Evening star., 1928-03-19
Continued from Yesterdays star)
By FRANK
copvrisht iae7 hv Frank L. Packard.

A sudden contrition came upon her
Last night this man, who so strangely
at times attracted her, and at others
SO strangely repelled her, had asked her
TO be his wife.
mo, perhaps I'm not--perhaps /
haven't been," she said more quietly,
And after what you said last night,
and in view of what has happened
since. you have really, / suppose, the
right to know. Very well. will tell
you. then. When that man came
aboard last night did not know his
name. did not know who he was
but it is true that l had seen him be-
fore. Two years ago in London we met
under rather-rather peculiar circum-
stances. We did not speak to each
other then. We did not know each other.
] did not know who he was, where he
came from, where he went; I did not
know his name. nor did he know mine.
never saw him again, until last night
when II recognized him as he stood
there on the deck"
THANK God!" exclaimed Rand fer
vently
Marion stared.
why do you say that?" she asked
swiftly
For several reasons" Rand answer
ed--his face broke into sudden smile.
But. of course, you see them for your
self That the mans shame, and els
grace, and inhuman fiendiShness can
have no personal meaning for YOU;
and that-but do need to tell you this,
Miss Garth. even though last night you
gave me little cause to hope?-that,
selfish as it may sound. still know that
there fS--no one else"
Marion did not answer. The pucker
had come between her eyes again. 1t
was strange-very Strange-and incon-
sistent--a woman's inconsistency per-
haps. His voice was grave, measured,
fun of sincerity; his face was earnest.
fun of Sincerity-and yet somehow, she
was conscious OF inSincerity. What was
1t? Was it that at heart. he did not
believe her. and that his apparent sin
cerity was merely the veneer of con-
ventional politeneSS? And If it were
or if it were something else-or If
she were entirely wrong and was doing
him fiagrant injustice? Well, in any
case, she did not want to think any
more about it now-not now. She
shrank from anything that could in
any way add to a mental turmoil. al
ready almost uncomfortable. induced by
the dismal and naked horror of what
had happened during the last few
hours. Rand spoke again-but now in
quite casual tones
Here's Lahat Kahn" he said ITO
announce breakfast. suppose"
Marion looked up. The immaculate,
white-garbed steward stood before her,
bowing and smiling his perpetual smile.
Breakfast. Miss Garth-and Mr
Rand. sir" smiled Lahat Kahx.
Marion waved the man away Break
fast. Yes. of course, they had all been
up hours before breakfast this morning.
There hadn't been any bugle as usual
summoning them to breakfast That
was because of-or-well, it would have
made an unseemly sound. But there
was TO be breakfast one ate just
the same =. merely the bugle
She pushed the wind-swept hair
away from her forehead nervously.
Please go down. Mr.. Rand" she said.
II viii be there presently"
But Marion did not 60 to breakfast.
That morning she spent lying on her
Ded IN her stateroom, deSirouS of moth
Ing so much as to be left alone. And
hours passed for her, not in cycles of
minutes and seconds, but in cycles. re-
curing cycles. OF. mental groupings, as
though, finding herself lost in some
maze OF many turnings, maze of black
and ugly darkness. maze inhabited
by repulSive and terrifying things whose
presence she could feel but could not
see, sne strove wildly to find her way
again.
Peter Blakel Peter Blake! Peter
Blakel He was Peter Blake! Daddy
Toms face came and smiled at her
and she turned and buried her face in
ner plllow-and she grew hard. and
inerciiess and bitter. And then Peters
Iace came-and the memory of that
night In London; and then the great.
splendid. physical bigness of the man
as ne stood last night on the deck,
the wet clothes modelling him as some
sculptor might have modelled a statue
Inat 1or all time should represent the
perfect development Of manhood. And
6lle wished she might have heard his
story OF that night at Daddy Toms
And then her hands cienched, and she
oespased herself because she had not
already crushed and thrown aside that
something, that something that this.
sne mad called II sequel last night
had awakened in her, that Something
which stirred within her-and-l1urt
no cruelty. Why should she want to
near MS story? He had been so pIau-
sole last highland yet he had lied
70 her. Herman Rand was right in
Enat ne had said In the lounge. Peter
sac would have q specious story
reaoy; but the law already had the
sFansnce tnat stamped him beyond any
doubt, no matter how much one might
want to doubt. as being the guilty man.
And she remembered what Cant.
Mnmm had said about the finding of
tne motor boat-the Marion-named
slber ner. 1t brought a broken crv
rom her; "Oh, Daddy, Daddy Toni"
Lne nnding OF that boat confirmed the
evidence, left on loophoIe. A high stool
n London counting housei The
pmaSe didn't mean anything in this
mao, battling confusion Of her thoughts.
u simply intruded itself, forced itself
IN upon her. But it was a strange
tnine Tor murderer 10 say. It seemed
70 oe 30 healthy and so clean. Why
nad Herman Rand brought those words
OF nefs back 70 her? mo one else /"
Last night seemed TO have gpanned
InoSe Two years since that night fn
LONDON as though they were but yes
Hroay. Ene did not know. dared not
shT nerSen now, what II meant. Last
night she had been very strangely
happy. 6uppoSe--SuppoSe that Jaffray
nad not found out, and today Peter
BAKE had still been Alec Dunn, and
LOT the tomorrow and the tomorrOwg,
aDd they had been together. and that
strange happiness Of last night had
bne sat up On the edge Of her bed
eiaspi1g her temples fiercely with her
hands. II was aborninablel Why was
she letting her thoughts run mad like
tnis1 What was she trying 10 say7--
that what Jaffray had paid for with
his life had saved her from what ulti-
The cycie again Over ana n.,ar