The Washington times., 1922-04-16

"Oh, no, you won't, Geoffrey. I
don't want to be hard on you, but
you got there long ago, Now, then
paws of; I've got to get up"
Please, Vera"-
Nov, don't let's have 1t all over
again"
Listen" said Caldecot, throwing
away prudence. 1--WE got something
to tell you. | told you we'd be up
in the flies by and by. Well, we
shall Within three months I'm
going to make FIVE thousand quii
certain. and perhaps ten. What
about that?"
Tell me another"
ITS quite true. II you stick to
me I'll tell you all about It,"
oh" said Vera. For one moment
she hesitated, for she did want to
know.
Ten thousand quid," repeated
Caldecot in a low tone, as Mephis-
topheles might have whispered to
Faust.
ITS a lot Of money" said Vera.
respectfully. Suddenly her mood
reasserted itself and she threw of
Caldecot's arm. mo, | don't care
II it's a hundred thousand. You
think it's only money | care for
Well, you're wrong. l got a heart,
l have. And | wouldn't give up my
boy, no, not to be Empress of Rus
sia."
Caldecot drew away toward the
window. He could have ragged,
threatened and schemed II only she
had not brought up before him this
phantom of old age, which so long
had pursued him and now was quite
near. He had not the strength to
recapture her, but only the capacity
to implore. "Vee," he murmured,
don't be rotten to me-"
Vera took no notice OF the appeal.
81 can't stay here all day." she re-
piled. "Since you won't get out l
suppose l must dress before you"
Il beg you, Vee"-
"Oh, you bung Of"
Caldecot walked slowly up Sloane
street, head bent, as IL without pur.
pose. Then the church clock nearby
struck twelve; as he registered the
fact he stopped, as II any outside
impression sufficed to give direc-
tion to his vague thoughts. He
stood so for a moment, looking
down at his admirably polished
boots, at his gray cloth spats so
exactly fitting over the instep, at
the line Of his well-pressed trousers.
He seemed too smart to be so alb
stracted. The way his coat nodded
his rather bent shoulders, the angle
Of his Homburg set slightly toward
the right ear, the clean wash-leather
gloves and malacca cane-al this
jaunty modishness made a contrast
with the pose Of WEAKNESS and
abandonment. After a moment he
looked up. Twelve o'clock. Gosh!
What a morningl"
He had not left the hotel when
Vera told him to "bung off," In
deed, the scene had continued for
another hour on varying rhythms.
There had been moments when he
threatened her and when she defled
him, replying that she wasn't a
white slave; crafty moments during
which he tried to bribe her, to
which she replied that love was
enough, and that even II her boy
hadn't any money, expense was no
consideration; there had even been
an unguarded moment when he half.
confessed to her the method by
which he was to obtain the large
sum. tried to tempt her with clothes,
diamonds. And now and then there
had been awful attempts to appeal
to her pity, to evoke his loneliness.
He had been ignoble, he who all his
life had played with women, toyed
with and discarded them, hurt them
by carelessness and hurt them for
fun. All that because she'd called
him old. Old or course, one had
to get old, but only later. One was
always going to get old and ons
never did. One never knew II. II
was hell when one knew II.
So Geoffrey Caldecot stared
toward a shop window and asked
himself II really he were old. Old