Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-11
CHAPTER XLI
How Much Did Nick Kno,U?
LNOR a moment Carol stood staring at

u
l. Nick.
How much had he seen. or hadn't he
noticed anything out of the way? APP
parently the others hadn't. but Carol
had been so aware of the tightening Of
Britton's arms around her and the
tcnsrly whispered Darling" that she
could not understand how the rest
failed to see It,
Her thoughts were in whirl: she
was still tingling with the memory Of
that moment. 1t was Britton's first
outspoken word of love to her, and it
made her so conscious of him that she
could not turn her eyes III his direc-
tion at all.
Then she was being drawn into the
midst of the crowd, and Grace was say
ing to Nick mcrrily. Aren't you proud
of her. wasn't she splendid?'
Carol looked up at Nick almost fear
fully. Something cleaned in the depths
of his dark eyes for moment and then
went out suddenly like a light.
Carols heart suddenly contracted
with fear.
lie had seen, she was certain Of il !!
And yet she had done nothing wrong
she might have been entirely unaware
of Britton's action.
With lightning rapidity her thoughts
swept back over the past few days, and
she was suddenly conscious Of the fact
that Nick had looked at her often like
that. He had read her, he had known
her feelings all along and yet he had
done nothing, he had said nothing.
But why hadn't he?
Long ago. when they had still been
on their honeymoon. Nick had said pas
sionately that he would kill the man
who came between them. 1t had not
meant much to Carol then, this threat,
because love had seemed very remote
from her. but now she remembered.
Why hadn't Nick spoken of Britton
to her. why had he avoided coming to
the rehearsals, why had he given her
every opportunity of seeing Britton
alone? These thoughts crowdins in on
her vaguely frightened Carol. 1t gave
her different light on Nick's charac-
ter and she had thought she knew him
so well.
Vaguely she dreaded being alone with
Nick. She wanted to be by herself; she
wanted the opportunity to think and
dream. Not for the world would she
have been alone with Britton either the
very fact that he hnd declared himself
openly made Carol want to avoid him,
but there was moment just before the
'ioMu ptohc up Mhcl siio stoou aioEe
with him in the dimly lighted hall.
He stood looking down at her and
she hardly breathcd.
Il was right when / said that we
had great deal to say to each other,'
he said evenly. His voice was cxultant,
he felt like conqueror. but in spite
of the fact that Carols heart leaped at
the significance of his words, she drew
back involuntarly from the implica-
tion of them. 1t was if a cold wind
had blown on her suddenly and she
shivered. a moment later they were
surrounded and there was no time to
say anything more. But afterward,
when she was alone with Nick in the
taxi. he said nothing. AS usual, he was
courteous, unfailingly polite and she
had q sudden passionate desire to break
down his reserve, to know what was
goin; on in his mind and heart and
soul.
She stole a glance at him and against
the window of the taxi his dark fea-
lures were outlined clearly, but his ex-
preston was inscrutable.
"What was he thinking. what was
he thinking!" Carols mind asked the
question over and over. And later,
alone in her room, she could not re-
capture the feeling of exaltation that
had swept over her earlier in the eve
ming. She felt troubled, afraid and
after she was in bed with the light out
the tears came, and she Sobbcd into
her pillow with no clear idea Of why
she was crying.
NOnday-vain RecretS