White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-07-25
CHAPTER XIII-Continued


Ing what was going to happen as be
left Ennerdale and entered his home.
He could feel himself under strain
reused by the nearness of explanations
which II was Claire's right to hear and
his duty to make. It would be hard
to talk about Carla, as he must, even
should Claire in her wisdom ask for
nothing
Claire was waiting for him in her
room. This act of thoughtfulness
pleased him. She knew that in
peculiarly embarrassing moment they
should be alone. Both were sensi-
tive, each a little fearful of what one
or the other might betray in their
first greeting. He was thinking this
when he went to her. AS her door
closed behind him, his first impression
was of room filed with flowers.
Claire, like CarIa, loved them. The
air was delicately fragrant with their
perfume. Claire was bending over Il
mass of white roses when he entered.
and then came toward him with both
hands held out. She did not put her
arms about him or offer him her lips.
yet never had he seen such light of
happiness shining in her eyes. He
made movement to Kiss her, but she
drew back in such way that her
act seemed scarcely to be repelling
him.
mot now, Paul. Not until we have
talked. Then, if you want to kiss me,
you may"
She was astonishingly free OF the
tension which he had anticipated, and
as she stood with her fingers clasped
warmly about his, telling him how
glad she was that ne was alive. and
how doomed to despair and unhappi-
ness she would have been If he had
not lived to return to her, he won
dered If it wore Claire. his wife, who
was talking to him, Ur another Claire
some one he had never known. For
she seemed, all at once, to have drawn
herself farther away from him than
she had ever been, but in such
sweet and friendly way that the
change in her seemed one which could
not bring hurt with IL.
1t was Claire's fight that was hard
est. 1t was goirg to take Joan of
Arc courage to say what she had
planaed to say.
She made him sit near her, so they
were facing each other.
paul, we are going to be honest
You will promise me that?"
He knew he was preparing to equivo-
cate as he gave his word lie to
sa re Claire from hurt was more cred
table than truth. The impulse to
shield her, to keep from her all sus-
picion of his love for Carla, swept
over him as he looked at her. She
was like the flowers en- the table, as
easily crushed, he thought. More
wildly than ever ne saw the differ
ence between her and Carla. Carla
would fight on through tragedy, even
to death. Claire, suffering more,
would droop and fade like petal in
rose, shrinking from the quicker
and more physical action which the
other would find for himself. He was
not analysing himself, or her. The
thought-like picture-impressed
itself upon him, and Claire, gazing at
him in these epic, retrospective mo-
ments, as If partly seeing the swift
visioning in his nina, surprised him
by saying:
paul, | wonder If you know, just
how much honor and respect you.
wonder If you realize how fine you
are. J have failed to play my part
as your wife. have not let you
know these things as should The
fault in our lives Is not yours. It is
mine. think l could have made you
love me- Yet saw the unfairness of
it unless could make myself love you
first. hoped and prayed for that.
"There wasn't love when we were
married, on either side. You did not
love me, not in the way you wanted
to love woman, and my feeling for
you was an Unreasonable respect and
admiration for an honorable gentle
man. 1t seems trite and superficial
TO say lIldl Lu6 INTERESTS Oh our ram
lilies brought us together, does IT noti
But 1t is true. | wanted to love you
But characterization q little while
that something was in my way"
Il know" he found himself saying.
"You couldn't love an ANIMAL Claire.
| was that, until the day you came to
the Mistassini. have been blind and
brutal. God knows am only half
worthy of you'll"
"And Carla?"
SO softly did his wife speak Carla's
name that for moment it seemed as
If he had not heard IT,
I'VE have promised ourselves to be
honest" she continued do you re.
member letter wrote you from
Paris in which said | was coming to
you and that | was sure more i'm
portant thing would happen for us III
your woods than any journey, like
your promised one around the world