Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-11-28
CONTINUED from yesterday

CONTINUED from yesterday
Did rho tell you that?" he asked
rs gently AZ she had spoken.
There was no need to tell me. I
saw II as soon as ! looked at her"
FOR moment he was silent: then
he said very quietly. as one whose
controlling motive was hatred OF
excess. of unnecessary business or
frankness: Il am sorry"
Have you stopped caring for her?"
The shadow on hts face changed
into look OF pcrplexity. When he
spoke. she relied that he had mis-
| taken her meaning: and for an In
slant her heart beat wildly with re-
sentiment or apprehension.
Il am fond Of her. shall always
be fond of her" he said Does IL
make any difference to you. my
dcar?"
Yes. he had mistaken her meaning.
He was judging ner in the dim light
OF an immemorial tradition: and he
had seen In her anxious probing
Tor truth merely personal Jealousy.
women were like that he would
have said. applying. In accordance
| with his mental custom. the general
law To the particular instance After
al. whtre could they meet? They
we're as far divided in their outlook
on life 80 II they had inhabited
different spiritual hemisph.rcs a
curiosity seized her 10 know What
was In his mind. to sound the depths
| of that unfathomable reserve
That is over so completed that l
thought 1t would make no difference
| to you" he added almost rcproach-
!nliy. as II She. not he. were To be
blamed for dragging Il disagreeabie
subject into the light
Fear stabbed Corinna's heart like
knife. But she still loves YOU
she cried sharply.
lie iiinchcd from the sharpness OF
her tone. Il am sorry" he said
again: but tho words glided, with a
ptrfpnctory grace. on the surface
~ emotion. Suppose that what he
said vas true. she told herself; sup
pose that IL was really over: sun.
pose That she also recognized only
tn" CYCLISTS view uf du,y-ot the
| paramount duty 10 ones own incli-
nations: supposo-"Oh, am SO dit
! ferent from him: she thought. why
cannot also mistake tho urging
! OF deslre for the COMMAND OF con-
scicncc-or al least call II tina, in
my mind" For n minute she .truy-
! a!"d desperately with the tenip,a-
! non: ana in that ninut. II sca.nef
To her that the face OF Alice RoXcby.
with its look % wisttul expectancy.
I ~ hungry ycarning. drittcd past
hcr In the twilight
But IL IL obliged to lac ovorp"
she asked aloud. Il could never car.
as sh" docs. have always been
IKE that, and can't change. |
hav" always been able to feel just
M much and no morc--.o give lust
SO much and no more"
He looked at her attentivcly. n
little troubled, she could sec, but
not deeply hurt, not hurt enough TO
break down the wall which pro-
tected the sccret-or Svas 1t the
emptiness ?-of his nature
Has the knowledge OF my-my
old friendship for Mrs Rokeby come
between us?' he asked slowly and
earnestly
While he spoke 1t seemed to her
that all that had been obscure in
her view of him rolled away like
the mist in fine garden. leaving :he
structure Of his being bare and stark
TO her critical gaze. Nothing CON
fused her now. nothing perplexcd
her In her knowledge of him. The
old sense Of incomplctcness. of in
stood the cause Of II now: she saw
with perfect clearness the defect
from which II had arisen. He had
missed tho best because, with every
virtue az the mind. he lacked the