, 1922-07-26
IIImulruIm
IIIIIIlIIIIIM IIiIIIII


thoughtfully dropped head = the
straight shafts Of the sunlight were
making it impossible to lace the house,
in any case-and so was within three
feet of Richard Carter before she saw
him.
He looked fresh, hard. even young,
in his white lannels. They stood look
ing at each other for a moment with
out speaking.
where have you been?' said Rich
ard, sharply, then. You look illIv
Tears. despite her desperate res0lu-
ton, suddenly stung Harriet's eyes.
And yet her heart leaped with hope.
~ wanted to see you, Mr. Carter"
she faltered. IT couldn't sleep very
well. I've been down at the shore. But
later-any time will dor
you couldn't sleep !" he exclaimed
with quick sympathy. He looked from
her emotion. Here" he said, come
down the steps a bit. i was going
down t. the court for a little tennis;
Ward may follow me, but he won't be
dressed for half an hour yet. Sit down
here; we can talk"
They had come to the marble bench
on the terrace, where Isabelle and An
thony Pope, sheltered by these same
towering trees and low brick walls.
had had their talk a year ago. Har-
riet, to her own CONSERVATION, felt
that she was In danger Of tears.
IL hardly know how to say It,"
she began. "But-but you know how
ashamed 1 ami"
81 know-I know how you feel I"
Richard said with a sort OF brief sym
pathy. I'm sorryI But you know
you mustn't take this all too hard. /
didn't was thinking of this last
night I didn't ask you for-well. any
more han you gave me, In this mar
rage of ours. Your divorce was your
own AFFAIR"
The girls tired eyes flashed.
There was no divorce !" she said,
quickly.
mo divorce?" he echoed with a'ruz-
zled frown.
81 want to tell you about It'll" she
said. But the tears would come again.
I'm tired !" Harriet said. childishly,
trying to smile. "rve been up-waIk-
ing. 1 couldn't sleepr"
The consciousness that he had been
able to forget the whole tangle. and
sleep soundly. gave Richards voice a
little conjunction as he said:
You don't have to tell me now.
Wen find a way out of 1t hat is easy
for every one" -
mo. but let me talk I" Harriet. in
her eagerness, laid her fingers on his
wrist, and he was shocked to feel that
they were icy cold. ~ want to tell
you the whole thing-f want you to
understand !" she said, eagerly. Rich
ard looked at her In come anxiety;
there was no acting here. The rich
hair was pushed carelessiy from the
troubled forehead. She was huddled
in the enveloping coat, a different fg-
ure indeed from his memory of the
superb and angry girl of last night in
the library lamplight.
"Mr. Carter. / never knew my moth
err" she began. But he interrupted
her.
my dear" he said, in a tone he
might have used to Nina. He laid his
warm. fine hand on hers, and patted
1t soothingly. my dear girl, II you
feel that you would like to go to that
motherly sister of yours-if you feel
that 1t would be wiser"
"Oh, / am going to Linda Mt once I"
Harriet said, feverishly. hurt to the
soul. II had planned thatl But-but
won't you let me tell your" she plead
ed. She had framed the sentences n
hundred times in the long night; they
failed her utterly now. and she CROPPED
for words. II was only three years
old when my mother died." she said.
"Of course I don't remember her-T
only remember Linda. I was shy, my
father was a professor, we were too
poor to have very much social life. l
lived in books, lived in my fathers
shabby little study really I never Ind
an intimate girl friendi Linda was
always good-angelically good-talk-
ing of the Armenian sufferers, and of
the outrages In the Congo. and of the
poor In New York's lower East side
she never cared that we were poor,
and that we hadn't clothes ~
II know-I know! - Richards eyes
were smiling, as If he knew the pic
ture, and liked 1t.
well. Linda married when l was
ten, and Josephine came, and then
Julia came. l still lived for books and
babies. But, unlike Linda, / cared"
Harriet's whole face glowed; she
looked Off into space, n her voice
had a longing note. ~ cared for
clothes and good timesl' she said. II
adored the children, but l dreamed
Of
mentsi / knew that other women did
it"
cTo BE coNTINuED)