, 1922-02-01
CHAPTER xII-continued.

quickly. Indeed l don't. And 1t isn't
just the place and the life, Peteri i
could be happy in two rooms-some-
where-anywhere@ But not-with
him. Oh, Peter, If l hadn't done it"
Her beauty, as she pushed her plate
aside and leaned toward him, was so
startling that Peter, a lighted match
half-raised to u fresh cigarette. put
the match down aimlessly and looked
thoughtfully at the cigarette, and laid
that down, too. without the faintest
consciousness of what he was doing.
The day was warm. and there was a
little dampness on her white forehead,
where the gold hair chung to the brim
of the dropping hat. The soft curve
of her chin, the babyish shortness of
her upper lip, and the crimson sweet
ness of the little earnest mouth had
never seemed more lovely than they
were today. She was youth incarnate,
p%alpitating, flushed. unspoiled.
For a IN she looked down at
the table and the color flooded her
face; Their she looked him straight in
the eyes and smiled. WELL Perhaps
it will all work out right, Peter she
said with the childish, questioning look
that so wrung his heart. She imme-
diately gathered her possessions to-
gether to go, but when they stepped
into sunshiny Geary street 1t was three
o'clock, and Peter suggested that they
walk down to the boat.
They met Alix on the boat, but she
did not ask any embarrassing ques-
tions; she sat between them on the
upper deck, blinking contentedly ut
the blue satin bay, her eyes following
the wheeling gulls or the passage of
ships, her mind evidently concerned
only with the idle pleasantness of the
moment. And always, for Peter, there
was the same Joyous sense of some
thing new-something significant
something ecstatic in life.
From hat hour he was never quite
at ease in Cherry's company and
avoided being alone with her even for
an instant, although her presence al
ways caused him the new and tingling
delight. He read her honest blue eyes
truly, and knew that although, like
himself, she was conscious of the new
sweetness and brightness of life. she
had never entertained for an instant
the fitting thought hat it was Peters
feeling for her that made it so. She
thought, perhaps, that 1t would be the
old childish happiness that she had
known in the valley, the freedom and
leisure and responsibility of the old
days.
The neX day she talked In a trou-
bled, uncertain way of going back to
Red Creek, and he Knew why. But
Alix was so aghast at the idea. and
Peter, who was closing DIR. Strick-
lands estate, was so careful to depart
early in the mornings and return only
late. at night, that the little alarm, If
it was that, died away.
The next time that Cherry went in
TO town, AIix did not go, and Peter,
on the deck of the early boat
with her, asked her again to have
luncheon with him. Immediately a
cloud fell on her face and he saw her
breast rise quickly.
Peter" she asked him childishly,
looking straight into his eyes, "why
didn't we eel! Alix about that?"
Peter tcied to laugh and felt himself
begin to tremble again.
about what?" he stammered.
about our having been three hours
at lunch last week?'
"Why-I don't knowv' Peter said,
~neryously.
She was silent, and they parted
without any further reference TO meet
.ng for lunch.
That night. when Alix had gone to
bed, he entered the sitting room sud-
denly to find Cherry hunting for a
book. She had dropped On one knee,
he better to reach a low shelf, and
was wholly absorbed In the volume
she had CHANGED to open.
When she heard the door open she
and Immediately became very
pale. She did not speak as Peter
to stand beside her.
CHERRY" he said in a whisper,
MS face close to hers. Neither spoke
again for n while. Cherry was breath
Ing hard; Peter was conscious only of
a wild whirling of brain and senses.
They remained so, their eyes fixed,
breath coming as If they had
been running. for endless seconds.
"You remember the question you
asked me this morning. Peter said.
DO you remember? Do you remem-
Cherry, her cold fingers still holding
he place in the book she had been
went blindly to the fireplace.
"What?" she said, ig. the merest
"what2'
Because Peter said. following her.
1 sort of heady madness making him
1nly conscious of that heed to hear
rom her own lips that she knew. "be-
/ didn't answer that question
lonestlyl"
II mattered not what he said, or