The Washington times., 1931-03-10
NOw Go On With the Story

you knew WhaC laugnCer mesnU
to me, Delight"
She thought she did know.
After all, his happiness came
first. AS long as he was happy,
what right had she to run away?
Going up to her room to get
ready for luncheon, she went to
the desk, took out the letter and
weighed it in her hand. After
q moment, she walked reSolutely
to the fireplace, dropped it in,
bent to set a match to it and
watched it burn. !.
No, she owed it to him to
stay. And she owed it to Mrs.
Lorrimer and so, calling upon
herself for some unexpected
depth of courage, Mary Lou went
forward into the New Year.
And this was the knowledge
that Mary Lou took into the
New Year with her, the explicit
understanding Of her love for
Travers, Lorrimer. She had
faced it with, at first, blind,
black panic which urged her to
escape, to run away to the very
ends Of the earth. But that she
could not do; she had commit
ted herself to stay on until such
time as her employer-for after
all, Margaret Lorrimer was just
that, a miraculouSly kind, a be-
loved and admired employer, but
Still-an enlployer-should dis
charge her from her curious,
but, nevertheless, definite duties.
Mary Lou, in her voracious
reading, had often read Of "love
unrequited." She thought, now,
that she could have borne that
with some measure Of fortitude.
Loving had never hurt anyone,
really, she told herself, and she
could have faced with a certain
gallantry Lorrimer's unadorned
liking or, even his complete in
difference. But her love was not
unrequited, for Lorrimer told
her that he loved her a hundred
times a day, by a word, a ges-
ture, a deep, long look from the
brown eyes which were begin
ming to look out on life again
with a normal interest and curl
osity.
Hard to Bear
That was the hardest thing
to bear: that he loved. not
her, but her masquerade; not
Mary Lou Thurston, but the
girl he thought she was, all
unknown girl named Delight
Hartford, who might or might
not, at the present moment,
exist; loved, not even Delight
herself, but his memory Of
her, incarnate in Mary LOUIS
own person, translated into
flesh and blood-at $500 a
month. In love, in short, with
a living girl who had taken
upon herself a role, who daily
practiced q. deception.
It was worse than difficult,
it was almost uncomfortable.
For Mary Lou, in her new
gained and bitter wisdom, real
lied that for the price of a look
or a word, at the least lift
ing Of her hand, she could be
in his arms, could hear the
broken words Of love, she
could know, again, the soar
ing ecstasy Of his embrace.
What it would come to. if
she surrendered to this daily
increasing temptation, she did
not know. To-marriage? But
he was already married to De-
light, or so he said. And If
she snatched a little rapture.
secretly, lived for a little while
in a paradise Of fools and
dreamers, it would all come to
an end, sooner or later. For
that, once learning that she
loved him, he would become
importunate, she knew. And
so the deception could not go
on; she would have to tell
him the truth. Margaret would
have to know. And it was
not part Of her bargain with
Mrs. Lorrimer that Mary Lou
should fall in love-with De-
light Harford's husband.
So she spoke no word and
made no gesture. She scl1ooled
herself to an even, rather
chilling friendliness toward Lor.
rimer. She concentrated all
her efforts on his physical
and mental welfare and gave
his heart cold comfort.
A Mothers Fears
Mrs. Lorrimer. always quick
on the uptake, noticed some,
thing-Something so slight that
it was hard to formulate into
words, or, even, into thoughts
But there seemed a certain
lack Of spontaneity in Mary
Louis attitude toward Lorrimer.
she seemed vigilant, always
q little on hGS guard. Puzzled.