Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-25
CHAPTER XIV


T I was true that Julie had made amazing
| strides in an incredibly short time, but
- with Matthew her manner was still silent
and constrained 1t is doubtful anyway.
whether Matthew would have noticed any
perceptble change in her unless his atten-
ton called to it in some unusual way,
for the difference in her was subtle and
Matthew was preoccuped with other things
Furthermore there was little intimacy be-
tween himself and Julie. They rarely saw
each other alone, and there had been no ca
resses exchanged between them in some
time.
When Julie thought of this she almost
despaired. She saw her husband sIipping
away from her before she had been given a
fair chance to hold him, and yet unhappy
though she was she struggled on desperately
toward the goal she had set herself
Bradford Pierce helped her. He often
dropped in at tea-time and talked with her
about current events, or the new books, or
the opera He discovered that Julie had an
intelligent mind, and that when her develop
ment was complete, she would be an UNI
usually interesting woman. There were times
when his Imagination slipped ont from un-
der control, and he dreamed what travel
might do for her. In that way she would be
able to make up for her lack of education
and he thought of the pleasure he might eX-
perience in unfolding the panorama of the
world before her eyes. But it was seldom
that he allowed himself the luxury of such
thoughts. Somehow they vaguely disturbed
him. There something too personal
about them, and Julie was Matthew's wife
He mustn't forget that.
Julia longed for a woman confdante
Pierce was her only real friend and she had
no one else to whom she might go for coun-
sci. Since her marriage she had gone twice
to her old home in Brooklyn but her family
with the exception of her mother, showed
fierce independence where she was con-
cerned.
The girls scoffed at her Clothes and at
her new manner Much as they needed help
they refused it scornfully. They accused her
bitterly of being "up-stage," and Martha had
voiced the feelings of the rest when she had
said angrily:
Don't come here and try to play Lady
Bountiful We don't want your charity.
Why don't you invite us to your home if you
don't think yourself so much bette" than we
are?"
And Julie had flushed, feeling the fairness
of this accusation even though she vas help
less to do anything about it. Her mother,
however, had been different Without much
trouble Julie had persuaded her to accept
money at regular intervals, and the knOwl-
edge of this helped to quiet her conscience.
After all, would it do any good to invite her
sisters and brother out to Brompton Manor?
Would they be happy in being invited?
Wouldn't they feel helpless and out of
place? And most important of ALL it wasn't
if they yearned to be different. They
were cOntented as they were. She had been
the changeling, the only one in the family
who had wanted things to be different, who
had longed for beauty and chance to eX-
press herself.
jules friendship with Bradford Pierce
had been going for some time when
Claudia came in that afternoon and found
them having tea together. At first Claudia
had thought nothing of this friendship. She
knew that her father was aware of it. and
that in their circle it was no uncommon
thing. Besides she thought Bradford stupid
and ultra conventional. But she had lin
gered in the doorway a new thought had
struck her. Why couldn't she use this
friendship for her ends? The change
in Julie had been alarming. disconcerting.
Why couldn't she assume that it due to
Bradford Pierce? If she could bring her
father to see that, and SOW in his mind the
seeds of discOrd perhaps she might bring
about a separation between them through
other means than she had thought out in the
beginning.