Evening star., 1924-03-23

But I've lad it on my mind fur
years, I tell you"
Please don't say any more"
He seemed TO wither.
I'll so. Better go. Sorry l spoke
The wicker easy chair. empty, com
planned with creakings of the burden
which il had had to bear. The dawn
began delicatcly 10 announce itself
in silver gray glcam through the in
terstice between the curtains If the
window.
You mustn't 20 yet, Elaine whis
pered
Why not"
Because its gettine light. and til.
people on the first floor Will be about
and ! cant have a man, specially IL
evening dress. leaving my rooms ~
this time. Besides there's no buss.
or trans Yet. You must wait till
every ones up and people have begun
to go up and down stairs. and you
must cover UP Your shirt front prop
erly. Then YOU can slip out" Sha
whispered soberly, with the sagacity
of a young woman who has learnt
her world. She added: Il shall lie
down" I'm frightfully tired. and you
must be, too. Try to sleep in the
chair
She left him for the front room.
and locked the door and dropped OH
her bed She was indeed exhausted,
but she could not sleep. Her eyes
burned. She reflected that dancers
were still dancing at the Fantasy
Then she slept.
! When she woke the alarm clock
I which never alarmed. showed the
! hour of 10. The memory OF the night
/ gradually re-establshed itself in her
mind. How fortunate that her char
woman came only at 1880. She
| thought gladly: Yesterday it was
! the day after tomorrow that | was
! TO see Carly. Now il is tomorrow
! Tea at the Regent Palace at D." i
was she who had chosen the Regent
, Palace She arose, washed, dressed
| deliberately, gave particular atten-
! ton to the toilet of her face. eau
| tiousIy she unlocked her door and
! cautiously went into the back room.
! Ned was fast asleep, in a twisted,
| uncomfortable posture in the wicker
| chair His pallid face had the pathos
Of a corpse. He appeared tragically
! defenSeless, so much SO that she
could have cried at the sight Of him
and at the thought % his weaknesses,
his periis, his incompetency To deal
with the responsibilities attached to
/ little Alice, the baby. Much Eas had
! been burned, but she did not care.
She drew the curtains back. and the
entire room became pathetic-the
! teacups, the teapot, crumbs on the
floor. The image of Carly Lyeskov
! was obscured in her soul. She turned
! off the gas jet. Ned awohe with
| jump.
You're all dressed. Shall 81
now"
where's little Altce?"
shes with some people in Canon
, bury
who are they? Relations?
NO. Not relations. Tn not strong
in relations. You know that I think
they're very decent people. She seems
to be pretty well looked after"
"Oh, Ned! You must give me the
address. TIL go and see her tomorrow
morning. I'll have a look at things
bit"
x :; x X
THE images of Carly Lyeskov, au-
= tomobiles, luxury, distinction.
worship, alteration. passion, eternal
romance. begun to slip away from
her. She clutched at them, drew them
back, held them fast, hugged them,
but the next moment they were wrig-
Cling away again like cells.
"Oh, Ellie! There's nobody like
you, and there never was. You're an
angel and nothing else"
She wept She let the tears fall :
drop. drop; they slipped down her
cheeks and fell into space. Perhaps
she was sorry as much for herself as
, for little Alice and little Alice's
father She saw vistas of effort
struggle, reverses, obstinate recon-
mencings, narrownesses, dependence,
despairs, f1uttering hopes, quarrels.
reconciliations, disillusions and illu
sions. People would cease to stare
at her in the streets of the West End
because she would never be in the
/ West End. She would be withdrawn
from the vast world of pleasure and
excitement and electricity, where tint
| ed statues of nymphs supported
| heavily carved ceilings on their frail
| shoulders. Yet an immense peace
! took possession Of her disturbed soul
, and stilled it.
| This is my fate" she thought. 'T
| was born for it. I wasn't really born
| for the other thing"
The immense peace in her was
Continued on Seventh Page.)