The Washington times., 1922-02-26

Rather. Mamma expects to be
in town about eight months Of the
year. And, do you know, next
week, I'm going to first night"
THE first OF your first nights"
said Rodbourne with sham SOL
emnity. isn't 1t dreadful to think
that you may come to look forward
TO the last Of your last nights?"
81 don't understand You, Mr..
Rodbourne. You're much too
clever. But I suppose I'll have to
get used to that in London, where
everybody's so clever. You know"
she hesitated, II do feel rather shy
about it. At home, well, l knew
just what to say to the people who
lived round about"
Yes, / know. You talked to
them about each other, to the vicar
about the harvest festival or Christ
mas music, according to the sea-
son; to the gardener about bulbs
or chrisanthemums, again. accord
ing to the season."
Exactly. And now l suppose /
shall have to talk about the opera
and the latest microbe. Oh, I'm
so frightened"
Don't be" replied the man with
affectionate indulgence. We're
only shop fronts with no stock be-
hind. Do just as you do in Devon
shire. Talk to the women about
other women and talk to the men
about themselves"
She did not reply for a moment.
She had a frown between her child
fish brows, and Rodbourne felt i'm
mensely tender toward her, a little
sorry, as II he could not bear that
she should find even a trifiing diff
Guilty among her pleasures. While
this mood was upon him, Patricia
remarked: "Oh, WELL" and with
languid hand, flung a dart nearly a
yard wide from its object.
With a little cry OF petulance she
bent down, picked up a dart, and.
as she stepped back, put her foot
upon another. The round object
gave way on the polished floor;
she exclaimed and fell back. in.
stinctively Rodbourne's arm went
out, caught her and drew her up.
Then, as for the first time he felt
her in his arms, warm, supple and
abandoned against him by the fact
ha. attitude without infant ion
as II responding to some imperious
intimate call, he flung about her
the other arm and drew her all
against him.
Patricia so stood, embraced and
bewildered, her arms hanging laxly,
eyes closed aid head thrown back.
experiencing in a sort OF terrified
delight the brief harsh contact Of
the man who held her. She was
conscious neither OF withdrawal
nor desire; in that moment she
was caught up and mastered, less
by assault than by self-surrender.
Now. as he held her TO him, Rod
bourne saw Patricia as he had
never seen her before. The deli
cacy was still there. He could
mark the veined eyeIids, the I'M
formed contour of the cheek, and,
- close, the small parted mouth
seemed redder, the inner flesh of
the down-cur8ing lower lip was so
vivid as 10 transmute into animal
ism a feeling that had been com
pounded OF estheticism and ro-
nance. Without any hesitation,
captured and I'll bonds forgotten,
he bent down toward the beautiful
lure Of that submitted mouth.
Outside the door Of the garden
room, Mrs. Caldecot had hesitated
for a moment She did. wan to
go back and disturb them at their
game-their game, not hers. But
she had failed to find Mrs. Head
corn and in the dra wing-room were
no books except collected editions
locked up in cabinet
She wanted the novel she had so
carelessly been reading in the gar,
den.room. She remembered that
Il had fallen off her lap as she bent
down TO pick up dart. Shed bet
ter fetch it. And when she hest
tated she chided herself. After all,
why shouldn't she go in? But her
hesitation was still enough to
cause her to turn so slowly the
handle of the door that it made ne
sound.
,rs CaldecOt stood for a mo.
ment in the doorway, confronted
with those two. At last, and 1t
seemed a long time. she realized
purely in knowledge and not yet
in pain that this thing which she
had suspected before it came to
be now indeed was, that the two
had succum5ed to the inevitable
response OF their youth, to the
temptation Of the future, She per
ceived this without putting it into
words. 1t was to her something
that had happened, that was hap
pening. And she so stood, silent
and unobserved, unable to move,