Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-30
CHAPTER XXXIX
II'ha Qf1,1.n

Y ORRY did not return to the ci.E until
late September and during all the
- time she was away Courtney did not
once make any attempt to see her He
wrote long, CHEEKY letters to her, avoiding
the personal, and for the most part inciud
ing her mother in their contents. Sometimes
Mrs. Grenville thought this fact rather
strange, but she was beginning to realize
that there were many things about her
daughter that she did not understand, and
Lorry made no attempt to confde in her.
During the first weeks of their sojourn
by the sea Lorry seemed brighter, but as
the season drew to a close her old nervous
ness returned and she did not sleep at night.
Often Mrs. GrenVile heard her stirring
around in the adjoining room, and once,
as the dawn began to stream through the
windows, she got out of bed and went
into Lorry's room to find the girl looking
with strange expression in her eyes, out
at the sea.
Cant you sleep?" the older woman asked
very gently.
Lorry shook her head. isn't the sea
lovely in this light?' she said dreamiy. Il
think l never before knew how beautiful it
was at dawning."
There was an eerie quality in the way she
spoke, and invountarily Mrs. Grenyille SHY
cred She had feeling of presentment
about the future, about Lorrys condition;
and the fact that Courtney had not made an
6uOIt 10 COulS near IuGH SSeluSu SOIuSuOW
ominous.
Mrs. Grenvile said nothing about her
fears to Lorry, but the girl felt her mothers
eyes upon her several times during the next
day, and that night, when she awoke from
bad dream, she lay still staring into the
darkness. She dreaded being questioned,
and was terrified lest her mother try to
probe into her life, and she was resolved
never to let any suspect the truth: By
this time her whole life of stern
repression. She brooded constantly on the
time she would have to return home, and for
that reason he.' vacation did her little good
When the day finally arrived for their trip
back to the city Mrs. Grenville actually
frightened. She was certain now that Lorry
was not happy in her married life, but the
girl was frail, easily excited and so
very nervous that Mrs Grenville had reached
a point where she did not dare to ask ques
lions.
Courtney met them at the train, and Mrs
Granville was shocked at the change in him.
The summer had been unusually hot and
humid in the city, and Courtney looked
as if he had been living under some ire
mendous strain. All his features seemed
| sharpened, but Mrs. Grenville, who was
watching him closely, saw his whole face
| tighten as his eyes rested LOrry. Ger
! tainly there's no lack of love there" thought
Mrs. Granville with a little sigh of relief,
but the next moment her eyes sought Lorry's
race ana the girl s. aVerIed eyes anu eH-
| IRENE palIor left no doubt in Mrs Gren-
ville's mind to where the trouble lay.
Her heart sank? Why should Lorry be
afraid of her husband? What was the sit
| uation between them that could make her
| turn pale at the sight of Courtney? 1t was
strangely terrifying and such a critical time
might easily be fatal. And ret Mrs. Gren-
vile could not find it in her to blame
Courtney. She had always liked him, she
had confidence in him, and she quite
sure that his absence during the sum-
mer had not been due to his own wishes in
the matter. There were lines of suffering in
his face; he keenly aware of Lorry's
attitude toward him, and yet in the taxi he
made strenuous effort to talk of casual
! matters, to ease the situation as much as it
lay in his power to do so.
Mrs. Grenville felt a sudden of
irritation with her daughter. She longed }
demand then and there what wrong
and yet she felt that here was something
not easily explained, something too intan-
gible to be put easily into words.
Observation-Disclosures Renew your sub
| scription not to miss chapter of
this splendid story.