The Washington times., 1931-03-28
CHAPTER 80

It was quite clear, and Delight
stopped, her heart beating fast.
and listened. The path turned
off Just there; she stepped back
and leaned against a tree.
Mary Lou was laughing.
"Lorry, you're so silly!" said
Mary Lou.
The hedge grew very high
and thick, and had been clipped
into entertaining formal pat
terms. It had also been trained
into a sort of maze, and was
wide, forming a semicircle at
the point at which Delight
viewed it. Apparently Mary
Lou and Lorrimer we're sitting
there, just beyond her view.
"Well, it's a swell day to
be silly in," Lorrimer remarked,
and Delight leaned forward,
listening eagerly. The voice
was strange to her and yet
touched a chord in her memory.
It was deeper than she recalled
It but as vibrant, as colored
with overtones as the voice Of
the boy she had known, a voice
which had stammered love to
her, and protestation: You're
all my world, Delight. I'll love
you always"
She smiled, a twisted little
grimace, remembering.
Suppose" said Lorrimer, I'VE
ditch this family party and
60 out to the Island this after
noon? I'll take you up for a
hop-I want you to see the
plane. We won't get ours for
a matter of weeks, Of course,
but you'll get an idea. Per
haps you'd like to choose a
color scheme" he inquired, Sc
riously. "for the fittings and
what not?"
"Oh. of course, lavender and
green!" laughed Mary Lou.
"Why not?"
Sounds rather boudoir," he
objected. "Come on, let's go
this afternoon, Delight"
The listener shrank back
against the rough bark of the
great tree, hearing her name,
spoken to someone else. She
felt like a ghost.
and" continued Lorrimer,
'1et me take you up for a
ride. You like flying. You'll
trust yourself with me, won't
you?" he asked.
A Lady Eavesdrops
"You know would" said
Mary Lou, simply.
But not to me-" Lorrimer
told her. isn't that right?"
She was silent. Suddenly,
as the woman who listened
waited, her heart beating
quickly, and as the sunlight
fell in golden splashes on tree
and hedge and path, Lorrimer
spoke again.
I'm always breaking prom
ises," he said, "and I know it.
But I'm human. after all.
Seeing you day after day, be-
ing with you constantly has
only served to convince me
how right that boys love was,
long ago, that love which has
not altered, save to strengthen
and deepen. We know each
other briefly enough, Delight,
I'll admit that. We have
changed, both of us, you per-
haps more than I, basically.
But I must have known then
the sort of girl you would be-
come, the sort of girl who
would return to me, the only
girl in the world. You've been
SO patient, Delight, with me,
SO understanding of all those
kinks and quirks which I
brought back with me out Of
France, out of the prison
camp. You've understood the
dark times and the memories
and the struggle to get hold
of myself. You've helped me
all the way through, lacked me
up when I needed it, given me
the devil when I made a weak
fool of myself; sympathizing,
somehow, underneath; under
standing. You've brought me
back out of hell; you've made
me, remade me into something
approaching a fairly decent,
self respecting, ambitious citi-
zen. I swear I'll be worthy,
worthy of all the pains you've
taken with me, worthy of the
one dominant fact that you
care for me. You had to care,
I suppose. You wouldn't have
taken the trouble if you hadn't.
And 7 do feel that I can make
you happy, Delight. We've
been such good pals, such real
comrades. We like the same
things; we laugh at the same
Jokes; we have so many mu-
tual interests. You see I'm
being sober and sensible. and
putting a curb on myself, not