The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-11
fcontinued from Preceding Page)

have done that sort of thing and
they have not been-been-
haunted-nor their wives made so
unhappy, nor their married life
wrecked, because of the indiscre-
tions-sins of their youth. It
seems as if I have been caught
up in kind of net-all entangled.
Except for that first week with
. Sais. did not do anything very
bad in Egypt. I suppose that
holiday at Luxor with her was a
mistake-but if you had not been
called away i am sure that you
would have found a way out of
that for me. ] was coming to you
for your advice. Sais had saved
my life, and she wanted,me to stay
at Luxor with her. II know /
am-was-weak that way-but,
honestly, I think 1t was a sort of
instinct, kind of fear of feeling
priggish or hypocritical, as much
as any passion that kept me at
Luxor with her,
A family angry rebellion against
the remorseless operations Of fate
stirred him.
81. don't care for myself can
take whatever Is in store for me
without whining-as far rs | am
concerned-but it breaks my heart
to see that every time you begin
to be happy something out Of my
past seems to spring out of am
bush and snatch your happiness
away | don't think / can endure
much more Of it, my dear. I am
trying to play the game-to meet
my obligations. / called che tune,
as they say, and | must pay the
piper. But don't see why you
should pay too-and you shall
not.
The slow temper of his people
shook clear another coil
81 have made few mistakes.
But on the whole | have tried to
be decent-generous- sports
man. That doesn't seem to be
good enough for Fate It seems
to be part Of the price that you
should suffer Well, you shall not
If | can prevent it. It is only
you | care about Of all the women
in the world-and, if it comes to
that, | can be good deal harder,
like many other men, and snap my
fingers at Egypt and the post in
Egypt-and say to you, Never
mind, never mind. we have each
other and all the rest can go to the
devil! You and |, Louise-you
and We've got to hive our own
lives. ii they make Us hard we'll
be hard. If they want US to be
selfish we'll be selfish
He sprang up. excited-too ex-
cited to notice the quick flush OF
color that ran into her cheeks or
the sudden light in her eyes 40
his excitement communicated itself
to her.
"I can see how dreadful it must
have been for you during the last
few hours-lying here thinking,
brooding-but it has made a diff
ference for you to know that the
death Of Charles Lammarsh was an
accident and that until to-day I had
not the least suspicion that he was
your husband, hasn't It?'
She drew a deep breath.
"Differencew she cried. "All
the difference in the world! / am
more than ever with you now. 7
cannot pretend to grieve about
him. He had given me no reason
to love him during our married
life. and many to hate him. / am
only concerned for you now"
She leaned to him, suddenly.
81 have confession to make,
too, my dear. If you have not
been perfect, neither have /. Dick.
| did not know was not quite
sure-when ] came to England in
mourning clothes, whether Charles
Lammarsh was really dead. He
mad just disappeared. Nobody
knew where he had gone--nor
when he would return-if ever he
returned. tried to be patient.
But all the time knew that l
could come to YOU, that you loved
me.
"And at last 7 could wait no
more. IL thought Of it all for a
long time-it seemed long to me-
and / realized what a terrible posi-.
ton / should be in if, after you
and | were married, Charles Lam
marsh should suddenly appear.
But you haunted me-ever since
that evening on the hotel terrace
at Caro- / have loved you-and |
could not bring myself to lose you.
l felt that | could endure anything
for the sake of just one little
period of happiness with you. So
] took the risk. came to you in
mourning clothes and you asked
me nothing about the past at all.
But therein the garden
when the news came that Charles