The herald., 1922-02-16
CHAPTER III.

povsl Blondin went straight from
~,na N the tea table, which was al
me.t deserted now. Harriet saw him
coming. and she knew what hour had
Same She stood up as he reached
ssr and they measured each other
carrowly. with unsmiling eyes.
There was reason for her paleness
.oday. and for the faint violet shadows
shout her beautiful eyes. Harriet had
lain awake deep into the night, toss
Sns and sfeverish. She had always
thought that he must come back; for
years the fear had haunted her at
every street crossing, at every ring OF
1inda's doorbell. AT first ii had been
INIT q shivering apprehension OF his
r,a,ms. an anticipation Of what he
mint expect or want from her. Then
cs,ne a saner time. when she told her
.ser that she was an Independent hui
man being as well as he, that she
might meet his argument with argu-
.ment, and his threat with threat.
butsfor the past year or two her
,esse6fhg thoughts of him had taken
new form. Harriet had hoped that
when they met again she might be in
a position to punish Royal Blondin. to
look down at him from heights that
even his audacity might not scale.
That time, she told herself in the
fever of the night, had not yet come.
Her pitiful. achievements, her beauty.
her French and Spanish, her sober
book reading, and her little affecta-
.ti0ns of fine linen and careful speech,
oil seemed to crumple TO nothing. She
seemed again to be the furious, help
less, seyenteen-year-old Harriet Of
.fhe watertown days, her armor inef-
fectual against that suave and self
confident presence.
She had forced herself to unbind
:. The wrappings, to look at the old
wound. She had gone in spirit to that
old. shabby parlor to which Linda and
Fred had carried Josephine's crib late
every night, and where sheet music
! had cascaded from the upright piano.
she saw, with the young husband and
wife, fiery, tumble-head girl of ff-
teen or sixteen, who helped with her
listers cooking and housework, who
!. adored the baby, who planned a future
on the stage. or as great painter. or
"a great writer-the means mat
tered not so much that the end was
fine and wealth and happiness for
Harriet.
Fred had brought Royal Blondin In
10 supper one night, and Royal had
laughed with the others at the spirited
little waitress who delivered herself of
tremendous decisions while she came
and went with plates, and forgot to
/. take of her checked blue apron when
che finally slipped into her place.
The man had been a derelict then,
a. now But he was nine years older
than Harriet Field. He had had the
ame delightful voice, the same pen
e(rating eyes. He had brought poetry,
uusic, art, into the sordid little parlor
q the WATERFOWL apartment; he had
1elped Harriet to tame and house
nose soaring ambitions. She felt
oDin those kisses that had walked the
,ltue-glri heart into passionate won.
onhoo4; she shut her eyes and pressed
~ hand tight against them. So young
- happy-so confident !-plunging
oeod1ong Into that soaring blackness
And now Royal Blondin was back
fauin, and she was not ready for him
could not score now. But he
sesid hurt her irreparably II he
would Isabelle was an indifferen,
mother, and an incorrigible fiirt, but
q the first word, at the first hint-ah
tnere would be no arguing. no weigh
ing OF the old blame and responsible
~ II there was the faintest cloud
q doubt. that would be enough!
Harriet had shaken back her name
- hair. had hammered furious fists
together up on the dark balcony. II
wasn't fair-it wasn't fair-just now
wnen she was so secure and happy
one had flung her arms across the
railing, and buried her hot face or
mem, and had wept desperate and an
III tears into the silken and COLDER
Jungle that shone duly I'm the star
hight.
nne did not refuse him her hand
wnen ne came to the tea table. or hel
yea and there was friendliness, o.
me semblance Of 1t. In the voice witt
which she said his name. That he wa,
waiting, perhaps as fearfully as she
M MS cue, was evidenced by tn,
s,cx relief with which he echoed tn,
ad familiarity.
arietl find you again. Tv,
go waiting all this time to find you
heard Ward speak Of Miss Field,
" coursel But 1t never meant you
ne I've been thinking of you al
simply. w. ~
!rs after six.- Blondin said viii
ence about. swe can't talk here
20 get awayf Can we 90 some
wleAsut smother word she deaerte,
& pinned on her hat an,
&. y M gloves.
q > ~ Gniet baek rea