Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-20


j voice now. and in his eyes. but Chris
.,,. was not looking at him she was only
s.,.mbering that he had once loved an
r.ssr woman desperately, passlonately,
Aha, because that woman was no
. su living he wished to transfer his
pse ms.t,ons, she kept her eyes steadily
s.,ora her as she answered him:
~ am sorry don't want to hurt you,
,,,.-but I'm afraid that-that is what
do mean'
,.rce. She did not look at Jimmy; she
as only conscious Of the fierce desire
=. har heart to hurt him, to make him
..., make him suffer as he had once
- her suffer in the days that seemed
,or away now and dead that she
LA look back with wonderment at her
IVY, Tor the despair she had known then.
e,o was glad that she no longer suf-
-. giad that she had lost her pas
l,sa,o love for him in this numbed in
s,morence She wondered II he really
s,,, her words, or II he were only pre-
tending. ..... ,--, =,
once he had pretended to her SO well
.s., che had married him.; now. as a
.nosouence, she found herself suspect
GO ,Na him at every turn, doubling him
WIN Whenever eve he spoke, .,,,u., and c,r,,
,,na nc caught her breath. She shrank Il
un,1 u,t1o further away from Jimmy In tn;
lserTness but she need not have feared,
Saaing her instructive movement, ne
arose at once and walked away to the
a,SeT a,Se side Of the carriage. He hard y
ootnIo ottngI, TO her again till they reached
Inndon.
II was late then. Christine felt tired
and her head ached. She asked no NOR.
Snestions as to where they were going or
awhat he proposed to do with her. she
toliowed W him into taxi. She did
not hear what directions ne gave 70
% ,he driver. It seemed very little while
before they stopped and Jimmy was
aIghL
S"Fs; They went into the hotel together. and
Cor a moment Jimmy left her alone In
The wide, empty lounge while he went
~ make arrangements for her.
she looked around her duly. Inc olo
danression she had known when last she
Was in London returned. She hated the
siience of the lounge; even the doors
seemed TO shut noislessly, ana every.
where the carpets were so thick that
footsteps were mufled.
jimmy came back. He seemed to
avoid her eyes. ,
4 have taken rooms for 1,s, you. ! think think
YOU will be comfortable. VIII you-wlil
vow YOU 20 up now? have ordered supper =;
it will be ready in fifteen minutes
"I Christine obeyed wearily. She went
up in the lift feeling lonely and depress,
Srst landing. She went with Christine
;rto her bedroom she unpacked her bag
and made the room comfortable for her
she talked away cheerfully. almost as u
she she guessed what a sore heart the girl
| carried with her Christine felt htliF
comforted as she went downstairs again
Ii was nearly eleven o'c.ock. A lie"
people were having supper in the room
10 which she was directed. Jimmy was
there waiting fer her.
| They sat down together almost 81
lently.
"a second honeymoon Gladys
Leightons words came back TO ems
tine with a sort Of mockery.
She looked at her husband. He wa'
pale and silent He only made pre-
tense OF eating; they were both glae
when the meal was over.
There was moment or awKWaruhes'
when they rose from the table.
II am tired" Christine said when M
asked her II she would care TO go te
the drawing room for a little while. '.
should like to 60 to bed"
GOOD Ssry night" wst 'ny He ioessd e at her ant
quickly away again. i Will come rouhS
in the morning"
She raised her startled eyes to his race
"You are not staying here. then"
mol I thought you would prefe,
that did not. I shall be at my rooms
If you want NO."
VERY we'll" She just touched th'
/ tips Of his fingers, The next momen'
| she was walking alone up the wide stair
/
She never slept all night Thousf
/ she had felt tired at the end or hel
journey. she never once closed her eyc'
now.
She wished she had not come Sht
hated Jimmy for having persuaded her
told her that 1t was her duty to do al
he wished she hated Jimmy afresh be
cause now, having got her to London, M
had gone of and left her.
She did not choose to believe that ht
had really done 80 because he though
she would prefer 1t. She felt lonely anc
deserted tears welled into her eyes.
t e. seemed sas; an eternity before the rum
bic Of traffic sounded again In thu
streets and the first gray daylight crep
She wondered what GLADYS was doing
what Kettering was doing and IL hs
knew that she had gone and where.
She deliberately oonjured the memory
Of his eyes and voice as he had last
looked at her and spoken.
Her heart beat q, little faster at the
memory. She knew we'll enough thai
no loved her. and for q moment she won.
dersd what life would be like with him
70 always care for her and shield her
He was much older than Jimmy. She
did not realize that perhaps his know
they liksd tn he treated was the result,
Of a long apprenticeship during which
he had had time to overcome the impul'