The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-29

conva1escent was never related to Jonathan Mcclure But Anastasie emerged with her head erect, her pret- ty face wearing the fixed smile of the eterna1ly bored. And then she told Peggy that she had decided to re- turn to New York. So after packing her belongings. she got into Peggy's car and was driven much against the will of her hostess to the Bergen cot tage. Peggy wouldn't get out of the car, but Anastasie went to the door and knocked. Beth came out with her sleeves rolled above her elbows her fingers covered with four The Princess Galitzin vanished inside and the door was closed. Her call lasted ten minutes while Peggy cooled her heels. But whether the visit had been prompted by goodness of heart or whether by curiosity to study the lady of Peters choice at close range. no one will ever know. Beth was very polite to her and though she identified her without difficulty as the helio- trope-envelope lady, she offered her some of the "cookies'' that she had made for Peter, and expressed the warmest thanks for her kind wishes She saw AnaStasie Galitzin to the door
 
 wond ering what her fur coat had cost Beth couldn't help thinking, whatever her motive in coming, that the Prin- cess GaHtzin was a very beautiful lady and that her manners had been lovely But it was with a sigh of relief that she saw the red car vanish down the read in a coud of dust.
 His convalescence begun, Peter re- ra nj 1u nd in more he was himself. again. In those three weeks many interesting things had happened.
 Jonathan K. Mcclure had held series of important conferences with Peter and Mrs. Bergen. who seemed to have grown ten years younger And one fine day after protra cted visit to New York with Mrs. Bergen, he re- turned laden with mysterious pack ages and boxes, and stopped at the door of the cottage, where Peter was taking lunch of Beth's cooking.
 It was a beautiful surprise Mrs Bergen whispered in Beth's ear and Beth followed her into the kitchen, where the contents of one or two of the boxes were exposed to Beths as tonished gaze Peter, of course being in secret, kept aloof, awaiting the re- suit of Mrs. Bergen's disclosures But when Beth came back into the plush covered parlor, he revealed his share in the conspiracy by producing, with the skill of a cOniurer taking a, rab- bit from a silk hat, a minister and marriage license, the former having been hidden in the house of a neigh Dor. And Jonathan K Mcclure, with som ething of air, fully justified by the difficulties he had been at to se- cure it, produced. a pasteboard box, which contained another box of beau tiful white velvet, which he opened with pride, exhibiting it's contents. On the soft satin lining was a brooch, con- taining ruby as large as Beth's thumbnail.
 With a gasp of joy. she gazed at it, for she knew just what it was, the family jewel that had been sold to the purser of the Bermudian. And then she threw her ans around McGuire's neck and kissed him.
 Some weeks later Beth and Peter at at dusk in the drawing room of Black Rock House, for Mcclure had turned the whole place over to them for the honeymoon. The night was chilly, a few flakes of snow had fallen during the afternoon, so a Fog fire burned in the fireplace. Peter sat at the piano playing the Romance of Sfbelius, for which Beth had asked, but when it was finished his fingers impelled by a thought beyond his own control, began the opening rumble of the Revolutionary Etude.'' The mu- sic was familiar to Beth and it stirred her always because it was this gor- geous p1aint of hope and despair that had at the very first sounded depths in her own self the existence of which she had never even dreamed. But tonight Peter played it as she had never heard him play it before, with all his soul at his finger tips. And she watched his downcast profile as he stared at vacancy while he played. It was in moments like these that Beth felt herself groping in the dark after him, he was so far away. And yet she was not afraid, for she knew that out of the dreams and mysticism of the half of him that was Russian he would come back to her-just as Peter Nichols.
 He did presently, when his hands fell upon the last chords and he sat with head still bowed until the last tremor had died Then he rose and turned to her She smiled at him and he joined her on the divan. Their fingers intertwined and they sat for long moment looking into the fire. But Beth knew of what he was thinking and Peter knew that she knew. Their honeym oon was over. There was work to do in the world.
 The End