The Clio messenger., 1917-09-14
CHAPTER xxv-Continued.

Ct1AT EH NNv-SOntInueu.
IL
IT vas a good while before Rose got
the key to his preoecupation. They
had tusaed into the park at Sixty-sixth
street, and were halfway over to the
Fifth avenue corner at F1fty-ninth, be-
fore he spoke out.
"On a day like this" he said, ito
have sat there for two or three mortal
hours arguing about stale ideas-when
we might have been out here, being
alive! But IL must have seemed nat
uraI to you to hear me going on like
that" And then with burst, before
she ceuid speak:
"Y0u must remember me as the most
blRdy epiniOnated fool in the world !"
She caught her breath, then said
very quietly. with warm little laugh
In her voice: "Thats not how l re-
member you. Roddy."
She declined to help him when he
tried to scramble back to the safe
shores Of conventional conversation.
That sort of thing had lasted long
enough. And when they stopped and
faced each other In the gray brick en-
trance to the building where Roses
apartment was. 1t was at the end Of a
mile or more Of absolutely unbroken
sileace. And facing each other there,
al that was said between them was
her:
'YouH come In. won't you" and his
Eyes"
But the gravity with which she'd
uttered the invitation and the tense
ness OF his acceptance Of 1t. the square
look that passed between them. marked
IN end of something and the begin
ming of something new.
She left him in her sitting room
while she went into her room to take
or her hat and jacket and take a
giaince into her mirror. When she
came back she found him standing
at her window, looking out. He didn't
turn when she came in, but almost
Immediately he began speaking. She
went rather limp at the sound of his
voice and dropped down on an otto
man In front Of the fireplace, and
her knees. E
II don't know how much you will
have understood" he began; "prob-
ably q good deal. What I hope you
will have guessed Is that wouldn't
have come except that I'd something to
bell you-something felt you were en-
Titled to be told. But I felt-this is
what you won't have understood-I felt
that hadn't any right to speak to you
st all. about anything vital. until I'd
given you some sort Of guaranty until
I'd shown you that was n person 1t
was possible to deal reasonably with"
She smiled, then pressed her hands
suddenly to her eyes. II understood"
che said.
well then :" But he didn't
at once go on. Stood there a while
longer at the window, then crossed
the room and brought up before her
b0ol1shelves. staring blindly at the IT,
ties. He hadn't looked at her even as
he crossed the room.
aOh, it's presumptuous thing to try
10 say. he broke out at last, "a pitiful-
iy unnecessary thing to say, because
you must know 1t without my telling
you. But when you went away you said
You said 1t was because you hadn't
my--friendshipl You said that was the
thing you wanted, and that you were
going to try and earn 1t. And you told
me that I'd never be able to see that
the thing you were doing there was a
fine thing. worth doing, entitled to my
respect. But what I've come down here
to say isis that now. at last-I do
zee It."
She would have spoken then if she
could have commanded her voice, and
as It was, the sound she made con-
veyed her intention to him, for he
turned upon her quickly as IL to inter-
nIpt the unspoken words, and went on
with an almost savage bitterness:
"Oh, I'm under no illusions about 1t.
I had my chance to see, when seeing
would have meant something to you
helped you. When anyone but the
biindest sort of fool would have seen.
I didn't. Now, when the thing is pat
ent for the world to see--now that
you've won your fight without any
help from me u. Without any help
In s.ite OF every hindrance that my
idiocy could put in your wayl Now.
after ALL come and tell you that
you've earned the thing you've set out
60 get"
There was a little silence after that.
She got up and took the post he had
abandoned at the window.
"Why did you do it, Roddy" she
asked. Il mean, why did you want to
come and tell mew
-Why. In the first place." he said,
II wanted to get back little Of my
seff-respect. I couldn't get that until
rN told you"
This time the silence was longer.