Evening star., 1925-09-06

smoke. Somehow or other the tobacco
tasted wrong. even the beauty of the
night seemed to increase his depres-
| sion. Presently he left off smoking,
| leaned back in his chair and closed
his eyes. They were playing waltz
he used to dance with Susan. He lay
| still and listened.
! Susan, crossing the deck in search
1 or her father, discovered him in con-
versation with the Prince and Prin-
cess Won Diss. She stopped and was
! half inclined to retreat. Gertrude,
however. had already turned toward
her.
Lady Susan" she said. II was just
sending my husband to look for you.
VIII you come and sit with me for
moment?"
Susan glanced meaningly toward
! her father. who she had been told
was looking for her. He miStook her
| appeal for help and smiled acqui-
/ escence.
DO. Susan" he enjoined. II only
! sent for you to say that l was going
| to the smoke room. Won Diss and l
will finish our little discussion there.
Gertrude led the way toward
distant corner where there were two
| comfortable chairs. Susan walked by
! her side. apparently at her ease, but
| inwardly fuming. There was some
| thing about this woman which always
made her feel young and uniformed.
'Of course, my dear Lady Susan,
| Gertrude began, Il know that you
detest having to talk to me. But you
| see 1t really can't be helped. My nus
band is meeting your father officially
and, so long as my husband has de-
cided to make me so, l am perfectly
respectable woman"
Il have had very little experience
in the ethics of such matters" Susan
replied. II am content as rule to
| follow my own Judgment
Gertrude settled herself quite COM
| fortably in her chair.
"Ah. well.'' she sighed, you're very
young. 1t is just your youth which
! makes your judgment so absurd
| You're very angry with Mr.. Grant
| Slattery. aren't you?'
Whatever my feelings may be with
| regard to Mr.. Slattery, or any other
| man." Lady Susan rejoined quietly,
they concern-if you will forgive my
saying so-myself alone"
Very foolish" Gertrude murmured.
Listen to me, please. Poor Grant.
| he really is in a ridiculous position.
| If there weren't just a spice of trag
| edy attached to the situation. | am
sure / should never accept the role
of obvious idiot which seems thrust
upon me-"
II hope you're not going to offer
me any condolences" Susan begged.
| Il do not desire them"
| MY dear Lady Prig you are going
| to hear what is good for you,' Ger
| trude continued calmly. You can't
| get up and leave me. because l am an
| older woman, and ii would be very
rude of you. You probably think that
| when Mr.. Slattery said good-by to
| you in Monte Carlo he knew that l
was going to America with him. Well,
the poor man didn't know anything of
| the sort"
He didn't know" Susan repeated
incredulously. why, it was the night
| before
Precisely" Gertrude acquiesced.
You see, l was very fond of Grant
Slattery, and l couldn't quite believe
that he had lost all feeling for me.
Sheer vanity. of course-for which 1
suffered. l knew quite well that II l
| had asked him to take me away he
would have refused point -blank-be-
cause 1 had already asked him and he
had refused-but I wanted to go away
with him and I took risk. / went
on board his yacht as a stowaway.
| He hadn't the faintest idea / was
there until the yacht was a day and a
| half out. He wouldn't have known,
even then. If | hadn't nearly tainted
from hunger"
Susan sat quite still for a moment.
She was struggling to emulate her
companions composure.
1T sounds incredible" she muir
| INJURED
1T is the truth, nevertheless" Ger
| trude assured her. when | disclosed
| myself, he was aghast. He took no
pains to hide from me the fact that my
presence there was utterly undesired
For some time he considered landing
| me at Gibraltar. That. however,
would have made the matter no bet
ter from any point of view, and l sup
pose that he realized that it would
have been a particularly brutal act.
So he let me stay. He had to-
There was pause. Gertrude
seemed to be listening to the music
Suddenly she recommended.
''Of course, the rest of the story is
absurd, as well as being humiliating
Why 1 tell it to you l really don't
know. / made an idiot of myself in
| the usual way, and l forced Grant
into the usual hopeless position. 1
suppose because he was in love with
you, he played the Sir Galahad for
some time with almost ridiculous per-
fection. Then one night we ran into
| terrible storm. 1 was frightened,
anu Il Is really very KIND
| hearted-began to realize that he had
been hurting me badly every moment
of the time. / became emotional and
| finally desperate. / will spare you the
rest OF the story-but / gave Grant
| no chance. Afterwards I understood
how hideous one-sided love can be.
II / had wronged my husband I paid
| in the suffering of those three or four
days before l could get Grant to land
me at Newport. 1 only saw him for
a few minutes at meal times and
afterwards when he used to come and
| try to make polite conversation to me-
but the whole affair was ghastly. I
had done the most absurd thing a
| woman could possibly attempt. I had
tried to secure for myself the man
who was in love with another woman. :
There were those few hours l spoke
of during the storm. After that
nothing. I did not see Grant again
until we met by accident on the
steamer coming back to England I