how can refuse 20
perform minc?
"For that very reason" answered Henry with in'.n-
sity. Because the very fact that in return for wh.
YOU have received from her, you yourself have pledged
duty to perform, proves the existence OF a contract
and contract made in such circumstances this one
is legally no contract at all IS in fact in and Of ITSELF
grave oTcnSc against the laws Of this land. Darling,
don't YOU understand? The promise that held vog IS
no promise at all Your delicate SCruDlcS that do
so much honor are absolutely without basis in fact.
frcS, GO" "'' ''' l''''''' l'''' "''''''''' '' "
,.:,l., :, IL. 1
ouoisc ornament dangling from my hand This, then,
was the end; The stranging mesh that had held mo
so lightly easily, this to be thrown of after
all, Here, then was the goal toward which for many
sad weeks and by 50 many tortuOuS ways ! bad been
travelling? After all the philosophy and the ~-s.5
and the tears this was what had been waiting ..~
all the time-just Henry with his ou.s'ra'o..l,
let the precious lump Of silver go crash 70 the floor
and held out my two hands TO him with a little o~.
"Oh | love vou." | said Probably it WASH ~-..
for me to speak that way before he had said i. Bg
couldn't help it, it was the truth "Oh, love v." /
love you SOL heard myself gaspng, over and aT.r
again.
HENRY glanced quickly round In the long room
IL alone together. The next instant felt his
arms around me, just like the other day Bur this time
there was no icy water crawling between us, nothing u
keep us apart any more For a moment he held me
closc-so close it seemed that my heart had stopped
beating, and my lips were no longer mine but h,s.
Then with a long sigh that seemed 20 tear all '.e
breath from his body, he released me. My beauty
he said my precious. my own my very own. Then 8,
is settled this other miserable business is over and done
with, and you marry me-;
Whether il was the law he had Just eXpOundcd o. ..
or lust the wordcsS influence of his lips which tiug
through my body ike a strange drug cannot tell you
But my will power from me, the scrupcs that this
afternoon had seemed so important were no long
more than an ancient prejudice already OutgroWn aE
forgotten In my whole being there was room for q.
more than one gigantic fact was llcnryS and b, Vs."
nine My very arms knew him for mine, my very a'.
claimed him, Therefore, was not any idea that mig.
keep me apart from him intrinSically wrong and false
But did not think al this: only felt il. When w.