The Benson signal., 1918-02-23

naturally level and dry. 81 went to
see the show on the recommendation
of country client, and there she was
on the stage"
"Ohw cried Frederica-a muf1ed,
barely audible cry Of passionate SYM
pathy. Then: "You've seen her off
the stage-talked with herr"
81 didn't ask her to explain" said
Rodney. "I asked her to come home
and she wouldn't"
ooh, Sit's wickedr" she cried. "Its
the most abominably selfish thing
ever heard of"
"Pull up, Freddyl" he said. Rather
gently, though, for him. "There's no
good going on like that. And besides
You were saying Harriet would
do anything in the world for me. Well,
there's something you can do. You're
the only person I know who can"
Her answer was to come around be-
hind his chair, put her cheek down
beside his, and reach for his hands.
Lets get away from this miserable
breakfast table," she said. "Come up
to where live, where we can be safe
ly by ourselves; then tell me about
it."
In front of her boudoir fire, look
ing down on her as she sat in her flow
cred wing chair, an enormously dis
tended rug-covered pillow beside her
knees waiting for him to drop down
on when he felt like it, he began
rather cautiously to tell her what he
wanted.
'I'll tell you the reason why I've
come to you," he began, sand then
you'll see. Do you remember nearly two
years ago, the night got wet coming
here to dinner-the night you were
going to marry me off to Her
mione Woodruff? We had long talk
afterward, and you said, speaking Of
the chances people took getting mar
ried, that it wasn't me you worried
about, but the girl, whoever she might
be, who married me-"
The little gesture she made admit
ted the recollection, but denied it's
relevancy. She'd have said something
to that effect, but he prevented her.
"No," he insisted, ut wasn't just
tall. There was something in it. AZ
terward, when we were engaged, two
or three times, you gave me tips about
things. And since we've been married
(. Well, somehow, I've had the
feeling that you were on her side;
that you saw things her way-things
that didn't see."
little things" she protested; cit
tie tiny things that couldn't possibly
matter-things that any woman would
be on another woman's side, as you
say, about"
But she contradicted this statement
at once. "Oh, did love her!" she said
fiercely. "Not just because she loved
you, but because thought she was al
together adorable. I couldn't help it.
And of course that's what makes me
so perfectly furious now-that she
should have done q thing like this to
you"
"All right" he said. "Never mind
l.
do. want you to go to see her, and
want you to ask her. in the first place,
to try to forgive me-"
"What for?" Frederica demanded.
II want you to tell her." he went on,
''that it's impossible that she should be
am myself. I want you to ask her, what
ever she thinks my deserts are, to do
just one thing for me, and that is to
let me take her out of that perfectly
hideous place. I don't ask anything
else but that. She can make any terms
she likes. She can live where or how
she likes. Only-not like that. May
be it's a deserved punishment, but
can't stand it!'
There was the crystallization of
what little thinking he had managed to
do in the two purgatorial days he'd
spent in a down-state hotel-in the in
tervals of fighting off the memory of
the dull, frozen agony he'd seen in
Roses face as he left her.
Frederick, naturally, was mystified.
'"That's absurd, Of course, Roddy," she
said gently "You haven't done any
thing to Rose to be forgiven for"
you'll just have to take my word
for it," he said shortly. I'm not
exaggerating."
"But, Roddy" she persisted. "You
must be sensible. Oh, it's no wonder
You're all worn out. You look as if
you hadn't slept for nights. What if
you were angry and lost your temper
and hurt her feelings? Heavens
Weren't you entitled to, after what
she'd done? And when she'd left you
to find it out like that?"
81 tell you, you don't know the first
thing about it."
II don't suppose you-beat her, did
your"
It was too infuriating, having him
meek like this
His reply was barely audible: II
might better have done it."