The Washington times., 1920-11-16
By Winston Churchill.


= . Para. sunt-Artcraft picture.
By Winston Churchill.
Author Of .Riehard Csrvei." "TAe
crisis, and Many Other Novels
- OF WnrId-Wide Popularity.
M CAN'T honestly regret leaving
him and I'm not conscious
i OF having done anything
wrong. ] don't want TO shock you,
and know how terribly you and
father must feel. but can see
now, somehow. that l had to 60
through this experience. terrible as
Il was, to find myself.
.If II were thirty years ago. be-
fore people began to be liberal In
such matters, i shudder to think
what might have become OF me. 1
vfiouid now be one Of those terrible
women bet tween Atty and sixty who
have tried one frtvolity and excess
after anoVher-but I'm not coming
10 that! And my friends have real
iy been awfully kind. and supported
me-even Victor's family. Don't,
don't think that I'm not respectable.
] know how you look at such things
things"
abruptly.
IT did look at such things in that
way" she added. but I've changed.
That letter helped to change me,
and the fact that 1t was Gertrude
who had been through this. II you
only knew Gertrude. Mr.. Holder
you couldn't possibly think OF her
"a anything but sweet ana pure.
WHY SHE TOLD HIM
Although the extent of Holders
seouaintance with Mrs. Warren had
been but five minutes. the letter
had surprisingly retouched TO
something like brilliancy her laded
portrait, the glow in her cheeks
the iris blue in her eyes. He re-
called the little shock he had en-
perienced when told that she was
divorced, for her appeal had lam
in her very freshness. her FRANK
and confident manner.
She was one OF those women VINO
seem to say, Here l am. you can't
but like me-" And he had Responded
he remembered that-he had
liked her. And now her letter. de-
spite his resistance, had made It's
appeal, SO genuinely human was 1t,
SO honest, although it expressed
philosophy he abhorred.
Mrs. Constable was watching him
,nutely. striving to read in MS
grave eyes the effect of her pieao
ings. At. NJ.
constable-why?" he asked.
"Because I wished you to know
the exact situation before l asked
YOU as a great favor to me. to Mr..
Constable, to-to marry her in st.
Johns. OF course" she went on,
controlling her rising agitation'
and anticipating a sign of protest.
1--WE shouldn't expect to have any
people-and Gertrude wasn't mar
ried in St. Johns before; that we'd
ding was at Passumset--our sea-
shore place, Oh, Mr.. Holder, before
you answer. think of our Feelings,
Mr.. Constable's and mine!
"It you could see Mr.. Constable,
YOU would know how he suffers
this thing has upset him more than
the divorce. His family have such
pride. 1 am so worried about him.
and he doesn't eat anything and
looks so haggard. / told MIN
would see you and explain and that
seemed to comfort him little.
"She is, after all, our child. and
we don't want to feel so far as our
church lis concerned. that she Is an
Ishmaelite: We don't want to have
the spectacle of her having to go
around. outside. to find clergy
man--that would be too dreadful!
know how strict, how unflinch-
ing you are. and I admire you for
II. But this is n special case"
She paused, breathing deeply.
and Holder gazed at her with pity.
What he felt was more than pity;
he was experiencing. indeed, but
with a deeped emotion. something
of that same confusion of values
into which Eleanor Goodrich's
visit had thrown him. At the same
time 1t had not escaped his logical
mind that Mrs. Constable had made
her final plea on the score Of re-
spectabiilty.
HODDER REFUSES.
at gives me great pain to have
TO refuse you" he said gently.