The Washington times., 1931-04-01
CHAPTER Al
" repeated Lorrimer.


fectly white. Now with a great
rush, as of relief, her color
came flooding back again.
Lorrimer went on, as Delight
did not speak,
GAS soon as I saw her again,
I knew remembered-every-
thing"
But" Margaret interrupted.
"you thought that Mary Lou
was Delight-and you didn't re-
member then-you clung 70
your belief-or was it really be-
lief? that you were married to
her"
"Is that her name?" asked
Lorrimer, oddly. He had been
y forbidding himself to think or
the other girl. Even when
Peter had come downstairs 10
report that she was not in her
room, not, it seemed, in the
house, he had kept his mind
away from her. He had to get
this present, vital situation
clear, settled.
His mother nodded, abstract
edly. And Lorrimer went on,
thinking it all out, a furroW OF
painful concentration between
his brows:
mo, I didn't remember when
T saw her. She-waS just my
memory come incarnate, my
memory of a girl I had loved,
and who was lost to me. But
when the real girl came, 1
knew at once. Delight" he
looked at the woman sitting,
exhausted physically, in the big
chair, a woman who was quite
patient. waiting, it seemed, for
her cue to enter this new and
complicated drama, woman
who appeared to hold herself IN
leash, Delight, you know, you
remember? We planned to be,
married-by special license. I
gave you that ring. The earil-
est day on which we could be
married was the day my leave
was UP. We were to be married,
I was to return Immediately to
the front. Then my leave was
shortened, by 36 hours. I was
recalled. And went - without
marrying YOU, Do you remem-
ber?"
Delight Is Shrewd
"Of course" said Delight,
speaking for the first time in
many long minutes. She had
kept quiet, waiting to see
what he would recall and how
much. She already knew, Of
course, the story of his strange
obsession, the obsession that
he had been married. Mary
Lou had poured it all out to
her on her visit, so youthfully,
so abundantly that Delight had
had plenty of time to hide her
aStcnishrnent, to wait. She had
thought. shrewdly, that her
own positive knowledge and
. Lorrimer's lack of it might
possibly be a new and import
ant card in the hand she held.
But when Lorrimer had come
back and recognized her there
by the lockwood maze, she had
been about to tell Mary Lou
the truth. His return had
silenced her. And then, with
Mary Lou gone, with the sit
uation quite changed, she had
held her peace. For if he did
not remember, there was temp
tation in his lack of memory;
1t was something a clever wo-
man might take advantage of,
after all. But he had remem-
bered, She discarded that
card, therefore, as a good
player should. It was useless
to her now.
But I don't understand"
Mrs. Lorrimer said, helplessly.
DR.. Mathews came in. Peter
announced him and went out,
shutting the door silently, we'll
aware that son e drama was be-
ing played out, worried, in his
loyal heart, about Mary Lou,
wondering where she had gone
and why. He'd already seen the
cook and been regaled with her
backstairs, dramatic recital of
Mary LOUIS entrance through
the kitchen and her exit with
out a word spoken, and that
amt like her, Mr.. Peter!"
Mathews, entering, looked
from Margaret to Lorrimer.
Margaret indicated the other
woman.
"Dr. Mathews-Miss Hartford.
This iS-Delight Hartford, Dan"