Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-17

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the knowledge that he had cared after
She began to write hurriedly; she
sealed and dispatched the letter before
she allowed herself time to think.
Then the inevitable revulsion of feel =.
ng set in.
She had not really wished to break
aer engagement !. she loved him--a panic
Of fear closed down on her heart as
she thought that perhaps he would take
ier at her word, and be glad to accept
.lis freedom. She had been a fool to
write such letter--she would have
siven five years of her life at that mo-
nent to have been able to take Il back
She sat down and hid her face In her
hands.
People who knew Lady Erica said
That she had no heart; said that moth
ing ever agitated her except n badly
lifting gown. Many of them would have
been surprised had they seen her sitting
there In the lonely splendor Of her room.
crying broken heartedly for man who
cared nothing for her.
And yet. had they stopped 70 consider.
they should have guessed that some very
ueep feeling had kept her waiting oil
these months for him to speak Natu-
rally she was proud woman, but she
had stood the fire of talk and specula :
ton unflinchingly. and when AT last
Tallentyre had asked her to marry him,
The knew that she had realized her am :
b.tion! :
She wanted the man--she wanted him
with all his faults and weaknesses and
coldness. Sometimes love is like that
sometimes IL burns all the more strongly
md deeply when 1t has nothing but itself
on which to feed
And yet. in spite of her momentary
.ear, she did not for a moment believe
that Tallentyre would take her at her
word. She was sure that in the morn :
ing he would be round. anxious to see
her, expostulating, protesting--perhaps
even at last telling her that he loved
her and could not bear the thought OF
losing her.
He had never once said that he loved
her; he had at least been consistent.
md she respected him for It. lie had
pretended nothing-had never even tried
to blind her to the real reason for which
he had asked her to marry him: shorn
Of her wealth he would never have looked
her way. and she knew It.
IL was such an. omen secret that Tai =
entyre must marry for money she had
heard even her own brothers speculating
ms to how long Gig could hang on" II
ne didn't get married.
1t cheered her to remember these
things; when she went to bed that night
she slept dreamlessly, sure of her power
'ver his future at least. IL not over
lis heart.
1t was late the following morning be
fore Tallentyre received the letter: he
had been out half the night. and tum
bled into bed with a binding headache
n q IN fret OF IF h,nI L.,
the darkness: he was dawdling over q
late breakfast when he opened Elrica's
letter.
There had been several lying beside
his plate, and it was characteristic ot
him that he left hers til the last; h,
was SO sure he knew what were its con
| tents that 1t came as distinct shocL
to read the first few lines.
He sat for moment staring at hel
f1owery handwriting with rather dazeC
eyes before he could fully understand
it's meaning.
Then it came over him with rush
He was Tilted. That was the top ant
bottom of it all--jilted.
He got up and walked about the
room; for the moment at least the
knowledge conveyed nothing to him. Ht
took the letter up again and read /,
though once more-then suddenly he
stretched his arms wide to the room
the weary lines of his face gone as il
by magic.
Free-hc was free. SO many times
lately he had been tortured by the long
ing to be free, so many times he had
dreamed OF the JOY 1t would be. and now
't mad come unexpectedly and suddenly.
without any seeking on his part.
For the moment that was his only
thought; he forgot the insurmountable
1ificult es he would have to face--the
debts-the liabilities it was only much
later that the remembrance of them all
came back to him with crushing force.
he sat down and answered Erica s
note unhesitatingly.
While regretting her decision, he said
he could only realize that she was right
he had never been good enough for
her; he hoped she would find happiness
with another and more worthy man; he
would always be her very affcctionate
friend.
lie had never felt more affectionately
toward her than now. but there was not
the faintest regret in the feeling-not
the least wish that things had been diff
fcrent.
He sent his answer by messenger.
When he knew it had safely gone, it
was as il weight had fallen from
his, shoulders the future was his own.
lie had not seen Jill since that night
when he drove her home from the Des-
pards. though he had heard Of her fre :
quently from young Merredew. She
was still to be seen everywhere with
Rigdcn-and people were talking.
1T makes me sick" young Merredew
said with boyish despair. What the
devil she can see in him beats me--the
mans just a charlatan, an outsider"
Tallentyre let him rave; he was not
in the least jealous of Mcrredcw, and
perhaps the boys outspOkenness was
Of some comfort to his own heart.
OF the Hillyards he had seen little or
moth 'ng; he purposcly kept away from
them. knowing fun well that jill was
constant visitor at the house.
After what had occurred that night
in Merrcdew's car he had not felt equal
to meeting her again.
He wondered what she would say
when she heard of his broken engage
ment--if it would give her even the
smallest throb Of pleasure.
1t was this thought that woke him to
the fresh realization of the fact that
though he was free of Elrica. he was
still far from the woman he loved.
lie was ruined man--wnen it be =.
came known that he was moi to marry
Elrica there would be a pack of rrcdi-
tors down on him like disappointed
wolves; they had counted on his mar
riage-tlcy had been confident of it.
the thought stuck unpleasantly.
On all sides he was hemmed in by the
consequences of his own folly though
Elrica had thrown him over, hc was
still tied irrevocably,
Later in the morning he met Hillyard
at the club; Hillyard, with a Worried