The Washington times., 1922-08-13
Morton---F ortur1e
BY May Edginton

"IndeedI I don't know that I
care to be followed. came for
solitude"
He flashed an anxious glance at
her.
"May talk to you somewhere?
] have a tremendous lot to say"
81 suppose" she remarked,
"that We can say It as well here as
anywhere else"
She led the way, as she spoke,
TO the low wall that ran along the
top Of the cliff and seated herself
on IL, and looked out refectively
to sea. Warder sat down, too.
"Miss Morton" he said, humbly,
"you are going to be angry with
me. That's quite right. I'm fur
ious with myself for "a coward
and a cad. Will you believe me
that / did not know what the con-
sequences of that Deerut affair
would be to your
Certainly, since you ask me
to-" she replied stiffiy. ..
That sent the blood rushing up
under his tanned skin.
81 didn't know" he said, dog
gedly, "till / came back from that
hill row and found you had left
the station. Then--to speak
seemed to serve no end. Any
way, didn't speak. Construe It
as you like; but oh, Meg, Meg!
construe 1t mercifully! And as
soon rs l could think what to do l
asked for leave and came home to
look for you. But London had
swallowed you up. l was just
hopeless till yesterday / made a
clean breast Of it to the mater,
and she told me that poor old
Thesiger's late secretary had your
name, and she was now holidaying
at Lit. ! rushed down."
'Holidaying?" she said, quick
ly. Had he not been told, then, of
her accession to fortune?
81 came" he went on, ito see II
I couldn't persuade you to IA
permanent holiday-to give up
this beastly Office work, or what
ever your grind is--to-"
Meg, possessor Of Thesiger and
sixteen thousand a year, looked
resolutely out to sea, trying to
harden her heart against the for
giveness 1t cried out to bestow.
Meg" said Warder, unsteadily,
could you forgive met-think bet
ter of me? Will you marry met"
She shook her head very slowly
and set her lips, playing with the
silver mascot.
IL love you," he whispered, get
ting up to stand close to her.
"Mr. Warder," she said, not
looking at him, "if you had said
that ten months ago, in India, /
think we both know what my an
swer would have been. Well, en-
hghtened as was subsequently, /
thank Heaven you did not say it.
You have just called yourself a
coward and a cad. ! do not con-
tradict you, and l resent being
asked to marry a coward and a
cad. As for the Office work"
She stopped to look at Warder.
He was listening, with the blood
flushing redly In his face, and
strain about his mouth and eyes.
"You will be glad on my ac-
count" she said, simply, "to hear
that Thesiger is mine, and a more
than adequate income for its up
keep. / came to Mr.. Thesiger as
his secretary and he left his for
tune to me-"
Warder suddenly went ghastly
white.
"What?" he stammered. A long
silence fell. The girl began to
tremble and soften, but she pulled
herself together again and watched
the sea and picked bits of lichen
from the wall"
"If I had known that" Warder
began, In a queerly altered voice,
81 should not have asked-what ]
did. It would have been a bar
must be bar, of course. I hoped
to find you just as you were, with
out this. My mother. did not tell
me or / would not have come" He
looked into her eyes and struck
his hand down on the wall. "Do
you believe me?" he asked, almost
fercely.
Disbelief wss impossible. She
nodded and sprang down.
"Meg! Megw he said. "Curse
the money! That would have to
part us, IL nothing else did. So
we must say good-byr"
"Good-by," she echoed. Shu
gave him her hand, and pulled 1t
away again almost before he held
It. So they parted.
Warder went back to Berkshire.
Meg returned to the inn where she
was staying, but all peace had fed
from Lit. She spent a restless
night, and the little mascot lay