New Britain herald., 1925-10-09
e l 9 25
 NEA Scrvicc IN c oMP oANrED

| iou plollllse' Io aohSu, hHu then again: You promise me thai you will?"
 "Yes. yes" She hardly knew what she was saying.
 She stood for a moment in the hall listening.
 There was no sound from upstairs but from the kitchen Mary was dron- ing the chorus of popular song to herself as she banged away on the wooden table ironing her aprons.
 Nan found herself listening uncon- sciously to the sentimental words: "rhere's long. long night of wait ing--till my dreams all come Till the day when I'll be going down
 the long. long trail to you" Mary's voice was shrill and un- lovely and she sang in too high q key, but there was a sort of pathos in the sound, as If in some corner of the little maids heart there lurked romance with capital letter Nan gave q half-laugh that seem- cd to break and die in her throat. She was so nervous she hardly knew what she was doing, but the little bit about the dreams all coming true seemed to strike home to her.
 This is a dream" she thought as she crossed the hall and opened the front door This is dream, but one which will never come true"
 And she went out and down the dark pathway to meet Peter. Man ."
 She felt rather than saw that his arms went out to her, and she shiv- cred away with a little movement of fear
 "Oh, no . mo-" she said In a whisper.
 She turned away from him to- wards the gate.
 Let us go out--I can't breathe, she said with a sort of wildness. He walked beside her silently till they were out in the road.
 Everything was very still here there was faintly iridescent light as if somewhere behind the clouds a moon was shining, and when Nan looked at him Peters face looked gray in the eerie light of it.
 I've so much to say to you," he began incoherently. T don't know where to begin . I feel--I feel as if I've walked through the world blindfolded for the past weeks and that today-only today someone has torn the bandage from my eyes .''
 He stopped suddenly-he stood be- fore her.
 ''It was not play acting, Man." he said hoarsely. T swear if I never speak again that it was not"
 He was shaking all over: his voice was wrung with agitation.
 Nan could not speak-uncon- sciously she, put, out her hand and caught at Peter to steady herself, and the next moment she was in his arms. f
 He held her to his heart as if he could never let her go. He spoke foolish, incoherent words of love, to which she listened like one in a dream. And all the time she kept telling herself that that was all it was-a dream--a dream; that she must keep her head, or she would die when the bitter awakening came. Presently. with an effort, she Wrenched herself free.
 "Oh, don't, please--please."
 They were close to the stiIe that led into the wood now. Nan leaned her arms on the top bar and laid her head down on them with a dreadful feeling of faintness and for long moment neither of them spoke.
 If raise my head, or look up. shall find that he isn't there at all, ? she was telling herself despairingly. T know that it's only what I've been imagining. Oh, how shall I bear it.
 And then she felt his hand on hers felt the close pressure of his fin- gers and heard him speaking to her.
 You don't believe me, Nan. I know-and you've got to! I've got to make you. I don't know how to be- gin-I don't know what to say-it's
 its as if I've been through a long illness. I'm so ashamed, but 1t hasn't been my fault. Oh, l beg of you to believe me.
 q know-I know" She spoke G,-a o}L L Lo pain in his voice, but as yet she could do but little to help him.
 Tt takes some forgetting" she said in a stifed voice. T will try oh, I will-but you don't know how hard it's been. I thought should have died"
 q could kill myself with shame with remorse. Nan, you know how I loved you .. We were to have been married when I came home" He let her hand go suddenly and forced her to turn to him. The pale moonlight shone full on her face with its tortured eyes, and with little stifled exclamation Peter put his hand over them. as if he could not bear to see their pain. He re- membered her as so brave and plucky-why even at the very last moment when they said goodby be- fore he went 10 France she had smiled at him with her little crooked smile though her eyes had been drowned in tears,
 Then all at once the tears came to Nan with overwhelming relief, wash ing the last trace of bitterness and hardness from her heart.
 Peter kept his arms round her tightly; he did not speak. but from time to time he kissed her hair and the little bit of face which was all he could see, and the slim trembling hand that clutched the lapel of his coat as if even now she was afraid to let him go.
 He had never known Nan to break down like this before. and it cut him to the heart. She was always so cheery and brave-it told him only too surely what she had suffered,